When the Synod issued its invitation to the Diocese to engage in the Mission, it endorsed four strategic policies. It is recognised by all that the first must take priority. It is:

“To call upon God for such an outpouring of his Spirit that his people will be assured of his love through his word, seek to please the Saviour in all things, manifest the godly life and be filled with prayerful and sacrificial compassion for the lost in all the world.”

I hope that in all the planning that is going on in the parishes, this first step is not being ignored. We need to think carefully about the Mission in the light of God’s word, God’s promises, and the quality of our lives.

In order to make sure that we remember this policy and are equipped to think about it, I have invited Bishop Reg Piper to take responsibility for it across the whole Diocese. He has gladly accepted this task and I have no doubt that he will be very active in extending the challenge to our whole Anglican community. Both he and others will be providing us with written and other resources to enable us to think through the issues and act accordingly.

The policy has been worded with great care. We need to avoid any suggestion that as long as we do our part God will fulfil ‘his’. We cannot bargain with God or demand that he acts as we would wish him to.

On the other hand, we can certainly trust God’s word and his promises. The policy, therefore, begins with the word of God and calls upon us to pay careful attention to his word, especially the word of the gospel. In particular, we need to be persuaded by his Spirit of the love of God in Christ.  When we trust his love, we will be set free for lives of sacrificial obedience.

My hope is, therefore, that our preachers and teachers will continue to expound God’s word to us, applying it carefully to our lives. As a result, we should be responding to God’s word in faith and sacrificial obedience.

In particular, we will be giving ourselves to prayer for his mercy and help as we undertake the task of commending Christ to our neighbours.

In many ways, the Epistle to the Ephesians is a crucial New Testament exposition of these ideas. I commend the Epistle to your close study, and suggest that ministers may like to think about incorporating an exposition of it in their regular preaching program some time in the next year or two.

Please pray for Reg Piper as he begins this important assignment. I have a great expectation that, providing we listen to what God says, he will hear us and bless our lives and, through us, the lives of others.