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Episcopalians and Presbyterians in the U.S.A.

January 4, 2016

Because some of my readers will be aware of the recent dust-up between the Church of England and the Scottish Episcopal Church concerning an agreement reached by the C of E with the (Presbyterian) Church of Scotland — without apparently even consulting the Anglican presence in that country, I thought perhaps it would be instructive to share the little-known agreement The Episcopal Church and the Presbyterian Church (USA) — unencumbered as we are by “Established” Church status in England and Scotland — have reached. The following agreement has been ratified by our General Convention and the Presbyterians’ churchwide assembly as well.

PRESBYTERIAN/EPISCOPAL BI-LATERAL DIALOGUE
REPORT AND AGREEMENT
I. Background
It has been nearly fifty years since the Rev. Eugene Carson Blake, Stated Clerk of the United Presbyterian Church in the USA, proposed in a sermon at Grace Episcopal Cathedral, San Francisco, the establishment of a dialogue between the Protestant Episcopal Church and the United Presbyterian Church in the USA, in the hope that this would result in a united church that would be “truly catholic, truly reformed, and truly evangelical”. This would later be expanded to include the United Methodist Church and, subsequently, seven other denominations, including three historically black Methodist denominations. This would give rise to the Consultation on Church Union, which would subsequently be succeeded in this vision in 2001 by Churches Uniting in Christ, with ten denominations from the Reformed, Anglican, Methodist and Moravian traditions.
Historically, Anglicanism and Presbyterianism grew up as cousins, if not siblings, in England, Scotland and later in Ireland and Wales, and these traditions were transplanted into the American context during the colonial period. Having had common roots in Britain, as well as in the colonies, and being generally of similar socio-economic and educational levels, Presbyterians and Episcopalians have over the years engaged in conversations towards unity on and off since the 1890s.
The definitive statement of the basis for church union in the Episcopal Church, indeed in Anglicanism as a whole, is the Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral. Originally an invitation by the American Episcopal Bishops to discussions of union with various other church bodies, churches from the Presbyterian tradition alone responded. There were no permanent results of these discussions, although these conversations were background to subsequent and serious proposals towards meger in the 1940s.
II. THE DIALOGUE
The current Presbyterian-Episcopal dialogue is a direct outgrowth of our common participation on the Consultation on Church Union. At the 1999 plenary of COCU, the PCUSA and The Episcopal Church were asked to consider engaging in a bilateral discussion in an attempt to address questions of ministry and polity which would need to be resolved if COCU was to go forward. The 2000 General Convention of the Episcopal Church authorized a bilateral dialogue with the PCUSA> At their initial meeting, held concurrently with the inauguration of CUIC in January, 2002, it was decided that the dialogue’s conversations would take place within the larger context of CUIC’s Ministry Task Force which was to drafting a proposal for the recognition and reconciliation of ministries.
Members:
For PCUSA: Elder Freda Gardner, Co-Convener; Dr. Dale Gruder ; Elder Moon Lee; Elder Janice Sperry; the Rev. Dr. George Telford; and the Rev. Dr. Philip Wickeri. Staff support has been provided by the Rev. Robina Winbush and the Rev. Carlos Malave. The Rev. Dr. Lewis Mudge and the Rev. Dr. Joseph Small, Office of Theology have consulted.
For The Episcopal Church: James Foster; the Rev. Dan Krutz; the Rev. Dirk Reinken; the Rev. Saundra Richardson; the Rt. Rev. Douglas Theuner, Co-Convener; and Dr. Fredrica Harris Thompsett. Staff support has been provided by the Rt. Rev. Christopher C. Epting and Dr. Thomas Ferguson. The Rev. Canon J. Robert Wright has consulted.
The Dialogue has met twice annually since its first meeting in January, 2001 in a variety of venues, including seminaries, diocesan/presbytery offices, and at two Presbyterian-Episcopal congregations, Indian Hill Church in Cincinnati and St. Matthew’s Episcopal/Wilton Presbyterian Church in Wilton, Connecticut. The dialogue team was also in conversation with the concurrent work of the Ministry Task Force of CUIC.
The Dialogue has extensively examined relevant documents and deliberations from the past and present both in the United States and abroad, including the Formula of Agreement between the PCUSA and the ELCA, United Church of Christ, and the Reformed Church in America; Call to Common Mission agreement between the Episcopal Church and the ELCA; and the Mutual Recognition and Mutual Reconciliation of Ministries draft document of the CUIC Ministry Task Force. At every meeting of the Dialogue, members have worshipped together using rites approved by either denomination or according to the authorized CUIC liturgy, with ordained ministers of each denomination officiating.
Among the most significant achievements of the Dialogue was the co-sponsorship with CUIC of a Consultation on Episcope held in St. Louis in October, 2006. In addition to opening and closing remarks by representatives of the Disciples of Christ and the Methodist tradition, there were five scholarly papers presented: one by an Episcopalian, two from the Reformed Tradition (PCUSA and UCC) and one each by a member of the ELCA and the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church. These papers, together with three bible studies By the Rev. John Ford (Roman Catholic) and other related presentations have been published in Call to Unity: Resourcing the Church for Ecumenical Ministry, generously published by the Council on Christianity Unity of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
III. CONCLUSION
At its initial meeting in Memphis in January, 2002 members of the dialogue present all agreed that both churches were within the “apostolic succession” as defined by the Baptism, Eucharist, and Ministry statement: to stand in the succession of the apostolic faith. However the dialogue was still unable to agree on a basis for full mutual recognition and reconciliation of ministry. Disagreements centered on the concepts of
“personal” and “corporate” episcope. Episcopalians hold that in order to be in full communion there must be a sharing in the sign of the historic succession of bishops. Presbyterians believe that episcope has been passed on corporately from apostolic times through the laying-on-of-hands within the presbyterate and speak of a threefold office of ministry (deacon, presbyter, and bishop) within the local congregation as a reflection of the ordering of ministry within the apostolic period. Of concern to Presbyterians was the feeling that the CUIC Ministry Task Force proposal failed to recognize the significance of the presbyterate, which Episcopalians felt that they had done in the United States through the requirement of lay involvement and approval at virtually every level of ecclesiastical governance, albeit their lay people are not ordained as elders.
Mutual recognition and reconciliation seems to rest upon mutual acceptance of the concepts of “personal” and “corporate” episcope. Until this matter is mutually resolved it will be difficult to move into full altar and pulpit fellowship, the place where mutual ministry between the denominations seems most likely to have an effect at the parish level.. Because of that the Dialogue has met with collaborating congregations of each denomination and seeks to encourage church leaders to initiate and nourish additional relationships of that type. Although full mutual recognition and reconciliation of ministry still eludes us, we believe we have found a way in which to encourage preliminary altar and pulpit fellowship and, hence, to allow our congregations of both denominations to commonly pursue the mission and ministry of Christ’s One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, a reality which we believe already exists in the Mind of God.
To that end, the Presbyterian/Episcopal Dialogue requests our respective authorizing bodies to consider the following Agreement; to reconstitute the Dialogue for future deliberations; and that both of our Heads of Communion commit themselves publicly to this effort and to consider a public celebration of our progress to date and our hope for the future.
Agreement between the Episcopal Church and the Presbyterian Church (USA)
1. We acknowledge one another’s churches as churches belonging to the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church;
2. We acknowledge that in our churches the Word of God is authentically preached and the sacraments of Baptism and Eucharist are duly administered;
3. We acknowledge one another’s ordained ministries as given by God and instruments of grace, and look forward to the time when the reconciliation of our churches makes possible the full interchangeability of ministers;
4. We acknowledge that personal and collegial oversight (episcope) is embodied and exercised in our churches in a variety of forms, episcopal and non-episcopal, as a visible sign of the Church’s unity and continuity in apostolic life, mission and ministry.
5. We agree that authorized ministers of our churches may, subject to the regulations of the churches and within the limits of their competence,1 carry out the tasks of their own office in congregations of the other churches when requested and approved by the diocesan bishop and local presbytery;
6. We agree that The Episcopal Church will invite members of the Presbyterian Church (USA) to receive Holy Communion in their churches and the Presbyterian Church (USA) will invite members of The Episcopal Church to receive Holy Communion in their churches. We encourage the members of our churches to accept this Eucharistic hospitality and thus express their unity with each other in the one Body of Christ;
7. We agree to continue to dialogue in the areas such as diaconal ministries, historic episcopate, the office of elder, etc. that would lead to full reconciliation of our ministries and interchangeability of our ministers.
8. We encourage diocesan bishops and presbyteries to provide regular occasion for planning, discussing, resourcing for missional, educational and liturgical life together. In addition, to explore possibilities for new church development and redevelopment together.
9. We agree to develop a process to support and implement the above recommendations.2
1 Because we do not yet have reconciliation and full interchangeability of ordained ministries, all authorization for these special opportunities must confirm to the Book of Worship and the Book of Order of the Presbyterian Church (USA), and the Book of Common Prayer and the Constitution and Canons of The Episcopal Church. 2 Guidelines will be developed by each of the communions.
10. We affirm these proposals mark an important step in moving toward the full, visible unity of the Church. We know that beyond this commitment lies a move from the recognition to the reconciliation of churches and ministries within the wider fellowship of the universal Church

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Give me your tired, your poor…

January 3, 2016

There is probably no more painful, volatile issue facing this nation, and countries all around the world, than the problem of immigration. Whether it’s dealing with undocumented people already here, or massive migration due to war and famine in Africa, or the more recent wave of Syrians (and other Middle Easterners) moving across Europe, fleeing violence and terrorism in their home countries — the problem is huge.

And, of course, the problem is exacerbated by real, or imagined, fears of terrorism at home, the need for border security and how to do adequate background checks to be as sure as we can that people entering our country (or the other nations of the earth) are not intending harm. I don’t claim to have easy answers or comprehensive solutions to any of this.

In this country at least, that will have to be worked out in the messiness of the democratic process until some just and reasonable consensus can be found. But of one thing I am certain: we cannot run away from this issue or pretend that we do not have a responsibility to address it. For people of faith in the United States, that’s not only because we have always been a nation of immigrants and Lady Liberty proclaims to the world:

“Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me:
I lift my lamp beside the golden door.”

No, it’s not only because of those noble sentiments that we have to be open to immigration, but because – as Jews and Christians – we hear texts like these every weekend: “See, I am going to bring them from the land of the north, and gather them from the farthest part of the earth, among them the blind and the lame, those with child and those in labor, together; a great company…and they shall never languish again…I will turn their mourning into joy, I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow…” (Jeremiah 31:8, 12c, 13b)

Passages like these reminded the people of Israel that they had once been exiles themselves and their prophets have always called them to welcome the stranger and the sojourner as well.

And, of course, no less a light than Pope Francis has made this urgent plea, commenting on a passage from the Gospel according to Matthew:

“We believe that Jesus was a refugee, had to flee to save his life, with Saint Joseph and Mary, had to leave for Egypt,” Pope Francis said. “He was a refugee. Let us pray to Our Lady who knows the pain of refugees.”

“The number of these brother (and sister) refugees is growing and, in these past… days, thousands more have been forced to leave their homes in order to save their life. Millions of families, millions of them, refugees from many countries and different faiths, experience in their stories tragedies and wounds that will not likely be healed…Let us be their neighbors, share their fears and uncertainty about the future, and take concrete steps to reduce their suffering.”

In the final analysis, that’s what the Church asks of us. Not to wait until we have solved all the problems, not to avoid wrestling with the issue just because it’s difficult and uncomfortable, but…along with the other nations of the earth to “take concrete steps to reduce their suffering.”

That’s the least we can do, it seems to me. Those of us who trace our heritage back to the people of Israel who have been refugees and immigrants for so much of their history. Those of us who follow the Christ Child who himself – Matthew’s Gospel tells us — was once a refugee in the same part of the world where we find so many of them today.

That’s the least we can do….it seems to me…

In this New Year…

Posted in Blogroll, Church Life, Ecumenical, Emergent Church, Interfaith, Justice and Peace, Politics, Politics, Religion, Scripture, The Episcopal Church, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

The Bowl Games as A Spiritual Discipline

January 2, 2016

The Bowl Games as a Spiritual Discipline

I wrote yesterday that I intend to address not only politics and religion in this re-newed blog “That We All May Be One: Reflections on Unity,” but literature, music and the arts, even sports when such things may advance the cause of the unity we seek. So, here goes:

A few days ago, realizing that my beloved Iowa Hawkeyes were to face the Stanford Cardinals in the Rose Bowl, I e-mailed a former seminary professor who had concluded his illustrious career as a professor at Stanford:

“OK, Iowa Hawkeyes versus Stanford Cardinals! A gentleman’s wager?”

He responded almost immediately, “$10. We’ll work on becoming gentlemen later. Happy 2016.”

So, some 24 hours later, after Stanford crushed Iowa 45-16, I wrote,

“My tear-stained ten-spot will be in the mail to you as soon as I can get an address. Sorry we collapsed and didn’t give you guys a real game. I remain, Your humble(d) servant, Chris P.S. Hey, Susanne and I will be in San Francisco the week of April 10. Are you two close enough that we could take you out to dinner?”

And his gracious reply, “Elation around here of course, but the game was really hard for your guys, who – defying all odds in big time USA sports – handled themselves with dignity to the end! That, too, is a victory! And yes, let’s do have a meal during that week in April. That would be a grand reunion!”

That We All May Be One? Reflections on Unity?

Yep, even during the humiliation of losing “the Granddaddy of all Bowl Games.”

Alleluia!

Posted in Blogroll, Church Life, Ecumenical, Emergent Church, Interfaith, Justice and Peace, Politics, Religion, Scripture, The Episcopal Church, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

New Year, New Blog

January 1, 2016

New Year, New Blog

Well, not exactly. More like New Year, re-newed blog. For years “That We All May Be One: Reflections on Unity” has focused mainly on ecumenism, spiritual renewal, sermons, etc. As I move into retirement, I find that my passion for unity is still the same, but I am much more interested in the unity of all people and the building of a just and peaceful world which I believe is the job assigned to us by the God I continue to serve.

So, I intend this web log to become a (mostly) daily reflection on current events seen in light of the quest for that kind of unity. Since 2016 is a Presidential election year (had you heard?) there will no doubt be some attention paid to that aspect of our common life, but I hope I can do that without excessive partisanship.

I clearly have my party and my candidates, but in a day when name-calling and partial truths (not to say, lies) stain the debates and the ratings-hungry media propel the most extreme and outrageous candidates into the spotlight, I hope to steer clear of that kind of rhetoric and highlight good ideas and approaches, from whatever party or candidate I believe will foster the unity, justice and peace for which we all yearn.

Hopefully, these reflections will range far and wide, beyond politics and religion, but will take a look at other aspects of life – literature, music, film, social media, spirituality, even sports – as these things contribute to the unity and wholeness of the human family. I will welcome comments and conversation either on the blog site itself or on Facebook and Twitter to which it will be linked.

My intention is to keep these reflections to a few paragraphs or a page at the most. We are all busy and, besides, most things that are truthful can be said in very few words. It’s when we begin to embellish that we often go astray.

So…let’s see what the New Year has in store!

Posted in Blogroll, Church Life, Ecumenical, Emergent Church, Interfaith, Justice and Peace, Politics, Politics, Religion, Scripture, The Episcopal Church, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

No Peace In The World Without Peace Among the World’s Religions

December 1, 2015

First of all, let me thank Fr. Jason Parkin and the planners of this event tonight for inviting me to be part of this interreligious Thanksgiving Service. I think it is so important for adherents of the world’s religions to gather together publicly, from time to time, as a witness to the world that people of faith are not in conflict with one another all the time (as the headlines would sometimes make it appear) but that we share common values and common commitments and that it is possible to be deeply committed to one’s own faith while still respecting and even cherishing other religions and other traditions.

I cannot think of a better time to gather for such a purpose than the observance of Thanksgiving to the One who made us, the One who sustains us, and the One who will someday take us home. The act of Thanksgiving has a valued and time-honored place in all our religions…and a place in the hearts of many who may claim no religious commitment at all. It is a human response to the beauty of this world and the goodness of life.

After serving as a priest of the Episcopal Church for sixteen years in Central Florida, I was elected Bishop of the Diocese of Iowa in 1988. For the next thirteen years, I was deeply involved with the ecumenical movement, seeking greater unity between the various Christian communions. So much so that, in 2001, the Presiding Bishop of our church asked me to come to New York and serve as his Deputy for Ecumenical and Interreligious Relations.

While the job focused again on facilitating dialogue with Roman Catholics, Lutherans, Methodists and other Christians, the Presiding Bishop made it clear that he wanted interreligious dialogue to get increasing amounts of our attention. We resumed the long-neglected Jewish Christian dialogue, working through the National Council of Churches to make it clear that this was not Episcopal-Jewish dialogue, but Christian-Jewish dialogue.

We engaged in Torah and New Testament study together and eventually built enough trust that we were able to grapple with the seemingly-intractable problem of Israel/Palestine. The conversations were painful and upsetting for many of us, yet I do believe they helped us all deepen our compassion for those in this troubled part of the world and to understand how our different “narratives” contribute to their plight.

I was in New York on September 11, 2001 when the World Trade Center came crashing down in a crush of fire and ash. We were just finishing up our Morning Prayers in the Chapel of Christ the Lord in our church center headquarters when someone burst through the doors, shouting “A plane just hit the World Trade Center!” We rushed back upstairs and, like most of the rest of the world, watched those awful events unfold on television, wondering where it would all end!

I remember looking down on Second Avenue all day long and watching hordes of people, still covered in ashes making their way on foot slowly uptown, away from the horror. Right after that tragedy, calls began coming into my office for educational and study material about Islam. Many of our clergy were concerned that there would be a backlash against Muslims (something we need to continue to worry about today with the rise of ISIS and the recent attacks around the world) and they wanted material to help educate our people about what true Islam was really all about.

We had precious little to offer at first, but due to a generous grant from the educational arm of Episcopal Relief and Development, I was able to hire an Anglican scholar of Islam, Dr. Lucinda Mosher, who helped us put together an interreligious web site, provide educational material and seminars across the country. I like to think that we played a small role in keeping hate crimes and other forms of Islamophobia from sweeping our nation in those early months after 9/11…though there was certainly some of that. This phase of our work culminated in 2004 with a major seminar at our Washington National Cathedral and the publication of the Interfaith Education Initiative’s Manual for Interfaith Dialogue.

Since we’re in a Thanksgiving mode tonight, one of the things for which I am most thankful is that in that same year my wife and I were privileged to attend the Parliament of the World’s Religions in Barcelona, Spain. Begun in 1893, as you know, right here in Chicago, this periodic gathering of representatives of the world’s major religions is a huge accomplishment in and of itself. The Parliament convened most recently just last month in Salt Lake City.

The one we attended brought together 8,900 persons for a full week of lectures, workshops, worship and feasting. The major themes we focused upon were: mitigating religiously motivated violence; access to safe water; the fate of refugees, worldwide; and the elimination of external debt in developing countries. Themes we would do well to continue to explore together today!

Attending this Parliament was a life-changing experience for me. So many memories come flooding back! Among them, attending a lecture by the great Hans Kung, Roman Catholic professor at Tubingen University, on what he calls the “Global Ethic” (the so-called “Golden Rule” which is present in virtually all of the world’s religions in one form or another) – “Do unto others, as you would have others do unto you.”

“No peace in the world without peace among the world’s religions,” Kung said. “No peace among the religions without dialogue among the world’s religions. No dialogue among the world’s religions without the embracing of this Global Ethic which can bring us all closer together.”

Another fond memory was attending a daily text study of the Qur’an led by an imam from Pakistan. What a joy to sit in the midst of people from vastly different cultures and perspectives, seeking wisdom from a Holy Book not your own! The reverence in our teacher’s eyes and voice made me ashamed of many Bible studies I’ve been part of, or led, over the years.

But one of the most profound experiences was attending a mid-day meal provided daily, free of charge, by the Sikh community for hundreds if not thousands of “parliamentarians.” This was an adaptation of the “Langar” or community meal provided for in many, if not all, Sikh temples. We entered a vast tent, removed our shoes and were seated on the floor.

Then, smiling representative of the Sikh community brought us delicious courses of traditional food. How could a Christian not think of Jesus’ words in Matthew 25, “…I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me!” (Matthew 25:35)

Before retiring from my position in 2009, I worked with the Episcopal Church’s Standing Commission on Ecumenical and Interreligious Relations to produce a paper entitled Toward Our Mutual Flourishing: A Theological Statement on Interreligious Relations which was intended to give impetus and a rationale for our various dioceses and congregations to engage in such conversations on the local level.

This brief, ten-page statement begins by commending “…to all our members, dialogue for building relationships, the sharing of information, religious education, and celebration with people of other religions as part of Christian life.

Dialogue begins when people meet each other
Dialogue depends upon mutual understanding, mutual respect and mutual trust
Dialogue makes it possible to share in service to the community
Dialogue is a medium of authentic witness by all parties and not an opportunity for proselytizing.”

The paper continues with sections on the Historical Context of interreligious dialogue; the Current Context in which these relationships take place; Scripture, Tradition, and Reason as Resources in Interreligious Dialogue; Salvation in Christ and Interreligious Relations; Mission and Evangelism. We concluded the statement with these encouraging words from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

“Love is the key that unlocks the door which leads to ultimate reality. This Hindu-Muslim-Christian-Jewish-Buddhist belief about human reality is beautifully summed up in the first Epistle of St. John: ‘Let us love one another, for love is of God, and everyone that loves is born of God and knows God. The one who loves not does not know God, for God is love. If we love one another God dwells in us, and God’s love is perfected in us.”

Dear friends, it’s that love – or at least the desire for that love – which brings us together here tonight: to give thanks together to the God who is the Source of that love. And since the occasion of our gathering revolves around a national holiday, I’d like to close with a Prayer for our Country composed in the 19^th century for Thanksgiving Day. It has a hallowed place in our Book of Common Prayer, and I trust its sentiments are ones shared by all of us who – in this land at least – are free to gather on occasions like this, a privilege impossible in much of the world today. Let us pray:

Almighty God, who hast given us this good land for our heritage: We humbly beseech thee that we may always prove ourselves a people mindful of thy favor and glad to do thy will. Bless our land with honorable industry, sound learning, and pure manners. Save us from violence, discord, and confusion, from pride and arrogance, and from every evil way. Defend our liberties, and fashion into one united people the multitudes brought hither out of many kindreds and tongues. Endue with the spirit of wisdom those to whom in thy Name we entrust the authority of government, that there may be justice and peace at home, and that, through obedience to thy law, we may show forth thy praise among the nations of the earth. In the time of prosperity, fill our hearts with thankfulness, and in the day of trouble, suffer not our trust in thee to fail; all which we ask (for the sake of your love). Amen.

Posted in Blogroll, Church Life, Ecumenical, Emergent Church, Interfaith, Religion, Scripture, The Episcopal Church, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

Let Me Be Your Servant Too

October 19, 2015

It occurred to be that our Gospel reading for today (Mark 10:35-45), or at least the parallel account in Luke’s Gospel, is often read at the ordination service of a deacon. And Jesus’ counsel to his disciples to become “servants” is one of the reasons the diaconate is often identified as a “servant”’ ministry.

Well, I happen to be married to a deacon, and Susanne always reminds me to be careful about using “servant” imagery when referring to deacons, or anyone else for that matter. It’s not just the mild irritation deacons feel when, at a clergy conference, someone will need a cup of coffee and say something like “Where’s a deacon when you need one?” or “That’s a deacon’s ministry.”

No, it’s really more than that: it’s one thing for the Church to challenge, say, a white, male, privileged person like me to “become like a servant.” That entails a real role reversal and perhaps the giving up of some of that privilege so that we might identify more closely with those on the margins.

But that challenge to become a servant may be heard quite differently by a woman…or a person of color…or someone who has lived most of their lives in poverty. I wonder how African American slaves in this country understood the words, “…whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all?” (Mark 10:44) I wonder how Black people hear it today!

Remember, Jesus said these words to ten of his disciples who were angry with James and John right after they had asked Jesus for the special privilege of sitting as his right and left hand when he came into his glorious kingdom. The other disciples were angry presumably because they also wanted to be in those privileged places and were afraid they were being given away before their very eyes!

So, while we need to be sensitive and careful about using this servant imagery, it is clearly part of the Christian calling. You even have it in your mission statement! And although deacons aren’t our servants, deacons do model something called “diakonia” for the whole Church. Deacons model what might be called the “diaconate of all believers” just like priests, at their best, model “the priesthood of all believers.”

As I thought about all that this week, it dawned on me that maybe the wonderful hymn by Richard Gillard which we will sing a little later in the service can help with all this servant-hood business. Pay attention to the words when we sing them:

“Brother, sister let me serve you, let me be as Christ to you/ Pray that I may have the grace to let you be my servant too.” Hear that? There is a mutual ministry there. Let me be your servant…and let me be humble enough to let you be my servant in return! And the hymn goes on to describe something of what genuine servant-hood looks like:

“We are pilgrims on the journey, we are travl’ers on the road/ We are here to help each other walk the mile and bear the load.” Again, there’s a mutuality there. We’re all in this together. It’s not a question of one person being another’s servant. It’s about being fellow travelers through the ups and downs of life.

“I will hold the Christ-light for you in the nighttime of your fear/ I will hold my hand out to you, speak the peace you long to hear.” The Christian faith is not a solo undertaking. There’s really no such thing as “Me and Jesus.” It’s always “US and Jesus.” When I have a hard time trusting, or even believing, in God sometimes, I know that you – and others in the Church – believe for me! You hold the Christ-light for me…even when I can’t hold it very high.

“I will weep when you are weeping, when you laugh I’ll laugh with you/ I will share your joys and sorrows ‘til we’ve seen this journey though.” One of the great Christian virtues is something called “compassion” which literally means to “suffer with.” We’re called to suffer with one another…but also to rejoice with one another. Because there will be joy and sorrow on the journey, and it helps to have someone to share both experiences with.

Finally, “when we sing to God in heaven, there will be such harmony/ borne of all we’ve known together of Christ’s love and agony.” What a beautiful description of our future! For the promise is that one day, it will all be set right – suffering ended, injustice overturned, God’s will done on earth as it is in heaven. Harmony! What better way to describe it than “harmony?”

Well, we’re going to turn now to receiving formally some folks into our midst as church here today. We’re going to welcome them more fully into this community as fellow “trav’lers on the road.” And we’re going to make them a promise:

Right after they reaffirm their renunciation of evil and renew their commitment to Jesus Christ, I’m going to ask this congregation a question: “Will you who witness these vows do all in your power to support these persons in their life in Christ?”

In other words, will you serve them and let them serve you? Will you be their fellow pilgrims on the journey? Will you hold the Christ light for them in the nighttime of their fear? Will you weep when they are weeping and laugh when they are laughing?

And you’re going to answer, “We will!”

It’s likely the most important thing you’ll promise…all week!

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No Peace in the World Without Peace Among The Religions

October 5, 2015

I can’t tell you how I’ve been looking forward to this visit to St. Elizabeth’s… not least because of the inter-religious theme your leadership has decided to emphasize today. I know that, as we celebrate Daphne Cody’s 10th anniversary as Rector of this parish this has long been a high priority for her, it appears to be for this congregation and it has certainly been in my own ministry. Frankly, I can think of few things more important in our day than inter-religious dialogue.
After serving for 13 years as the Bishop of Iowa, I spent 9 more as the Presiding Bishop’s Deputy for Ecumenical and Inter-religious Relations, working out of our Church Center in New York, and engaging in ecumenical dialogue with Roman Catholics, the Orthodox, Lutherans and all manner of Christian communions as well as inter-religious work particularly with Jews and Muslims. So, I look forward to continuing that dialogue during our time following this service.
We engage in this work just a week after the Bishop of Rome, Pope Francis, addressed an inter-religious meeting at Ground Zero in New York City. In his remarks, he said this:
“…I am filled with hope, as I have the opportunity to join with leaders representing the many religious traditions which enrich the life of this great city. I trust that our presence together will be a powerful sign of our shared desire to be a force for reconciliation, peace and justice in this community and throughout the world. For all our differences and disagreements, we can experience a world of peace. In opposing every attempt to create a rigid uniformity, we can and must build unity on the basis of our diversity of languages, cultures and religions, and lift our voice against everything which would stand in the way of such unity. Together we are called to say “no” to every attempt to impose uniformity and “yes” to a diversity accepted and reconciled.” (September 25, 2015)
“Reconciled diversity” has long been used to describe ecumenical cooperation and breakthroughs among the Christian churches, but I think this is the first time I have ever heard it used to point the way forward in inter-religious relations. Reconciled diversity simply means that we can, as the world’s religions, work together toward peace and justice while accepting and even valuing our differences.
Hans Kung, the Roman Catholic priest and Professor at Tubingen University in Germany has often said, “No peace among the nations without peace among the religions. No peace among the religions without dialogue between the religions. No dialogue between the religions without investigating the foundations of the religions.” And, although Hans Kung has often been marginalized by previous popes as being “too liberal,” Francis would at least agree with him on this! He used the word “dialogue” countless times on this recent visit to the United States, and clearly believes in this concept in society, among the religions, and even within our own.
In our Lessons from Scripture today, we have examples of such dialogue within Judaism and Christianity. Today, we begin our reading of the Book of Job as our First Lesson. This masterful book is both prose and poetry, fiction and philosophy as Job and his friends debate and discuss the question of “theodicy” (which technically means “justifying the ways of God to humankind” but often deals with the real-life questions of “why bad things happen to good people.”) It’s a rich conversation, even though, for many of us, it falls short of coming up with a satisfactory answer (perhaps leading us to believe that the conversation is ongoing!). We don’t really know why bad things happen to good people!
Our Gospel reading can be seen as another intra-Jewish conversation as Jesus “dialogues” (even argues with) the Pharisees about a classical text on divorce in order to challenge his hearers to think even more deeply about God’s intention for marriage. We Christians often cast the Pharisees as the “bad guys” in the Gospels, but Jesus was actually closer to them theologically than the other religious and political parties of the day. Maybe that’s why they had so many “dialogues!” You always hurt the ones you love!
And, of course, the Christian church has been “dialoguing” about Jesus’ strict teaching on divorce and remarriage ever since. Paul loosened it up a bit in First Corinthians. The Episcopal Church has taken a much more pastoral approach to such couples for decades now, and it looks as though the Roman Catholic Church, under Pope Francis, may be taking some baby steps in that direction as well.
So, no dialogue between the religions without studying the foundations of our religion: That’s what serious Bible study and Christian formation can do to start the process. We have to understand our own religious tradition before we can effectively dialogue with others.
No peace among the religions without dialogue among the religions: That’s what we’re trying to do here today, and we need to look for opportunities in the future to go much farther. And finally, No peace in the world without peace among the world’s religions:
That doesn’t mean that religions are the cause of all the violence in the world. Often, religion is used as a cover for the real issues of land and power and control. But clearly if we can come to a place of peace among us, as religious people, a place of “reconciled diversity,” we can help the dream of Pope Francis come true:
“Peace in our homes, our families, our schools and our communities. Peace in all those places where war never seems to end. Peace for those faces which have known nothing but pain. Peace throughout this world which God has given us as the home of all and a home for all. Simply.…PEACE!” (September 25 Address)
Shalom…Salaam…

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Reading The Literature Of The Bible

September 16, 2015

Had a very enjoyable afternoon a few weeks ago taping a segment for our local FM radio station, WVIK. It was for a program called “Scribble” which deals with all things literary — reading, writing, poetry, prose, etc.

They had heard that I was interested in promoting reading “The Bible As Literature” or rather, more accurately, “Reading the Literature of the Bible.”

Take a listen…and see what you think. Just cut and paste the link:

wvik.org/programs/scribbler

and click on the “Bishop Epting” broadcast on September 12, 2015.

Posted in Blogroll, Church Life, Ecumenical, Emergent Church, Interfaith, Religion, Scripture, The Episcopal Church, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

Christian Ethics – How to Live…and Why

August 4, 2015

On most Sundays, preachers like me are likely to take on fairly broad topics in our sermons, often of an historical or theological nature. For example, on a day like today, I might be likely to talk about the complex nature of King David about whom who we’ve been reading for the last several weeks and about whom we heard again in our First Lesson today.
This dominant Old Testament character, the second King of Israel, who later became a model for the hoped-for Messiah, was nonetheless a deeply flawed leader who could be as treacherous as he was compassionate and as rebellious as he was faithful. In today’s Lesson we catch a sympathetic glimpse of him as he mourns the death of his son, Absalom.
On another day, I might have preached on the Gospel Reading, another Lesson about Jesus as the Bread of Life and I would have talked about how he left us the Lord’s Supper, the Holy Eucharist, this Sacrament of Bread and Wine as a memorial of his life and death, and as a perpetual way of being in touch with him every week until we meet him one day…face to face.
But sometimes, I think it’s important for us to be reminded of the completely practical nature of the Christian faith. For all our history and theology and liturgical concerns, one of the most important things about Christianity is that it instructs us, in very basic ways, how to live a good life — How to conduct ourselves in the world in such a way that we live lives pleasing to God and that we leave the world a better place when we are no longer around.
And for that I turn to our Second Lesson today, the Epistle to the Ephesians (4:25-5:2). This is a magnificent paragraph on Christian ethics! And, in it, we’re told – not only how we are to conduct ourselves, but why we are to live in this particular way! Listen again to these eight statements (you can even follow along in your service leaflets):
1. So then, putting away all falsehood, let all of us speak the truth to our neighbors, for we are members of one another. In other words, we’re to tell the truth, not just because that’s some kind of abstract “good deed” but because we’re members of one human family. And healthy family relationships are built on telling the truth to one another! The author goes on to say:
2. Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not make room for the devil. So all anger is not sinful! Anger is just a human response to frustration. Everybody gets angry. Even Jesus got angry. The issue is what we do with our anger. We’re not to let it lead us into sin, maybe by hurting another person…in our words or in our actions. We’re not to nurse anger, not even to let the sun go down on our wrath. Get it out, offer it up, get rid of it; and then anger won’t have any power over you.
3. Thieves must give up stealing; rather let them labor and work honestly with their own hands, so as to have something to share with the needy. And here we’re told not just to make an honest living, but what the purpose of having wealth may be – to share it with those in need! How we need to learn that lesson today…for poor are all around us!
4. Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up…so that your words may give grace to those who hear. You know, cursing and critical, hurtful language not only degrades the one who talks like that, but it doesn’t serve any constructive purpose. It doesn’t build anyone up but only tears people down. And then the author reminds us that – because we’ve been baptized and sealed with the Holy Spirit –we are to live our lives in this world as ambassadors for Christ because we have been marked with his seal, the sign of the Cross:
5. (So he says) do not grieve the Spirit of God, with which you were marked with a seal for the day of redemption. In other words, we have a responsibility to live our lives in such a way that God will be pleased with us, pleased to have adopted us as beloved children. So we are to:
6. Put away…all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice. How different would our political campaigns, and even sometimes our life in the Church, would be if we could do away with bitter rhetoric and angry words and malicious slandering of one another, and just have an honest debate…a respectful conversation…even if we disagree. Or, put another way:
7. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you. And here, we’re reminded of that fearsome request in the Lord’s Prayer: “Forgive us our trespasses AS we forgive those who trespass against us.” Those phrases are related, beloved. We can only expect to be forgiven by God in the same measure as we have forgiven one another. Or, put another way, we can only forgive because we know what it means to be forgiven. And so the passage concludes:
8. Be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us…(an)…offering and sacrifice to God. That’s one of our Offertory Sentences in The Episcopal Church “Walk in love as Christ loved us and gave himself for us, an offering and sacrifice to God.” Jesus loves us…so we are to love one another!
So, dear friends, the Christian faith you and I profess is not simply about spiritual disciplines like daily prayer and weekly Eucharist and Bible study (as important as those things are). The Christian faith is about how we live our lives, how we conduct ourselves day by day, week by week, and year by year in the real world. As that wonderful Episcopalian and African-American theologian, Verna Dozier once wrote: “What happens on Sunday morning is not half so important as what happens on Monday morning…In fact, what happens on Sunday morning is judged by what happens on Monday morning!”

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Tell me about the God you don’t believe in…

June 19, 2015

In his Diocesan Convention address last November, Bishop Lee invited congregations who felt they could to invite some “unchurched” folks to meet and have coffee with one of us bishops during our Sunday visitations. The idea was to hear from the actual people we are not reaching some of the reasons why? It’s easy for us church goers to “guess” at why our congregations are declining. It’s quite another to hear it straight from those who have either left our ranks or who have never been attracted to church in the first place.
Not every congregation has taken us up on the challenge, but quite a number have and we’ve learned something interesting things. First of all, some non-church-goers have been hurt by the church in some way in their past. Maybe they grew up in a very judgmental, hellfire and brimstone kind of church and felt rejected. Some are Roman Catholics who were refused communion after they re-married after divorce contrary to their church’s teaching.
Some have just drifted away because of the busy-ness and stressed out nature of their lives. They just don’t find the time for church, and some have been away so long they feel awkward now coming back. A number of folks just can’t get their heads around what they perceive to be the beliefs and doctrines of the church, and they say they’d feel like hypocrites standing in the midst of folks who seem to believe, say, the Nicene Creed when these people quite obviously don’t! And, again, they’re afraid they would be judged by us if their true beliefs, or lack of beliefs, were found out.
Of this number, some are just out and out atheists. They really don’t believe in God and wonder why some of the rest of us do. Well, we took great pains not to judge any of these good folks. They had honored us by even agreeing to come and have a conversation with us! And we weren’t there to convert them. We were there to learn from them. Privately though, I always wonder – of this last group, the self-professed “atheists” – just what kind of God they “don’t believe in!” In other contexts, I’ve often said to such people, “Tell me about the God you don’t believe in…because I probably don’t believe in that God either.”
I say this because, I think often people have rejected their childhood image of “an old man with a white beard who lives above sky” or the angry, judgmental God who delights in nothing more than casting unbelievers into the fires of hell for all eternity. Some of these folks have never allowed their understanding of God to “grow up” right alongside the other areas of their knowledge which keep expanding with every year. No wonder they can’t square their Sunday school image of God with the post-modern world of the 21st century!
I ran across a beautiful quote this week from a friend of mine named Steven Charleston. Steven is a Native American of the Choctaw Tribe and lives in Oklahoma. But he is also a bishop of The Episcopal Church, has been a seminary professor and dean, and he now writes a daily Facebook post on prayer, spirituality, and the Christian life. This is what he wrote:
The same power that set the sun aflame as though it were a candle, the same power that spun the Milky Way like a pinwheel, the same power that sprinkled the confetti stars across the distant heavens, that very power holds you safe under the shelter of its eternal care. The universe is not unconscious, creation is not unaware, all that was and is and ever will be resides in the mind and purpose of a presence beyond our comprehension or control. That presence is the source of life, of love, of intricate beauty and serenity sublime. That presence is with you today and will be with you forever. (June 17, 2015)
That’s the kind of expansive view of God I would just love the opportunity to introduce some of our unchurched friends to. Because I think our God is bigger than whatever truncated image they have felt it necessary to reject. Yet, that “same power” Bishop Charleston writes about is the one which emboldened the young David to take on Goliath in our First Lesson today. Our God is the same power the disciples of Mark’s Gospel saw in Jesus because of the stilling of the storm. And our God is the source of that same power which sustained Paul through “afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings” and all the rest of it…as he witnesses to the Christians in Corinth in our Epistle this morning.
It’s the same God. But we must find ways to talk about the Holy One in language different from what our grandparents, our parents, and even many of us grew up with. I hope we can find ways to do that. I hope we can find ways to do it before it’s too late, too late for the church…or at least the church as we experience it today. At the very least, I hope you will join Bishop Lee and me in trying to listen to people you may know – people at work, in your neighborhood, people in your own family – who may be struggling to square the image of God they think we believe in with the world as they actually experience it.
Don’t judge them. Listen to them. And then, after you have listened long and deeply, maybe you can find a way to share with them – ever so gently that we welcome seekers in this church (at least I hope and pray that you would welcome such people at St. Columba’s!). Try to help them see that you don’t have to “have it all together” to be an Episcopalian. If you did, probably none of us would be here! The church, at its best, is a school of love; not a museum of saints. Hear again words describing the kind of God at least I hope you would be inviting them to encounter:
The same power that set the sun aflame as though it were a candle, the same power that spun the Milky Way like a pinwheel, the same power that sprinkled the confetti stars across the distant heavens, that very power holds you safe under the shelter of its eternal care. The universe is not unconscious, creation is not unaware, all that was and is and ever will be resides in the mind and purpose of a presence beyond our comprehension or control. That presence is the source of life, of love, of intricate beauty and serenity sublime. That presence is with you today and will be with you forever.

Posted in Blogroll, Church Life, Ecumenical, Emergent Church, Interfaith, Religion, Scripture, The Episcopal Church | 3 Comments »

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