In
recent weeks, several people have expressed anxiety and confusion—even anger at
times—over the current state of the Anglican Church, both here in
As
an observer from the sidelines (i.e. the Internet), what I can say about Lambeth
is quite limited.
1. Contrary to calls earlier in the past year for the Archbishop
of Canterbury to cancel it, Lambeth happened. Even so, a sizable group of
bishops, most notably from
2. Unlike the previous several Lambeth Conferences, this
one produced no resolutions, but its final statement referred to “wide
agreements” on certain matters.
Regarded
as one of the four “instruments of unity” of the Anglican Communion, the Lambeth
Conference has been held at the ABC’s invitation every ten years for well over
a century. Traditionally, every active bishop in the Anglican Communion has
been invited. The invitation list this time left off two controversial bishops—V.
Gene Robinson, bishop of New Hampshire, whose ordination to the episcopate touched
off the current crisis; and Martyn Minns, ordained as a bishop for the Church
of Nigeria to serve its American mission. Every Canadian bishop was invited,
and only two did not attend, both for reasons of health.
In
late June, many of the bishops who had declined Lambeth invitations met in
These
developments have already left their mark on
All
of our readings today speak to the situation in which our church finds itself.
We
heard last week of how Joseph’s jealous older brothers conspired to be rid of
him, stopping just short of murder. This week we jump to the climactic end of
the Joseph story, as Joseph reveals himself to his family. They quite
reasonably expect him to be as vengeful as they were, and are dumbfounded when Joseph
instead seeks reconciliation and reunion. The psalm that followed sang the
praises of people living together in unity—like oil running down the beard of
Aaron, a sign of the unity of the people before God’s high priest; and like the
dew of Hermon, a metaphor for God’s abundant blessings. Community unity is not
a straitjacket of conformity, but visible shalom—giving
and invigorating life.
We
can look around the world today and see many of the results of the desire for
vengeance—ongoing divisions in various societies, wars, insurrections, and
hatred. The seeds of such strife were often planted centuries ago, as in the Caucasus
and
God
desires for us the blessings of unity, the peace which only God can bring.
Shalom!
It
is sad to say, but one of the great causes of human strife has always been
religious disagreement, particularly when one group or another is sure that
they and only they have the only road to God. The readings from the New
Testament converge on this issue, notably the divide between Jews and Gentile
Christians.
In
the central chapters of the Letter to the Romans (9–11), Paul wrestles with the
question of the fate of the Jews. He is absolutely convinced of the truth of
the Gospel he preaches—Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah so long expected by the
Jews—and agonizes over the rejection of Jesus by most of the Jews of his time.
What is to become of them? Are they damned for all time? Two weeks ago we heard
him raise the question; last week we got a snippet of his argument. This week
we get his answer, which for some people is almost no answer at all.
Paul
has to believe that God’s promises will be kept—the promise made to Abraham,
and passed down through his family, including Joseph. God’s Chosen People will
not be “un-chosen.” Paul concludes that in some mysterious way God will redeem
the people of
God
desires for us the blessings of unity, the peace which only God can bring.
Shalom!
Almost
exactly the same issue presents itself in the Gospel, one of the rare occasions
when Jesus deals with a non-Jew. Questions about the law abound in the Gospel of
Matthew, and we hear Jesus repeatedly re-interpreting the law for his
disciples. Here, a foreigner re-interprets the law to Jesus—not the letter of
the Law of Moses, but the higher law which he himself pointed to: love, mercy
and compassion are the very essence of God’s demands on us.
Jesus
sounds harsher here than anywhere else, in effect calling the woman a “dog,”
but her quick-witted rejoinder turns him around, and leads him to reach out
across the boundaries of religious and cultural divisions. She claims her right
to his compassion, and he relents. Barriers come down and disunity turns to
peace.
What
is the future of the Anglican Church, both world wide and in
God
desires for us the blessings of unity, the peace which only God can bring. Shalom!
