Sadness and Hope

I confess to feeling some sadness tonight. At Evening Prayer we said farewell to the music team that has led us for two and a half weeks. The worship and music remain for me among the real highlights of the Lambeth Conference. Day after day we were treated to new and exciting music, much of it very singable, which I hope to bring home to share. We also said farewell to the incredible variety of worship styles and languages that has characterized our daily worship: English, French, Arabic, Urdu, Swahili, Malaysian... our worship experience has been very, very rich.

We also began saying good bye to new friends and colleagues with whom we have engaged in very deep conversation. The very best part of this Lambeth for me has been learning about the cultures and ministries of the members of my Bible Study and Indaba group. I have learned about the passions and concerns of the Church in India, New Zealand, England, Australia, Chile, South Africa, Canada, Melanesia, and Sri Lanka. In every place there are faithful Christians, passionate about the Gospel, laboring to bring good news to the people, often at great personal sacrifice. I will miss their newly familiar faces.

I think, as my new friend, George, has said, the story line we've been given for this Lambeth is actually the wrong story line. The story line we've been given is that there are two sides locked in combat here at Lambeth. The two sides may be described as progressive or liberal and traditional or conservative, and they are said to extend throughout the Communion. But a truer narrative is that there a many "sides" and that in many places passionate Christians are proclaiming the Gospel. They may have opinions about the issues that divide us, but they are not focused on them and not willing to spend all their time talking about them. Attempts to resolve the conflict do not speak to their situations or their needs.

But the "two sides" story line is very strong, and the Lambeth reflection paper will reinforce it. There are many people who hope the existing moratoria will continue and that a Pastoral Forum will be established to deal with conflicts. And while some folk express deep skepticism about the need for and viability of a covenant, others hope work will go forward. The good news hidden in these matters is the now nearly universal recognition that nothing will work unless ways can be found to continue in genuine conversation. Good relationships are the key to resolving conflicts.

For now, there have been no legislative changes. The reflection paper is advisory and the matters raised will need to be addressed by the Synods or Conventions of each Province. The Covenant process may well go through several more iterations before Provinces will be asked to decide. And in several Provinces, constitutional and canonical issues will further slow consideration. So numerous opportunities for conversation lie before us.

In the meantime, I think we've been inspired to reinvigorate our ministries, especially those related to the poor, the voiceless, and the oppressed. The Good News of Jesus Christ needs to be proclaimed now more than ever, and sometimes, as St. Francis said, with words. Sharing in those ministries is another way we can strengthen our relationships.

I want to thank all of you for your prayers, for your interest, for your comments. We have felt uplifted and supported across all these miles. We are eager to see you and be home again among you.

A final post tomorrow night.

Peace,
+Steve

A Small Explosion

As the end of the Lambeth Conference approaches, anxieties are rising and there are more and more frequent expressions of concern that Lambeth isn't going to do anything. Many folks are saying that Lambeth needs to say something robust or definitive.

This morning there was a small explosion in my Indaba group. What exploded was widespread frustration that all the talk about our disagreements distracts from mission and undermines the Communion's credibility. The real issues, the real priorities of the Anglican Communion, need to be poverty, hunger, HIV/AIDS, the oppression of women and children, the oppression of the Dalits in India, war, refugees, care for creation, etc. (Indeed, if there is a consensus at this Lambeth it is that global warming is the most important matter facing humankind and that care for creation must be a first priority for the Church.) Most of the members of my group shared in some part of this frustration.

Like most explosions , however, this one was unfocused and it soon spread into chastising the Episcopal Church for creating all the disagreement in the Anglican Communion and keeping it going. The Episcopal Church was repeatedly charged with not responding to the Windsor process. The actions of our General Convention 2006 in responding to Windsor are not well known and are often received as new information.

The Episcopal bishops in my Indaba received this critique in respectful silence, without defensiveness, and responses actually came from other churches. The gist of the responses was that all of us are shaped in our ministries by the people and culture of our communities. Each of us is struggling to be faithful as God has given us the light. So there were voices of support, but it was a long session.

At hearings and other meetings today, there were calls to reaffirm Lambeth 1:10 or to state that the Windsor moratoria must continue. The Archbishop of Canterbury has said that there will be no voting or legislation. Rather the work of the Indaba groups will be drawn into a final statement that will be refined by an ongoing process of review in our groups and in hearings. Other processes, such as the Windsor Continuation process and the Anglican Covenant process will continue beyond this meeting. For me, the best part of this Lambeth has been the frank, respectful, and sometimes profound conversations of the Bible Study and Indaba groups. I hope we'll find ways to continue these conversations without forcing a decision now.

For all this, the work of building relationships continues. And daily worship refreshes and strengthens. Tonight the Church of Aoroatea, New Zealand and Polynesia led us in Night Prayer according to the New Zealand Prayerbook. The words and hymns fell like healing rain on a tired congregation of bishops and spouses.

Peace,
+Steve

Bishops and spouses walk to raise awareness for the MDGs

Bishop Knudsen introduces a video about yesterday's walk in London to raise awareness about the Millennium Development Goals to halve extreme poverty by 2015.