With Typhoon Fung-Wong
heading our way, we nevertheless managed to fit in the traveling that was planned
for the weekend. On Saturday it was more of a pure sight-seeing opportunity. I
chose to go to the beachhead in the northernmost tip of the island where there
is a series of rare
geological phenomena. The crowds were so heavy I was reminded of the New York marathon. These rock formations are very popular among tourists from main land China and they were
present in large numbers. We also visited an old fort
from the seventeenth century in Tamsui which
also served as the headquarters for the British Consulate in the late
nineteenth century. The Spaniards built the original structure which was, after
a short time, taken over by the Dutch. The Spanish, the Dutch, the English and
the Japanese have all played colonialist roles in Taiwan. I was also told the Portuguese
were in the south at one point.
Strenuous walking in temperatures which we later learned reached
103 degrees, and in considerable humidity, followed by the now-customary
hospitality of the Taiwanese Episcopalians who provided us with a ten-course
luncheon, put paid to any thought of additional wandering in the famous night
market of Taipei. I put my head down for a nap in the late afternoon and woke
up the next morning! The next day being Sunday, I chose to return to the Advent Church at St. John’s University to share in the worship there. A strong breeze was kicking up as we enjoyed
another lunch, this time a more modest outdoor picnic, and by the time we
reached the hotel, the front end of what was now downgraded to a tropical storm
was coming in. It passed over us within fifteen hours.
Apart from the obvious language difference, worship at
Advent Church could have been at St John’s Ames, with students making up the
bulk of the choir and the liturgy being a straight Mandarin translation for the
American Prayer Book Eucharistic Prayer B. Suddenly, however, during the
singing of the acclamation, the deep sounds of indigenous music came through.
This was followed by a beautiful rendering of the Lord’s Prayer to a Chinese
melody. It felt to me like the bottom fell away from the liturgy and we were
transcended. I have had similar experiences when children or young people in
Africa have been singing American children’s praise songs, and then move into
something more authentic to their culture and spirits. The Church in Taiwan is still young in many ways. I look forward to their on-going exploration of
liturgical indigenization.
Today, Monday, we rounded out our own exploring of the
Anglican experience in Asia as we heard from the Primates of Japan, Korea and
the Philippines. The challenge of militarization was a common theme in Japan
and Korea. For the people of the Nippon Sei Ko Kai which
literally means the Japanese Holy Catholic Church or the Anglican Church in
Japan, it has been the need to seek forgiveness and repentance for the years
prior and around World War II in which the Japanese dominated the peoples of
Korea, the Philippines and China. The Anglican Church has led the way in this
confession, adding its sense of sorrow for not resisting the militarization of
its nation in those years. In 1996 the Synod made an official “statement of war
responsibility.” It now seeks to do joint mission work with the Church in Korea,
as well as be sensitive to serve the marginalized in society, in contrast to
those who were marginalized by the Japanese authorities.
For the Church in Korea, they live every day conscious of the
impact of being a divided people. More than ten million people are affected by
the division of their own family members caught in the isolation of North
Korea. This conflict and the tension it causes are seen as a great stumbling
block to the Church’s desire to follow Jesus’ call to reconciliation and peace.
In seeking to be peacemakers, the church is often treated as traitors or as unpatriotic.
And yet, the Archbishop was firm that Christ’s reconciliation is the core
message of the Church around the globe. Our challenge is dealing with those who
laugh at the strategy of reconciliation, and call our efforts unfeasible. He
asked us, “How do we return to the heart of Jesus of 2000 years ago?” and he
invited the Church to unite its power of wisdom as a church for prophetic
witness to the world in its incessant violence and constant adversity with one another.
He reminded us that we are chosen by God to be such witnesses and servants of
reconciliation and forgiveness.
The story of The Episcopal Church of the Philippines
is one of breaking from dependence on mission grants from the General
Convention to choose self-reliance even when they did not have to. In 2004 they
decided to stop receiving the subsidy from The Episcopal Church and some asked
what would they do if they could not make ends meet? The Primate said, “If we
die early, then resurrection will come earlier.” Their greatest challenge as a
Church is serving among a people who make up the fourth-poorest nation in Asia
behind Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia. The economic gains of recent years benefit a
very small portion of the people, and one-quarter of the population remain in
poverty. Climate change, too, badly affects people in the 7000 islands that make
up the country. The Church has begun to develop a partnership with their
brothers and sisters in Myanmar. The church’s witness for the poor was
testified to in a story of one village where the Episcopal Church came to
provide clean water. The village had no churched people, nor was this a Christian
attempt to make any converts, but simply a desire to provide a clean water
system. However, after the villagers saw
what The Episcopal Church had done for them, they asked if they themselves
could not become Episcopalians.
Each speaker thanked us for coming to Asia. They told us
that we could not underestimate the impact and honoring that such a visit means
for all of them and for so many bishops to come and be with their sister and our
own diocese in Taiwan.
The day was rounded out as we began preparations for two of
the important topics that will be part of our own General Convention—a
report from the Task Force on Study of Marriage, and from the Task Force on Reimagining the Church. Lest we be tempted to compare with what we had heard from our Asian
colleagues, I note that these are both challenges of significance in our own mission
and context. This is especially so if we are willing to have a more serious
reckoning and deeper teaching on marriage, on the one hand, and, on the other,
an important comprehensive view of what it takes to create a structure that
enhances mission rather than hinders it. This becomes a conversation of
relevance at every level of Church life whether we start at the macro level of
the Church-wide body, or at the parish and diocesan levels. How does it all fit
the reality of our being called, sealed and sent in the Name of Jesus Christ to
be the mission of God? This was a suitable end to a day which began with the appropriate
celebration of the feast of St Matthew.
