With the passing of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, a true friend, colleague, and mentor—and a genuinely humble, great soul—has gone before us. He has passed through the gate of death into the arms of the God who gave him life.
While on this earth, he sought to follow Jesus of Nazareth in God’s way of love and life. In so doing, he showed us how to live God’s dream as children of the one God and creator of all.
So, even in our sorrow that he is no longer walking among us, we can thank God that he did.
Perhaps we best give thanks by honoring his legacy—not merely with lip service to racial justice and reconciliation, but with lives dedicated to this work. We do this by learning to live together as the children and family of God, no longer hurting each other or God’s creation, but together living the dream God intended. For in God’s dream, as the Hebrew prophet Isaiah said, “they will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.”
To borrow from a friend who texted me on Archbishop Tutu’s passing, may the knowledge of his life and heart keep us all strong, good, kind, and loving.
May he rest in peace and rise in glory.
The Most Rev. Michael Bruce Curry
Presiding Bishop and Primate
The Episcopal Church
Article from Statement from Presiding Bishop Michael Curry on the passing of Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
Read also:
- Archbishop of Canterbury pays tribute to Archbishop Desmond Tutu
- Archbishop Thabo Makgoba of Cape Town announces death of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu
Archbishop Desmond Tutu
Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu’s spiritual leadership helped guide South Africa through and beyond apartheid, and thus set an example to the world. His selfless guidance—focused as it was on healing a deeply divided society—sought neither personal power nor political office. It held fast to an ethical keel, remaining idealistic, always forgiving and inspiring. It brought moral insight to a torn society, encouraging constructive dialogue, consolation and the healing of divisions. One of the great moral leaders of our time, Tutu won the Nobel Prize for Peace for his role in the opposition to Apartheid in South Africa.
Read a biography of Tutu on the website of the Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation.
Church of the Redeemer
Welcome to Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County, Washington. As you travel your road, go with friends walking the way of Jesus at Redeemer.
Church of the Redeemer is at 6220 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. We are a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.
The Episcopal Church welcomes you.