I highly recommend Archbishop Justin's opening address to the Church of England General Synod as he addresses the war in Gaza, a fortnight on from the joint statement from the House of Bishops which I used as part of my Remembrance Sunday sermon.You can find it here: https://www.archbishopofcanterbury.org/speaking-writing/speeches/general-synod-archbishop-canterburys-presidential-address
An appeal for Peace“They shall not learn war any more” (Isaiah 2.4) Isaiah’s vision of peace was spoken to a nation in confusion and social discord, divided and fearful. It was a vision of a peace that, though not yet realised, was always to be sought in faith through living in obedient righteousness and generous community in society. It is repeated numerous times in both the Old Testament and in the New as the ultimate destiny of creation, a state of peace, righteousness and harmony. As Christians we believe that the fulfilment of this vision and the gift of peace, individually and collectively, is found in Jesus Christ.The War in Israel and Gaza As Bishops of the Church of England we condemn the terrorist actions of Hamas on 7th October. Hamas has killed civilians without mercy, defiled their bodies, treated the most vulnerable brutally and taken hostages. Its continued indiscriminate rocket attacks against Israeli targets puts civilian structures and individuals at risk. All this is built on its denial of the right of Israel to exist. Hamas has oppressed the people it was originally elected to serve and has put them in harm’s way by using them as human shields. Its actions are a violation of international law.We must also reflect on the actions that Israel has taken in response. We affirm absolutely Israel’s right to self-defence. We wholly support the duty of the Government of Israel to protect its citizens. We echo the concerns raised by President Biden about understandable anger and deep trauma not determining strategy and actions. Israel’s right to self-defence needs to be exercised in adherence to the key principles of international humanitarian law.The huge number of civilians killed in three weeks of bombardment, principally in Gaza City, and the immense suffering of a people herded south with no escape, are a humanitarian catastrophe. Even defined evacuation routes have been hit. Places of sanctuary and gathering have been bombed. Aid workers have been killed and wounded in large numbers. Critical services like healthcare, water, and electricity have been cut, while the military siege of Gaza has meant that no adequate humanitarian response has been possible.Also gravely concerning are the reports of rising numbers of Palestinians killed in the West Bank by inhabitants of settlements which are illegal under international law. In mixed communities in Israel, where people have generally lived peacefully side by side, Israeli Arabs now find themselves subject to abuse, harassment and discrimination. The United Kingdom, Islamophobia and antisemitismIn this country we have seen heightened tensions and threats to social cohesion. We are grateful for and stand with all those faith and community leaders who have made efforts at local and national level to maintain friendships and relationships across some of the sharpening political divides. We also condemn the rise in antisemitic and Islamophobic attacks. Appeals by the Bishops of the Church of EnglandIn the UK we call for intercommunity groups to maintain the closest possible contact. We pledge ourselves to pray for and take public actions in support of our fellow citizens of Jewish or Islamic faith. We recognise that within the church, too, we must acknowledge our own differences on this matter with care and generosity. The way individuals and communities act here and now could shape and influence what happens next. So, while we must condemn utterly those who foster fear and hatred in our communities, we must also galvanise and support those who are modelling something different and seeking the way of peace.Recognising the troubled history, we nevertheless cling to the longstanding vision of a peaceful region where the peoples of Israel and Palestine can live in security, justice, peace and harmony in their own lands, we therefore appeal:* For Hamas to release all hostages unconditionally and unharmed. * For immediate humanitarian pauses that will enable the wounded and the most vulnerable to be evacuated under ICRC or UN supervision, holding out hope for a ceasefire in the longer term. * For safe areas to be established across Gaza with communications, food, water and medical support, under international supervision.*For the Israeli Government to protect the population of the Occupied Territories and arrest anyone threatening them, without fear or favour. * For all parties to this conflict to adhere to international humanitarian law and to take all necessary steps to minimise harm to civilians and civilian infrastructure.We unite ourselves with the Anglican Archbishop in Jerusalem, Hosam Naoum, and Christian leaders in the Holy Land in calling for sustained and faithful prayer by all Christians for peace and justice.
My car has developed a strange squeak from one of its wheels, and is going into the garage today. As many of you know, I have a history of running older cars, and that, of course, means that there is a certain expectation that from time to time some things will go wrong — more than the usual round of oil changes, changing brake pads and tyres that come with the MOT cycle. Sometimes, however, we are not quite as disciplined as we should be over regular maintenance, and sometimes we neglect to pay attention to niggling noises, or things that have just changed over time. True for our cars, and, of course, true for ourselves too. We, especially as we age, need to pay attention to ourselves, not only with our own personal MOTs, but also especially when things are not quite as they should be — it is easy to hope that our bodies are still as they were in our 20s or 30s, and that the changes we have experienced are only temporary ones, but we do need to pay attention to ourselves, and properly so.I am reminded that when Jesus summarised the how we should live, he talked about prioritising how we live before God, but also how we need to ‘love our neighbour as ourselves”. What many people miss by this is that we need to love, and look after ourselves, as the springboard to be able to help others, and self care, and being attentive to ourselves, is a key part as this.Every blessingStephen
Several folk have asked me about the extract of the poem that I used as part of my sermon on Remembrance Sunday. The poem is about civilian experience of the Blitz in London during the Second World War, and the extract was from the third section of the poem 'The Burning of the Leaves' by Laurence Binyon.Stooping and feeble, leaning on a stick,An old man with his vague feet stirs the dust,Searching a strange world for he knows not whatAmong haphazard stone and crumbled brick.He cannot adjustWhat his eyes see to memory's golden land,Shut off by the iron curtain of today:The past is all the present he has got.Now, as he bends to peerInto the rubble, he picks up in his hand(Death has been here!)Something defaced, naked and bruised: a doll,A child's doll, blankly smiling with wide eyesAnd oh, how human in its helplessness!Pondered in weak fingersHe holds it puzzled: wondering, where is sheThe small motherWhose pleasure was to clothe it and caress,Who hugged it with a motherhood foreknown,Who ran to comfort its imagined criesAnd gave it pretty sorrows for its own?No one replies.
