Page 24 - Preservation for the Documentation of Chinese Christianity

ARCHBISHOP
OF CANTERBURY

5 0 thAnniversary of the Hong Kong Christian Council
I am very happy to send my warmest congratulations to the Hong Kong Christian Council
on its 50th birthday, and the promise of my prayers for the future. No-one could have
imagined, fifty years ago, just how deep and rapid would be the changes that Hong Kong
would see in this half century; but through it all, a consistent Christian voice has continued
to be heard.
At this moment, there are perhaps two things in particular to ponder. First: Hong Kong
stands at a unique point of influence for the future of the Chinese people. As more and
more of them seek for a stronger and deeper basis for their human and social values, the
witness of Christian faith becomes crucial. The Christian vision of human life draws
people because it gives a true and eternal foundation for human dignity in the conviction
that all are made in God’s image, capable of sharing his love. And it also casts light on
the roots of our conflicts and fears by the conviction that we are all afraid of the cost of
sharing God’s love. Most importantly, it tells us that God has by his free gift in Jesus
established a community in which healing and forgiveness are possible for all, a
community in which fear is overcome and love made possible in the Spirit.

A society going through great changes needs these great points of reference if it is not to
fall apart into rivalry and suspicion and greed. And the second great gift that Christian
faith offers is simply the knowledge that in a changing world God is faithful. God is
always the same God, Father, Son and Spirit, pouring out the same love and mercy.
Nothing can change this or weaken it. And even when the churches themselves are going
through great upheavals and sometimes great confusion, they can still point to the one
'whose compassion fails not’. Our home with God, said St Augustine, never decays even
when we wander a long way from it. Our assurance of God’s loving will towards us is a
fixed point.

In the last fifty years, the Christian communities of Hong Kong have made a contribution
to world Christianity that is out of all proportion to their size. So many have cause to be
grateful to their brothers and sisters in Hong Kong for inspiration and practical help. We
are confident that the years to come will bear more and still richer fruit, as the Church in
Hong Kong plays its full part in the spiritual development of a great people and so
deepens its witness to the gospel in the wider world.

I wish you every blessing from God in the years ahead; may he give you strength,
patience, imagination and courage in all that you do in his name; may he use you
powerfully for the sake of his Kingdom.

© Rowan Williams 2004

L a m b e t h P a l a c e , L o n d o n S E 1 7 J U