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April 2002
Reconciliation:
on my bumper sticker, or in my heart? Reflections on
the recent meeting of the House of Bishops
Ever since our Presiding Bishop
and the House of Bishops have been talking about "waging
reconciliation," the responses have indeed been mixed.
Some have been very positive, believing that the mission
of the Church is to be a reconciling agent in the world;
while others have been frustrated and disappointed, saying
that the approach of reconciliation just doesn't work.
Allow me a few thoughts along the way. A dictionary definition
of reconciliation uses these words."to reconcile is
to bring back to friendship after estrangement.to harmonize." I
like those words. To harmonize is not to sing the same note,
but rather to sing notes that complement each other and add
value to the other. We don't have to agree on everything
in order to be reconciled.but we do need to hear what notes
are being sung by the other and strive to see that our notes
are heard and respected as well, and welcomed as part of
the composition.
I have learned that there is a real difference between forgiveness
and reconciliation. Forgiveness is really a solo sport. I
can forgive you whether you choose to forgive me or not,
even whether you accept my forgiveness or not.but I can't
be reconciled with you without your being reconciled with
me.that is what makes it the harder work.indeed the more
important work. Presiding Bishop Griswold reminded us that
just when we are about to be convinced that true reconciliation
is too difficult, perhaps even impossible, a light begins
to shine and we discover that reconciliation is not something
we create out of our own blood, sweat and tears, for in fact
reconciliation has already occurred. Indeed, God has been
at work reconciling the world to God's self in and through
Jesus Christ. What remains for us is to undertake the difficult
work of inhabiting that reconciliation already given.
At the meeting of the Bishops, we worked on this theme at
three levels: personal, communal/ecclesial, and global. I
spent some personal time reflecting on the ways in which
I have not been able to, or have not been willing to, inhabit
the reconciliation God has extended to me and my life.what
am I still holding on to that keeps me apart.what needs to
change in the ordering of my life? There is much work to
be done here, but I do recognize that this work is not linear.
While I am working away at my personal stuff, I need to move
on with engaging the other areas of the work of reconciliation.
The communal/ ecclesial area is the one that seems to me
to absorb all of our time and energy, leaving us unable to
confront the global issues. Whether it be congregation or
district or diocese or province or Episcopal church or Anglican
communion, or world-wide ecumenism, we will always have disagreements
and different ways of expressing the truth of the Gospel
as we have come to believe and experience it in our own particularity.
We need to continue to work out those differences and understandings,
relying ultimately on the grace of this God who loves us
in the midst of our differences. I dare say, perhaps more
because of our differences. But most of all, we cannot allow
the strident voices of a few to hold captive the entire church.
As we continue to work at the issues that divide us within
the church, we cannot lose sight of the world that moves
on with its agenda, wondering if the church will indeed engage.
Do we have something to say, perhaps even to do as witness
and participant in the reconciling love of God for the world?
I believe so.
As Bishops, we selected four areas from a much larger list
to focus our energy and concern: the reduction of global
poverty, hunger and disease; the growing gap between rich
and poor within the United states; the development of candid
dialogue among Abrahamic faiths; and the empowering of partnerships
of provinces/dioceses within the Anglican Communion. Some
specific plans were developed in each of the areas, including
a recommendation to have a future meeting of the House of
Bishops take place in Washington, DC, in order to meet and
work with our legislators and our Washington office of the
Episcopal Church.
I encourage you to look at your participation in the reconciling
work of Christ, personally; within your congregation or district
or diocese or beyond; and by engaging in the global issues
that speak to your heart. As I was looking through my notes
from these days in Texas with the Bishops, I came across
this quote from Rumi: "OUT BEYOND THE IDEAS OF RIGHT-DOING
AND WRONG-DOING, THERE LIES A FIELD...I'LL MEET YOU THERE.
May God bless us in the work which is before us.
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