A Resilient Voice

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Acknowledgements

Preface

Introduction

The Episcopal Ordination of The Right Reverend John Bluck-Professor Margaret Bedggood TSSF

A Local Shared Ministry Ordination and Licensing-The Reverend Christopher Honore

The Induction of an Anglican Māori Missioner-The Venerable Dr Hone Kaa

Living at Home in God's Creation-Dr Richard Storey

Five Courageous Women and the Miracle of 'Godness''-The Reverend Glynn Cardy

Hope at the Margins-The Reverend Rodney Routledge

A voice was heard in Ramah: At the time of 9/11-The Reverend Hugh McCafferty

The Most Beautiful Thing in the World-The Reverend Hugh Bowron

The Holy Spirit is Our Harpist-The Very Reverend Frank Nelson

Touching the Fringe of Jesus' Cloak-The Reverend Anne Priestley

The Thank Offering Eucharist, 75th General Convention, The Episcopal Church in the United States of America-Dr Jenny Plane Te Paa

The Year of Youth-The Reverend Michael Hughes

The Martyrs of the Melanesian Brotherhood-The Reverend Dr Allan Davidson

Is the Dean an Agnostic?-The Right Reverend Richard Randerson CNZM

80 Reflections on My Journey of Faith "-The Reverend Junko Preston

Maundy Thursday-The Reverend Darryl Milner

Some amazing people in the genealogy of Jesus-The Venerable Reg Nicholson

The unknown Warrior: A Homecoming-The Reverend Margaret Thompson

For the Sake of Justice and Peace-The Reverend John Fairbrother

WaitangiDay-The Venerable Lyall Perris

Biographies

INTRODUCTION

APART FROM AN occasional media interview or safely worded press statement little is heard in the public domain that might be understood as a voice wholly representative of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa New Zealand. Since the last quarter of the 20th century the public voice of the Church has become less and less apparent.

Thirty years ago daily newspaper journalists were often at synods to report debates and decisions. While that degree of media interest has waned, some individuals in Church life have retained a public profile.

Examples such as: Bishops Sir Paul Reeves, Whakahuihui Vercoe, Dr Penny Jamieson, Richard Randerson and John Bluck; lay leaders Diane Robertson and Professor John Morton; clergy Dr Hone Kaa, Charles Waldegrave, Dr George Armstrong and Glynn Cardy, along with others, have made ongoing contributions. However, where is a consistent voice wholly representative of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa New Zealand and Polynesia?

Has the institution become so concerned with internal debates about gender and sexuality that the priority for public discourse has become eroded? Is there such an uncertainty about representing the diversity of belief within the Church that anyone voice has become inadequate? Have the internal politics of the Church generated a fear among members to appear so orthodox in their belief and faith that any representative voices that do sound have succumbed " to ... a lifeless, imitative style"l?

Perhaps the Church in Aotearoa New Zealand is adapting to a less hierarchical society, reflecting a preference for individual voices rather than one wholly representative. Yet, despite its own hierarchical nature, the Church has a strong heritage of resisting centralised authority, operating more as a federation of dioceses balancing shared and competing interests.


Where, then, might one hear a representative voice of the Church? The source, that has been as resilient and varied as the church itself, is the witness of those authorised to preach. From earliest times they have sustained the message and order of the church.

This book is an acknowledgement of laity, clergy and bishops who regularly offer their best in serving the Church's proclamation of the Gospel.

In 2006 the Vaughan Park Governance Board received and approved the idea for this publication, to preserve a sample of the voice and character of the Anglican Church in this first decade of a new century.
The Board's support affirms, that along with its other functions, the Centre has a developing ministry of theological encounter and learning.

The sermons were sought from the breadth of cultural, theological and mission perspectives comprising the three tikanga Church in Aotearoa New Zealand and Polynesia. The process of gathering relied on contributors responding to advertisements or sermons offered by recommendation. There has been no deliberate seeking from any particular person or source. At the final count, thirty seven contributors had submitted a total of seventy nine sermons.

In making the selection weight was given to the following eight criteria.
Representation of: the three Tikanga, gender, the "Five Marks of Mission of the Worldwide Anglican Communion"z, ages and service of years of contributors, laity and clergy, geographical spread, theological diversity and the quality of writing reflective of the range received.

Fifteen years after the General Synod/Te Hinota Whanui adopted a revised Constitution founded on principles of partnership between the tikanga of Māori, Polynesia and Pakeha, debate continues about its purpose and validity. It may be, as with the story of the Exodus3, the test of worth will be fully accounted when an entirely new generation inherits the outcome of the initial journey. Blessings and difficulties of this generation's pioneering way are identified by sermons from Dr Jenny Plane Te Paa and The Venerable Hone Kaa. Hone identifies the challenge of ministry before Māori clergy in the city. Jenny

takes the culture of tikanga Māori and partners into the heart of the Episcopal Church of the United States of America with a question equally profound for either church: "My friends, what profits us more than our exemplary unity in Christ?" Professor Margaret Bedggood complements this thinking, arguing human rights theory and practice have "something to teach the Church about justice and love, and about the task of being human".

The mission of the Church has been categorised by the Anglican Communion's "Five Marks of Mission,,4. Over time, for reasons both internal and external to the Church in Aotearoa New Zealand and Polynesia, the priorities attributed to the marks have shifted.
For example, since the 1980s evangelism has been a primary and internally driven emphasis. This decade, however, has seen rising worldwide concern about global warming. The Church has responded with a corresponding priority working at the theology and practice of environmental sustainability and renewal. Dr Richard Storey's contribution is outstanding for offering a timely and contextual theology entitled "Living at home in God's creation".

Further perspectives of mission are offered: including affirmation of Youth in the life of the Church, reflections on the nature of relationship with God, the beauty seen in Jesus' life, and the love, unity and empowerment to be found through experience of the Holy Spirit. These sermons serve to remind, the activity of mission is a response of the Church to the revelation of God's self in the world. And as a response, mission activity has many expressions through which the needs of the Church and society may be understood.

This collection lacks a contribution specific to the Diocese of Polynesia.
However, the homily of the Reverend Dr Alan Davidson was provided as a representative voice. Approaching the season of Lent, Alan contemplates an understanding of the Cross from within a Melanesian context, where seven Melanesian Brothers were murdered on the Weather Coast of Guadalcanal in 2003.

Wide-ranging contemporary themes have found place in the selection.
From the immediate shock and questions arising from the 2001 September 11 attacks on the United States of America, to understanding

the nature of Local Shared Ministry, to reflections drawn from highlights of the church year. Such sermons are examples of the opportunities and needs before those who preach.

Effective preaching has never been without controversy. The Gospel according to Luke, no less, presents Jesus receiving a violent response to his first sermon at the synagogue in Nazareth5. Perhaps, surprising little changes. Over the summer of 2006-7 Richard Randerson became embroiled in a very public controversy about atheism and religion.
Responding to Richard Dawkins' book The God Delusion6, Richard was subsequently drawn to defend his faith, following a major story in the New Zealand Herald that had portrayed him as being agnostic. Richard's contribution "Is the Dean an Agnostic?" is a sermon that invites the reader to think far more deeply about an understanding of God than any sensationalist media story might encourage.

Inevitably, any broad collection of twenty sermons such as these is going to be an inadequate representation of the voice and character of the Church. This collection is intended as no more than a sample, reflecting something of the order and mission of the Church, at a particular period of its story in this part of the world. Common to all the submissions was a clear commitment to a contextual theology of mission, dedicated to the glory of God.

The Rev John Fairbrother

Director

Vaughan Park Anglican Retreat Centre

1 Work: Essays: Politics and the English Language / / George Orwell //www.k-1.com/0rwell/index.cgi work/ essays/language p.6
2 www.anglicancommunion.org/mission/fivemarks.cfm
3 The Holy Bible Exodus
4 Ibid Luke 4:14-30
6 Richard Dawkins The God Delusion Bantam Press 2006