Reflection: A cracker, a treasure trove, a particular joy

Tim Watson had a good time at the Anglican Future Conference. He shares what he especially appreciated.

Tim Watson is the Deputy Principal of  Roseville College, a K-12 Anglican School for Girls in Sydney.

What a cracker of a conference. And what a keynote speaker, Ashley Null—never has a surname been such a misnomer—it was a treasure trove he opened and held up for us. Would that we be worthy of our fathers, those who struggled to cut through the thicket of tradition and the trappings of the church to release the Lamb of God, the Lion of Judah found in the unfettered Word of God.
In unpacking elements of our church history the past was remembered so that the future may not be forgotten––the future we have in Christ.  It was a delight to examine the way the past plays out in our present and future selves. And this is true of us individually and as a denomination, a point of reflection not to be overlooked.

We look to the Scriptures, we look to the formularies, and we look to our current practices, context and culture as we seek to be authentically Christian, authentically Anglican followers of Jesus. It was this of which we were reminded.

As we think on our future we can’t forget our past, nor must we be trapped by it––the formularies are directed by and direct us to the Scriptures, the Scriptures direct us to the Lord, and the Lord directs us to the harvest.

A particular joy for me was to go to the Discipling Believers workshop with Kara Hartley and Pete Smith. Pete was my Bible study leader in my senior years at school, and being at the workshop felt like I was the “here’s one that I prepared earlier” example.

Harvest where you are. Go out to the harvest. Harvest across cultures. Harvest across cities and across organisations. Invite people to the banquet to which we have been invited. Staging posts ought to include schools, parachurch organisations, small groups, universities, and yes, churches. It was lovely to hear Peter Adam talking about the role of the church beyond the church.

Let us be us, real us, broken and contrite, but saints in the service of the King.

Let us be serious about what we believe and clear about what we know. Let us profess the hope that is the only hope as we offer the kingdom to those in need of the King. Come Lord Jesus.