wfn.org | SPECIAL NOTICE

[Audrey Whitefield <a.whitefield@quest.org.uk>]

Nov. 10, 1997 
ANGLICAN COMMUNION NEWS SERVICE
Canon Jim Rosenthal, Director of Communications
Anglican Communion Office
London, England

ACC 1401

SPECIAL NOTICE

ATTACHED FIND THE 1997 CHRISTMAS MESSAGE OF THE ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY
TO THE COMMUNION

You are asked to freely desseminate this messsage in the Provinces,
Dioceses, Deaneries and Parishes of the Anglican Communion.

The message is timely and is an excellent introduction to the
forthcoming Lambeth Conference in 1998.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR TRANSLATION

We need volunteers to translate this message and return same to us, by
email, post or fax. The languages needed are:

  French
  Spanish
  Portuguese
  Swahilli
  Japanese
  Korean
  Arabic
  
Please let me know if you can give this urgent assistance to our ever
broadening Communion.

Many thanks,

Canon Jim Rosenthal, Director of Communications

the text:

DEAR FRIENDS OF THE ANGLICAN COMMUNION

One of my all time favourite Christmas stories is Charles Dickens A
Christmas Carol. You will know it so well that it is  hardly necessary
to repeat the story. It is a real heart-tugger as the selfish old
skinflint, Scrooge, is shown the truth about how  so much of humanity
lives with suffering and discovers the joy of sharing his wealth. It
would be a mistake, however, to see it only as Scrooge learning to give.
The story is also about him learning to receive. I don't believe, you
see, that Scrooge was totally bad. He believed in hard work and he had
had many disappointments in earlier life. But over the years he became
hardened to the struggles of others and indifferent to their needs. As
he withdrew from others he failed to see that he was shrinking inside
and that his capacity to love, which is the essence of humanity, was
dying. He lost the ability to see the beauty of others and the joy of
receiving love from others. Surely, there cannot be a more perfect
ending to a story than when Scrooge is moved to mark Christmas by
meeting the needs of Bob Cratchett's family and Tiny Tim in particular.
As he gives, so he receives in seeing the obvious delight of that
unfortunate family. 

We too know the pleasure of giving at Christmas. How we rejoice as we
see the gratitude of our family and friends as they open the presents we
give them. It doesn't have to be much to give real pleasure to people.
'It is the thought that counts' we often say and it is true. Giving is a
truly ennobling thing and speaks of the character of God himself in his
total and unconditional love for Creation.

 God's gift of Christ is, of course, central to all our Christmas
celebrations. How God, too, rejoices as he sees his precious gift of
love changing us. The challenge of Christmas for us, as we seek to
respond to God's gift, is whether we are able to receive him afresh, to
allow ourselves to be open to the promptings of the Spirit, rather than
turning in on ourselves and closing off from God in a Scrooge-like
defensiveness and selfishness.

The gifts which will be brought to the Lambeth Conference next year will
be many and diverse. We all bring something from our own experience, our
own journey of discipleship, and that of the churches in which we serve,
which will enrich the conference. All of us have stories to tell. It is
one of the greatest privileges of my ministry, as I travel round the
Communion each year, to see and hear those stories in action, whether in
Australia, Jerusalem or Pakistan. The days are long gone when our
gathering was dominated by the 'richer' provinces lecturing and giving
to the 'poorer'. The richness of the ministry and mission of the
Anglican Communion today can be seen in every single province.
Certainly, some places may be richer in the materialistic sense of the
word, but the riches of faith, joy and vitality that are winning so many
new souls for Christ today are not controlled by money. Many of us can
only sit back in admiration at the stories of church growth in so many
places where material poverty is so rife. The Gospel, faithfully
preached and lived, transcends such human divisions, and we must learn
that message. 

I have a 'dream' for Lambeth 1998 that I want to share with you. My
dream is that our gathering in Canterbury will be truly infused by faith
and joy and vitality; that the true spirit of Christmas, of God's giving
and our receiving of the gift of Jesus Christ, will transfigure the
Conference, so that whatever tensions and divisions we have to face, our
life of discipleship and witness will be strengthened by the experience
of being, talking and worshipping together.
 
I hope that every bishop and his or her spouse will come prepared to
give, to share their story. Some will bring gifts of mission, liturgy,
faith learned through persecution and suffering, scholarship, leadership
and pastoral oversight. I have no doubt that we shall all be truly
blessed by the huge range of gifts which we will bring. 

But part of my dream is also of each person coming to receive - to
receive from the insights and giftedness of others, to hear the stories
which others have to tell, to enter into the extraordinary and unique
experiences which have moulded each of us on our path of discipleship.
It will be shameful if people come simply with their own agendas to
'force' others to accept their point of view. That's not true giving;
that's dictatorship. The Conference will only be a success if we come in
a spirit of humility, eager to embrace one another as fellow disciples
and pilgrims.

We shall all be on trial next year as the world around us watches to see
if we are prepared to put our own interests second to the primary task
of sharing the Gospel and building the common life of our Communion.
Among the criteria that others shall judge us by will be:

* Our willingness to receive and learn from those bishops whose churches
are growing, so that we may become a truly missionary Communion,
developing onfidence in mission and evangelism.  * Our commitment to
dynamic Christian social action and ministry to the marginalised and
needy people of our world, who themselves have so much to teach us. *
Our willingness as leaders to recognize the brokenness of our world, to
embrace the diversity of humanity and to search constantly for what
binds us together in spite of our different cultures, languages and
backgrounds.  * Our willingness as leaders to accept sacrifice as a
precondition of leadership and to serve our people wholeheartedly,
looking always to Christ as the 'pioneer and perfecter of our faith.

 I have to confess that there is a 'Scrooge' in me that wants to protect
all that I hold dear, to defend myself from the insights and challenges
of even my companions in faith. Equally, however, I hope the 'Christ' in
me is constantly challenging this instinct, prompting me to listen to
what they have to teach me and to receive and surrender to their wisdom.
I hope he prompts us all to offer ourselves in willing surrender to
others. 

As s we approach the Lambeth Conference 1998 we should recall that the
Anglican Communion itself is a precious gift to the rest of the
Christian world. And as we learn to give so our Lord will help us to
receive.

As an English bishop wrote not so long ago, 'No Christian preaches the
Gospel on the basis of being a good advertisement for it, but only on
the basis of being totally dependent on the love and power of God to
take him or her forward.'

Perhaps Christina Rossetti's poem puts it even better:

'What can I give him poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd I would bring a lamb,
If I were a wise man I would do my part,
yet what I can I give him,
Give my heart.'

Eileen joins me in wishing each of you, our dear friends, a most 
appy and joyful Christmas and a Happy New Year.

+ George Canuar

 (The Most Revd and Rt Hon George L Carey)