The following piece was first written for the July 5, 2026 pew sheet at St Augustine’s Anglican Church. I share it here again in the hope that it may continue to encourage and bless.
Several weeks ago, I mentioned that during the season of Ordinary Time in the Christian Year – the longest season, extending until Advent begins in late November – we would be reflecting in our sermons on practical themes relating to the Christian life, the Church and Christian service. Ordinary Time focuses on Christian discipleship: growing in faith, becoming more like Christ, and living out the gospel in the ordinary rhythms of everyday life. Our first theme was 'Being the Body of Christ.' Through four sermons – 'One Body, Many Members,' 'Growing Together,' 'Bearing One Another's Burdens' and 'A Community of Grace' – we explored what it means to belong to Christ's body and to care for one another as his people. Beginning today, we turn to our second theme: 'A Church for Others.' Our first message in this series is 'Sent as Christ Was Sent,' based on 2 Corinthians 5:18–21 and John 20:21–23. This theme reminds me of a well-known statement attributed to William Temple, former Archbishop of Canterbury: 'The Church is the only society that exists for the benefit of those who are not its members.' Temple lived through the aftermath of the First World War, the Great Depression, the Second World War and a period of widespread poverty and social upheaval. He believed that the Church must never become preoccupied with preserving itself but must continually look outward in participating in God's mission to the world. Temple was not suggesting that the Church should neglect its own members. Worship, discipleship, pastoral care, fellowship and building one another up in Christ are all essential to the Church's life. Rather, he was reminding us that these ministries have a larger purpose: they equip God's people to bear witness to Christ and to serve others in his name. The Church exists because God is seeking men and women who do not yet know him. We gather to worship, pray, learn and encourage one another so that we may then be sent into the world as Christ's ambassadors. As Jesus said to his discipleships after his resurrection, 'As the Father has sent me, I am sending you' (John 20:21). May this new series encourage each of us to embrace afresh our calling to be Christ's people, living not for ourselves, but for the glory of God and the good of the world he loves.
