{"id":14863,"date":"2014-05-08T16:56:35","date_gmt":"2014-05-08T05:56:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/imaginarydiocese.org\/bishopjohn\/?p=14863"},"modified":"2014-05-08T17:08:43","modified_gmt":"2014-05-08T06:08:43","slug":"response-to-welcome-to-a-new-ministry-devonport","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/imaginarydiocese.org\/bishopjohn\/2014\/05\/08\/response-to-welcome-to-a-new-ministry-devonport\/","title":{"rendered":"Response to welcome to a new Ministry: Devonport"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>On Tuesday evening the Venerable Canon John Tongue\u00a0responded to words of welcome\u00a0at\u00a0his Commissioning as Rector of the Parish of the City of Devonport. John&#8217;s response is a fine\u00a0example of Gospel clarity, encouragement, challenge\u00a0and warm hearted grace. With John&#8217;s permission, I share it with you. Thank you, John, and blessings on your life and ministry in Devonport.\u00a0John&#8217;s response:<\/p>\n<p>Thanks:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>for all the kind words of welcome \u2013 to Shirley and me (and the children, in their absence)<\/li>\n<li>for those who\u2019ve come along this evening to support us in this new beginning, and those who\u2019ve been praying for us and for the Parish,<\/li>\n<li>For the warm welcome we\u2019ve already received from many of the Devonport parishioners<\/li>\n<li>to the Ulverstone and Penguin folk, for your sharing with us in this journey of costly generosity<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>We are really looking forward to continuing the good work that\u2019s been happening here in Devonport.\u00a0 It has sadly been a situation of much turmoil and heartache, over many years, but even in the midst of that, we give thanks for all those who have contributed to the life of the church, and the growth of Christ\u2019s Kingdom in this place over many years.\u00a0 We look forward to continuing that legacy, in partnership together.<\/p>\n<p>I look forward to getting to know people, as we all join together in supporting and encouraging each other in the love of Jesus.\u00a0 To that end, please be patient with me, when I remember your face, but maybe not your name \u2013 and also please try to find \u2013 or to get, and wearing, a Parish or other name tag, would be a great help, not only to Shirley and me, but to other newcomers to our church, as well.\u00a0 Also, please don\u2019t be afraid to drop round to the Rectory for a cuppa, or to \u201chave a look at what we\u2019ve done with the place\u201d!!<\/p>\n<p>Because of past history, as a Parish, we will need to \u201clook to ourselves\u201d \u2013 to be seeking healing for past hurts, to be building each other up, fostering and encouraging unity and community.\u00a0 BUT \u2013 we can\u2019t just be inward looking!\u00a0 We believe that in Jesus, we who follow him find real life, but that\u2019s a life that the wider community also needs.\u00a0 Even as we look to the Lord to strengthen our weak hands, and make firm our feeble knees, so the Lord still calls us to be offering the hope, life and love of Jesus to those around us.\u00a0 Some of Jesus\u2019 last earthly words to his disciples were \u201cLo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.\u201d\u00a0 We here in Devonport (and in Ulverstone and Penguin) cling onto that promise, that Jesus is with us, and so we find strength and comfort in that.\u00a0 But these words come after he said to them \u201cAll authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.\u00a0 Go, therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded.\u201d\u00a0 Then he said, \u201cAnd lo! I am with you\u201d.\u00a0 Go\u2026.and Lo! I am with you.\u00a0 I once heard someone talking on this passage say \u2013 \u201cno Go\u2026 no Lo\u201d.\u00a0 The Lord will be with us, to strengthen and encourage us \u2013 even in the \u201cgoing\u201d (by his Spirit) to fulfil his great Commission.<\/p>\n<p>Devonport has been promoted as \u201cThe City with Spirit\u201d.\u00a0 I long to see the Anglican Parish of Devonport, encouraged and empowered by Christ\u2019s Spirit, to be working with the Spirit of Jesus to bring real life to bear in our city, so that it might truly be, \u201cThe City with the Holy Spirit\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>This journey may not always be comfortable \u2013 but the Lord promises to be with us always, even to the very end of the age.\u00a0 In a scene from the Bayeux Tapestry in England, depicting the battle of Hastings, one scene has the King standing behind his troops with drawn sword, prodding them in the backs, and urging them onwards into battle \u2013 and the caption reads \u201cThe King comforteth his troops\u201d!\u00a0 The Lord will bring us comfort, peace, restoration and renewal in him \u2013 but in the journey that lies ahead of us, we expect that this will sometimes be a \u201cdiscomforting comfort\u201d.\u00a0 Still, we wait on him to do great things amongst us as we move ahead in partnership in him, and to bless us greatly as he does.<\/p>\n<p>See also: <a href=\"http:\/\/imaginarydiocese.org\/bishopjohn\/2014\/05\/08\/prayer-for-devonport\/\">http:\/\/imaginarydiocese.org\/bishopjohn\/2014\/05\/08\/prayer-for-devonport\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On Tuesday evening the Venerable Canon John Tongue\u00a0responded to words of welcome\u00a0at\u00a0his Commissioning as Rector of the Parish of the City of Devonport. John&#8217;s response is a fine\u00a0example of Gospel clarity, encouragement, challenge\u00a0and warm hearted grace. With John&#8217;s permission, I &hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"http:\/\/imaginarydiocese.org\/bishopjohn\/2014\/05\/08\/response-to-welcome-to-a-new-ministry-devonport\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[5],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/imaginarydiocese.org\/bishopjohn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14863"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/imaginarydiocese.org\/bishopjohn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/imaginarydiocese.org\/bishopjohn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/imaginarydiocese.org\/bishopjohn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/imaginarydiocese.org\/bishopjohn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14863"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"http:\/\/imaginarydiocese.org\/bishopjohn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14863\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14892,"href":"http:\/\/imaginarydiocese.org\/bishopjohn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14863\/revisions\/14892"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/imaginarydiocese.org\/bishopjohn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14863"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/imaginarydiocese.org\/bishopjohn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14863"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/imaginarydiocese.org\/bishopjohn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14863"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}