Thoughts on Healing a Hurting World

Bishop Emmanuel and Dr. Rob Radtke in Ghana


The final post in a series by the Rev. Joy Daley…

I met so many people who impressed me through their warm welcome and willingness to share—people who had little but seemed to understand on a deeply spiritual level what stewardship means. The person who touched me the most in this regard was Bishop Emmanuel of Tamale. We all crowded into his small, modest office and talked about many things.

Bishop Emmanuel’s love for his people was so very evident, especially when he tearfully told us of the young women of his diocese who are dying of AIDS. They were not statistics to him. He referred to them as his daughters. The bishop also shared that when his community was devastated by floods, the assistance provided by Episcopal Relief & Development helped his people tremendously. It was because of the example of Episcopal Relief & Development, he said, that when the devastating earthquake hit Haiti in January, he felt called to send what money he could from his diocese—a diocese that has very limited resources.

I have never seen a clearer or more moving example of grace, gratitude and giving than I did through the humility of this servant leader. As individuals from many different places huddled together in Bishop Emmanuel’s tiny office, there was a sense of shared pain, intimacy and belonging that I can’t really describe—the kingdom of God had come near.

One Lord, one Faith, one Baptism, one God and Father of all. We don’t all need to be the same. It helps me to see that Paul’s words to the Galatians are relevant for us today. In essence, he tells us that differences are nothing: circumcision, non-circumcision, Black, White, Anglican, Episcopal—nothing.

But a new creation… a new creation… now that is everything. As we are sent on our way, let us work for the good of all in the service of that new creation, and watch… watch… the kingdom of God come near.