Today is Father’s Day. It is also the Sunday after that horrendous massacre at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. It is the Sunday after the publication of Pope Francis’s Encyclical on Climate Change. And, it is also the Sunday before the beginning of the Episcopal Church’s General Convention meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah.
4 Pentecost
June 21, 2015
In the name of the God of all Creation,
The God alive in each of us as God was alive in Jesus,
And the power of God known in the Spirit.
Amen.
June 21, 2015
In the name of the God of all Creation,
The God alive in each of us as God was alive in Jesus,
And the power of God known in the Spirit.
Amen.
Today is Father’s Day. It is also the Sunday after that horrendous massacre at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. It is the Sunday after the publication of Pope Francis’s Encyclical on Climate Change. And, it is also the Sunday before the beginning of the Episcopal Church’s General Convention meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah.
I would have liked to have been able to preach on this wonderful story from Mark’s gospel about Jesus asleep in the back of the boat. A wind storm came up, the disciples were afraid and woke Jesus, and he quieted the wind. I would have liked to have been able to preach about Father’s Day. Under the horrible circumstances at Mother Emanuel Church I felt compelled to reflect upon those events in Charleston. I even considered preaching about our responsibility to our environment, and to the generations that will follow us. But that is not to be. This week the clergy of the Diocese of Florida received a missive from Bishop John Howard called a Pastoral Letter, with the instructions that is was to be read by a clergy at every Sunday service on June 21.
To be honest, I thought about handing it to Pastor Deena and asking her to read it … but that really wouldn’t be fair to her. So, here is what the Bishop wrote and asked us to read to each congregation:
Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Beginning June 25, the General Convention of the Episcopal Church will meet in Salt Lake City, Utah.
General Convention is a time set aside for discernment of the will of God for the future of our church. It is a time of prayer, worship, and discussion. It is also a time in which Bishops of the Church, together with elected clergy and lay deputies consider a number of resolutions regarding the life of our Church and affairs of the world and the Church’s relationship to it.
This year, General Convention will consider proposals to change the structure of our church, new resources for worship, our budget for the next three years, and a renewed commitment to mission and ministry at home and abroad. The Bishops will, with the consent of the House of Deputies, elect our next Presiding Bishop who will serve a term of nine years.
Some of our work this summer will surely get attention outside our church in the press and on the internet. Often these stories are told from a perspective that lacks attention to the great deal of reflection and prayer that go into making difficult decisions. Rarely does careful and prayerful consideration make good headlines or sound bites. So first, friends, I ask you to pray. Please pray for me, Bishop Keyser, Bishop Henderson, and for the clergy and lay Deputies from our diocese. Second, I ask you to start with the assumption that those who seek to lead our church do so with a desire to be faithful to God and neighbor. Only from this place of prayer, love, and generosity can faithful people hope to discover God's will.
In addition to resolutions that may change the shape of our church as an organization, General Convention will also consider resolutions that would change the definition of marriage.
Since 2012, trial liturgies have been published for the blessing of same-sex relationships. General Convention 2015 is considering resolutions that would publish new liturgies for the blessing of same-sex marriage. There are many considerations around this potential redefinition of marriage including the interpretation of Scripture, the tradition of the church, and the gift of human reason. Part of these considerations concern issues of grace, justice, the definition of sacraments, human sexuality, covenant, canon law, and the historic language of our Book of Common Prayer.
The clergy of our Diocese began a faithful and grace-filled conversation on these matters in May, and the conversation will continue as we learn of the decisions of our General Convention. You can find details on the resolutions, liturgies, and discussion of scripture, tradition, and reason online at GeneralConvention.org/home/bluebook. I have asked the clergy to engage their congregations in prayerful and open discussions regarding the role of the Convention along with education on the issues that will be considered. I trust that your clergy have done so.
Christians in every era have been asked to contend with controversial issues. Life in obedience to the gospel has always been both demanding and grace-filled. The times in which you and I live are no exception. As your Bishop, I want to be clear about where we are as a Diocese as General Convention approaches. The policy of our diocese concerning the 2012 trial-use liturgies for blessing of same-sex couples remains the same. This liturgy is not approved for use in the Diocese of Florida. Our expectations regarding marriage and sexual relationships are in the accord with those expressed in our Book of Common Prayer (1979).
I close with an expression of pastoral direction and care.
First, to those among us who believe the church is moving too fast, or moving in the wrong direction, I want to assure you of my love and concern for you. I share many of your concerns. I ask you to approach all of the issues we have discussed with humility and I ask that you join me in prayer that the Holy Spirit might empower us to bravely preach the Gospel in our day.
To those who believe the church is moving too slowly, or refusing to move in the right direction, I want to assure you of my love and pastoral concern. This is especially applicable to our committed and faithful members who are gay and lesbian. I love you and I remain insistent as I have since becoming your Bishop over ten years ago, that you be loved and cared for as part of the Body of the Faithful.
Part of being human is the possibility that we love our ways more than God's ways. A lack of humility often makes us deaf to the will of God. Whoever you are, whatever your opinions may be on these important subjects, I ask that you remember the love of God as shown in his Son’s sacrifice on the cross. I ask, too, that you remember the love of God and make it the focus of your prayers for your Church, your deputies, and your bishops as we are in General Convention.
Please pray these prayers with me each day from now until the conclusion of our Convention:
Gracious Father, we pray for your holy catholic Church. Fill it with all truth, in all truth with all peace. Where it is corrupt, purify it; where it is in error, direct it; where in any thing it is amiss, reform it. Where it is right, strengthen it; where it is in want, provide for it; where it is divided, reunite it; for the sake of Jesus Christ your Son our Savior. Amen.
Almighty God, because without you we cannot please you, mercifully grant that in all things, and especially as our Church meets in General Convention, your Holy Spirit might direct and rule our hearts. Amen.
My prayer for all of us in this special Diocese which we love so much is that you would know the peace of God which passes all understanding, and that knowing His peace, you would know, too, the power of His presence in our midst.
Faithfully,
The Rt. Rev. Samuel Johnson Howard
Essentially, Bishop Howard is saying that the policy of NOT blessing same sex marriage will continue in the Diocese of Florida, regardless of the action of General Convention. Secondly, he is identifying himself with those who believe the Church is moving too quickly, and/or in the wrong direction, and therefore affirming their opinions, while offering his “love and pastoral concern” to those who believe the church is moving too slowly, and/or refusing to move in the right direction.
To say I am disappointed is an understatement. As I think you well know, I am one of those who feel the Church is moving too slowly. And I am one of those who feels the Church is refusing to move in the right direction. I have been blessing same sex unions … what they were called before gay marriage was even a possibility … I have been blessing same sex union publically and in the church since the early 1990’s. I will be honest and say that I do not feel “loved” and the recipient of “pastoral concern.” I feel ignored and existentially dead … as if my voice did not count, and I didn’t exist … and I can only imagine how disappointed gay and lesbian couples … who share a deep and sacred love for each other … I can only imagine how they must feel.
The tragic shooting in Charleston, South Carolina happen subsequent to Bishop Howard’s call to read his Pastoral Letter. The two subjects … the Bishop’s Pastoral Letter and the shooting at Mother Emanuel Church … may seem totally unrelated. In some ways there is no comparison to the painful loss of life those families and that community are feeling. However, Bishop Mark Hollingsworth … Bishop of the Diocese of Ohio from which I once hailed and where I am still canonically resident … Bishop Hollingsworth made a connection for me.
On the Diocese of Ohio web site’s home page are the words written boldly “God loves you. No exceptions.” Bishop Hollingsworth sent out a letter about the events in Charleston that contained these words:
“In the fierce light of this tragedy, if we do not multiply our efforts to place the tolerance of others high above our tolerance of hostility, and place society’s responsibility to provide safety to all her members high above the individual’s access to tools of violence, we are abdicating our primary vocation to bring the kingdom of heaven to life.”
It is that “tolerance of others” that is the connection for me. I firmly believe that God made all of humanity in the image of the divine … all races, color of skin, gender identities, sexual orientation … all of humanity is made in God’s image. People around the world and throughout history have expressed their faith in this divine presence in many different ways, and called the sacred by many names. The path we follow is that of Jesus of Nazareth, but that doesn’t mean other paths aren’t just as valid. But there are those who say, “If you are not like me, and my way is the “right” way, then you must be wrong.” The consequence of such thinking are horrific acts like the killing in Charleston. I also believe that another consequence of such thinking is the Church’s reluctance to accept the love that gay and lesbian couples have for each other is perfectly authentic and therefore worthy of the Church’s blessing.
Instead of seeing gays and lesbians as different from straight people and therefore not qualified to receive the same blessings from God, I suggest that we see the love gays and lesbian couples have for each other as the same as the love straight people have for each other … and see it fully worthy of God’s … and the Church’s … blessing.
The winds are blowing and the storm is raging and the divine presence of God in Jesus is asleep in the back of the boat. It is my trust that the seas will be calmed, even if I believe it will take some people a little longer to wake Jesus in their lives. My heart goes out to all those families who lost some one in the shooting at Mother Emanuel Church. And my heart goes out to every gay and lesbian person in this Diocese who must wait for the “violence” of existential death to subside.
Amen.
I would have liked to have been able to preach on this wonderful story from Mark’s gospel about Jesus asleep in the back of the boat. A wind storm came up, the disciples were afraid and woke Jesus, and he quieted the wind. I would have liked to have been able to preach about Father’s Day. Under the horrible circumstances at Mother Emanuel Church I felt compelled to reflect upon those events in Charleston. I even considered preaching about our responsibility to our environment, and to the generations that will follow us. But that is not to be. This week the clergy of the Diocese of Florida received a missive from Bishop John Howard called a Pastoral Letter, with the instructions that is was to be read by a clergy at every Sunday service on June 21.
To be honest, I thought about handing it to Pastor Deena and asking her to read it … but that really wouldn’t be fair to her. So, here is what the Bishop wrote and asked us to read to each congregation:
Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Beginning June 25, the General Convention of the Episcopal Church will meet in Salt Lake City, Utah.
General Convention is a time set aside for discernment of the will of God for the future of our church. It is a time of prayer, worship, and discussion. It is also a time in which Bishops of the Church, together with elected clergy and lay deputies consider a number of resolutions regarding the life of our Church and affairs of the world and the Church’s relationship to it.
This year, General Convention will consider proposals to change the structure of our church, new resources for worship, our budget for the next three years, and a renewed commitment to mission and ministry at home and abroad. The Bishops will, with the consent of the House of Deputies, elect our next Presiding Bishop who will serve a term of nine years.
Some of our work this summer will surely get attention outside our church in the press and on the internet. Often these stories are told from a perspective that lacks attention to the great deal of reflection and prayer that go into making difficult decisions. Rarely does careful and prayerful consideration make good headlines or sound bites. So first, friends, I ask you to pray. Please pray for me, Bishop Keyser, Bishop Henderson, and for the clergy and lay Deputies from our diocese. Second, I ask you to start with the assumption that those who seek to lead our church do so with a desire to be faithful to God and neighbor. Only from this place of prayer, love, and generosity can faithful people hope to discover God's will.
In addition to resolutions that may change the shape of our church as an organization, General Convention will also consider resolutions that would change the definition of marriage.
Since 2012, trial liturgies have been published for the blessing of same-sex relationships. General Convention 2015 is considering resolutions that would publish new liturgies for the blessing of same-sex marriage. There are many considerations around this potential redefinition of marriage including the interpretation of Scripture, the tradition of the church, and the gift of human reason. Part of these considerations concern issues of grace, justice, the definition of sacraments, human sexuality, covenant, canon law, and the historic language of our Book of Common Prayer.
The clergy of our Diocese began a faithful and grace-filled conversation on these matters in May, and the conversation will continue as we learn of the decisions of our General Convention. You can find details on the resolutions, liturgies, and discussion of scripture, tradition, and reason online at GeneralConvention.org/home/bluebook. I have asked the clergy to engage their congregations in prayerful and open discussions regarding the role of the Convention along with education on the issues that will be considered. I trust that your clergy have done so.
Christians in every era have been asked to contend with controversial issues. Life in obedience to the gospel has always been both demanding and grace-filled. The times in which you and I live are no exception. As your Bishop, I want to be clear about where we are as a Diocese as General Convention approaches. The policy of our diocese concerning the 2012 trial-use liturgies for blessing of same-sex couples remains the same. This liturgy is not approved for use in the Diocese of Florida. Our expectations regarding marriage and sexual relationships are in the accord with those expressed in our Book of Common Prayer (1979).
I close with an expression of pastoral direction and care.
First, to those among us who believe the church is moving too fast, or moving in the wrong direction, I want to assure you of my love and concern for you. I share many of your concerns. I ask you to approach all of the issues we have discussed with humility and I ask that you join me in prayer that the Holy Spirit might empower us to bravely preach the Gospel in our day.
To those who believe the church is moving too slowly, or refusing to move in the right direction, I want to assure you of my love and pastoral concern. This is especially applicable to our committed and faithful members who are gay and lesbian. I love you and I remain insistent as I have since becoming your Bishop over ten years ago, that you be loved and cared for as part of the Body of the Faithful.
Part of being human is the possibility that we love our ways more than God's ways. A lack of humility often makes us deaf to the will of God. Whoever you are, whatever your opinions may be on these important subjects, I ask that you remember the love of God as shown in his Son’s sacrifice on the cross. I ask, too, that you remember the love of God and make it the focus of your prayers for your Church, your deputies, and your bishops as we are in General Convention.
Please pray these prayers with me each day from now until the conclusion of our Convention:
Gracious Father, we pray for your holy catholic Church. Fill it with all truth, in all truth with all peace. Where it is corrupt, purify it; where it is in error, direct it; where in any thing it is amiss, reform it. Where it is right, strengthen it; where it is in want, provide for it; where it is divided, reunite it; for the sake of Jesus Christ your Son our Savior. Amen.
Almighty God, because without you we cannot please you, mercifully grant that in all things, and especially as our Church meets in General Convention, your Holy Spirit might direct and rule our hearts. Amen.
My prayer for all of us in this special Diocese which we love so much is that you would know the peace of God which passes all understanding, and that knowing His peace, you would know, too, the power of His presence in our midst.
Faithfully,
The Rt. Rev. Samuel Johnson Howard
Essentially, Bishop Howard is saying that the policy of NOT blessing same sex marriage will continue in the Diocese of Florida, regardless of the action of General Convention. Secondly, he is identifying himself with those who believe the Church is moving too quickly, and/or in the wrong direction, and therefore affirming their opinions, while offering his “love and pastoral concern” to those who believe the church is moving too slowly, and/or refusing to move in the right direction.
To say I am disappointed is an understatement. As I think you well know, I am one of those who feel the Church is moving too slowly. And I am one of those who feels the Church is refusing to move in the right direction. I have been blessing same sex unions … what they were called before gay marriage was even a possibility … I have been blessing same sex union publically and in the church since the early 1990’s. I will be honest and say that I do not feel “loved” and the recipient of “pastoral concern.” I feel ignored and existentially dead … as if my voice did not count, and I didn’t exist … and I can only imagine how disappointed gay and lesbian couples … who share a deep and sacred love for each other … I can only imagine how they must feel.
The tragic shooting in Charleston, South Carolina happen subsequent to Bishop Howard’s call to read his Pastoral Letter. The two subjects … the Bishop’s Pastoral Letter and the shooting at Mother Emanuel Church … may seem totally unrelated. In some ways there is no comparison to the painful loss of life those families and that community are feeling. However, Bishop Mark Hollingsworth … Bishop of the Diocese of Ohio from which I once hailed and where I am still canonically resident … Bishop Hollingsworth made a connection for me.
On the Diocese of Ohio web site’s home page are the words written boldly “God loves you. No exceptions.” Bishop Hollingsworth sent out a letter about the events in Charleston that contained these words:
“In the fierce light of this tragedy, if we do not multiply our efforts to place the tolerance of others high above our tolerance of hostility, and place society’s responsibility to provide safety to all her members high above the individual’s access to tools of violence, we are abdicating our primary vocation to bring the kingdom of heaven to life.”
It is that “tolerance of others” that is the connection for me. I firmly believe that God made all of humanity in the image of the divine … all races, color of skin, gender identities, sexual orientation … all of humanity is made in God’s image. People around the world and throughout history have expressed their faith in this divine presence in many different ways, and called the sacred by many names. The path we follow is that of Jesus of Nazareth, but that doesn’t mean other paths aren’t just as valid. But there are those who say, “If you are not like me, and my way is the “right” way, then you must be wrong.” The consequence of such thinking are horrific acts like the killing in Charleston. I also believe that another consequence of such thinking is the Church’s reluctance to accept the love that gay and lesbian couples have for each other is perfectly authentic and therefore worthy of the Church’s blessing.
Instead of seeing gays and lesbians as different from straight people and therefore not qualified to receive the same blessings from God, I suggest that we see the love gays and lesbian couples have for each other as the same as the love straight people have for each other … and see it fully worthy of God’s … and the Church’s … blessing.
The winds are blowing and the storm is raging and the divine presence of God in Jesus is asleep in the back of the boat. It is my trust that the seas will be calmed, even if I believe it will take some people a little longer to wake Jesus in their lives. My heart goes out to all those families who lost some one in the shooting at Mother Emanuel Church. And my heart goes out to every gay and lesbian person in this Diocese who must wait for the “violence” of existential death to subside.
Amen.
