We had a fabulous service this morning in St Mary’s. The place was full of people, good preaching, gorgeous music (Haydn’s Little Organ Mass with organ, full choir and strings) and a glorious time was had by all. We ran out of service books and consecrated hosts (again).
At the end of the service, I made the following announcement:
“I have been giving much thought as to how we should mark the Lambeth Conference this summer. All the duly consecrated bishops of the Anglican Communion have been invited to Canterbury for a conference with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams. Well, all bar one – the Rt Rev Gene Robinson, the first bishop to acknowledge that he is living in a gay relationship will not be there as he has not been invited.
I have been invited several time to go to Lambeth, to campaign and wave banners and speak and generally campaign. I have decided not to do this. We must simply be who we are.
However, that has left me wondering how we can mark this Conference at St Mary’s. My response to this consists of 4 events:
Firstly, Bishop Idris has kindly agreed to meet with members of the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans) group which meet here at this Cathedral.
Secondly, The Most Rev Fred Hiltz, the Primate of All Canada has agreed to come and to preach here at St Mary’s on the Sunday before the Lambeth Conference (13 July 2008).
Thirdly, on the same day, those bishops who will be enjoying the hospitality of the Diocese will be invited here for Evensong. This will be an opportunity to greet them, pray with them and send them on their way to Lambeth with all our best wishes and goodwill.
Finally, it seems to me to be desirable to have someone at the end of the conference to come and preach to us. But who would the best person to have be? After all, all the bishops of Communion will be busy with Rowan Williams in Canterbury at the Conference. Well, all bar one. I’m delighted to announce that the Rt Rev Gene Robinson, the Bishop of New Hampshire has agreed to come and celebrate the Eucharist and to preach the gospel on 3 August 2008 at 1030 here in St Mary’s.
I have met Bishop Gene, prayed with him and heard him preach. He is well worth hearing and I invite you all to bring your friends along on that Sunday to hear him.
Further details will be announced in due course.”
OK. I’ll go back to writing about Partick Thistle. I’m obviously so out of touch.
David, all bishops get to be bishops in Scotland.
Women bishops are not allowed to function as bishops in the Church of England because the C of E has not (yet) seen fit to consecrate women. In Scotland, we believe that both men and women can be bishops, though we haven’t yet had the chance to elect a woman.
Kenny — another way to play this is to say it is unremarkable. Many foreign bishops will be preaching here this summer. The bishop of New Hampshire is just another one. Kelvin’s triumph in offering him an altar this summer is to make it clear that +Gene Robinson is not a ’cause’ or a symbol of provocation, but a bishop of the church who is welcome among us.
Reflecting on the range of views within the church over gay rights, as well as the way in which one side of the debate never misses an opportunity to rub the other side’s nose in it, I am regretfully driven to the conclusion that God cannot possbly exist because if he did so, he would surely have made his will on this issue more clearly known to his followers. So thanks very much “+Gene” and others involved in the debate for inadvertently leading me to enlightenment.
Good going – I’m now seriously wondering if I can be in the area that evening.
Kenny, if you had the opportunity to make your way to St. Mary’s on 3 AUG, you would encounter a truly humble individual dedicated to his calling, genuinely in love with the Church and her constituents, preaching the Gospel that represents a Table of Extravagant Grace available to one and all.
Had the +ABC handled things much differently, I believe that +Gene would have done all within his power to have “blended in” at Lambeth. Even those who are some of his biggest detractors in TEC House of Bishops remark how he goes out of his way to reach out to them, to genuinely listen to their positions and do all he can to allow them to feel comfortable when around him.
However, Kelvin, this is not lost on most progressive blogs in North America that the Scottish Church is again embracing an American whom the CoE has tossed aside. Perhaps +Samuel Seabury will add his voice with Our Lady to the Choir 3 AUG!
It seems as if +Gene is the only bishop to be invited to preach AND celebrate at St Mary’s! Kimberly is right on one level, it’s unremarkable to have a foreign bishop to preach at our Cathedral. Why then is it causing so many remarks? We know the answer to that!
My own blog sets out my own position, but you have to wade through the Partick Thistle stuff. You see, I, too am part of a minority of people who are discriminated against! It’s not so painful, though.
My only real question is, “Why now?” I stand by it!
I am always reminded of the furore when Wesley first allowed women to preach – another ‘unbiblical’ decision at first glance. He simply found that as they could preach the gospel, it was plain the Spirit was leading them. QED methinks.
The thing I find compelling about St. Mary’s is the sense that the kingdom of God will come, that the kingdom of God ‘breaks out’ in the world as well in our lives, and that, as on last Christmas midnight mass when we were all packed in and everything was glorious, God is with us.
I fear that this might be another time like that, and our family will be out of the country.
You are going to have to figure out a way to make it up to the red head on the front row. Imagine, 70 or 80 years down the road, she could have been saying, ‘I saw the kingdom of God that day.’
Despite comments to the contrary there is a feeling that there could be a rift between the Anglicans and the Episcopal Church. These two churches should both be united in their wish to bring about a revival of christianity and christian values.
As a newcomer to the church I don’t like the thought of schism between these two great branches of christianity.
I rather get the feeling that the invitation has been extended for the wrong reasons and that it will not help either the unity of the Anglican Communion or our relationships with other churches. There is a time and a place for being provocative but I do not believe that this is one of them.