Clouds On The Horizon

It really goes without saying that the Anglican Communion is quaking all over the world. You would have thought that after Adam and Eve were driven from the garden of Eden that the issues regarding sexuality would have been settled and the faithful would be able to respond to God's call to mission; but the evil one has other plans for us and we will simply have to live through the turbulence that we are presently facing. What has set the Episcopal Church apart from the rest of the Anglican Communion was the ordination of women to the priesthood in 1974; the ordination of an openly gay man as the Bishop of New Hampshire in 2003; and the enthronement of the first female Presiding Bishop within the Communion in 2006. Because of the actions of the Episcopal Church we find ourselves being punished by many within the Communion, even within our own country with several parishes withdrawing from their diocese in order to place themselves under the pastoral care of an African Bishop. Even within our own parish, several who are unhappy about the church's direction have decided that they need to leave and to find a spiritual home in "less" troubling waters.

Is is very sad when the Body of Christ becomes broken by forces that are dark and divisive. When people can no longer talk or listen to one another, and draw lines in the sand, as if they can live without one another. I have always believed that "truth" is to be found "between" and not in any one (supposed) authority; and that it is only through dialogue that people begin to see things differently.

In this Easter Season it is important for people of faith to reflect together on what they truly believe. Christianity is about grace and not simply about morality. It is about Christ on the Cross forgiving us before we knew what we were doing. It is about a love that will not let us go, but claims us for all eternity. If we are truly God's people we will do all we can to invite those who have left home. Yet we must remember that such an invitation is the message of the Good News itself, proclaiming hope to a darkening world.