At a recent retreat for Tikanga Pakeha bishops, we were introduced to this poem. I shared it recently at Ministry Leaders’ Family Camp, and wanted to offer it again now for us all to reflect on as we enter the second half of Lent.

E te tino Tapu, ka whakapaingia koe, i roto i tāu Tamai tuohu nei ki te horoi i ngā wae o āna ākonga,te tohu o te kaimahi tūturu.

Blessed are you, most holy, in your Son,who washed his disciples’ feet.‘I am among you,’ he said, ‘as one who serves.’ (ANZPB)

As +Ellie prepares to leave, we were lucky to find her underneath a pile of boxes and ask her some questions about her season within our Movement. As usual, there is such wisdom and depth in her responses and well worth pondering over with a good cup of coffee.

Kia ora whanau! Greetings from Lambeth where we (Tim and Jenny) are having an amazing adventure alongside those bishops of ours!!

Greetings to you all from the UK. We thought it would be good to offer a few updates from the Lambeth Conference. Technically the Conference proper does not start for another few days but the Bishops have all gathered early for a two day retreat.

Across our Anglican Communion, in preparation for the Lambeth Conference this year, Bishops across the world have been gathering on Zoom to study 1 Peter, to pray together and listen to God for the Church. A few weeks ago I joined a group studying the theme of suffering and hospitality in 1 Peter 4.

Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?” “No,” they answered. He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish. John 21: 4-6 (NIV)

Through the vast expanse of Scripture we see men and women following behind on the path that God is already treading. Often we see them living into the consequences of attempting to lead themselves, or struggling when God’s path seems hard to see.

Bishops on the Wing

We wanted to give you a bit of an update about our travels over the next few months. It feels strange to be re-entering a global space after so much time with a locked-down world, but we are excited about the opportunities it presents to connect with brother and sister Bishops across our global communion.

Dear family, this week as our church begins our Lenten journey with Jesus to the cross, we write to you with deep awareness of our hurting world and its impact on each of our lives. This year, more than most, our world, for which Jesus’ life was given, calls us into our Lenten disciplines: prayer, charity and the self-discipline of fasting. We want to encourage us all into these disciplines this Lent, not just because our world yearns for the kingdom of God to come in greater fullness, but also because these disciplines strengthen and support us to hold close to Jesus in distressing times.

But those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint. (Isaiah 40: 31) (NIV)