TEC versus +Lawrence and the Diocese of South Carolina ... Such a waste

Reading the announcement today that any efforts to salvage a relationship between the Rt. Rev. Mark Lawrence and the people of the Diocese of South Carolina on the one hand and TEC on the other have now ended (labeled as TEC's PB accepting +Lawrence's "voluntary renunciation" of his orders and ministry), I find myself profoundly saddened.  I cannot make sense of what is happening in my church, at least not at the national level (outside the direct control of my Bishop).  I cannot change it, but I do not like it.  I pray that God will give me the wisdom to make some sense out of what appears to be an absolute breakdown in the exercise of Christian charity and brotherly love.  

At one time the in thing was to ask "what would Jesus do?" when looking for answers to today's problems.   I find myself wondering what is Jesus doing as he watches the way that we Episcopalians are carrying out our political warfare with each other?  I think that I know: Jesus is weeping.

Such a waste ...

God's peace. <><

To all the world...: What can we expect for America in a second Obama term?

The election is now history and I was going resist the temptation to comment about it since I knew that I would not find anything positive to say.  Dean Munday sums up pretty well what I'm thinking though, so I'll just recommend clicking this link. To all the world...: What can we expect for America in a second Obama term?

God help us all.

God's peace. <><

++Rowan's Power Observation From His Final Presidential Address to the Anglican Communion ...

Many much wiser folks than me have offered differing opinions about the successes and failures of Dr. Rowan Williams and his tenure as Archbishop of Canterbury, the titular head of the Anglican Communion of Churches.  I have had differing views over the years myself.  But all of that aside, I think that ++Rowan was (as the Brit's say) "spot on" with this rather blunt observation as he concluded his final "Presidential Address" to the Communion.  Dr. Williams stated:  "When we stand before the throne of God, it will be a very poor answer if when God says 'Why did you not preach the gospel and serve the poor?' we say, 'We had too many internal problems to resolve, we couldn't quite decide who had the authority to pronounce things'.  God expects us to be disciples today, not the day after tomorrow."

 

I'd say that Dr. Williams has given us something to think about.  Unfortunately, I have a sense that we won't bother.  Lord have mercy!

 

God's peace. <><

 

 

 

 

TEC's Disciplinary Board Action Against +Lawrence: Where I am today ... Does is really take a lot of thought to determine the right thing to do?

Sometimes I over think things.  Something tells me that I'm doing that with regard to what is the right thing to do in the ongoing conflict between TEC's leadership and +Lawrence of South Carolina (and now the apparently overwhelming majority of that diocese).  The two pictures above and below and a piece of Scripture seem to speak to this situation and regardless of who we might argue is the party in the wrong (or perhaps more aptly described as the party having "lost its way").  Why do we have such trouble following what we profess to believe, particularly when our Lord has gone to such great length to show us the way?  Consider Jesus' words recorded in the gospel of Saint Luke, Chapter 15, verses 4 - 7 and recall  that Jesus has just overheard the Pharisees and scribes murmuring about his receiving and eating with tax collectors and sinners): "What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost, until he finds it?  And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.  And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost.'  Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance."

Lord, have mercy and grant that we may have eyes that see; ears that hear; and that we have the courage to do that which we know in our hearts (and our minds) to be right.

God's peace. <><

TEC's Disciplinary Board Action Against +Lawrence: Needless or Necessary, Initial Thoughts

The action of the Disciplinary Board of The Episcopal Church to certify an abandonment by South Carolina Bishop Mark Lawrence of his communion with The Episcopal Church will either go down in history as a needless act of foolishness and folly, or a necessary step to ensure that bishops of the church (and from whom their authority flows or is at least initially conferred) do not act in ways that are contrary to the best interest of "the Church."  At first blush, I'm inclined to think that the long term view of history will be the former, but I readily admit an inherent bias in that I personally admire Bishop Lawrence and at my core consider myself to be a traditionalist within The Episcopal Church (I emphasize "within" and even though I do not always feel welcome or wanted).

The foregoing said, I am going to follow an admonition that I often give to others, namely that I remain mindful that God gave humans two eyes, two ears and but one mouth (and with a tongue strategically placed at the back of the throat and behind both lips and teeth) for a reason.  God, I think, is telling each of us to look and listen carefully, think about what we see and hear, and then only speak when it becomes necessary and when we have something worth while to say.

I suspect that I will have more to say about this matter.  For now though, I merely observe that I deeply regret that our church is going down this road.  My instincts tell me that the end result will not be positive for "the Church."

God's peace. <><

Where were you when the world stopped turning 11 years ago?

Today marks the 11th anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon and the crash of Flight 93, all part of a terrorist attack on the United States and on the hope of freedom for mankind.  In many ways Americans (and the world) have moved on, but there is no escaping that we Americans will never be quite the same.  As with the attack on Pearl Harbor, our love affair with the dream, the hope, of a world that can live in peace and love, was shocked into the reality that evil continues to prowl in our world.

On this day, let us remember the fallen and injured and their families in our prayers, and let us ever remain resolute in our willingness to defend the principles upon which our nation was founded: a commitment to protecting God given and honored aspirations for human kind that we will guarantee for all "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

May the peace of God which passes all human understanding reach each of us this day, and evermore.

In His Service <><

Forgiveness: A Powerful Blessing ...

Saint Luke writes in Chapter 6, verses 27 and 28, "But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies!  Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you.  Pray for those who hurt you."  Clearly, our Lord is calling upon us to embrace forgiveness of others but in so doing, we also make a giant leap forward in the effort to realize our own forgiveness.

I saw a nice depiction of how our Lord's teaching might play out in our lives on Facebook today and share it below:

May you enjoy God's blessings and peace this day, and always. <><