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The Bishop’s Advent Pastoral Letter 2011

Towards the end of the First Letter to Timothy, there is a stirring passage:

“Charge those who are prosperous in this world not to be over-confident. They shouldn’t set their hopes on something so uncertain as wealth, but on God, who richly provides everything for us to enjoy. People should work for good, rich in acts of kindness, being open-handed and generous. In this way, they will store up for themselves the best possible foundation for the future, and take hold of the life that is truly life.”(1 Timothy 6.17-19)

In our age of austerity, we may not feel prosperous at all, but of course in global terms we are, and many of us will be able to approach Christmas secure in the hope of a safe home and a family celebration. However, whatever your personal situation, the scriptures are encouraging us here towards a spirit of generosity. The passage picks up on a theme which threads its way through all the writings of the Bible, that the happy life is to be found in giving and not in getting, in using what God has granted us to transform the lives of those around us.

This same passage is the source of the phrase - the motto - that has been chosen by the Standing Committee for the coming year: “Take hold of the life that is truly life.”

This phrase calls us to begin the Church year by thinking about what is really important in our lives. The claim of the Christian faith is that there is a fullness of life that begins with faith in Jesus Christ. True life is first found when we make our peace with God, and let him into our lives. Jesus himself said “I have come that you may have life, and life in all its abundance”(John 10.10) and God was born as a baby in Bethlehem in order to assure us of his forgiveness and welcome, if, like the prodigal son, we will turn and journey towards our true home. Christian discipleship begins when each of us comes to Christ and makes our peace with him, a peace which is not based on any efforts to make ourselves worthy, but on a letting go, an acceptance that God’s love is unconditionally given.

But the message of Jesus, and the message of Christmas, is more than this. Jesus also said, “Freely, freely, you received; freely, freely, give.”(Matthew 10.8) I have met many Christians in my life, but I am most impressed by the ones who seem to be generous with their lives. It may just be the joy of the hospitality they offer, the quickness with which laughter comes, or a readiness to accommodate others; it may be real generosity of service or sacrifice because others matter to them. Generosity is a biblical principle which seems to work.

I know that I need to become more generous myself – in the way I view others, in the way I deal with them. My prayer for the whole of our diocesan family in the coming year will be that we may become more fully a generous people; that there will be a quality about the generosity of our lives which reflects our generous God, and which speaks of an attitude which makes an impact on the life of the world.

Our diocese faces many challenges: learning to be a people, who don’t just attend Church, but who become Church, and the initiative lies with you. The diocese will be trying to get its message across in various ways in the course of 2012. My hope is that together we can fashion a local Church in which you feel you have a vested interest; that offers teaching and fellowship and a quality of worship and life that helps you to grow in holiness. If our motto means anything, however, it means that the initiative for change lies with each one of us, on our own generous response to God’s love revealed in Jesus. May God bless you in this holy season and in the coming year.

+ Gregory Llanelwy

28 November 2011

Advent Sunday