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.”
I’ll get to your other points B, but can’t you see that denying a *Bishop* the right to preach very much is a curtailing of their rights? If societal homophobia disappeared then terms like gay and straight would lose their current meaning; it is not necessarily +Gene’s fault that he is perceived as primarily a political figure than a man of God. And , as regards timing : can you honestly say that there was any time that +Gene Robinson could have been invited to preach at a SE church that would not have had St.Silas types metaphorically breaking out the green ink?
I’m a Roman Catholic priest and am following the conversation re. +Gene. I haven’t left my email address because life is even tougher for gay and gay-sympathetic priests and people in RC-dom than it is in Pisky-land, and I don’t want to compromise the ministry I have. I am delighted +Gene will receive hospitality at St Mary’s, delighted he will preside at the Eucharist, and delighted he will break the word. I only wish I could be present.
Jesus scandalised the Pharisees because he enjoyed the company of ‘tax-collectors and sinners’. They couldn’t comprehend how he, as a religious teacher, a devout follower of the Law, could do such a thing. But he did. And suffered the consequences of their legalistic bigotry. And rose from the dead! He knew that his Father’s house has many rooms. He could see goodness in each and every one. He was not sin-obsessed as many of his followers became, and still are. He said nothing, repeat, nothing, about same-sex relationships. He called people to love, to forgive, to usher in the reign of his Father. Somehow, much of the Church has illicitly divorced itself from his teaching, his praxis, and his living presence in the Church. +Gene is a baptised Christian, living in the Spirit, seeking to know and do God’s will. Even if we don’t know that, we must presume it. If we cannot presume it, perhaps we are more serpents than doves…
I am in awe of his integrity, his courage, his faithfulness to the Gospel, his persistence in a ministry that is poorly acknowledged at the level of Lambeth, his commitment to the word of God — and so much else.
People are broken. The diagnosis is chronicled in Genesis, re-iterated in the gospels and in Paul, and is evident today. +Gene brings good news to this brokenness. I am grateful for his witness, am inspired by his integrity, and add my poor prayers to so many others for his flourishing in life and in the Church.
The funny thing for me is that +Gene, in reality, would just prefer to be on about the business of being the Bishop Diocesan of New Hampshire.
If you talk to folks in the diocese, they are about being the Church in their area like every other diocese in their province. They are not going about it any differently because it is +Gene who is their bishop. Just as the Diocese of Maine isn’t going about doing it differently because +Chilton (a woman) is their bishop.
It is the crux of the statements that he makes when he tells folks that he is just a simple country bishop. +Gene has served in that diocese for years. He was elected from among his own to be their leader because they knew him, they respected him and they loved and were comfortable with him.
In spite of how much he tries to just go on about the business of leading the diocese of New hampshire, he has also accepted the fact that is is not going to be that simple. I believe that he has accepted the role that God has raised him up for such a time as this. And so, in addition to leading his diocese, he “makes” time to be the voice of gay folks in TEC, and the rest of the AC. At tremendous personal sacrifice at times.
There are detractors who love to say that he loves every minute of it. He craves the lime light. I do not believe that to be so. As far as the rest of the province is concerned, he lived a basically obscure presence in this diocese before his election, and I believe he would be just as happy had his episcopate had followed suit.
I have nothing to add to the above, I just wanted to be the person who posted the comment that made “An Announcement” overtake “The Advent Wreath Candle Controversy” in the most commented league table!
🙂
Some might call that cheating, Stewart 🙂
Coming far too late to the party: have you considered the effect on the home churches of interested/supportive parties of your Sunday Eucharist’s taking place on a Sunday morning? 😉
Are you referring to the fact that people need to make the decision to worship with their own community or be present at st marys? It is a shame that all (or maybe just most) Christian churches still insist on worshipping on a sunday, meaning that those of us who have eccumenical interests find it difficult to build and be part of one community while trying to support and learn from other churches. This is not even considering that not working on a sunday in some employments is difficult. This is very much a discussion suited to a different thread or website; I would, never-the-less like to know what others think of this.
Paul, I’m all for worship at different times during the week. But in this case, surely it is good that this is happening in the main Sunday service?
If I find my morning congregation is tiny that day because lots of people have chosen to go to the cathedral, that’s fine. At least I will know they are in church somewhere, which is more than can be said on most Sundays that half the congregation suddenly disappears.
Paul, I’m simply referring to the fact that I don’t like to miss “my” church on a Sunday but that some occasions tempt me to do so. This is one such.
I agree. My issue (?) was quite personal in that the church I belong to in Glasgow (the Metropolitan Community Church) at the moment only meets once a month on the first sunday and this event, splendid though it is, is forced us to make a decision since it seems that some will want to be at st marys and some would rather not go for whatever reason. we’re having to decide whether to move the time of service or not. Relatively small issue I know but with a small congregation it can mean a lot.
Kimberly: yes it is good that it is taking place at the traditional worship time. Why treat Gene any different from any other Bishop in the AC? Even if the Conference thinks differently.
Chris, you’re right. This is one of those times when the ‘home’ churches may have to make a small sacrifice to support a leader like Gene.