August 2, 2008 The Church at its best relates to one another when we see our brother or sister face to face. When we make decisions for those who are far away, we get a bit less life-giving and more death-dealing. At our worst, we do this knowingly, belligerently, and with a vengeance that is not ours to give. At our best, we make our decisions locally without realizing the full extent of the consequences of those decisions for those far away. None of this is a particularly new insight, but it is an insight with much evidence to back it up as I participate with bishops from around the world at this Lambeth Conference.
In most cases, I believe Christians of good will are trying to act out of our best motives in serving Christ and our neighbor. This is apparent in the passion and concern represented relative to the discussions and pleadings for forbearance for the wide range of “issues” we are discussing. The problem is that the “issues” are people’s lives, and the leadership we as bishops will give when we return to our own little patches of God’s green earth will touch not “issues” but real flesh and blood human beings. This is true whether we are speaking of the lives of gay and lesbian brothers and sisters or of those in the Sudan who have been killed because of their association with Christianity in general and, more recently, with the Anglican Communion specifically. This reality has led to the discussion of sacrifice.
Something has to be sacrificed. Let me say first and unequivocally that there is a difference between “counting the strokes and taking the beating.” The problem appears to be that some are asked to take the stokes while others, myself included at this time, are being asked to “sacrifice” by counting the strokes. As with a discussion of “issues” what we are talking about here is that somebody will have to sacrifice.
This idea of “sacrifice” is not a new Christian virtue. It is the very witness of love for the sake of the world that Jesus himself offered in the name of God. What he offered, lest I forget, was his life. The difficulty is the willingness of those of us who are “far away” to talk of the sacrifice the “other” person needs to make. This may be the best as “organization” such as the Church can do. But I still believe that there must be some “organic” way of being in common union as members of the Body of Christ that honors differences and stays faithful to core beliefs that, at times, compete and even seem to contradict.
I write this after a particularly difficult morning of reflections in which I took active participation. It started with Eucharist this morning. It was offered by the Churches of Kenya. The liturgy, on the printed page, was one of the most joyful and engaging ones we have employed with which to worship. The internal reality for me was one of disconnection. I felt that the words were “right” in the Eucharist and the music, and yet, at least for me, there was not coherence between the words and the sense that I was experiencing. It felt as if I was attending the funeral mass of a very close family member. It put me in something of a funk for much of the morning.
Being a people of resurrection, the unfolding events of the remainder of the day offered some solace and hopefulness. Our Bible study group, now close and caring strangers-made-friends, shared at length reflections around John 18:1-18. Following this, we had Indaba groups dealing with the various salient points of the proposed Covenant, an idea with more merit than I had first anticipated, but with real issues to resolve around what kind of covenant we want to have and what kind of Communion we want to be as “Anglicans.” The Indaba experience was followed by a quick run into Canterbury by Jeannie and me to mail back all the stuff we have been given, bought or picked up as a result of meandering with the Communion through the course of Lambeth (and that would not fit in our suitcases for the trip back.)
All this is to say that a day that began with a sense of great division was ended on a much more hopeful note as a result of two things. First, our evening worship was offered by the Churches of Ireland. My Irish roots glowing with some pride, my soul was bolstered when we sang a song I have grown to love over the years. It rings true to my belief in Christ, and it came as water to a thirsty soul on this particular day. If you will indulge me, I’ll share the text and reserve my sung rendition until I return, God willing, to be in your midst. It goes like this:
In Christ alone my hope is found; He is my light, my strength, my song;
This cornerstone, this solid ground, Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My comforter, my all in all – Here in the love of Christ I stand.
In Christ alone, Who took on flesh, Fullness of God in helpless babe !
This gift of love and righteousness, Scorned by the ones He came to save.
Till on that cross as Jesus died, The wrath of God was satisfied;
For ev’ry sin on Him was laid – Here in the death of Christ I live.
There in the ground His body lay, Light of the world by darkness slain;
Then bursting forth in glorious day, Up from the grave He rose again !
And as He stands in victory, Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me;
For I am His and He is mine – Bought with the precious blood of Christ.
No guilt in life, no fear in death – This is the power of Christ in me;
From life’s first cry to final breath, Jesus commands my destiny.
No pow’r of hell, no scheme of man, Can ever pluck me form His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home – Here in the pow’r of Christ I’ll stand.
In fairness and in consideration of civil law, the words and the music were written by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend. However, had I not known who wrote this music, I would have responded to the sentiment this hymn conveys. It was life-giving to me in the same way that I want the Covenant to be life-giving to all who come to know Jesus through our ministrations. Until then, let us cling together less out of fear and more out of hopeful commitment.
The second element that I found gave me hope today was this evening’s plenary session. At this time we gathered in plenary for a presentation of the “stewards,” the young adults from around the Communion who have the unenviable task of “herding bishops from place to place” as one steward noted in a short morning video of what various ministries of the various persons making Lambeth “work” had to say.
Four “stewards” spoke about their respective experiences of Lambeth. I will share more details of their energy and commitment once Jeannie and I return. However, to close out tonight’s reflection, let me tell you a life changing observation that happened for me after the meeting with these young adults. I went by the bar in the dormitory where we were staying. Waiting in line, I mentioned that it would be a good idea if the young adults would write the covenant for us. Another bishop from New Zealand said, “They are the covenant.”
Think of this. “They” (the next generation) are the covenant. Even while we, the current bishops of the Anglican Communion, have more work to accomplish before we hang up our ecclesiastical track shoes, we have already been superseded by the next generation. They are the covenant because they have already had the seeds of the gospel of Jesus’ love planted and growing in their hearts. I am not fearful for the Anglican Communion because I have already seen that the next generation has taken up the banner for the sake of Christ. My job now is to help them be better equipped to do their work as witnesses to the risen Christ. In the meantime, we move to our final day at Lambeth. Because of this day’s ending, I move there with confidence and hope. Pray for and encourage the young adults in your congregation. They are wanting to lead even now. Let us look for ways to make this happen in worship, education, governance and outreach. They have much to teach us. You see, they are the bearers of Christ’s Word to the world as it is becoming. Let us trust them to lead us as we offer our insights to assist them in this eternal task of bearing witness to Christ’s love.
+Don
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