The deeds of the First Chaplain to the Sydney Settlement and the First Fleet embody not just Australian Values, but Eternal Values.

On 3^rd February 1788, the Chaplain to the Sydney Settlement, the Rev’d Richard Johnson preached on Psalm 116:12-13 “What shall I return to the Lord for all his bounty to me? I will lift up the cup of Salvation and call on the name of the Lord.” This was the first Church service on Australian soil.

Even though these are positive and optimistic words, it appears that Richard Johnson found his role difficult to fulfil. His final work, the“address to the inhabitants of the colonies established in New South Wales and Norfolk Island” written in 1792 is very pessimistic indeed. It appears that Richard questioned his effectiveness as a Christian minister within the context of Chaplaincy.

Johnson had a threefold role as first fleet and settlement chaplain. He found these three aspects difficult to reconcile with each other and was never satisfied that he could carry out the threefold role to his own satisfaction.

• Governor Arthur Philip’ expected him, as chaplain, to be the ‘guardian of public morality’ and this expectation in the mind of Philip was Johnson’s main, if not his only duty.
• The Church of England expected him, as Chaplain, to attend to the ministrations of the church.
• His patrons (including William Wilberforce and John Newton) expected him to attend to promoting the gospel to his charges. Johnson himself was an evangelical convicted of this need.

It seems that although Johnson remained faithful, he lacked the bouncy of Spirit to apply his faith. It seems that Johnson tended to cast blame on himself for his seeming lack of success.

But Johnson did achieve much. He was noted as one of the busiest men in the colony, carried out all his clergy duties for six years. He held church services mostly in the open air, performed baptisms, marriages and burials – attended the execution of condemned men and worked hard amongst the convicts. One of those convicts wrote home, amongst the sickness and hunger of 1790 that ‘few of the sick would recover if it was not for the kindness of Rev’d Johnson, whose assistance out of his own stores makes him the physician of both soul and body.”

Failing to persuade the colonial authorities of the need for a church building, he built one himself, paying for it out of his own funds.

Even though his final Australian address was pessimistic, he concluded with “this will be my daily prayer to God for you. I shall pray for your eternal salvation, for your present welfare, for the preservation, peace, and prosperity of this colony..” and signed off as “I am your affectionate Friend and Servant in the Gospel of Christ”

Johnson worked as a Chaplain – as a Church of England minister, he was employed to conduct a Christian ministry within a secular context. Even though he may not have been satisfied with the results he saw, he has laid for us a good foundation. He loved his people, attended to their welfare and prayed and worked for their eternal relationship with God.

In many ways, Richard Johnson is a good role model, not only for those of us who are Chaplains, but for all of us who are Christians – that we work and pray for the welfare of all, noting that in the words of 2 Corinthians 5:20 that we are ambassadors for Christ desiring all, on the behalf of Christ, to be reconciled to God.

So, was Richard Johnson God’s messenger? Are we the current military chaplains God’s messengers? Are we ordinary Christians, God’s messengers?

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A Prayer for us

Everlasting God,

your messengers have carried the good news of Christ

to the ends of the earth:

Grant that we who commemorate

The builders of your Church in this land

May know the truth of the gospel in our hearts

 And build well on the foundations they have laid;

Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

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 Archdeacon Kevin Russell. 

 Archdeacon Kevin Russell is the Anglican Head of Denomination for Air Force and the Director of Chaplaincy Air Command.