Diocesan Synod, Saturday 20 October 2018 Bishop s Address

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1 Diocesan Synod, Saturday 20 October 2018 Bishop s Address The address opened with a short video introduction to the new RealLIFE discipleship course. I want to begin be saying that what that short video represents in the life of the diocese is for me every bit as thrilling as seeing this old auction house renovated as a place of worship for the new Trinity Church Nottingham. For ten weeks this autumn in West Bridgford, Aspley and Worksop 260 people are coming together each week to study the Scriptures and explore the calling we share to be disciples of Jesus Christ, with the youngest participant being 16 and the oldest 80 something. Then on a Monday in Southwell 18 are enrolled on the new diocesan Licensed Lay Ministry/Reader course. Last Sunday in Bawtry and the week before in Clifton 43 were confirmed into the faith of the Church nothing beats hearing the stories of people from all walks of life coming to know the transforming love of God. I will never grow tired of praying for each one to be filled afresh with the power of the Holy Spirit as they continue to walk in the faith. As a diocese we are not primarily committed to planting churches so much as we are invited by God to participate in planting people. 1

2 Within the gospel vision God gave to Isaiah we are invited to participate in the reforestation of Nottinghamshire and a little part of South Yorkshire planting people who will be oaks of righteousness to display God s splendour. This is why our vision is singularly focused on growing disciples. Listen to how the prophet Isaiah expresses the unfolding purpose of God s kingdom, foretelling the gospel of Jesus: They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendour. They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations. Isaiah 61v3-4 So who are they these ones who will be called oaks of righteousness who will rebuild the ruins? Isaiah tells us in verses one and two: They are the ones who were once broken-hearted, the poor, captives, prisoners, all who mourn and grieve. By the power of the Holy Spirit, these are the ones who will rebuild the ancient ruins. Over the past few months, on a mainly personal level, I have been struck again how God loves to rebuild in the ruins. He doesn t wait for us to sort ourselves out to clear the ruins God starts to rebuild in the ruins. 2

3 He does that with each of us and that is what happened when a small congregation moved into this dilapidated old auction house 18 months ago and it became the home of a new Trinity Church. I don t know if you saw the story in the news a few weeks ago of the latest Banksy work up for auction at Sotheby s once the hammer came down the work spontaneously started to shred itself. The poor person who had just spent a million pounds on it need not have worried as art critics now reckon it s worth at least three times as much. But Banksy and Sotheby s have nothing on what will continue to happen in what was for many decades the premier auction house of the East Midlands. What s happening here is no eyecatching stunt simply designed to improve the Church s cred in the city. From heaven s perspective what is happening here is part of what is happening all across the diocese, part of God s plan in sending Jesus: through the cross of Christ sins are being forgiven, shame wiped away, joy is replacing despair, those who are oppressed are being released. Oaks of righteousness are being planted and nurtured for the display of God s splendour. Some of you know that this spot, close to the top of the Mansfield Road, has something in common with the mount of crucifixion outside Jerusalem. When we were first trying to 3

4 come up with a name for the church I checked out some old maps of the city and discovered that this spot used to be known as Gallows Hill. You can probably guess why! That was its name for at least 600yrs until 2 April 1827 when the last public execution took place. For a long time it was a place of death but has become a place of life. It was a place of punishment and it has become a place of redemption. It was a place where mocking crowds once poured out of the city, now it s a place where grace flows down into the city. That transformation happened when the parish of Holy Trinity was first planted in 1840, stretching up this hill to incorporate new housing to the north of the city centre. Then in 1871 the suffragan bishop of Nottingham consecrated St Andrew s on the brow of the hill. By that time the hill had acquired a new name. From the mid s until the early 20 th century it was known as Mars Hill, which is the name of the hill in Athens where Paul explained the significance of the resurrection of Christ, telling the people of that ancient city that God is not far from any one of us. He told them that by repentance and faith in the risen Jesus anyone can truly know the presence of God on a personal level. So there is a story which has been unfolding in this diocese since at least the 7 th century when St Paulinus baptised the first Christian converts in the river Trent. There have been many twists and turns along the way, as one generation has announced the good news to the next, and many surprises too. 4

5 I was heartened recently to read the Charge of Bishop Edwyn Hoskyns, 2 nd Bishop of Southwell, which he delivered to the clergy and laity of the diocese in St Mary s Nottingham on the 23 rd July This came at the end of an extensive four year visitation of the whole diocese, which then included Derbyshire as well! In his Charge, Hoskyns said this, We cannot be content with the result of our Sunday Schools in the matter of attachment to the Church. It is not that our children are ignorant of the Bible but we fail, I so often feel, to inspire them with love for the Church, such love as will hold them long after they have left school. We have taught our children theoretically about worship, but have not shown them the beauty of worship itself. So he urges everyone to get involved and with utmost care prepare bright and cheerful services, with movement and change, suitable to the age and capacity of our children, not only on Sundays but also weekdays, with the hope that in the days to come our children will use our churches with a freedom which springs from a spontaneous love of worshipping God. Hoskyns concludes, May I plead with my clergy to be far more elastic and less afraid of experiment. And he charges them to engage more consistently and creatively with schools across the diocese, not just church schools but what were known then as council schools as well. 5

6 It is important that we recognise the Holy Spirit continually reawakens the church to its mission in each generation. I was greatly encouraged to be reminded of the vision that has gone before us, even as I enter into a focused season of ministry working with parishes seeking to revitalize their ministry reaching children. Following the recent Diocesan Conference 18 parishes have already signed up to work together with me, Nick Harding and a small team as they seek to make a step-change in this vital aspect of our mission. This initiative also includes celebrating what God is already doing, so I can do no better than to quote Bishop Hoskyns: How silently that great army of teachers labour on! Sunday after Sunday they spend themselves in the task, the greater work being done not be the leisured people, but by those who are toiling throughout the week. But he adds, That which is of interest today is the determination on the part of Sunday school teachers to improve their methods and to reform the Sunday schools. I cannot speak too highly of these efforts. I look for great results and would call upon my clergy to study very carefully the methods now put forward so that this ministry can become again the real hand-maid of the Church (you will forgive the gender-specific analogy that has sometimes reinforced an image of children s ministry as the work of dedicated women we need our best men to step into this ministry too!) 6

7 This is a work every parish can be engaged in, it is not just for the 67% of churches in the diocese who presently have 5 or less children on a Sunday, but also for those who know the opportunities are too great to be content with being among the churches pleased to have more than a handful every week. And this is not about improving our stats by replenishing our numbers and shoring up a future for the church. It is about every child living in this diocese having the opportunity to discover that they are truly known and dearly loved by God God is not far from anyone of them. We should not create our own diocesan post-code lottery when it comes to children encountering the gospel. Our motivation in this is because we believe there is nothing better any child can do with their life than become a follower of Jesus Christ. This is the only citizenship that can bring hope to our nation inside or outside the EU: being part of a European-wide, world-wide movement of those whose primary identity is not defined by their passport, gender, or ethnicity but in Christ Jesus our Lord and Saviour. Some 200 years ago Sherwood Forest was just over the brow of the hill to the north stretching as far as Bawtry, and to the west close to the riverbanks opposite Newark. In medieval times ordinary people often went a short way into the woods to pray for a miracle at St Ann s well, or simply to forage for wood or food which was strictly forbidden, being the sole possession of the king and his favourite nobles. 7

8 I am praying that the forest of a different King will return to Nottingham, with so many new oaks of righteousness planted all over the city and county that no one living in our diocese could possibly miss the display of God s splendour. Isaiah 61 will continue to be fulfilled as the Holy Spirit binds up the broken-hearted and sets captives free, as the poor are fed and the homeless housed in families, and youth violence becomes a thing of the past, and those trapped by addictions or slaves to the sex trade or any other trade are released, and the once mighty Forest are back in the Premiership miracles still happen! Thank you for being part of the story at this moment in the life of the diocese. There is much to give thanks for, there is much to do, yet God is with us. So I gladly commission this new Synod with two verses from Paul s letter to the Colossians, 1vv28-19: Christ is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me. As we move forward together in the power of the Spirit we should be prepared for many surprises, after all who would have thought 20 years ago that the diocesan synod would meet in the former Neal s auction house as one of its newest churches. I love following the God of surprises, even when the strain and struggle of discipleship pushes us up to and beyond our limits. May all the glory go to Father, Son and Holy Spirit for the fruit that comes from our continued labours of love. 8