From the Bishop
Dear friends,
In this edition of Living the Word, Bishop Sonia reflects on some of my favourite verses of scripture – Galatians 3: 26 – 28.
We can forget the radical nature of early Christianity. Empowered by the Spirit, we see the people of faith challenge some of the views prevailing in society. Paul teaches that there are no distinctions between members of the community of faith.
In some ways, Paul was laying down tracks of insight, some of which would not be fully realised for many centuries.
I am thinking particularly about slavery. The Roman Empire depended on slavery, with an estimate of 250,000 people sold in Rome annually. To be described as a slave wasn’t the same as describing an occupation. It described a legal status. There were slaves in every profession. Yet slavery was slavery. Everything about the slave belonged to their owner and master. Slaves were exploited, abused, and degraded. Slaves lived in fear.
Paul taught that, in the church, all people were equal because of their relationship with Christ.
In the late 18th and early 19th Century there was a reform movement in Great Britain seeking to challenge the slave trade. Prominent among them was a group of evangelical Anglicans worshipping in Clapham. By 1834 all slaves in the British colonies were emancipated. Slavery was abolished in the USA in 1865.
Sadly, slavery is not a historic practice. The 2023 Global Slavery Index estimated 41,000 people in Australia were living in modern slavery.
Modern Slavery in Australia provides the following insights –
In situations of modern slavery, one person uses their power over another to control or use them for their own benefit. It takes away someone’s freedom to make choices for themselves.
Modern slavery can take many forms. These include:
Modern slavery also includes the worst forms of child labour.
It happens in every country, including Australia.
Someone experiencing modern slavery might be used, bought, sold or traded like property. They might be denied the freedom to decide how to live their life.
They might have no choice about:
- where and when they work
- what they do
- how long they work for.
They may feel they are not free to stop working, or leave the place where they work.
They might not be able to choose who, when and if they marry, not fully understand what marriage means, or may have been a child under the age of 16 (in Australia) when they married.
There are some exceptional resources at What is Modern Slavery? — Be Slavery Free.
Australian governments are committed to addressing modern slavery.
In addition to the support of the police, if you have experienced modern slavery, or you are worried about someone in this situation, you can contact Anti-Slavery Australia for free and confidential legal advice and support in the following ways:
- Call (02) 9514 8115 (Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm Sydney time)
- Email [email protected]
- Complete our online enquiry form
As Christians, we are reminded that every human being bears the image of God and deserves to live in freedom, dignity, and hope.
Galatians 3 continues to challenge us, not only in what we believe but also in how we respond to injustice in our own time.
Every blessing,
Bishop Peter Stuart
Anglican Bishop of Newcastle
One in Christ: Galatians 3.28
By Bishop Sonia
In the past weeks these reflections have been focused on the broader theme, “Women in the Story”. These reflections have led us through Deborah the prophet and judge (Judges 4-5), Ruth the faithful foreigner (Ruth), and Mary of Bethany a faithful and prophetic follower of Jesus.
These women have several things in common.
- Firstly, we know their names! Strange as this may sound, it is not insignificant as many women (particularly in the New Testament) are unnamed.
- Secondly, they are examples of faithfulness. Deborah, because of her faithfulness, leads the Israelites to victory in battle – a woman at the head of an army! Ruth the Moabite, whose mother-in-law Naomi introduces her to the one true God, shows us a life of ‘faithfulness as loving kindness’. And Mary of Bethany is known for her strong faith, witnessed in her close friendship with Jesus and their various interactions (Luke 10.38-42, John 11.28-32, John 12.1-8).
- Thirdly, each of these women are among quite a number of women who can be thought of as leaders amongst God’s people in the Scriptures. It is one of the reasons we know their names.
Today, as we draw this section together, we hear Paul’s timeless words, that in Christ the old distinctions have passed and we are all one in him:
There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. NRSV
This is one of the passages of Scripture that I love, because of the way it describes God’s grace, our freedom in Christ, and the nature of our community in him as one.
The context of this beautiful passage was, however, conflict. Paul was facing down conflict over the place of the Law, and the supposed superiority of those who wanted to wield the Law as a blunt instrument against others. We might reflect, how often do we, likewise, use ‘rules’ to build ourselves up? For Paul, who had had such a profound experience of God’s grace this behaviour was intolerable. And it was harmful.
Brigette Kahl describes Pauls’ argument in this section:
It imprisons all in impenetrable cages …. It separates human from human by barbed-wire demarcation lines or self-interest, hatred, or just indifference into deserving or undeserving, righteous or sinner, us or them.
We can suffer from the same conflict issues as the Galatians – wanting to bind or imprison others, and even God – by our ‘rules’ instead of risking openness to the new paths he may want to lead us on.
In the face of our tendency to cling to rules and certainties, even while living in an age of grace, Paul reminds us—as he did the “foolish Galatians” (Gal 3.1)—to trust God in all things. Such trust is risky, asking us to loosen our grip on certainty and to follow where Jesus leads and the Spirit sends.
It is risky, but more than that it can be life-giving as we trust in God and step out, tentatively, onto paths unknown, trusting only in God. Those who walk this road are likely to find fulfilled for them Jesus’ well-known words from John 10: “I came that may have life and have it abundantly.”
This has certainly been my experience in my ministry, for which I continue to be thankful. Perhaps you can reflect on how it is that this has been true for you also.
Points for Prayer
By Bishop Charlie
PRAYER: “The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one” (John 17:22 NRSVUE).
A Collect from Galatians 3.28:
Gracious, ever living Trinity,
you sent the Son to break down every dividing wall of hostility.
Grant that we, being baptised into his life,
may look not on that which divides us,
but may know we are one body in Christ.
Free our hearts of all prejudice and pride,
that we may live united, sharing the diversity of your gifts;
who live and reign, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.
As we approach Trinity Sunday please pray:
For non-violent resolutions of conflict:
- In the wars of the world
- In the politics of the nations
- In homes and households and families
For unity in the life of the Church:
- Parishes
- Dioceses
- Traditions
For reconciliation and inclusion:
- Of all abilities
- Backgrounds
- Giftedness
Teaching on Prayer
The Collect – a concise prayer shaped after the Lord’s Prayer
Sometimes the freedom is in the form. Like a limerick or a haiku, the Collect is a highly formulaic prayer pattern, intuitive to Anglicans from the Prayer Book(s):
An Address calls on God: Ever living, ever loving, gracious, eternal…God.
An Attribute recalls something of God’s action or character, often intimately related to human being: who lived among us in Jesus.
A Petition dares to make a request resonant with the Attribute just recalled: make us one.
Then boldly naming a desired outcome, a Benefit: that we may share your desire for unity, justice and peace everywhere.
Tied with the bow of Trinitarian Doxology, typically: through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Writing a Collect, or Collects, can be as much a personal devotion as a way of joining the prayers of the assembly in a liturgy. The words of a Collect are one way Grace can show us something of the well of prayer I believe persists in us even in the dryest of days.
Help us build the community
We would love to hear your stories of prayer. Please send them to [email protected]
