Bishop Writes with Robert Forsyth - The grumpy old bishop returns

Bishop Robert Forsyth | 27 February 2007

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The grumpy old bishop returns

It’s trivial, but a point worth making. Jesus’ body was not “broken for us” (John 19.36). Why do I keep going to church and hearing ministers giving out the bread at Communion saying that it was? Could one Fisherfolk song from the 1980s have such power over you guys? The question is one of being thoughtful and intentional in our words at key moments of our church life when serving others, especially with the sacraments of the gospel.

The problem of prayer

As I personally find prayer so difficult I am always interested in what other people have to say about it. Here are two sentences from Philip Yancey’s Prayer: Does It Make a Difference? (2006) that is worth buying the whole book for: “Most of my struggles in the Christian life circle around the same two themes: why God doesn’t act the way we want him to, and I don’t act the way God wants me to. Prayer is the precise point where those themes converge.”

On Mission policy One

Speaking of prayer, I have been thinking again about Mission policy one. It’s not about just praying a lot. It’s about a certain kind of prayer and a certain kind of focus. It is calling for an outpouring of God’s Spirit that leads to people having such confidence in God’s love through the gospel that it leads to prayerful and sacrificial compassion for the lost of the world.

The point is that the energy and focus for the lost comes from the deep Spirit-anointed assurance through the gospel of the love of God in Jesus Christ. It’s what Luther was writing about when he described faith as “a living, bold trust in God’s grace so certain of God’s favour that it would risk death a thousand times in trusting in it”.

I think this has to be a key focus of our preaching and prayer if we are to have the right dynamic for a mission, whatever our strategies. I don’t think we have been focused enough.

On being a Sydney Anglican

Occasionally I hear people saying that because some other group of Anglicans in the Diocese doesn’t agree with them on issues, they are troubled as to whether or not they belong to the Diocese.

My answer is always the same. You belong to this Diocese by virtue of your commitment to this community and its fundamental Christ-honouring goals. You must not let anyone else determine that you do or don’t belong, just because there are differences of opinion.

We are always going to have differences of opinion in this Diocese. In fact, that’s one of the things, and it’s energetic debate on gospel issues that makes it so exciting to be here.

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