Easter 7B 2006 Acts 1:15-26; John 17:11b-19; General Convention 2006

From Acts of the Apostles: “Then they prayed and said, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which one you have chosen to take the place in this ministry and apostleship…..And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias; and he was added to the eleven apostles.”

Church of the Resurrection at one point chose its vestry by drawing names from a hat. I asked the rector if sometimes that could lead to problems. He said, “Not if you are careful about whose name goes into the hat.”

Most of us receive the Virginia Episcopalian which latest issue briefly touched upon the forthcoming 75th General Convention of the Episcopal Church in Columbus, Ohio, June 13-21, 2006. I offer the following reflections and observations:

Unlike our parish lay delegates to the Annual Council of the Diocese of Virginia, deputies to General Convention are not bound by resolutions of vestries or Annual Council itself. By canon and custom each deputy is enjoined to vote according to conscience and good reason. The deputies elected to General Convention from our Diocese are sensible and responsible people, not given to extremes. We can trust their good will and judgement, even though we may not agree with them entirely.

One of the main items on the agenda is the election of a new Presiding Bishop and Primate to succeed Bishop Griswold. The Presiding Bishop is elected by the House of Bishops and confirmed by the House of Delegates. Whoever is chosen will indicate something about the direction of the Church although that may be unclear until the next year.

The nominees represent a wide spectrum of the Church but not the extremes. I have met one of them and know of several of the others. We would be in good hands with any one of them.

There is one woman nominee, The Bishop of Nevada, Katherine Jefferts Shori. By all accounts she would make a terrific Presiding Bishop. It will be interesting if she is elected and confirmed. This would have much the same effect as the gay bishop’s confirmation three years ago, particularly in those countries where the status of women is extremely low. Most of these countries are in Africa whose archbishops, with the exception of South Africa, are already in impaired communion with us because of our ordination of women beginning in 1976 as well. Most have openly declared that they are not in communion with us since 1976, so nothing will change there. They still take our money, though.

One possibly controversial resolution that has surfaced concerns the history of slavery in America. There are some fears that this may lead to demands for and accession to reparations. I do not know how far such resolutions will go. But given the reduced support for the National Church following last General Convention, I do not see reparation demands succeeding. Our efforts to eradicate poverty everywhere on the planet and slavery in the Middle East, Africa, and wherever else it continues to exist should take a higher priority with the more limited means available to us. But who knows. We can only pray that, if not in our life times, perhaps in the next generation race relations will be different.

The Standing Liturgical Commission continues to tinker with new and alternate liturgical forms for life transitions, celebration of new ministries, and burial rites. Much of this is as a result of sensitivity to political correctness with regard to gender. I do not think there is a serious move afoot to incorporate these liturgies into our Book of Common Prayer, at least not yet. At most they will be made available for those parishes wishing to use them. We will not do so here.

Related is the effort to replace our Prayer Book lectionary with the Revised Common Lectionary. It may well succeed. I hope not. My experience of the Revised Common Lectionary with the Thursday Morning Lectionary Study Group Methodists who use it is that is that the various readings do not support each other very well. But we can live with it – it isn’t an improvement.

Other resolutions ask for our support (0.7% of our annual budget, both parishes and dioceses) of the United Nations eight Millennium Development Goals which have been approved by all 191 member nations, including those where the problems are worst and about which some have done little on their own. To be accomplished by 2015 these are very ambitious goals. You can read about more about them in the parish newsletter and on the UN website.* I personally think we would be more effective locally where many of the same problems exist.

And finally the issue concerning human sexuality, when it comes before General Convention – and it will, will not be presented in the form of approving the consecration of a gay bishop living in a committed same gender relationship. Although the Diocese of California at its recent election had at least two gay priests on its ballot, The Right Reverend Mark Andrus, Suffragan Bishop of Alabama, and formerly a priest of our diocese, rector of Emmanuel, Middleburg, and chaplain of Episcopal High School, was elected. Bishop Andrus and his wife have two college age daughters.

While I am grateful that the issue will not present itself as it did in 2003, I don’t think that any minds in the fundamentalist dissident groups (The American Anglican Council and the Anglican Communion Network) will be changed or hearts softened. In discussions with other priests around the diocese, we are agreed that there is probably nothing General Convention can do to satisfy their demands nor will there be any General Convention expression of repentance great enough to satisfy the fundamentalists.

I fear there will be a schism. What a shame that would be. We would all lose something. We can live in the tension – but not at the price having one group dictate that we follow their narrow beliefs to the exclusion of our own generous theology and understanding of things divine. I hope enough of the more moderate remain in the Church so that the evangelical voice will still be hear. in our councils and deliberations.

I do not think it likely that the Archbishop of Canterbury will consent to the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church of Canada being thrown out of the Anglican Communion. What remains to be seen is whether or not he will also recognize the Anglican Communion Network separately as a part of the Anglican Communion in its own right, should it leave the Episcopal Church.

So we are still in deep and stormy waters. God willing we can hold together and refocus on God’s love for us and our love for God and our neighbors, God’s children everywhere regardless of race, color, gender, sexual orientation, creed, religion, language – whatever makes us different one from the other. Please pray for General Convention and for this dear old church which has nurtured us and sustained us over so many centuries.

In any case we here will continue to love the Lord and our neighbor and continue with the work God has given us to do in this time and in this place.

AMEN






*
a. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger.
b. Achieve universal primary education.
c. Promote gender equality and empower women.
d. Reduce child mortality.
e. Improve maternal health.
f. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases.
g. Ensure environmental sustainability.
h. Develop a global partnership for development.

Wicomico Parish Church
PO Box 70
Wicomico Church, Virginia 22579