From a Presbyterian friend and colleague: "I'm curious, if it's not too complicated to answer-- how does the current turmoil in the Anglican Church affect you and/or St. Peter's? - J."
Dear J.,
A good question that I'm happy to reply to. The simple answer is, "Not much," at least not yet. The Episcopal Church's decisions to move forward with the blessings of same-sex couples and allowing openly gay persons to become bishops hasn't impacted us hardly at all.
These are large decsions dealing with the overall direction of the Episcopal church over a long period of time. As a local parish we're very concerned with individuals, small groups, and shorter periods of time.
The most imminent struggle and turmoil facing St. Peter's is both more mundane and more important, namely the day to day struggle to keep Christ central in our own lives. The temptation in times like these is to make whatever issue the Church is facing the focus of our activity, thoughts, emotions, and reflections. To give in to that temptation is, of course, idolatry. Christ alone should be the focal point of our lives, thoughts, and actions. The rest falls into place afterwards.
Someone might ask, "Isn't St. Peter's concerned with social justice" or "....concerned with morality or Biblical authority and fidelity to the Gospel?" Of course we are! However, as a small parish our approach is to take one person at a time. The joy of working on the local level is the ability to see a person for who they are, not what group they are affiliated with. Jane is Jane first, not primarily a conservative or a lesbian or a priest or a Japanese American. Jane is Jane, and we are interested in inviting Jane to a life of faith in Christ no matter what descriptors she may use for herself or others of her.
Personally, I'm more concerned with the individuals being trampled in the dust by all the flag waving by both sides. I try not to worry about making the right call on the issues and worry about missing opportunities to make God's love known to those who are bruised and bleeding, regardless of what "camp" they're in.
Regardless of what decsions we make as a national church, we all remain sinners utterly dependent on God's grace to make us whole and "good people." We cannot save ourselves through righteous living or good legislation. Ultimately, even our best efforts are flawed. Once we realize how dependent we are (a very Calvanist thought, by the way), perhaps we can relax and take Martin Luther's advice: "Love God and do what you will."
Striving to keep Christ in the center,
Fr. James+
