My Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ

A short while ago some items were stolen from a parish by someone who was a part of a group of Christian leaders. The theft caused a huge furore. The group in question were indignant that their integrity had been called into question, and soon others were also expressing their indignation. Before long people were implying that the parish were lying about the theft; others, without any foundation for their allegations, played the race card against those who lodged the complaint. But ... in all the outcry no one seemed indignant that a person recognised as a leader within the Christian community should steal.

Perhaps it could be argued that the furore arose because people simply could not believe that such a thing could be true. Many of those in the group in question are persons who are seriously and intentionally trying to live their lives to the glory of God, and for some of them such a supposition may be true. However, I doubt whether any of the clergy who got caught up in the fray harbour any such illusions. Sadly, as almost all of us know, such incidents are all too common within the life of the church and even amongst its leadership.

In reflecting on what had happened, I was shocked at my own response. When I heard what had happened I had simply issued an instruction that the parish was to be reimbursed for their loss. No shock, not even sadness - just a resigned acceptance and pragmatic response to something that should have evoked some sort of emotional response in me. It is said that people who live in crime-ridden areas soon become inured to crime - its all-pervading presence in the community brutalises them and distorts their perspective on life. The high incidence of crime in our society is certainly having just such an effect on all of us, but for me to become inured and indifferent to crime in the church, I found shocking. Theft, although all too common in both church and world, is contrary to the teachings of our faith and the presence of sin should evoke some kind of emotional response in those seeking to walk in the light. Perhaps the angry outburst of the group was more right than my indifference, even though their anger was misplaced and directed against the wrong group of persons. But anger, although perhaps better than indifference, is also the wrong response for it almost inevitably leads to judgementalism, vigilantism and self-righteousness.

What we need is neither anger nor indifference, but rather sadness; sadness that such things are commonplace in the life of the people of God; sadness at such obvious signs of spiritual immaturity among those being trained to be leaders in the things of God. We cannot call ourselves by Christ's name without being disciples of Christ, and discipleship involves trying to live so intentionally in the ongoing awareness of God's indwelling presence that our lives become conformed to Christ and that actions so patently contrary to Christ's teachings become unthinkable.

In his book, 'The Cost of Discipleship,' Dietrich Bonhoeffer speaks of a 'cheap grace' that makes a mockery of Christ's having died for you and me, because it wants the grace without the cost. 'The essence of grace, we suppose,' he says, 'is that the account has been paid in advance; and, because it has been paid, everything can be had for nothing.' But this, he says, '... amounts to the justification of sin without the justification of the repentant sinner who departs from sin and from whom sin departs. ... Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.'

Cheap grace is not grace at all, but the grace we bestow on ourselves. God's grace is costly. Bonhoeffer writes:-

'Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again, the gift which must be asked for, the door at which a man must knock. Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner. And above all it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son: "ye were bought at a price," and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us. ... Costly grace is the Incarnation of God.'

Because true grace is costly grace we have to take seriously the dishonesty that has, as all sin does, caused such hurt and damaged our sense of community. But it must be taken seriously within our larger context. For the truth is that we are all sinners; we stand together at the foot of the cross seeking forgiveness through repentance, together we need the healing of our brokenness. Sin will always be with us, but it must never be accepted and tolerated; it must be overcome. We must depart from sin and sin must depart from us, and that commitment to turning from sin must be apparent in every aspect of our life together.

This commitment to turning from sin begins with each one of us; with a desire to grow in Christ that leads to a determination to seek in all things the goodness and glory of God. It is not a striving to improve ourselves and overcome our faults by dint of our own efforts, but is rather a conscious yielding of ourselves to Christ each day. This begins in solitude, in time spent in the presence of God that shapes us and our awareness of God throughout the day. In ordination we promise to be faithful in the saying of the Daily Office, not as a duty or a burden, but as a rhythm of grace in our life; a place where the Word of God can be lodged so deeply in our hearts that we carry it through each waking moment as a source of strength and comfort. Each day should end, as it began, in the presence of Christ where, by means of a daily 'Examen of Conscience' we review our day with God and seek to discern where our thoughts and actions have drawn us closer to God and where and when they have led us away from God. Then, in repentance, we need to turn away from all that draws us away from the love of God and seek for the new day only those things that will draw us deeper into Christ.

A part of the Daily Office is intercession in which we bring not only the needs of the world before God, but also those who walk with us in the community of faith. It is impossible to bring before God in our prayers all those with whom we walk and those committed to our care and to pray for them as is required of us, but it is possible to bring before God those who have asked for prayer or in whom we sense a need for prayer, and those with whom we will journey in the course of the day.

Intercession is not the mouthing of a vague and generalised wish list, but rather sustained and intense prayer for specific people in specific situations and for whom we make specific petitions. Christian community is nurtured by such intercession; it lives and grows and is bound together through the intercession of the one for the other. To deny the community of faith our prayers is to deny community; to withhold our prayer is to undermine the kingdom. We owe our brother and sister our prayers; it is the lifeblood of faith upon which they depend.

John Wesley saw intercession as an integral part of discipleship. In order that we might assist each other to grow he created 'Covenant Groups;' small groups of people who covenanted together to uphold each other in prayer and to hold each other accountable for their behaviour in Christ. They would intercede for each other every day and met together each week to lovingly interrogate each other about their past week, asking questions like 'how have you grown in your faith this past week?' and 'how were you led into temptation, and where did you fall?' Difficult, even painful questions, to be sure, but important questions if discipleship is to be taken seriously. It would be good if each of us belonged to just such a group.

The events of the past month, and our newspapers every day, speak of the need to recover the sense of discipleship in our Christian pilgrimage. Cheap grace abounds, but it is costly grace that saves. My hope and prayer is that we all will be people in whom the costly saving grace of God is visible.

May the costly grace of Incarnation be incarnate in us all.

+Brian

Archbishop Njongongkulu's Farewell

Episcopal Synod, the meeting of the Provincial Board of Trustees, and Provincial Standing Committee were all tinged with a sadness that came from knowing that this was the end of an 11-year era under the leadership of our present Archbishop. At each of the gatherings tribute was paid to the progress that has been made in this Province under his leadership, and at each our appreciation was expressed by a standing ovation.

All this culminated in a great farewell eucharist in the Cathedral on the Sunday morning and a farewell banquet in the evening. It was a fitting farewell for a fine Archbishop. We wish him God's blessings for his future plans.

We Have a New Archbishop

Everyone will have already heard that Bishop Thabo Makgoba, Bishop of Grahamstown, has been elected to be the 12^th Archbishop of Cape Town. His election was greeted with a prolonged standing ovation and we join with everyone else in expressing our joy at his election and pledging our support and loyalty in the years that lie ahead. I know that many of you will want to be at his enthronement which will take place over the weekend of 29-30 March 2008.

Spiritual Formation

Clergy Quiet Day: The next Diocesan Quiet Day at Bishop's House will be on 20^th November.

Sermon & Liturgy Resources: A growing number are using the liturgy & sermon outline material based on the Sunday lectionary readings which are on the web-site (www.cpsajoburg.org.za). I am encouraging you all to use them; you do not have to use them slavishly, but simply the act of reading through them and deciding what to use and how best to use it in your context is an aid to your own preparation for leading worship.

Clergy Day: The next Clergy Day will be on Tuesday, 2 October 2007 at St Andrew's, Pimville. The Revd Timothy Jones, Assistant Priest from the Cathedral of St George, Nashville will be speaking on the topic of Spirituality and Prayer.

Directions to St Andrew's: Take the M1 South to Soweto/Potchefstroom Road off-ramp. Pass Baragwanath Hospital, Vista University, Soweto College of Education (next to Total Garage). Pass next set of traffic lights (Stadium on right). Pass pedestrian robot. Turn next left. The Church is on the right hand side.

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Reading Recommendations

Our topic for Clergy Day this month is Prayer and we are fortunate to have as our guest speaker the Revd Timothy Jones, Assistant Priest from the Cathedral of St George, Nashville Tennessee. The Revd Jones is the author of several noted books on the spiritual life including "Awake My Soul", "A Place for God" and "Celebration of Angels". Following on from the topic of Prayer, I would recommend you read his book entitled "The Art of Prayer." Subtitled "A Simple Guide to Conversation with God" it provides a straight-forward look at a subject that so many find difficult or daunting. As Eugene Peterson says of the book and its author, "Timothy Jones guides us into a life of prayer not by cramming us with knowledge and technique, but by quietly returning us to simplicity of soul and the presence of God."

Year-Planner 2008

I have had little response to my request for dates for next year. I am in the process of finalising the diary which I hope will be completed by the end of this month. Please let us have your dates and your requests to ensure no unnecessary clashes of dates.

Dates for Diary

OCTOBER

NOVEMBER

Family News

• The Revd Chris Lubbe, formerly a priest in this Diocese, died on Tuesday, 18^th September and was buried on the 25^th September in Warmbaths. Please continue to remember his widow, the Revd Linda Lubbe, in your prayers. Linda may be contacted on 014 736 4156.

• Jill Arnold was diagnosed with cancer and had surgery on 19^th September. Please keep Jill and Mike (chaplain at St John's College) in your prayers as they begin the process of treating this disease.

• The Revd Mduduzi (Alf) Khumalo, Priest-in-Charge at St Cyprian's, Doornkop, was hospitalised recently for a mild stroke. Please continue to pray for Fr Khumalo's return to good health as he recovers at home.

• David and Jean Butcher have moved house and their new details are: 66 Galway Road, Parkview 2193. Tel 011 646 4008.

Please remember the following persons in your prayers as they celebrate birthdays and anniversaries in the coming months:

October Birthdays and Anniversaries:

November Birthdays and Anniversaries:

• The Sunday Morning Radio Broadcast Service: Will be relayed on Sunday, 28^th October 2007 from the Cathedral Church of St Cyprian the Martyr, Kimberley. The Dean is The Very Revd Brian Beck. The final broadcast for the year will be on Christmas Day, 25^th December 2007 from the Parish of All Saints, Somerset West. The Rector is The Revd Jacques Jeffries.

• Post-Ordination Skills Training: Those attending the training day on Saturday, 27^th October (Topic: Rules & Canons) must please bring R10.00 cash with them to pay for an exercise book which will be supplied by Patricia. Venue: St Margaret's, 9 Harper Road, Bedfordview. Time: 09h00 to 16h00. Bring & Share lunch. The last training day for the year will be held on 10^th November (Topic: Changing Parish and Ethics). There will be a Bring & Share year-end party at 13h00 (after the Eucharist). Venue: St Margaret's, 9 Harper Road, Bedfordview. Time: 09h00 to ±14h00. For more information contact Revd Patricia Lane. 011 455 4449.

• Diocesan Office: A daily time of prayer is observed between 08h30 and 08h40 by all Diocesan Office staff. Please note that telephone calls will remain unanswered during this 10-minute period. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause, and ask for your continued prayers.

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