December 2004
So then you are no longer
strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also
members of the household of God Ephesians
2:19 (NRSV)
Dear All Saints’ Community
The past few months have been a challenge for many of us. Janet and I
have gone through the arduous discernment process for Bishop of San
Diego, and the congregation has had to deal with the uncertainty that
process brought. Thanks be to God is it over, and I did not get elected.
I can say that honestly because after visiting there I saw that the
division and mistrust were far greater than we had been led to believe.
We are staying and are ready to move on.
I learned a lot about myself during the process, and I hope that we
learned more about our strengths and weaknesses as a congregation. One
thing that was helpful for me was gathering a better sense of the wider
Church and the issues we face together. In many ways the Diocese of San
Diego has the same challenges we face here in Maryland. How are we to
relate and to respond to the wider Christian community throughout the
world?
Sometimes we get stuck believing that we are independent in nature and
polity, and we forget that we are in relationship with and accountable
to a wider community of Christians. St. Paul says that "we are no
longer strangers, but we are fellow citizens with all of the saints and
members of the household of God". As in any family, we are to be
responsible and accountable to one another.
All Saints' is not a congregational church. We are part of the Diocese
of Maryland. The Episcopal Church, the Anglican Communion, and the
entire Christian family worldwide. That is what it means when we say we
are 'one holy, catholic, and apostolic church.' While acknowledging our
differences there remains a unity in Christ that connects us, and when
that connection is threatened it is a serious manner.
The actions of the General
Convention 2003 and the subsequent fallout from those actions has
seriously threatened the unity of the Anglican Communion and our
relationship with the majority of the Christian world. The Archbishop of
Canterbury and the heads of the 38 churches in the Anglican Communion
formed the Lambeth Commission to find ways to maintain our unity in
future years. The Windsor Report is the result of a year of study and
deliberation by a broad group of leaders from around the world.
The Windsor Report sharply
criticizes the Episcopal Church for acting outside the 'bonds of
affection' and the 'instruments of unity' and calls on the church to
eventually make a decision to remain in the Anglican Communion. Of
course, this is an oversimplification of the 91 page report, and I urge
you to read it in its entirety . The report is available in the parish
library or online at
www.anglicancommunion.org.
May this Advent season prepare us
to receive the one who binds us together, our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ.
Fr. David
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