Towards Effective Anglican Mission – that is the name of the worldwide conference from which I am just returning.

TEAM, as it is more commonly known, succeeded for a few minutes in taking the spotlight in the Anglican Communion off of our sexuality disputes and casting it where it should be – on mission.
Thank God and Archbishop Njongongkulu Ndungane, Primate of Southern Africa, for that gift!

Some four hundred folks representing lmost all of the Provinces of he Communion gathered in Johannesburg or a week. During that time we looked at what was happening across the Anglican Communion in respect to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). What we were asked to consider was the question: How does the Church use the MDGs to further our mission to be the hands and heart of Jesus in the world? (An aside: it is interesting that the rest of the Church has adopted our Mission/Vision statement for its focus on Mission.)

We worshipped together, heard great speakers and panels of experts share their perspectives, shared with one another our own experiences, and looked toward a world where the dignity of every human being is honored, respected, and affirmed. All of the speakers and workshop leaders were articulate in their
field of expertise, and while we learned that much is already happening in many places, we also realized there is still much work to be done if we are
halve poverty in the third world by 2015 (the MDG goal).

Perhaps the most important part of our time together was the opportunity to connect with Anglicans (both clergy and laity) from such places as Burundi,
Brazil, Burma (Myanmar) and Bangladesh. People wanted to connect with one another, for it has been a very long time since a group comprised of more than bishops has walked, talked and prayed together for the good of our Lord’s work in the world. I am humbled to have been privileged to represent you in
this work, and I return home energized for the work ahead and very hopeful for the future of the Anglican Communion.

As you read these reflections we are moving through Holy Week and preparing for our Easter celebration. How blessed we are to have this annual celebration
of God’s power and might wrapped in the mantel of Christ’s love. Indeed, it is the death and resurrection of Jesus that calls us together and instills in us the hope which allows us to move forward on the journey of life. It is the death and resurrection of Jesus that frees us from our fear of death and meaninglessness and empowers us to act in the expectation that we can serve the world in Christ’s name through the power of his love. 

The gathering from which I am returning bears witness to Good News of God’s love redeeming God’s creation. God acts through the presence of folks just like you and me – nay, through you and me – to incarnate, to enflesh, his love as we live our lives in response to our call to be disciples of the Risen Christ. So I return home inspired by the journey I have taken a long way around the world. I return home filled with joy at the prospect of the journey that lies before us, you and me together. And as I return home I rejoice to celebrate Holy Week and Easter with you, for it is in Jesus’ death and resurrection that we find the power to become fully what God has created us to be, his beloved children and the instruments of his peace and power in the midst of his creation.

May you know yourself surrounded with and redeemed by God’s unfailing love as you meet the Risen Christ this Easter in your heart, in your life, in your
living, and in your loving. May the Peace of the Risen Christ be with you always.