PENTECOST 9…Deut.
8:1-10 Ephesians
4:30-5:2 John
6:37-51
What
a month this has been last
week in the Episcopal Church!! We
have given the necessary consents to the newly elected Bishop of New
Hampshire, an extremely gifted and dynamic priest who is also openly
gay….AND….nine other newly elected Bishops.
There has been approval of a compromise resolution on
rites of “blessing of committed same gender relationships.
According to a press release from Bp. Creighton received Saturday
morning: “Interpretation
of this resolution is public acknowledgement that this practice has been
happening in the Episcopal Church for quite some time. This resolution
is not intended to authorize these unions, but to recognize this reality
within the Church and to be publicly honest with society of these
practices. On this one
issue, there is great diversity of perspective within the community of
the Episcopal Church, but the bonds of our common life are stronger and
more enduring than the tensions that we are respectfully and honestly
facing in front of all society. Our Diocese presently has no policy in
place to authorize blessing of same-sex relationships……”
The House of Bishops approved an overhaul of the Canon Law
governing lay and ordained ministry which is designed to streamline
discernment, candidacy and ordination and promote the importance of
formation of all baptized members. Both the House of Bishops and the House of
Deputies passed a three year budget totaling $146 million.
AND over 300 other resolutions.
It certainly was a media event in Minneapolis
where over 360 news media converged on the General Convention; every
major network and newspaper were there.
Locally, we were “regulars” on the nightly news!!
The Episcopal Church, by and large, received remarkable treatment
from the press and had “high grades” on how it conducted its
business. An editorial
comment from the Dallas Morning News is worth sharing:
“Still we have been struck by the calm and deliberative
process the Episcopalians followed
in reaching their conclusion….The discussions among the clergy and
laity were marked not by cheap name-calling but by honest
soul-searching. And yes,
there is division. But the
common bond of faith took precedence.”
The editorial concludes: “Perhaps their thoughtfulness and
mutual respect for one another on this issue will have a positive effect
on how all of us Americans carry on our larger societal debates. At
least we hope so.” A palpable unity of faith and evident compassion appeared
to be present among the delegates.
The Episcopal Church does have an impressive process. While outcomes on difficult issues may not be to the liking
of some, or even many, the bond of fellowship and common faith runs far
deeper than particular issues. I know I found this to be the case in the
six General Conventions where I was a delegate.
As we sift and react and respond on the local level---really
where the church is played out---I would hope that we, as a parish, will
follow this model as we individually and corporately deal with these
issues.
How are we going to make our decisions?
How are our decisions directing us?
Do we ever know enough to decide perfectly?
There are always more facts to be gleaned, more facets to be
studied, more imponderables to ponder.
Even if we had all the facts, we would still
face the fog of our internal yearning, not to mention the billows of
smoke, fire, fog and noise which greet us outside, for few decisions are
strictly personal.
Hardest of all is letting go of the “road not
taken”, as Frost called it….or “the road less traveled” as Scott
Peck called it. Our choices
might not work out. One
fork leads to another. Reaching
a decision doesn’t get rid of self-doubt.
Nor do decisions silence complaints…..or
silence a passionate “other side”.
If the decision was “win-lose” , then the loser will have
further words….further strategies….maybe even further threats.
There will be complaints of those who made the decision and those
whop forced the issue.
Our Lord’s counsel, as we heard in today’s
gospel, was rather straightforward: stop complaining, …trust
in God….let go of fear….love one another.
Heard of this advice before?
Of course we have!!! Hear
John’s words: “They began to complain about Jesus because he
said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” They were saying,
“Is not this Jesus….?…… How can he now say, “I have come down
from heaven.” Jesus
answered them, “Do not complain among yourselves. No one can come to
me unless drawn by the Father who sent me; and I will raise that person
up on the last day.” But
it takes a whole lot of faith to do any of that..
Complaining is our last gasp….our last shot at control.
Trust requires self-denial.
Fear is our most durable companion.
Loving the other often requires a submission and humility that
feel altogether wrong. BUT
IT TAKES FAITH!!!!!
Now we experience the aftermath of General
Convention as Lutherans and Methodists prepare for a similar drama in
their national conventions….feelings are high.
Feelings of exhilaration and sadness…..of celebration and
downright loathing……of confidence in each other and in the process
of General Convention, as well as despair……of relief that votes were
taken and regret that votes had to be taken.
Triumphalism is inappropriate.
Joy needs to be tempered against the pain that some feel.
Every detail will be revisited….and
revisited….and our anger will surface again and again.
The debates won’t end because the 2003 General Convention is over and everyone
has left Minneapolis. Those
whose views prevailed will have some explaining to do, while those who
feel they “lost” will churn inside and look to make common cause
with others.
There even has been talk of schism….is that
from the “heat” of the moment or not?
There is a song that starts out “you say tomato, and I say
tomayto etc. How about this
additional verse: “You say SKISM, and I say SISM; let’s call the
whole thing off!!” How
does one further divide a denomination that has been fractured for
decades-----or a worldwide communion whose “oneness” is mostly
window dressing----or a Christian movement that was splintering before
the Biblical era ended---indeed whose divisions and posturing largely
explain the New Testament.
What kind of God is this who leads us to
helplessness and hunger and thirst, there to be fed with the most
unlikely morsels of nourishment? Oh,
what a God…..Jesus would say. And
that is the point, especially for our wanderings that took us to tables
in Minneapolis seeking all kinds of food.
For the question about food in this wilderness of OURS is not so
much a question of “what is it” but rather who is it?
Cakes and manna and fishes and loaves are mere tokens of God’s
full love for wilderness wanderers.
But, strange as it might seem, in this wilderness of ours GOD IS
NOURISHMENT. I……I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE, Jesus says. I am the nourishment for the hungers you have, hungers you
have never named, hungers you didn’t know you had.
WHO IS THIS, this bread and this wine?
It is the bread and wine that in a few moments will be offered,
blessed, broken, distributed to each and every one of us and consumed as
the very presence of Jesus Christ---all at a table of unity that is
indisputable….a table around which we ALL can gather as sisters and
brothers-----BECAUSE the table we come to and gather round is the
Lord’s table and not our own.
It is this Jesus who turns our cold hearts into warm centers of
tenderheartedness and forgiveness---hearts which transform us to be
fragrant offerings, eager to seek life which is eternal….eager to be
life that is eternal.
I want this bread….it is the bread of
life….it is God’s bread. I
know and feel and sense that you would agree.
For all the headlines….all the TV
commentaries….all of the banter…..the road ahead will come down to
the very words which Jesus spoke who questioned his authority {and which
we heard in the gospel for today}: Stop complaining, and let God do what
God will do. If a
decision is of God, it will prosper. If not, God will still care. By complaining, we add nothing to God’s goodness.
By gloating, we only wound ourselves.
Let us not fear…or at least try not to
fear….God has brought the Christian Church through far bumpier flights
than what we experience today. We
need one another, even in this tension of disagreement.
Throughout, God will still be God.
Isn’t it fun to be this church? Don’t unfasten your seat belts quite yet.
There have been a few bumps and there will be a few more.
It is still a great flight---a blessed pilgrimage; God will get
us home gracefully.
