Statement from the Archbishop of Sydney and the Regional Bishops of the Diocese of Sydney on developments in the Anglican Communion

When the Bible is used in the homosexuality debate, it is normally the teachings of Moses and Paul that are marshalled as evidence of the Bible’s opposition to all forms of homosexual sexual activity.

The Book of Acts records the continuing work of Jesus in the growth of his church. In chapter 1 we have 120 persons meeting together under the leadership of Peter (1:15). To this group were added 3,000 people on the Day of Pentecost (2:41). More and more were added daily to the church, until there were more than 5,000 ? without counting women and children (4:4)! Luke continues to record this trend of increasing numbers (6:1,7) despite opposition from without and difficulties from within (11:21,24). However, it was the Lord who was daily adding to their number "those who were being saved" (2:47). His method of building his church was by faithful proclamation and spontaneous testimony (3:9, 4:20-1).

When we read the Bible we often start with a flurry and then get behind the dates given and give up. This outline has been designed by the Rev. Colin Watson according to themes. Sometimes there are a number of chapters that may take a few days to complete. Other times there are only a couple of chapters. If you have a simple Bible commentary or a Study Bible then reading an overview of the book of the Bible will be very helpful to you.

Today, we could be forgiven for enviously looking back at the shepherds on that first Christmas Night. What an experience! For them, there could be no doubt that this baby Jesus was special – despite a humble birth in a small town. Confronted with such an impressive vision, it seems impossible that they could have been distracted from the real meaning of Christmas.

They say that if you were alive in 1963 in November of that year you’ll recall the time and the place when you learnt that President Kennedy had been assassinated. I imagine the same will be true in the years to come of where you were when you heard of the disaster that hit America on September 11, 2001. For you it may have been listening to the radio or watching the news, the news broke at about 10.45pm.

The administration of the Lord's Supper has frequently been the focus of debate in the history of Christianity and in Anglicanism in particular. For example, our understanding of the nature of the Holy Communion was one of the principal reasons for our break with Rome at the time of the Reformation. More recently the question of the authorisation of those who administer the Communion has dominated debate in Sydney, with the legislation for lay and diaconal administration coming to its final stage at the Diocesan Synod in October (1995). However, a more fundamental question than ‘who should administer the Holy Communion?’ is the question ‘who should participate in Holy Communion?’ It is the intention of this article to explore this question as it pertains to children.

A chapter from Faithfulness in Fellowship: reflections on homosexuality and the church

Eight Studies in Romans 9-12 By Glenn N Davies Produced for St Luke's Miranda (c) Copyright 2001

Full text of a naming service with thanksgiving to God.

Today we are stepping back from decision-making and resolutions, and we are looking at a stage of clarification of issues in our General Synod forum, and we will be spending time in small group discussions.

The last day of Synod began with a concluding service of the Lord's Supper in St John's Cathedral. The unusual feature was the jazz band, including a bishop on a double bass, which accompanied the singing and responses. Professor Haire once again provided a challenging sermon as a fitting finale.

Women bishops was finally dealt with, by allowing the proposed Canon to lapse. This was coupled with a request that Standing Committee prepare a report on the issues raised in the debate for consideration by diocesan provincial Synods and the Bishops Conference. In the light of these responses it is expected that new legislation will come to the next session of General Synod.

Wednesday was a shorter, more relaxing and less eventful day than many of the others. Again we began with a thought-provoking Bible study from Professor James Haire, pointing out that being one in Christ is the primary aim for a body like General Synod.

What I have found helpful about Professor Haire's Bible studies is that he always gives a challenge to us in Synod. This time he asked 'How do the rule makers and the prophets operate in General Synod?' He is not giving us a Bible study; he is teasing out reflections that are pertinent to our Synod. It is not the usual model of Bible exegesis, but is nevertheless a challenging model in this context. He is very forceful, stimulating and thought provoking. He teases out the issues that are underlying or tangential to the text.

This morning's Bible study from Professor Haire was bold and forthright. He asked the question, 'What is the gospel?' and identified that the source of the gospel is God and not humans. That was very helpful.

Sunday morning of General Synod gave Synod members the chance to attend church at parishes around Brisbane. This morning I attended St Andrew's, South Brisbane, where the Rev Alan Moore leads the congregation. It was a contemporary Anglican service - Anglican in doctrine and contemporary in form - with about 80 people present, including multicultural and indigenous people.

A major focus of today’s General Synod proceedings was the opening Presidential Address from the Primate, Archbishop Peter Carnley.