The following sermon was preached by the Bishop of Winchester, The Rt Revd. Michael Scott-Joynt at the Diocesan Synod in St Francis' Church, Valley Park on Saturday 18th October 2003.

“Say to those who are of a fearful heart, “...do not fear! Here is your God””.

(Isaiah 35:3)

We find the words over and over again in the Bible, and Jesus characteristically says them to his followers: “Don’t be afraid”. I’ll return to them in  a moment.

First, welcome to Winchester’s Diocesan Synod, whether new members or people who have been sent for another three years. Each of us, and all of us together, have a significant task and calling whatever our particular roles; and it is up to each of us to play our part as well, as prayerfully and thoughtfully, as we can; and that goes not only for the two – or will it return to being three? that’s up to us – meetings a year, or in the Synod’s committees if you’re on them, or in reporting back to Deanery’s and parishes – we shall certainly spend time in this Synod, as in the last, on improving every aspect of our Communications.

And please don’t think that the ways we do things are set in stone! They’re not; and most things can be changed if it seems good to Synod to change them.

And above all, please don’t think that you’re here just to share in running, reviewing, leading the Diocese, whether by keeping it going or gingering it up or clipping its wings – any more than those roles exhaust your ministry in your PCC or in some other Synod. The critical, governing question for each of us, me as well as you and us together in all that we do, is:

How do we best serve the Mission, the sustaining, gracious, calling, challenging activity of God in this land and across his world – through the Church of England in this Diocese.

If that’s what we’re about , no wonder that throughout the Bible God is constantly having his prophets, and his Son, saying “Do not fear”!

On Monday of this week I was in Jersey, and at a meeting of the Clergy Chapter strengthened by many of the Island’s good team of Readers. Encouraged by plans for Walk Wessex, there is to be a “Walk Jersey” in May of next year; and Daniel Cozens, the initiator of Through Faith Missions who helped us so much with Walk Wessex, was there looking ahead to next year. I was already – as any of you who are called to preach will understand – thinking around the Scriptures for this St Luke’s Day Synod; and I was struck to hear Daniel say:

“The biggest thing we face in the Church today is not shortage of money, or of clergy, or of time, or any of the other things that we see as problems – the biggest thing we face is    fear”.

I had no opportunity to ask him what he meant. But if I look at us, at me, at our churches, I find two fears among us in particular, both of them present almost everywhere, insidious, powerfully restricting our Christian witness and worship and discipleship.

Fear of taking God, and what we believe, seriously, of putting our weight on what we believe, of trusting God – perhaps best put, because the words include more than a glancing look at our use of the Bible, fear of taking God at his word.......

And fear  of standing out from the crowd, of standing against whatever may be the current where you are, the “political correctness”........

In Synod, and everywhere else our Lord places you to serve as his witness and his disciple, do please explore in yourself and with those around you Danny Cozens’ observation, do please go on where I’ve left off and identify the fears that may be our “biggest problem” ...... - always remembering as you do so that great succession of Scriptural voices who trusted God’s presence with them through fire and water and everything else and still say to us:

“Do not fear”.