In January 2009, I addressed a consultation of South African church leaders, gathered to debate how we might face the challenges before us this year. These challenges range from an upcoming general elections through to long-term issues of social justice, poverty, health and development, as well as questions of morality, values and ethics in public and provate life.

Challenged by this invitation to consider my own stance in facing such matters, I was reminded how Anglicanism is often described as or perhaps that should be, accused of, having a particularly strong focus on the incarnation. I realized that is was indeed the case that, in the ten months since I moved to Bishopscourt and found myself at the centre of all manner of expectations about the role of the Archbishop of Cape Town (particularly in the public arena, following in the footsteps of myt predecessors Desmond Tutu and Njongonkulu Ndungane), I have found that reflection on the incarnation has become a particular source of strength and encouragement.

By the grace of God, the seeds were sown at the very beginning of this new calling. As I worked on the Charge, the sermon I preached at my installation, I was prayiong that God would lead me not only to what the church needed to hear, but to what I also needed to hear at the start of this ministry. And so, in almost the opening paragraph, I spoke of the overarching need to 'discover afresh what it is to be the body of Christ in our time, and who God is in Jesus Christ, for us here and now'. I did not realize at the time how central these questions were.