Mission
The Queen’s platinum Jubilee last month represented a momentous occasion, celebrating a monarch who has devoted her life to serving her people for 70 years. After a very difficult two years it ended up being a joyous time for many people, as the celebrations afforded them a renewed sense of togetherness and unity.
For the people of Bangor, the Jubilee also meant they found themselves elevated to the unexpected status of ‘city dwellers’. This month we feature a congregational story from the new city – that of Hamilton Road Presbyterian. This church has a long association with the Bangor Worldwide Missionary Convention. And as new minister, Christoph Ebbinghaus points out, the congregation is fully committed to mission at home and overseas: “I always say, as a church we want to go across the street and across the world.”
At the Queen’s coronation in 1953, she was presented with a Bible and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Geoffrey Fisher, said the following to her: “To keep your Majesty ever mindful of the law and the gospel of God as the rule for the whole life…we present you with this book, the most valuable thing that this world affords.”
As Gordon Campbell explains this month, the precious gift of accessing the Bible in our own language can largely be attributed to Martin Luther. Although his September Testament was a volume in German, it represented a translation into the language of ordinary people for the first time. This September, 500 years on from this translation, Union Theological College celebrates the work of Martin Luther with an international conference. Gordon highlights how significant this commemoration is: “Luther had spelt out how fundamental, for human lives, was the Word of God, with the gospel of Jesus Christ at its heart.”
Archbishop Fisher quoted from Acts 1:8 during Queen Elizabeth’s coronation to remind her she was not alone in the task ahead. “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
It is heartening that these words are not just reserved for royalty. Mission is for us all; whether at home or overseas. And we, like the Queen, are not alone in the task ahead. Perhaps we can take inspiration from an address she gave in 2002: “I know that the only way to live my life is to try to do what is right, to take the long view, to give of my best in all that the day brings, and to put my trust in God.”
The Presbyterian Herald is the official magazine of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland. It provides a forum for debate and discussion on a wide range of topics and aims to challenge and encourage Presbyterians, as well as inform them about what the wider Church is involved in. It has a readership in excess of 25,000 and is distributed throughout Ireland.
To find out more go to www.presbyterianireland.org/herald or access the digital version via Issuu.