OK...again with the "things". I've been reading, and trying as best as my brain can decipher, what all is this "fourth draft" coming out of the Lambeth conference, and what does it really mean for me, simple little lay lesbian in the hot and humid city of Tallahassee.
The portion that gives me the greatest pause, as I noted in my previous entry, is the continuation of the Windsor Report 110 which places a moratoria on same-sex blessings, ordination of openly-gay people, and incursions by outside bishops into the USA and Canada. For a really good analysis of this particular part...go look at Rev. Susan Russell's call-and-response about The Wheels on the Bus. She captures well the frustration of the LGBT faithful, and certainly what I was feeling as I scanned through the "fourth draft" of the Reflections paper from Lambeth.
All of this coming on a day where, again, the Daily Office readings, I think, do a better job of articulating God's message to anyone paying attention to God. The gospel reading was from Matthew 28...which ends with the greatest "comfort language" I've run into in all of scripture:
And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.
"You" is me. "You" is Rt. Rev. Gene Robinson. "You" is Rt. Rev. Gregory Venables. "We" just need to trust in that. "We" need to quit the addiction to who has more authority on the Word of God and being right. And "We" need to stop looking for ways to have winners and losers to hold a Communion together. "We" must let God work his purpose out...and if his purpose is to bring lesbian and gay people back into the church, then so be it.
In Acts 2, the Holy Spirit sweeps in and gets the talking party started amongst the disciples. Those witnessing this event think they've stumbled upon a bunch of drunken Galileans. And then Peter, in an act of courage, stands up and professes that Jesus of Nazareth is the Lord and Messiah. In many ways, I have often hoped that our bishops of the Episcopal Church would do much the same for their LGBT faithful; have the courage to profess that we are a part of God's plan for this communion. Here's hoping they do it.
You didn't get quite what you wanted but it could have been a lot worse, so let's see how we handle it here. The Presiding Bishop whom you admire seems to think the AOC did all right. I think we have a great deal of discussion in front of us.
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