NB Anglicans
encouraged and refreshed ...
at
essentials conference
by Don
Hamilton
A cup of
cool water was the invitation and a cup of cool water the reality for
more than 150 Anglicans in the Diocese of Fredericton who attended the  Essentials
Conference in Christ Church Cathedral on Oct. 28 & 29.
We were encouraged and refreshed by the inspired teaching of two
keynote speakers, uplifting music and worship as well as warm
fellowship.
 The Rev.
Canon Barry Parker, rector of St. Paul’s, Bloor St. in Toronto,
explored the work of the church in the world. Comparing us to the
recipients of Jesus’ message to the church in Ephesus (Revelation 2:4),
he suggested if there was any discouragement in the church today it was
caused by the fact that we have lost sight of our first love, Jesus
Christ. In his three addresses he elaborated on the three aspects of
this work: worship, proclamation and reconciliation.
According
to Dr. Parker, there is a crisis in our worship that comes from
idolatry –– a true sense of worship is not about us. He reminded us
that worship is more than the weekly hour to hour-and-a-half spent in
church; it includes the other 166 hours, wherein our worship of God
should be reflected in all that we do.
He lamented the lack of proclamation of the gospel and
put lost confidence in the gospel at the root. “Just as many people are
squeamish at the sight of blood,” he said, “many Christians are very
squeamish about the Blood of Christ. Proclamation of the gospel is the
church doing what it is called to do, not necessarily what it wants to
do. The gospel is the balance between soul care and social justice.”
He went on to enumerate five elements of proclamation: remembering that
we are separated from Christ; realizing that in Christ we are
organically connected to each other; acknowledging that we are redeemed
by the blood of Christ, through this redemption we are renamed; and
recognizing that we are on a journey that calls for continual growth.
“Status
quo is not a biblical concept,” said Dr. Parker.
He called
reconciliation the business of the church and more than just getting
along. “Reconciliation is accomplished through venturing out as
ambassadors for Christ, with the knowledge that the death of Jesus is
sufficient for all humanity. Such ministry comes from our own
transformation. It is not about having a great faith in God, it is
about having a faith in a great God."
 Foundational
to our return to Christ as our first love, as Dr. Parker suggested, is
time spent in God’s word. Dr. Marion Taylor, professor of Old Testament
at Wycliffe College in Toronto made scripture come alive for us in her
addresses. She reminded us that the Bible is not a magic book, but is
God’s Word and it is there for us to read. She also engaged us with a
wonderful and refreshing way of looking at Old Testament scripture.
We looked
at the lives of Abraham, Sarah and Hagar (Genesis 16) and David,
Bathsheba and Uriah (2 Samuel 11), and were able to sense the real
flesh and blood of the characters through Dr. Taylor’s teaching as she
highlighted some of the “bad” boys and girls of the Bible. She pointed
out that the Old Testament narratives are “spicy” and contain some of
the same issues that we face today, including our inability to trust
God, oppression, lust and abuse of power. “Through it all however,”
said Dr. Taylor, “we can see God’s providence and faithfulness to his
promises.”
She
encouraged us to “dance with the text” when we read scripture, to go
where the text leads, and not read into it something that isn’t there.
“Commentator
authors’ interpretations have, by times, been influenced by the culture
of the day. A case in point was Baxter who, in the 19th century,
extrapolated the attitudinal norm that women were responsible for
everything in biblical situations, thus blaming Bathsheba for David’s
inappropriate behaviour.”
The
Conference also included a time of business that saw the election of a
new steering committee with eight clergy and eight lay members.
The Rev.
Don Hamilton is rector of Hardwicke and a member of Essentials New
Brunswick.
08 November 2005
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