The Episcopal Church

I love the symbol above which the Episcopal Church is using for its General Convention. The theme of the convention is Ubuntu. Ubuntu is a Bantu (South African) word which describes our life with each other in community. Life in community (ideally) helps us understand who we are in God's eyes - we are loved, forgiven and entrusted with ministry to each other. We enable this as we love each other, forgive each other and enable one another to do ministry.

This week at General Convention the House of Bishops and the House of Deputies passed resolution D025 http://gc2009.org/ViewLegislation/view_leg_detail.aspx?id=986&type=Final

It is an incredibly honest statement of where the Episcopal Church is right now regarding issues of ordination and homosexuality. I am so pleased to see this resolution pass. The Church is saying many things in this: We still want to be a part of the Anglican Communion worldwide with our financial support and through relationships and ministry; we want to continue to listen to homosexual persons and to value their experience; we acknowledge that homosexual persons have exercised ministry in the church and will continue to exercise ministry in the Episcopal Church through the process of discernment as detailed in the Canons and Constitution of the Episcopal Church; and that even after careful study utilizing scripture, tradition and reason, not all person will come to the same conclusion about homosexuality.

I am hoping - perhaps beyond reason - that having stated honestly our view about this matter of human sexuality we will now be able to move towards the biblical imperative of mission. I have long wondered what we are doing spending so much of our time, money and energy debating an issue that scripture mentions only a few times while ignoring what scripture says over and over about caring for and loving one another as we take care of those who are hungry, without shelter, sick and dying. Jesus spent large parts of his gospel talking about reconciliation and forgiveness and we have allowed ourselves to be divided, grumpy and unforgiving of each other over this issue. We ignore Jesus' words about the right use of our resources while the church (and the world) goes bankrupt. Greed has become acceptable and we have forgotten that everything we have comes from God.

I will quit preaching...