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A Little Less Opinion, A Lot More Fact

January 8, 2016

Yesterday, a glossy, bronze statue was unveiled in Bechtel Park, Davenport, Iowa. According to the Quad City Times, it is called “Lincoln with Boy on Bridge.” The event commemorated was Abraham Lincoln’s participation in a law suit in 1853. The future President represented the Rock Island Railroad in a suit filed by a Captain John Hurd who owned a steamboat that collided with the railroad that same year. Some say this was Lincoln’s most significant case on his way to the White House.

While he was working on the lawsuit, Lincoln apparently walked onto what is now known as Government Bridge to get a first-hand look and encountered a young boy, who was the son of the bridge’s lead engineer. Satisfied with his surveillance and conversation, Lincoln is reported to have told the boy that he was glad to hear “a little less opinion and a lot more fact.” Davenport’s major Frank Klipsch observed, “This statue is all about kids and about the future, and I think that’s extremely important for this city.”

Extremely important for this city and the nation these days, I would add. For if today’s politicians do not find ways to hear and take seriously the voices and aspirations of our young people, if political campaigns to not begin to focus on “a little less opinion and a lot more fact,” we may fail in our search for new national leaders with the wisdom and wit, the genius for compromise linked to firm commitment to principles which marked out 16th President and his “team of rivals” who led this country through crises that make today’s pale by comparison.

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It’s Not Just The Star

January 6, 2016

It’s not just the star

Guiding some Eastern sages

It’s light for us all

Christians take their Christmas trees down today. Actually, most of them already have! But regardless, this is Epiphany and the Twelve Days of the Christmas season are over. If the essential message of Christmas is that “God is with us” the essential message of Epiphany is that this message is for all the world.

The sweet story of some Persian astrologers (we’re never told how many there were) following a wandering star to a baby’s rough-hewn manger in Bethlehem is the gospel-writer Matthew’s way of telling us that he believes this Jewish child will grow up to be a “light to the nations.” The message of God’s love, seen in a particular way, in the life of Jesus is intended, not only for the people of Israel, but for all the people of the earth.

We are all “the Chosen People.” Chosen, not for privilege, but for a mission. The mission? To cooperate in building a world united in bonds of justice and peace. For Christians, this is done by following the example and teachings of a first-century Jewish rabbi named Jesus and by forming partnerships with people of good will everywhere who share that same dream. So,

It’s not just the star

Guiding some Eastern sages

It’s light for us all

Happy Epiphany!

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What Is Real “Gratuitous Violence?”

January 5, 2016

I recently went to see “The Hateful Eight.” It’s a well-acted (if not always well-written) Quentin Tarantino film about the fateful meeting of a group of bounty hunters, ex-soldiers from both sides of the Civil War and criminals who are stranded in a stage coach way station in the midst of a Wyoming blizzard. The two and one-half hour movie unfolds to increasing psychological tension within the group, flashbacks and complicated plot revelations, ending in a quite-literal blood bath in which most everyone dies.

Some would call it “gratuitous violence” and it probably is. On the other hand, it dawned on me that the real mass shootings around the country and gun-related gang deaths on Chicago’s South Side and elsewhere is the real “gratuitous violence” in our day. The blood and gore shed in those instances is not the red food-coloring of Hollywood, but the very life of our children being poured out on our streets.

After years of virtually begging Congress to enact “common sense” gun legislation and receiving only rebuffs from members, President Obama has announced that he will attempt to issue a number of executive orders to do such things as expand background checks on gun purchasers by forcing more sellers to register as dealers, improving mental health services, and kick-starting so-called smart gun technology.

Of course, opponents of such measures cry fouls of executive overreach and of violating the Second Amendment. Undoubtedly, the courts will have to sort some of that out. In the meantime, I wonder how many real blood baths will occur across this great nation.

Just in case anyone out there still thinks such violent deaths still look like the sanitary ones on “Gunsmoke” or even on most television shows today, let me assure you that they do not.

They look a lot more like the final scenes of “The Hateful Eight.”

When will enough be enough?

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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…

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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!

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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!

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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.

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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!

Posted in Church Life, Ecumenical, Emergent Church, Religion, Scripture, The Episcopal Church, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

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