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Diocese

Welcome is not the right word because you are already one with us through baptism.

Welcome is not the right word because the people of this diocese and the people of Zimbabwe are already linked with one another through Partners for World Mission. Not only are we together part of the one family of Anglican people in the Christian church we are blood brothers and sisters through our closer knit relationship as linked dioceses. We know one another more intimately and more honestly than ever we can know every part of the Communion.

Welcome is not the right word because it is inadequate to the task; I stand here in this ancient church to say how much we want you to know we love you, this service is in order that we may hug you, just as Our Lord stretched his arms on the cross to embrace us all.
We admire your resilience in the face of unspeakable horror and we want to share our strength with you so that you may be stronger and more hopeful than when you arrived among us, and may eventually return filled with the joy of certain triumph over evil.

As we gather here this evening there is also a deep paradox that should challenge the people of this diocese in our other links and relationships. The suffering of Zimbabwe, the injustice, violence and oppression of the last few weeks, building to a crescendo over a decade, has made us more acutely conscious of our partnership than ever would have been the case if both our countries were sailing on a smooth sea in a kind breeze, untroubled by any hazards or storms, and the unknown terrors of the unexpected in the darkness.

That paradox is highly pertinent to the gospel reading we have heard. Jesus describes the great judgement when God divides the sheep from the goats. We tend to focus on the sheep and their good deeds or the goats and their carelessness. Notice, first, that the goats are not condemned for the evil they have done, they are condemned for the good they have not done. It is always harder to repent of our sins of omission than the hot blooded energy of our sins of commission. But there is more than that. The goats ask, 'When did we see you, hungry, or naked, or thirsty, or sick or in prison?' It is a reasonable and very frightening question. It's about not knowing that we don't know the things we don't know. The story should shake us in to a realisation that complacency simply will not do as an excuse. The gospel, the whole gospel summarised in this short passage, challenges us to recognise how easily vigilance can slide in to inertia when all is well. So, we say to our friends from Zimbabwe, your suffering has enriched our relationship, it has woken up our partnership, and it has given urgency to our action and passion to our prayer. These are marks of the resurrection – even as you face the terrors of the night God is at work amongst us building the love and friendship that will blossom in sustained support and the new life that will certainly emerge in the light. We pray that it may be soon, 'as the watchman waits for the morning'.

But I do not say, I do not say, that your suffering is somehow all right because goodness can be discerned even there. I say that the Christian gospel teaches us to be alert to discern the hope in the darkness, to condemn evil in the darkness just as the judge condemns the goats, and to work together to strengthen the forces for good.

This evening's Epistle speaks of this relationship of love between Christian people. It says,

'I have heard of your faith …and your love…I do not cease to give thanks for you…I pray…that…you may know what is the hope to which (God) has called you…what is the immeasurable greatness of his power…God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead…and made him head over all things for the church.'

Christians tend to speak either with words of power emasculated from their meaning, or to avoid such words altogether. We know we have good reason to be frightened of power, it so easily goes wrong that we have lost confidence. Yet our scriptures are full of these words. The Epistle is an Epistle of enormous confidence. You, our sisters and brothers from Zimbabwe know all too well, far better than most of us in this church tonight, how power can be seduced to serve corruption and wickedness. We have seen this very corruption at work within the Anglican Church.

This evening's lesson from Hebrew Scriptures is therefore also encouraging. Way back in time, before Christianity was ever heard of, before anyone on earth dreamt there is a land called Zimbabwe, the prophet Ezekiel describes the unjust shepherd and the greedy sheep in the flock. Now, I can't translate that image in to anything approaching Shona or Ndebele, not just because I do not speak them, but because I know the image itself is foreign and simply choosing another animal does not work.

(When I was in Papua New Guinea as a young man a helpful American translator substituted pigs for sheep in scripture because pigs are very valuable in Papua. The result was that at the end of the ordination service the Bishop held out his hands to the congregation and said to the new priests, 'feed these swine.')

I cannot translate, but we can all do the translation in our hearts, we know that you have been betrayed, that greedy people have stolen the well being of one of the most beautiful, fertile, prosperous and gifted lands in Africa. We know thousands of people are hungry, homeless, landless and helplessly frightened. We can say that Ezekiel tells us we have been here before, long before, and it can be redeemed and transformed. Ezekiel points towards leadership, towards 'My servant David'. David represents for Israel the hope of all to which they aspire, he is very, very, far from perfect. In fact his story is also helpful because he is so frequently naughty. It tells us we do not have to be perfect to be good and strong leaders of our people. But always, always, David seeks to serve God in his ultimate ambition and God gives him the gift of leadership. His star became an emblem of the people.

We are here this evening to assure you of our prayers that the church in Zimbabwe, will always, always, seek to serve God and become a star in her leadership of faithful people.

May God bless you, may we help you, and may you pray also for us.

AMEN.

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