Ministry Musings

Saying Goodbye...

It is late and I still have to pack.

I do not know why I am still awake and spending valuable time blogging when I should be packing.  I guess I just need some closure.  These last 11 days have been long and trying to my soul.  I have written down many words in my spiral notebook that I meant to write on this space.  Perhaps I will take some time and put them in here.

There are words about how we spent time going to see Triple-A baseball.  There are words about the friendships deepened.  There are words about the experience of watching grown people put more faith in parlimentary procedure than in the Gospel of Jesus.

I have to admit these last 36 hours have been tough on my soul.  The emotions beneath my skin are pretty raw.  I have now seen what I have avoided looking at for some time now - the very human side that exists when the Church takes council over deep issues.

It is not pretty.  I do not recommend you watching if you are in any way squeamish.

I am reminded tonight that the Church is a human institution.  It is peopled with folks just like you and me - that means it is going to get it WRONG more often than not.  Full of folks like us means the Church will fail others, hurt others, anger others and, often, confuse the heck out of others.

Yet, God is His infinite wisdom still desires to extend the grace of His Kingdom through the Church.  God keeps wanting to share the life-changing message of His love in Jesus Christ his Son through the Church.  God still desires to work through His people - through people just like you and me.

So, that means all of the things that my fellow human beings did this week - the politicing, the demonizing, the condescending, the patronizing, and desiring to be parlimentarily right rather than being in relationship - are just part and parcel of what is going to happen when God's people get together.  And, no matter what God is not going to give up on us and He is going to work out His purpose through us in spite of us.

So, tonight rather than packing I am thinking of these past few days.  I am thinking about my time here in Columbus.  I am thinking about the amazing number of folks I knew here and the amazing number of people I know now.  I am thinking about the incredible history I witnessed being made.  I am thinking about how tough yesterday was.  I am thinking about how relieved I feel now.  I am thinking about how God really did show up here in ways I did not expect and in people that I will be sure never to take for granted again.

They say that saying 'Goodbye" is pretty hard.  But, I will give it a try.

So, goodbye, Columbus.  Thanks for being such a great host.  Goodbye, General Convention.  Thanks for the learning experience.

Now, that wasn't so hard.

See you back home in God's Country!

Transformation

I have heard many words here.

Friendship.  Inclusion.  Acceptance.  Diversity.  Experience.  Justice.  Mission.  Peace.

Please do not get me wrong.  I like these words.  They are in and of themselves good words, powerful words that Christians ought to take seriously.

But, sometimes I wonder if we do take them seriously.  I guess what I am saying is that I wonder if we can take these words as truly seriously as they need to be taken without meditating and praying on one other word.

Transformation.

St. Paul writes this to the Church in Rome:  "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."  (Romans 12.2, ESV)

I guess I have come to the place of discerning that without transformation all the best words in the world will not mean a heck of a lot to the proclamation of the Gospel.  Without a sure sense of the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ words like inclusion, diversity, and acceptance just become a way making us feel enlightened and good about our lack of intolerance.  Without a sure sense of the reality of the demands placed upon us by the Gospel of Jesus Christ words like justice, peace and mission become code words meant to protect me from others who do not share my agenda.  Without a sense of the life-changing power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ words like experience and friendship become hollow words which merely reflect and perpetuate the shallowness of our ever degrading culture.

You see, I think we have it backwards.  We are trusting in resolutions and political manuevering to end injustice and sin and create a new world.  In truth, only the life-changing Gospel of Jesus Christ can end injustice.  Only the life-changing Gospel of Jesus Christ can save us from sin.  Only the life-changing Gospel of Jesus Christ can create a new world.

Transformation.  That is what our Church needs now.  Without it the list of words above really does not mean anything and carries no weight or authority.  But, in the life-changing power of Jesus Christ those same words can become guideposts shining along the path advancing us towards the Kingdom of God.

Pray with me that the Light of Jesus Christ will shine on this Convention and lead us in the holy path of God's gracious will.  Pray that the transformation of the Church will begin - and the sooner, the better.  Pray that the life-changing Gospel of Jesus Christ will change us all - beginning with you and with me.  Amen.

What a fellowship!!

Yesterday was a pretty dull day from what I experienced.

Parlimentary organization of each House was what I witnessed and it was deadly dull.  The biggest controversy was that some felt that there were not enough trash and recycle cans in the room!

Some folks just love a microphone!

The best part of the day came during lunch when our deputation gathered and recounted our day so far and planned out the rest of the day.  At the end one of our clergy deputies called us all to lay hands and pray over our Bishop Suffragan-elect before he had to endure the questioning of the Consent to Bishop's Elections committee.

So, we gathered in prayer and we prayed.  Silently and aloud we prayed.  We prayed for him.  We prayed for his wife.  We prayed for his children.  We prayed for the Church.  We prayed for each other.  We prayed for the General Convention.

We prayed.

Later, as we were awaiting the word of the Consent committee, we prayed for another member of the Diocese who is standing for election as President for Episcopal Church Women.  This time we prayed in the hallways of the legislative meeting rooms.

We prayed again.

And, you should have seen the looks on the faces of the other deputies and people in the hallway.

It occured to me that we, the brothers and sisters in Christ of our Diocese, made a witness yesterday afternoon.  In spite of all the things that we could choose to take sides on and be divided over, we are making conscious decisions to be the people of God together.  We are a diverse group of people who, I have no doubt, have differt opinions on any number of topics.  But, we choose not live in the world of differences.  We choose to live in the world of the common call to mission extended to us by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  We are showing our amazing fellowship in Christ Jesus to others in the legislative meeting room, in the hallways, at restaurants and in elevators!

Someone asked our Bishop Suffragan elect what his vision was for his episcopacy.  He stated that we in the Diocese have something positive to share with the rest of the Church.

He is right.  And, we are sharing it right now.  By our prayers, by our fellowship, by our friendship and in many other ways, we are sharing the transforming love of Jesus Christ with each other and modeling how that love can be shared with others across diocesan lines.  In fact, a party is rumored to be in the making with another diocese with whom we share a boundary and, more importantly, a number of personal relationships.

"What a fellowship," the old gospel hymn says.  And indeed, that is the best part of my time here:  to be with my brothers and sisters in the Diocese sharing this time that God has given to us and sharing the love of Jesus with each other in ways that I wish you could experience personally.

The Family Gathered

It is hard to think of a couple of thousand folks at a convention in terms of a family reunion.

Yet, that is the metaphor that many use when speaking of General Convention.  Thinking of this triennial gathering as some sort of family gathering has some good connotations.  There is the ubiquitous time of gathering at a table of plenty - Episcopalians know how to eat!  That's not all they know how to do.  The bar at our hotel was plenty full after the deputy orientation.  Our delegation gathered around another table and snacked (food again) and drank and had some fun and relaxation.

The family gathering as a metaphor can carry some not so pleasant images, too.  What family doesn't have the obnoxious uncle who has a cantankerous opinion on everything?  What family doesn't have the "in-your-face-rebel" whose lifestyle decisions are a challenge (and a scandal) to other parts of the family?  What doesn't have the overly righteous religious person who seems to find fault in everyone else while engaging in unkind behavior herself?

You get where I am going here?

Every family is a bit dysfunctional.  And the General Convention is proof positive that our brother and sister Episcopalians are plagued with an all too common ailment:  being human.  I am finding myself often thinking of that great prayer read at all ordinations and on Good Friday and other celebrations of the church and its ministry which describes the Church as "that wonderful and sacred mystery."

The mystery is how we, the Church, have lasted this long.

I guess the answer to this mystery is that God's Spirit, as in the days described in the Acts of the Apostles, moves and guides the Church in spite of the fallibilities of the humans called to lead it.  The Church has always had its share of problems and challenges to overcome.  The Church has always had the power of the Spirit to transform those problems in opportunities for new growth through the proclamation of the Gospel and advancing of God's Kingdom.

The bottom line is this:  In spite of the broken, dysfunctional, sinful, and, oftentimes, clueless folks who are called to lead the Church, God's Spirit has been present to make something out of nothing, to make lemonade out of lemons, to make a redemptive community offering the hope of glory in Jesus out of a bunch of, well, humans.

So, the family gathers in Columbus.  And this gathering is not much different from any other family gathering you and I have ever attended.  Okay, maybe it's significantly larger, but it isn't much different.

There is Uncle Eddie over there spouting his brand of political mumbo jumbo.  There is cousin Jenny and her "significant other" with their tattoos and wild stories shocking Aunt Hilda who is mumbling prayers under her breath and rolling her eyes.  In a few minutes though all that won't matter because they will be called to the table by the Head of the family himself who will take some bread and some wine and say a blessing and remind them once again that they have a higher calling, a more significant purpose as a family by sharing the hopes and dreams he has always had for his family and for their legacy in the world.  And for a brief moment they will forget what makes them different and remember who they are and whose they are and where they are ultimately going.

And that will make all the difference in the world.

Well, here goes...

I arrived last night right on time (thank you Southwest Airlines) to Columbus, Ohio.  The ride to the hotel was uneventful and check-in went smoothly.  I got myself unpacked and everything put away (a woman might call it "nesting" but it makes me feel comfortable in uncomfortable terrain) and then ventured out to look for an inexpensive dinner.

I ended up having dinner with Steve and his wife, Leigh.  He is a controller at 815 and, I was glad to see and perhaps you will be too, that he was VERY intent on not overdoing the expense account!  A good steward of the Church's funds is always a heartening sight!

We had a lovely dinner at a little Irish 'public house." After a short walk around the Arena District scoping out future dining venues and finding some sugar-free ice cream, I returned to my hotel room for the night.

I must tell you that I am WAAYYYY out of my comfort zone.  First of all, I hate to travel alone for a weekend, let alone almost two weeks.  I cannot stand being away from home very much (I really am a homebody).  And I don't really like political anythings.  And, I am a pretty serious introvert.

Being here at General Convention for 12 days in Columbus, Ohio, needless to say, is not really what I consider a 'dream come true."

But, here I am.

I am huge fan of the Blues Brothers movie.  I am often fond of saying in my best Akroyd-esque voice, "I'm on a mission from God."  I have been constantly reminded by my prayer warriors at church that, while I am at General Convention, I am on a mission from God.  That mission, plainly and simply, is to look for Christ in the people around me and to let them see Christ in me.

Easier said than done.  I have already seen people here with whom I would definitely NOT want to be stranded on a deserted island.  I have seen "button" people (you know, the ones whose buttons tell you all you wanted to know and NOT know about their political and social views) and number of others that make me want to roll my eyes and sigh deeply.

Yet, my orders are clear:  Look for Christ in them and let them see Christ in me.

Perhaps this is what the preacher at Trinity Church on Capitol Square meant when he spoke of understanding the Trinity as a "relationship and not an idea."  God desires us, you and me, to be in relationship with Him.  And, God desires us to be in relationship, in friendship, with one another.  Jesus summed it up best:  "Love God with all your heart, soul, and mind.  And love your neighbor as yourself."

So, here I am out of my comfort zone.  I am out on a limb and taking some big risks by doing something very different than what I have ever done before.  I guess I am right where God wants me.  I don't know why, but here I am.  Like Isaiah, I have said to God, "Here am I, send me." (6.8) And he did.

What awaits me, I do not know.  But I do know that I will seek the face of Christ in the others I encounter here at General Convention and extend the gift of friendship - even if I don't like the message on their buttons.  And I will try to let them see Christ in my face and hear him in my words and see him in my actions.

Doing these things may not matter much in the legislative arena, but it sure does matter in the relationship arena.  And, in the end, relationships are what matter most and bring a smile to the face of Christ Jesus.

Well, here goes...