October
29, 2015
The feast of Bl. James Hannington and Companions
Dear
Members and Friends of St. Stephen’s,
As you
might know, Bishop Michael Smith, in the November issue of The Sheaf, issued a letter regarding the topic of same-sex marriage
rites in the Episcopal Diocese of North Dakota. His letter in full follows this
letter. I invite you to prayerfully and respectfully read his letter.
The
reactions of the members of St. Stephen’s to his letter may no doubt vary. Some
may feel anger or frustration. Others may agree with Bishop Smith’s opinion.
In the recent
past, I have purposely not responded to this issue because I, like many of you,
have been waiting patiently for Bishop Smith to make a comprehensive statement
regarding his making provision for same-sex marriage rites in the Diocese. On at
least one occasion I attempted a conversation with Bishop Smith regarding this
issue; no doubt, he already assumed where I stood on this matter.
As the
priest of St. Stephen’s, it is not my duty to tell the people of our
congregation what they should or should not do. I can only encourage. I can only
walk beside you. And I, of course, will support any decision you make as a congregation.
I can also share my own insights with you.
Bishop
Smith’s letter was not a surprise to me, although I will admit that I was disappointed
that Delegated Episcopal Pastoral Oversight (DEPO) was the only option offered
to the Diocese.
His
letter does now draw a very clear and distinctive line in the sand. He makes
clear (and rightfully so) that this matter is no longer an issue of polity, nor
is it an issue of loyalty—either to the Diocese or to the Bishop. It is now a very clear issue of
conscience. Bishop Smith’s final statement makes this clear:
Each of us one day will be called upon to give an account before
God for what we have done or not done during this life, as we stand before the
“great judgment seat of Christ.” At this time in our history, I am keenly aware
of the scriptural warning of the letter of James: “Not many of you should
become teachers … for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater
strictness” (James 3:1)
I agree
entirely with this statement. Each one of us WILL one day be called to give an
account before God for what we have done or not done during this life. I, for
one, am not willing to stand before “the great judgement seat of Christ” and
say that I stood by quietly while people continued to be excluded and marginalized
from the Church or given second (or third)-class treatment. For me, my goal as
a follower of Jesus has always been to live out his command:
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your
soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as
yourself.” (Luke 10.27).
As an
Episcopalian, I take very seriously those vows we make from the Baptismal
Covenant in the Book of Common Prayer (p. 305):
“Will you seek and serve
Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself?”
And
“Will you strive for justice
and peace among all people,
and respect the dignity of every human being?”
In my opinion, the issue of full and equal acceptance of all people in
this Church and to its rites is an issue
of justice. This is an issue of respecting the dignity of every human being.
This is an issue of living out Christ’s command to love one another as God loves
us.
St.
Stephen’s has, from its very beginning in 1956, been a congregation that has
worked hard to be a place of radical hospitality and acceptance. That mission
of all-accepting love has been vital in the lives of countless people who have
found with us a place of solace and sanctuary. We have consistently welcomed the
alienated, the shunned, the marginalized and the discarded. For us, this is
what it means to be Christians in this day and age. For us, this is what it
means to make the Kingdom of God a reality in this world. And we will continue
to do this in the most radical ways. To
do less would be to be untrue to our calling as followers of Jesus.
The ball
is now in our court. How we proceed will be of the utmost importance. My hope
is that we will do so intentionally and prayerfully, allowing God’s Holy Spirit
to be with us and guide us
Whatever
our decision may be as a congregation, these next weeks and months will be a
time for discernment and introspection. I ask that we proceed in a spirit of
grace and humility. I pray that we will allow the Holy Spirit to continue to
work in our midst, and that we allow God’s all-powerful love to reign.
With
that in mind, I caution us from any temptation to demonize Bishop Smith or
anyone else who shares a similar position. Our ministry of love and full-acceptance
extends to our relationship with them as well. They are not our enemies; rather
they are our sisters and brothers in Christ, and we must continue to see them
as such. The command from Christ to love all as God loves us extends, of
course, to them as well.
With all
that in mind, we must now accept the fact that the line, as I previously said, has
now been clearly drawn. We have been given an opportunity to weigh our options
and to proceed in our following of Christ.
So, how
do we proceed? First, I ask you to read Bishop Smith’s letter with an open mind
and heart.
Next, I
ask you to share your opinions with me, or with our Senior Warden, Leo Wilking,
Junior Warden, Catherine McMullen or with any of our vestry members. Your opinion is vital in how we proceed as a
congregation.
Most of
all, I ask for your prayers. Pray for the grace and wisdom to move forward.
Pray for those individuals in our congregation who are most directly affected
by these issues and who are, in this moment, feeling pain and discouragement as
a result of this division. Pray that we can, in all integrity, make wise
decisions, avoiding all malice and ill-will as we do so.
I ask
that you pray for Bishop Smith and for all our sisters and brothers in Christ in
the Diocese of North Dakota at this time. Please pray also for Bishop Michael
Curry, who will be consecrated as the new Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church
on November 1. Pray for the leadership of our Church.
But
especially pray for our congregation of St. Stephen’s. We ask that the Holy
Spirit will be present with each of us as we discern our future together, as we
strive to continue to do the ministry we have been called to do, and as we
follow Jesus where he leads. Please pray for our Senior and Junior Wardens, as well
as our Vestry as they weigh the option placed before them and proceed
accordingly.
And
please do pray for me. Know each of you remain, as always, in my prayers as
well. It is a true joy for me to be your priest.
-peace,
