Diocese of Grahamstown

4 August 2007: Address by Bishop Thabo Makgoba at Family Day service, the Cathedral

Eternal God the light…………..

Greetings! Thank you all for being here today as the family of the Diocese of Grahamstown.

What is a Christian family?

The last part of Mt 12:46 – ends who is my family – my mother and who are my brothers? Verse 50 is key for us today, and forms amongst many other reasons for our time together, why we are here!

Anyone who does the will of my father, God in heaven, is my sister, brother and mother – father – FAMILY. Anyone (v. 49) who is my disciple.

Today’s lessons, all three of them, should be viewed with this lens, i.e. that same day as seeking to understand what is the will of God our creator, Father and to do God’s will. In Matthew 13, the whole chapter is about parables, Jesus teaching the crowds and his disciples about the reign of God, (Kingdom of God), so that we who are Jesus’ family through grace at our Baptism may understand what it means to be his Family, Disciples.

In fact at the end, Matthew tells us that Jesus’ teaching about the reign of God through these parables, with a central message, summed up verse 51-52 but also that amidst changing contexts the word of God endures forever and we can derive new meaning and understanding as we wrestle and break it together. Those who refuse to follow, be a family, break word and sacrament together, or do His will, Matthew describes in 13:51-52.

Synagogue

Surely this is a carpenter’s son – class mother is Mary, brothers James and Joseph, Simon and Jude and sisters not mentioned?

They reject Him and Matthew concludes “A Prophet is despised only in His own country and His own house..…..”

We are here, because the Word of God has found place in our hearts and lives. It is changing our lives, replacing old ways of doing and seeing things with new understanding.

The Word of God and His reign are defying all that our reality sees – poverty anger, rape, unemployment, HIV/AIDS, lack of money, debt, brokenness, fear and liberating us from these “Egypts” and rejections in our lives, to respond to his call to participate in His reign and His Word that endures forever.

In the Deuteronomy 26: 1-11 passage – you were once ignorant and in slavery (explicit and systemic).

One way to help the church respond to God’s mission of liberation and reconciliation is, as in Deuteronomy 26:2, to set aside and bring to God the first-fruits of all your produce (verse 4) to the Priest.

In 2 Corinthians 8:1-7 the example of the generosity of spirit, time and resources (money) that Christians, shown in the new, struggling churches of Macedonia, was overwhelming. Thanks be to God for their examples and giving. We are here, the Word of God, Love and Hope is with us.

Vs 7 Paul through Titus – One more as you rich in everything – faith, eloquence, understanding, concern for everything, and love for us too – they make sure that you excel in this work of Generosity too.

We continue to have congregations that are rich in faith, worship, acts of mercy, eloquence, understanding and love for the Diocese, Province and Communion.

We are grateful for your generosity. I’ve echoed Paul’s message: “Excel in this work of Generosity” so that God’s Family the Church in this Diocese may continue in its mission to break the Word of God and Sacraments, and create a next generation of Christians to participate in God’s Mission.

We continue to have congregations that have heard the Word of God, that are rich, but need a lot of encouragement and teaching in this work of Generosity. (Hence Stewardship and Giving, Spirituality, Church Planting, Congregation Development).

Dear Friends, God has taken a huge risk, to dwell with us. He made us his family through love and grace. Let us in our little way respond to this risky investment with what God has given us: money, talents, for his Word to liberate more. As we know this extra giving is not for maintenance, it is to grow this Diocese, send students to College, ordain more (43 so far) plant churches, (4 so far), expand (dividing Diocese).

“Who is my Family? Sister, Brother, Mother, Father?” someone from the crowd asks Jesus. You, all of you here, each one of you here, because you do the will of God, even as you struggle daily to learn what is the will of God, nurturing his body, to break His Word courageously – against injustice, greed, self-serving, poor world power, environmental degeneration, slavery – explicit/systemic.

May God bless our Family Day service, our giving and growth, and our response to His invitation to be involved in reconciling the world to God. And to God be the glory for ever and ever. Amen.