Your Majesty, Asantehene, brothers and sisters in Christ.
It is a great honour to be here today. Thank you for extending this invitation and for your generous hospitality.
‘According to the riches of his glory, may you be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith as you are being rooted and grounded in love’. (Ephesians 3.15-16)
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
As Archbishop of Canterbury, and newly resident at Lambeth Palace, I have discovered that Lambeth Palace is not just a historical site where the archbishop has resided over 800 years, it is also a treasure trove of historical and literary artefacts. Books belonging to former Kings and Queens are housed in the Lambeth Palace Library, paintings and vestments line the hallways. It is also home to the study of Thomas Cranmer, whose Prayer Book, written in 1549 has bound Anglicans together in prayer over many centuries.
As Archbishop, it is a great honour to be steward of these treasures and I recognise their significance in telling the story of our heritage and identity, and of our fellowship in the Anglican Communion. Although, I am ever mindful that the greater treasures are the people of the Anglican Communion.
Asantehene, you also sit in this esteemed position, of being custodian of the great treasures of your people, and the honour of upholding and preserving these treasures for future generations. The treasures of Asante Ghana, the Golden Stool and Royal Regalia, the many treasures of which you are custodian, are an important part of the heritage and identity of your people.
Asantehene, as followers Christ, and fellow pilgrims in the way of Jesus, we are also custodians of the treasure of the kingdom of heaven, ‘the love of Christ that surpasses all knowledge’ and ‘all the fullness of God’ and the ‘riches of God’s glory’! Amen!
St Paul writes in the first letter to the Corinthians (4.1) – ‘think of us in this way, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God’. As those who seek to guide our people in the ways of truth and love, this is a wonderful invitation.
It has been such a joy to join in worship with the churches here in Ghana and to see the riches of God’s glory so beautifully evident. And I was inspired to spend time this morning at St Monica’s Mampong - to see the Church engaged in the education of girls and young women and in nurturing vocations in nursing and midwifery.
Our Lord Jesus invites us to seek the mysteries of the kingdom – to search for the kingdom like treasure hidden in a field, or like a merchant in search of fine pearls.
And what is this treasure for us: it is the deep treasure of God’s love for us in Jesus. The letter to the Ephesians describes the ‘riches of God’s glory’ in the beautiful prayer for God’s people:
‘I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, God may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love,’
And the prayer continues, expounding on the breadth of the love of Christ for us:
‘I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God’.
Asantehene, brothers and sisters in Christ, fellow pilgrims, we are invited to seek this treasure of the kingdom, to discover in Christ Jesus the breadth, length, height and depth of the love of God for us.
We are stewards of the mysteries of Christ, inheritors of this kingdom, servants of Christ. We are invited to share the good news of the kingdom, to invite people to hear God’s word, to receive God’s forgiveness, and to be filled with all the fullness of God.
‘I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.’
Amen.
