I was interested to read recently the sermon of John Sentamu on his inauguration as the anglican Archbishop of York. Despite anything else that is happening in the denomination,here is a man who seems to be trying to breath new life into the heart of the establishment.

You can read the full text of his message here, but here is just one of the quotations that caught my attention:

The scandal of the church is that the Christ-event is no longer life-changing, it has become life-enhancing. We’ve lost the power and joy that makes real disciples, and we’ve become consumers of religion and not disciples of Jesus Christ. You see, the call to corporate discipleship is a call to God’s promised glory

Life-changing – this is the very essence of the gospel. Knowing Christ is not just about self-improvement or personal encouragement – it’s about complete transformation.