ANGLICAN-INFORMATION
‘A voice for the voiceless’

On Christmas Eve, doubts about new bishop in Malawi,
Bishop Bakare's pastoral Christmas message

ANGLICAN-INFORMATION reports that on Christmas Eve 2008, just like the original nativity story, Christians in Central Africa are marking this time as one of great uncertainty with humble people in fear of the religious authorities, with a tyrant on the throne and with God’s start of hope still defiantly shining.
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UPPER SHIRE DIOCESE, Malawi: People and priests are planning New Year meetings to discuss and consider their response to the strange announcement from the Central African Provincial Bishops that Brighton Malasa, a junior priest of only five years in holy orders is to be the next bishop of Upper Shire diocese.

If he is consecrated it will make him the youngest bishop in the entire Anglican Communion* with the prospect of 35 years in charge of Upper Shire ahead of him. Understandably, in a culture that respects wisdom, experience and age there is fear that this appointment is verging on foolishness.

* In 1950 the Rt Rev’d David Hand was elected aged 32 as an assistant bishop in New Guinea. Michael Nazir-Ali now of Rochester, England was first ordained bishop aged 35 to be Assistant Bishop of Southwark. Bob Anderson was 42 when he was elected bishop of Minnesota, USA and Paul Williams the new Area Bishop of Kensington, London who will be consecrated early next year is 40. In 2002 the Rt Revd Andodo Elneel of Kadugli, Sudan was 33 when elected.

We cannot find any examples in the last 100 years of a 30 year old bishop, not least one who is to be a diocesan. Either the Central African Provincial Anglican bishops are divinely inspired in their choice or they are being extremely irresponsible.
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HARARE DIOCESE, Zimbabwe a Christmas message from Bishop Sebastian Bakare.

Church of the Province of Central Africa
The Diocese of Harare

The Standing Committee, Diocesan Trustees
Diocesan Secretary, Education Secretary, Senate

From: The Rt Rev’d Sebastian Bakare, Bishop of Harare

Pastoral Letter
Christmas 2008: Message of Hope and God's Assurance

My dear sisters and brothers

It is not so easy to write an intelligent pastoral letter to you at
this time when we are faced with so many problems in our church and in
our nation. We have a litany of challenges that are so destructive and
devastating: Cholera, hunger, HIV/AIDs, lack of health care,
homelessness, unemployment, poverty, corruption, kidnappings,
callousness, harassment, you name it – that is a tall order indeed.
All these challenges rob us of an opportunity to have a meaningful and
purposeful life. As I write, some families are nursing their
relatives who are suffering from the effects of Cholera expecting them
to die any time, others stay indoors unable to come out from their
houses because of the unbearable stench of sewage flowing in front of
their doorsteps, while still others are burying their dead. We hear of
a horrific case where one family lost 5 children in 36 hours.

Indeed this will be a Christmas with a difference never before
experienced by our people. This is a very sad state of affairs indeed.
Faced with such an ugly and horrendous situation, we hear the faithful
in our congregations reciting the words of Ps.10 vv. 1-7:

"Why stand so far off, O Lord? Why hide yourself in time of trouble?
The wicked in their pride persecute the poor; let them be caught in
the schemes they have devised. The wicked boast of their heart's
desire; the covetous curse and revile the Lord. The wicked in their
arrogance say, 'God will not avenge it'; in all their scheming God
counts for nothing. They are stubborn in all their ways, for your
judgements are far above out of their sight; they scoff at all their
adversaries. They say in their heart, 'I shall not be shaken; no harm
shall ever happen to me.' Their mouth is full of cursing, deceit and
fraud; under their tongue lie mischief and wrong."

The mood of this psalm is one of a high level of desperation and
hopelessness, of being powerless and feeling dejected. Such feelings
of hopelessness, powerlessness and dejection can indeed challenge our
faith in God. But they can also lead us to deeper understanding of the
helplessness, powerlessness, dejection and pain that Jesus had to bear
on our behalf. In the middle of suffering, pain and destruction we
are reminded of a God who suffers with his people saying to Moses:

"And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the
way the Egyptians are oppressing them. So now, go. I am sending you
to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt… I will be
with you" (Ex 3 vv.9ff)

In Isaiah we hear the same words of comfort and assurance given to a
people who were at a crossroad as far as their identity and nationhood
were concerned: "Comfort, comfort my people, says your God" (Isa 40
v.1).

It has become a common expression in Zimbabwe to hear people say: God
has abandoned us. The devil is in charge. He uses instruments which
disregard human rights. Disrespect of the law by those who are
supposed to enforce it is rampant. But the Lord does not fail his
chosen –

"Arise, o Lord God, and lift up your hand; forget not the poor. Why
should the wicked be scornful of God? Why should they say in their
hearts, 'You will not avenge it'? Surely, you behold trouble and
misery; you see it and take it into your own hand. The helpless commit
themselves to you, for you are the helper of the orphans. Break the
power of the wicked and malicious. Search out their wickedness until
you find none. The Lord shall reign for ever and ever; the nations
shall perish from his land. Lord, you hear the desire of the people.
You will incline your ear to the fullness of their heart to give
justice to the orphans and oppressed, so that people are no longer
driven in terror from the land." (Ps10 vv12-19)

Although Christmas festivities will be a non-event for many
Zimbabweans, Christians in our various congregations will celebrate it
with a different perspective, considering the challenges we Anglicans
in this diocese are facing. We may find ourselves very close to the
events surrounding the birth of Jesus where we hear the innkeeper say:
There is no room for you in this inn, and Jesus was therefore born in
a place where animals were normally kept – not unlike many of you
celebrating the nativity of Christ in an awkward place otherwise used
by vendors. But it is through this Christ-child born in a manger that
our hope for a redeemer was fulfilled. There in the manger and beyond
we see the Prince of Peace bringing about justice and peace to an
unjust world.

Therefore in spite of all the hardships we are going through, I invite
you to join the rest of the household of God throughout the world to
celebrate the birth of our Saviour, the King of Peace with joy and
hope.

A very Blessed Christmas to you all!

Your Bishop

+Sebastian Harare

Announcements:

1. It is now more than a year that our cathedral and church buildings
have remained closed. We ask you to remain patient and pray that this
upper hand of the blasphemous beast we read about in Revelation 13-14
will be overcome. We will be there at God's own time.

2. The Dean of the Cathedral, The Very Rev. F. Mutamiri and Mrs. M.
Machiha have been invited by our link Diocese to attend a conference
in Rochester, England from 16th -30th January. They will convey our greetings
to our partners.

3. We ask you to pray for the following:
- our seminarians: Biggie Gwashero, Noel Magaya, Alpha John, Tindale
Kahombe, Kudakwashe Madzime, Moses Mugariri, Mahomad Edwin Selemani,
Naboth Manzongo
- the Acting Gaul House Principal, Rev. Fundira
- those in the Diaspora
- the displaced within our communities without shelter
- for an amicable solution to the political impasse in our nation

4. We have been devastated by the outbreak of Cholera in our city. We
would like you to hold memorial services in your congregations on any
day during the week to remember those who have succumbed to the
pandemic and to pray for the bereaved families.

Bishop Bakare’s prayer for all to use:

Lord Jesus, we thank you for your love.
You obediently accepted to come to this godless world in order to redeem us;
We thank you.
Born in a manger, you confronted us with your humility.
You experienced the power and pain caused by sin;
We adore you
Ultimately when they crucified you, you did not become a victim but a victor
We praise you.
Emmanuel – God with us -, help us to be aware of your presence even
when things are hard and when we feel powerless and defenceless like
you did in the confinement of a manger.
Lord Jesus, may we be born anew and grow with you.
Amen.

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