30.07.2022
Lambeth 2022 Day 4: Hope must be the key word across the Anglican Communion
The Lambeth Conference is currently taking place with Anglican bishops from throughout the Anglican Communion gathering in Canterbury. The once in a decade conference brings together bishops from across the globe for prayer and reflection, fellowship, and dialogue on church and world affairs. Archbishop Michael Jackson is attending and will report back to Dublin & Glendalough. Below is his report from Day 4 of Lambeth 2022.
On Friday evening Archbishop Welby gave his first keynote address focussing on the theme that ‘A 21st century world needs a 21st century church’. He sought to bridge the gap of experience and witness and persecution across today’s Anglican Communion through the image of the lion which is well known to any lover of Compline: Be on the alert! Wake up! Your enemy the devil, like a roaring lion, prowls around looking for someone to devour. Stand up to him, firm in your faith. (1 Peter 4.8, 9)
Saturday morning began with a delightful celebration of Holy Communion by the Anglican Church of Aotaeroa, New Zealand and Polynesia whose Primate, joining us by video link, offered the following challenge: Let peace be the contagion. Let love be the pandemic!
Archbishop Welby spoke again on the theme ‘Called into Hope and Holiness in Christ’, 1 Peter 1.1–25. In this he set out the five key components of the context of 1 Peter as being essential to our reading the text: Persecution, Hope, Rebirth and resurrection, Joy, Call to holiness
The discussion of the First Call on Mission and Evangelism was held in the same groups as were formed by the Bible Study groups. This gave cohesion to Scriptural reading and strategic reflection and action. The method will be of interest to those accustomed to our adversarial synodical parliamentarianism in the Church of Ireland. There was opportunity for discussion of The Call with a group leader and note taker (all of the notes of discussion to be passed to the Implementation Group), followed by broad indication of assent, dissent or a requirement for more work on the theme.
The most invigorating statement by Archbishop Welby is that hope itself ought to be the key word right across The Anglican Communion.
You can learn more about what is happening during the Lambeth Conference here
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