\nconnection of Greenwich with time that represents its most enduring claim to
\nfame. That connection began in the 17th<\/sup> Century, with the
\nObservatory created by Royal Warrant in 1675, and grew steadily. In 1871 the
\nFirst Geographical Congress meeting at Antwerp agreed that, within fifteen
\nyears, Greenwich should be adopted internationally as the common zero for
\nlongitude. In 1880 GMT was adopted as legal time for Britain and in 1884, ahead
\nof schedule, at the international Meridian Conference in Washington, DC, the
\nPrime Meridian was established at Greenwich – making the north-south line at
\nGreenwich the reference for all other meridians of longitude.<\/p>\n
Of course, Greenwich is no longer the quiet
\n\u0091green village\u0092 that it was, though Blackheath and the Royal Park
\nremain the envy of many Londoners; the royal court is no longer here; the Royal
\nHospital and Naval College have gone; and alas, the astronomers are no longer
\nhere, moving, as they did, first to Herstmonceux Castle in search of clearer
\nskies, and in 1990 relocating to the Institute of Astronomy in Cambridge.<\/p>\n
But the links remain. The Observatory still
\nstands proudly overlooking the Thames and it was entirely appropriate for the
\nDome to be built here. Even though GMT has been supplanted officially by
\nsomething called „universal time“ Greenwich remains for most of us \u0091The
\nHome of Time\u0092.<\/p>\n
However, as students of the New Testament will
\nknow \u0091chronological time\u0092 is not the only way to understand time.
\n\u0091Chronos\u0092, the noun used to describe linear time, from which words
\nlike chronology derive, points to the passing of time. Shakespeare says in
\nMacbeth: \u0091Come what come may, time and the hour run through the roughest
\nday\u0092. Something, that in the hectic world of the late twentieth century we
\nknow all too well.<\/p>\n
But of greater importance to the New Testament
\nwriters was the significance<\/u> of time and they used a different word to
\ndescribe it. For them the word \u0091kairos\u0092 pointed to \u0091time
\ninterpreted\u0092. As one theologian put it: \u0091\u0091kairos\u0092 time has
\nto do with a definite point of time which has a fixed content\u0092. Or, as
\nanother has said: \u0091Kairos moments are turning points in history which
\ndemand specific existential decisions.\u0092<\/p>\n
And from personal experience we have glimpses of
\nwhat this means. Think of that day you were married, the time you passed that
\nexamination, that job interview which went so well – or so badly. And we tend
\nto associate such moments, \u0091pregnant with meaning\u0092, with places: the
\nchurch where we were married; the university where we graduated; that wonderful
\nsunset when we were on holiday.<\/p>\n
This very day we commemorate the destruction of But for Christians the \u0091kairos\u0092 moment So, you see, the Millennium is not merely about And that is why I have entitled this address So how, from the perspective of Bethlehem time First, it is a time for Celebration.<\/p>\n It is not necessary for me to remind those of us In his name men and women of every age and race Abroad, I think of the enormous impact of the But it is also a message to the church! It is a One of the things that I suggest we use the Much, of course, is happening already, often in So tonight, I want to sound a clarion call to For just as we have much to celebrate,<\/i> so i) We must share the challenge of building a Over one hundred years ago, one of my It is an interesting thought and one we should In our faith we have stressed too the importance Now, of course, not all intimate associations Likewise, of course, there are those selfish ii) Along with this view of the Christian Tomorrow I shall fly to Washington to join the These figures are simply appalling and it is not But cancellation of debt must also be part of a But justice is not solely a matter for iii) Next, I believe that, as Christians, we In church life too we must strive even harder to But it will also mean doing more to include iv) Finally, a key area to share is the joint In my experience it is often children who show There is both challenge and opportunity here. I And that I believe is a gospel concern. The So, a Time to Celebrate and a Time to Share.<\/p>\n The Millennium does present us all with a Some years ago I heard the story of a philosophy Archbishop of Canterbury, George Leonard Carey<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n The Press
\nthe Berlin Wall which came to symbolise the collapse of communism in Eastern
\nEurope. November 9th<\/sup> 1989 was, quintessentially, a
\n\u0091kairos\u0092 moment. It will always be remembered and celebrated as
\nushering in a new time in world history; it heralded the end of the Cold
\nWar.<\/p>\n
\nabove all others is the coming of Christ into the world. For us this is what
\nthe Millennium is about. Not a mere passing of \u0091chronological\u0092 time
\nbut a commemoration of THE moment of time which interprets the whole of time.
\nAs St. Paul says: \u0091Now is the acceptable time, now is the day of
\nsalvation\u0092.<\/p>\n
\nthe measurement<\/u> of time but is also very much about the meaning<\/u>
\nof time. And it has taken some people some time to understand this! I recall
\nspeaking to a prominent person some years ago about the Millennium. He was
\ntotally behind the idea to build the Dome. But when I and others were insisting
\non the centrality of Christianity in the celebrations he was genuinely puzzled.
\n\u0091Why should religion be involved at all?\u0092 he asked. I tried another
\napproach. \u0091Why are you going to great lengths to spend so many millions of
\npounds on this site?\u0092 \u0091Because it commemorates an anniversary. It
\nsignifies the passing from one millennium to another,\u0092 he replied.
\n\u0091But\u0092 I asked, \u0091what happened 2000 years ago to give that year
\nsuch significance?\u0092 \u0091Oh, I see what you mean\u0092 came the awkward
\nreply. He was assessing the Millennium purely in \u0091Greenwich\u0092 terms,
\nthat is, in terms of the measurement of time. I was measuring it in terms of
\n\u0091Bethlehem-time\u0092, that is, in terms of the gift of Christ to the
\nworld and all that he continues to mean for us today.<\/p>\n
\n\u0091The Hinge of Time\u0092. The division between B.C. and A.D. expresses the
\nfact that, at a particular point in the past, something so momentous happened
\nthat the calendar was changed to acknowledge it. Momentous not least because
\n\u0091Bethlehem Time\u0092 as I have called it, defies the bleak secularist
\nverdict that this life is all; that our time must be given up to making life as
\npleasurable, as profitable and as easy as possible \u0096 before the oblivion
\nof death swallows us all up.<\/p>\n
\nshould we respond to the approach of the third millennium? I suggest that as
\nchurches and as a society it offers us a Time for Celebration and a Time for
\nSharing.<\/p>\n
\ngathered here of the significance of Christ for our world. Christianity has
\nshaped our history and our culture, and I am glad that the Faith Zone in the
\nDome will play its part in reminding people of this heritage. And it\u0092s not
\njust our past – institutions of all kinds – hospitals, schools, universities
\nand orphanages – speak of Christ\u0092s continuing impact on our lives.<\/p>\n
\nhave preached his gospel and died for his cause. Many have lived heroic lives
\nand have left behind them works of immense social value. In this country
\ncharities and organisations like Oxfam, Christian Aid, Tear Fund, the
\nSamaritans, Help the Aged, St John Ambulance, Dr Barnados, the Children\u0092s
\nSociety, the RSPCA, NSPCC, the Probation Service and the Hospice Movement have
\nbeen profoundly influenced by Christian principles or founded by inspirational
\nChristian men and women.<\/p>\n
\nChristian faith throughout the world. There is scarcely a place in Sub-Saharan
\nAfrica, for example, where the Christian faith has not made a significant
\ndifference for ordinary people. Time and again when I have visited there I have
\nbeen struck by the commitment of the Churches to such things as education,
\nhealth care and agricultural and development projects. As Pope John Paul II
\nsaid, during his last visit to that great Continent: \u0091Jesus Christ is the
\nunmistakable proof of God\u0092s love for humanity\u0085 the good news is Jesus
\nChrist\u0092. For the person of our Lord is the good news we bring to all
\npeople. He offers everyone the possibility of a new beginning with God the
\ncreator – that is the church\u0092s message and it is something to rejoice
\nin.<\/p>\n
\nmessage to wake up to the God who confronts us with hope. I am delighted that
\nnext year so many churches will be celebrating Pentecost in a fresh way.
\nIndeed, I am looking forward to taking part in an open-air service beside the
\nDome that morning and I look forward to seeing many of you there.<\/p>\n
\ncoming months to do is to consider carefully the challenge to be less religious
\nand more Christian. There is a danger, if we become too focussed on keeping the
\ninstitutional life of the Church healthy, maintaining our services, looking
\nafter our buildings – that we may lack sufficient energy to go out from our
\nchurches into our communities. Rather, following the example of our Lord, the
\nMillennium will provide new impetus to reach out. To know Christ and to make
\nhim known is to adopt for ourselves a world view, a philosophy of life, which
\ntakes us well beyond the formalities of religion. By espousing the Christian
\nfaith we unite with a God who loves his creation and who wants all to join him
\nin the task of regeneration. That is what I mean by urging us to be \u0091less
\nreligious and more Christian\u0092.<\/p>\n
\necumenical and community partnerships, in our inner cities. That is something,
\nI believe, we should rejoice in as we seek to develop it further. I think in
\nthis context of the fine work of the Church Urban Fund, making a difference in
\nso many marginalised communities. I think too of the wonderful contribution of
\nChristians – as individuals and groups – among the homeless, those seeking
\nrefuge, the troubled young and the elderly in need.<\/p>\n
\nall Christians of all denominations to celebrate our privilege of following
\nJesus Christ; to rejoice in the difference he makes to all who follow him; and
\nthen to go out to serve him.<\/p>\n
\nalso we have much to share.<\/i> Celebrating and sharing, the Millennium
\nmeans both. Let me focus now on the sharing.<\/p>\n
\nbetter society.<\/b> As I have already said the contribution of the Christian
\nfaith is indelibly printed into our history, culture, civic life and laws. That
\nimprint must not fade.<\/p>\n
\npredecessors \u0096 Archibald Tait \u0096 warned his society of the dangers of
\ndrifting away from the Christian faith. He wrote: \u0091I hold that any school
\nof philosophy which dogmatically asserts that man has no soul, and that there
\nis no God, saps the very foundation of morality\u0092.. He was quite right then
\nand some of the bloody genocides of this century have proved him correct.
\nLikewise Francis Fukuyama in his most recent book The Great Disruption<\/b>
\nacknowledges the importance of religion to the maintenance of moral values. He
\nargues \u0096 quite properly in my opinion \u0096 that religion is not the only
\nguardian of moral values. But he also underlines that its contribution to what
\nhe calls \u0091social capital\u0092 is very great. Looking to the future, he
\nwrites: \u0091Instead of community arising as a by-product of rigid belief,
\npeople will come to belief because of their desire for community. In other
\nwords, people will return to religious tradition not necessarily because they
\naccept the truth of revelation, but precisely because the absence of community
\nand the transience of social ties in the secular world make them hungry for
\nritual and cultural tradition\u0092.<\/p>\n
\nponder as we seek to assess what it is that we have to share with the world.
\nFor the use of the term \u0091social capital\u0092, so popular now in
\nsociological writing, actually points to something churches and other religious
\ncommunities have always been offering. That is to say, the power of
\nassociation, friendship and belonging.<\/p>\n
\nof family life; that the union of husband and wife and their children is not
\nmerely one form of family life but the ideal of family life. Let me quote
\nFukuyama again: \u0091It is not clear that there is a good substitute for
\nreproduction outside nuclear families and this in turn explains why changes in
\nfamily structure have been so consequential for social capital\u0092(38). He
\ngoes on to explain that fostering the healthy social capital of any community
\ndepends upon the health of all those bonds which transcend individualism; love
\nand loyalty to the family; friendship and bonding in church life and the many
\nassociations which form community. And these vigorous forms of community
\nliving, he argues, form strong defensive barriers against crime, vandalism and
\nracism by increasing the social capital of virtues like honesty, goodness,
\nkindness and respect.<\/p>\n
\nincrease social capital. There are families which are destructive. Equally
\nthere are others where the ties of kinship are so strong that they work against
\nthe community. The Mafia is a case in point where the code of honour and trust
\n(omerta) stops at the family. Outside, you trust no one else. But these are
\ndistortions of a pattern for life which, at heart, is positive. We as churches
\nshould do all we can to sustain this kind of sharing for the greater good of
\nour society.<\/p>\n
\nassociations of people that do nothing except for themselves and diminish
\nrather than increase the stock of social capital. Even some churches have
\nfallen into that trap at times. But, at our best we are open communities,
\nreaching out into the world; eager to be growing families, eager to embrace and
\ninclude. William Temple was correct to describe the church as the \u0091only
\norganisation that exists for the benefit of those who are not its
\nmembers\u0092. That is to say we are essentially missionary bodies; eager to
\nshare our life, witness to our beliefs and to be available to all.<\/p>\n
\nlife goes another kind of sharing: a shared commitment to a just world.
\n<\/b><\/p>\n
\nPresident of the World Bank in a common aim: we are seeking to find new ways of
\nbringing together world religions and global financial authorities in the cause
\nof international development. It is an exciting and unique initiative. No
\nChristian, indeed, no caring person of whatever faith or none, can be casual
\nabout a world in which there are such inequalities. 1.3 billion people live on
\nunder one dollar a day; 3 billion people live on under two dollars a day. I
\nreferred earlier to Africa: well, in that continent you will find two thirds of
\nthe world\u0092s 33 million cases of HIV\/AIDS. In Africa too 1.5 billion people
\nlack access to safe water and 2.4 million children die each year of water-borne
\ndiseases.<\/p>\n
\nenough for us to get concerned when suddenly another catastrophe is shown on
\nour television screens. That is why the cancellation of unpayable debt has been
\ntaken up by the churches in such a powerful way. Jubilee 2000 has been very
\neffective in drawing attention to the vast discrepancies between third and
\nfirst worlds.<\/p>\n
\nwider goal; to reduce abject world poverty by 50% by 2015. That will be
\ndifficult to achieve, but not impossible. Just as reducing illiteracy,
\nempowering women and offering people the basics of dignity and hope are not
\nimpossible. Here let me pay tribute both to the Chancellor and to the Secretary
\nof State for International Development who have helped to keep these issues
\nalive on the world\u0092s agenda. They, in their turn, have underlined the
\nsignificant contribution of the Churches and other faith communities.<\/p>\n
\ninternational concern. We seek a just society at home too. And justice demands
\nthat we seek to put right anything that challenges the principle of equality,
\nwhether in the eyes of the law, or in the way we treat each other. The Lawrence
\nInquiry revealed the shocking truth about institutionalised racism in so many
\ncommunities. It is not only the Police Force which must look at itself but all
\nof us. I am pleased to see too that some of the Mayor\u0092s Charity is going
\ntowards projects which will promote racial harmony. There is an agenda here for
\nus all.<\/p>\n
\nshould share<\/b> our faith in young people and with young people.<\/b> I
\nrejoice at the emphasis you are giving to young people here in Blackheath and
\nGreenwich. Greenwich Nightstop and Greenwich Beta are encouraging initiatives
\namong younger people. Too many are sleeping rough in our cities and towns; too
\nmany young men cannot get work; too many children still go to school hungry.
\nThe answer is not charity or a return to the Victorian Workhouse but a genuine
\nsharing of resources, with all of us offering from the social capital I spoke
\nof earlier.<\/p>\n
\nfocus on children and young people and make them a focus for our endeavours.
\nEarlier this year I shared in a marvellous youth event called \u0091Time of Our
\nLives\u0092. It brought together 4000 young people from our dioceses in a
\nweek-end Celebration of faith. A number said to me how good it was to have
\ntheir concerns heard at that weekend and to feel valued rather than merely
\ntolerated. It showed me yet again the idealism, faith and hope of young people.
\nI believe we need a new contract with our young people. We need to say to them:
\n\u0091You matter to us because you matter to God. Let us work together and find
\nnew ways of serving one another\u0092. The consequences of such a contract will
\nbe significant, and even at times difficult. It will mean putting resources
\ninto youth activity. For instance in General Synod next week there will be a
\nmotion asking the Church to back a new Youth Evangelism Fund.<\/p>\n
\nyoung people and their styles of worship in our Churches. It will mean closer
\nco-operation in all kinds of ways. Christianity began as a young people\u0092s
\nrevolution. Jesus embraced the young and said: \u0091Of such is the kingdom of
\nheaven\u0092. We dare not do less at the dawn of the new Millennium.<\/p>\n
\nstewardship of the environment.<\/b> This is a beautiful but fragile planet and
\nthe Bible – from Genesis to Revelation – has a strong doctrine of environmental
\nand ecological concern. Perhaps at times we have focused so much on the
\nsalvation of souls that we have tended to ignore the rich teaching of
\nscripture: this world is important; it is a gift of a generous God and we are
\nhis stewards. As Christians once again we have much to share.<\/p>\n
\nmost insight and display greatest concern about our fragile home. I go into
\nmany schools and find there strong and passionate evidence of their care for
\nnature. Children, more than most, are aware of the damage we are causing to
\nnature through pollution, global warming and the galloping over-consumption of
\nour natural resources.<\/p>\n
\nrecall that just two years ago when I was in Adelaide I visited an ecological
\nproject which was the shared enterprise of an Anglican church, the local
\ncouncil and the local community. The Church needed a new car park and they
\ncombined this project with one which was designed to save water. Something
\nwhich is very necessary in the driest state of the driest continent on earth.
\nThus a wholly unique environmentally friendly car park was designed, born out
\nof a real sense of environmental stewardship.<\/p>\n
\npicture of our Lord which emerges from the gospels is of a person who was
\ninterested in the whole of life. He came from a rural community and knew all
\nabout the birds of the air, the flowers of the field and the animals with which
\nhe shared his surroundings. He was not the caricature that the novelist Nabokov
\ndescribed as \u0091a blond bearded faddist in a towelling robe\u0092 but one
\nwho got dirt under his finger nails through sawing wood and laying bricks. He
\nwas someone who loved life. And so should we. We are all called to rejoice in
\nGod’s creation; to care for it tenderly and to respect it. After all, there are
\nchallenges enough. Just a few weeks ago a child born in Sarajevo took the
\nworld\u0092s population over the six billion mark. In 15 years\u0092 time, we
\nare told, it will leap to 8 billion. By 2030 the world\u0092s population will
\nhave doubled. We in the first world will have to learn to live more simply so
\nthat others may simply live.<\/p>\n
\nwonderful opportunity. I, for one, am not daunted by the prospect. Greenwich,
\nthe home of time, is a reminder of \u0091chronos\u0092 and of what the hymn
\nputs so well: \u0091Time like an ever rolling streams bears all its sons
\naway\u0092. But \u0091kairos\u0092, Bethlehem time, reminds us of the
\nfaithfulness of God which is new every morning and which inspires us to new
\nendeavours and possibilities.<\/p>\n
\nlecturer at the Gregorian University in Rome. He liked to begin his lectures
\nfor new students in a dramatic way. In the middle of the huge expanse of
\nblackboard he would put a clear, small white chalk dot. Then he would turn to
\nhis students and say fiercely: \u0091That dot represents all that we know about
\nGod, Christ and the Christian revelation and the blackness represents all we
\ndon\u0092t know\u0092. Then with dramatic effect he would say \u0091What we
\nknow then is precious little!\u0092 Then he would pause and say gently and with
\ntotal conviction: \u0091But what we know \u0096 is precious\u0092. And so it
\nis. That small white dot \u0096 the coming of Christ into our world, the hinge
\nof time \u0096 irradiates the darkness and in spite of what we don\u0092t know,
\nassures us that \u0091all is well, and all manner of things shall be
\nwell\u0092.<\/p>\n
\n
\nOffice, Lambeth Palace
\nE-Mail:
\nneil.traynor@lampal.c-of-e.org.uk<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n