As I watch the various bloggers and their responders discuss the fact that the Archbishop of Canterbury will be visiting with the Episcopal Church's House of Bishops in September, it strikes me that I and my fellow clergy continue to be burdened by strife in the wider church. With e-mailed news releases, blogs, and a host of other information outlets available online, it is very easy to get sucked into a maelstrom of despair regarding the current state of the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion.
Yet, I must keep reminding myself, the things going on at the highest levels of both the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion are not the whole story, not even close. Thousands of churches continue to proclaim the Kingdom of God in word and deed, thousands pulse with resurrection life, and thousands of my fellow clergy continue to celebrate the Eucharist week after week, month after month, year after year. By God's grace, I am not thinking about the current conflicts in the wider church when I stand at the altar and begin "The Lord be with you...".
It is wise for me and my fellow clergy to recall, as we read of the encounter on the road to Emmaus between Jesus and two disciples, and that Jesus was known to them in the breaking of the bread, that ultimately we are simply called to faithfulness in Word and Sacrament and, by the grace of God, the rest will take care of itself.
1 comment:
Sort of like Nero, singing while Rome burned to the ground. I wish the HOB was willing to compromise somewhere, because if the church isn't going to be strong enough to bend, then it is going to be liable to break in the coming storm.
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