A second weekend Service of Thanksgiving commemorating 50 years of faithful witness and ministry in the Diocese was held in London today—Choral Mattins at St Clement Danes—following a service of Holy Eucharist yesterday at All Hallows-by-the-Tower.
The Central Church of the RAF, St Clement Danes is where RAF Chaplain-in-Chief Archdeacon Leonard Ashton—the first Bishop of Cyprus and the Gulf—was consecrated as Bishop by then-Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Reverend Michael Ramsey.
Indeed, the Diocese and the RAF have an interwoven, mutually supportive history in the Middle East stretching back more than 80 years. Welcoming the congregation, Bishop Sean expressed his gratitude to Padre Ashley Mitchell and the people of St Clement Danes, and to Archdeacon Giles Legood “for his generous efforts to revitalise and strengthen the relationship between the Royal Air Force and the Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf”. As Bishop Sean noted, several priests of the Diocese have been former RAF chaplains, “and we pray that God may continue to bless us with clergy of this calibre”.
A particularly poignant aspect of the service was that it was at St Clement Danes, 52 years ago almost to the day, that Bishop Leonard Ashton was consecrated Bishop-Designate of the Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf. In honoured memory of his ministry to the RAF and as bishop of the Diocese, the St Clement Danes RAF museum loaned Bishop Len’s crozier, pectoral cross and episcopal ring to Bishop Sean for today’s service.
Bishop Sean’s sermon reflected on the Diocese at 50, and on the challenges that lay ahead—not just for Cyprus and the Gulf, but for the Church everywhere.
“What does it mean to follow Christ today as Anglicans in the Middle East?” reflected Bishop Sean. “The motif of God’s light, running through our readings and fulfilled in the person and ministry of Jesus Christ, is a useful way of thinking about our ministry and presence in this context.
“Jesus is the light of the world, and he calls his followers to reflect his light in the world, so that people may see our good works and give glory to our Father in heaven. In the context of Cyprus and the Gulf, where proselyting is prohibited, the conduct and activities of our churches become a window through which the light of God can shine out on the world.
“Anglicanism, with its moderate theology and well-established governance, is well received in the Middle East. We have the reputation of being respectful and committed interfaith and ecumenical interlocutors able to promote dialogue across boundaries and divisions.
“We are well known for our humanitarian outreach, through St George’s Clinic in Baghdad, which is greatly supported by Mosaic Middle East; and through the Ras Morbat Eye Clinic in Aden—run entirely by Muslim staff, in a war-torn area, as a ministry of an Anglican diocese. Here light is literally brought into the darkness of people’s lives.”
He referred, too, to a Diocese offering “Christian love and belonging to migrants drawn to the Middle East from all over the world…. For migrants experiencing culture shock, loneliness and the pains of separation from their families, our churches provide a spiritual ‘home from home’, and a spiritual family.
“I am particularly grateful to God and to generous Rulers who have provided us with fresh opportunities to have an Anglican presence in the region. It is a cause for celebration to have been granted land to build a new church in Muscat; and to be in discussions with the authorities to plant a new parish in Northern Iraq and other places.”
Looking ahead, Bishop said: “As we follow Christ into the future, there will be a constant call to shine his light in dark places.”
The challenges of climate change, global conflict and AI were issues to be carefully contemplated and thoughtfully addressed by the Church.
But for this Jubilee service, he said, “perhaps we can leave fighting the giants for just a moment, and simply pause in this hallowed space, and give thanks: for the luminous witness of those who have gone before us; for those who strive today to shine the light of Christ in the Middle East and in the UK; for our Armed Forces, and particularly the Royal Air Force as they defend us, and watch the skies in uncertain times.
“Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”
Photo credit: Canon Angela Murray
