FIRST ANNIVERSARY
01 December 2009
Bishop’s House Chapel

When I get up to preach, I feel sometimes like the Supply Priest who began his homily with the words: “On my way here this morning, I sorted out with God what I was going to say to you. But, now that I’m standing here before you, I’m afraid: “Only God knows!”

At least, when you or I are about to get up and preach, it’s not like being at a Catenian Dinner, where the Master of Ceremonies once whispered in the Bishop’s ear: “Are you ready now to speak, my Lord, or shall we allow the guests a few more minutes to enjoy themselves before you start?!”

Worse still were a Chairman’s words of introduction when he said: “Those of you haven’t heard the Bishop speak before, are in for a real treat!” – I’m sure he meant well!

So, I’m still here, one year on, after that marvellous Installation Service in the Cathedral one year ago. I can scarcely believe that a year has passed. It’s been eventful, to say the least. The ups – and the downs – have allowed me to get into the Diocese, to become acquainted with all of you, as well as many of the issues you are facing, and many of the people who are the cause of them. Some of them will not be receiving a Christmas card from me this year!  I wouldn’t want the risk of saying something kind and charitable to them, in case they misunderstood me. But I won’t be putting an advert in the Personal Columns of the TIMES this Christmas, like a couple who once inserted the message: “Mick and Mary Smith will not be sending Christmas cards this year. However, they send Christmas Best Wishes to family and friends – except TWO!”

You will recall that, from the outset, I assured you that if I received a complaint about a member of the clergy, the priest in question would be the first to know. Similarly, if I received praise about you, you would be the first to know. I have tried to fulfil that policy, though on occasion I have saved paper and energy by not passing on stuff that was clearly nonsense, and came from the bad, the sad, or the mad. Most of it comes from people with no vision of the Church at all, other than wanting: “My Mass, at my time, in my style, by my Priest”.  Often they then add: “And I won’t ask you for anything else, Bishop.”  That makes me feel extremely sad, because I realise that there is much work to be done to develop a sense of COMMUNIO and MISSIO among the people. By COMMUNIO I mean: to build up the communion of the faithful, by coming together as God’s people to worship together, to support one another, and to work together to promote God’s Church. By MISSIO, I mean to understand the Church’s mission and Christ’s command to reach out to everyone, and as a family welcome those who are on the edge, the marginalised, the disappointed and the depressed, as well as those who have special gifts that come from God and ought to be placed at the service of his Church. Communion and mission together help to build up a healthy living system that exists in a state of dynamic balance, in which the parts make up and contribute to the well-being of the whole system as people serve each others’ needs. Excessive control stifles that system, whether it comes from a clique in a parish or even from Rome.

As this first anniversary approached, I wanted to mark it in just a very small way, by holding a Mass and Lunch here at Bishop’s House, thinking that perhaps a handful of clergy might come from the Swansea area to share it with me. Imagine my surprise when the replies kept coming in and the numbers kept going up. Helen and Bridget remarked: “How are you going to fit them all in?” Well, you take things out, and you put people in!  That could become a wider pastoral strategy for our lives. There was a suggestion of transferring the event to the Cathedral. But I resisted that, because I wanted to share this moment with you alone, my colleagues in the priesthood. You have given me so much in the past year, more than I could ever have hoped for. I wanted to thank you personally for all that you are and for all that you are doing. It is not the bishop who makes the system healthy, but you the clergy. In a sense, my role is simply to hold the system in balance. It is you who provide the daily dynamism to develop, to grow, and to build-up the overall well-being of that system that we call the Diocese of Menevia, in all its parts: the parishes and the communities that go to make it up. I suspect that Canon Flook has already honed his impersonation of me to a T – and I can only “nod” my approval of his performance!  Please allow me to continue to cajole and encourage you, not least of all asking you to take increasing responsibility with me for both the pastoral welfare of our people, and not least of all the pastoral and priestly welfare of each one of you. I am convinced that hierarchy infantilises a system. But sharing our gifts at every level helps the sytem to grow. The living system that we call the Diocese has to be free to respond and adapt to a changing context – Christ initiated change in a Judaeo and Roman context, and so in our own time we must continue to do the same in a Welsh and Roman context. Whether or not an organization is able to respond depends on the quality of its relationships, both the internal relationships between its constituents and its external relationships with the outside world. We made an excellent start at Aberavon. We are already seeing that the more together the relational network or web that unites us is, the more likely it will be to endure and develop.  We are already different, because of St David’s specific heritage that provides the warp and the weave of nearly everything that we do. Be proud of your heritage. It is still being built upon. It began with Noah, who was a drunk – though I’m not encouraging you to follow his example. Then there was Abram who thought he was too old, but God re-named him Abraham and made him the Father of all Nations. Isaac was a daydreamer, Jacob was a liar. Leah was ugly, and Joseph was abused. Moses had a stutter and Gideon was afraid. Samson had long hair and was a womanizer, and Rahab was a prostitute. Jeremiah and Timothy were believed to be too young, and Zacheus was ridiculed for being too small. David had an affair with a murderer, and Elijah was suicidal. Isaiah preached naked, Jonah ran from God, and Peter denied Christ three times and lost confidence when he felt he was sinking. Naomi was a widow, and Martha worried about everything. The disciples fell asleep whilst praying – or perhaps that was even during one of Christ’s sermons!   Mary Magdalene was a Samaritan woman who was divorced more than once. Paul was seen as a religious fanatic and Timothy was rewarded with an ulcer. AND, of course, Lazarus had more impact when he was dead!

Such is our heritage. It consists of a pretty motley crew. It shows that God calls all sorts of people to be his servants and to serve his purpose. Only East Anglia and Hallam share with Menevia the unusual feature of not being called after a town or city. But whereas these two dioceses are named after secular-geographical areas, Menevia is unique. Our Diocese is named after holy ground, the very area in which St David began his ministry. Let no-one take it from you. But be proud of what each one of you achieves as you walk on that holy ground. I am privileged to be invited to accompany you. For, I am conscious that God has trod here before us. Together I hope we will be able to put a new purpose at the heart of the Church in this diocese, and give life to it with new processes and practices. The Church and the world are not separate. Rather, the Church can become a place in which people grow to understand their world more fully, recover their sense of purpose and meaning, and rediscover their confidence and capacity to shape their own lives. I ask you simply to join me in doing it – together. The slogan on the O2 telephone and internet provider’s adverts could be ours too: “Together is better!”  Together is better. Indeed it is. This gathering today proves it. Thank you for being here.