…bending toward the light

‘Being the Church’ should take our breath away. The very images we use are graphic: we are ‘grafted on’ to the vine that is Jesus — we are the very Body of Christ.

Then, unfortunately, these days, come the asterisks. Yes, but ….

It is a good thing that the House of Bishops affirmed in their final statement from their just-concluded meeting in New Orleans their “commitment to establish and protect the civil rights of gay and lesbian persons, and to name and oppose at every turn any action or policy that does violence to them,encourages violence toward them, or violates their dignity as children of God.”

And who can argue with their strong affirmation, saying: “We proclaim the Gospel that in Christ all God’s children, including gay and lesbian persons, are full and equal participants in the life of Christ’s Church.”

But, then, the asterisks …

They continue to hold to the lamentable last-ditch language of Resolution B033, from the last General Convention, agreeing “to exercise restraint by not consenting to the consecration of any candidate to the episcopate whose manner of life presents a challenge to the wider church and will lead to further strains on communion.” And then they now add: “The House acknowledges that non-celibate gay and lesbian persons are included among those to whom B 033 pertains.”

It appears as though the Bishops are ready not only to refuse to consent to the legitimate election of a non-celibate gay or lesbian Bishop - including, potentially, Tracey Lind, Dean of Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, Cleveland, OH, who has been nominated to be Bishop of Chicago — but to continue to blame it on her “manner of life” (wink, wink) because it “presents a challenge to the wider church”. People wept openly at General Convention when this language was pushed through at the last moment in the summer of 2006 - don’t the Bishops remember?!

And they “pledge not to authorize for use in our dioceses any public rites of blessing of same-sex unions until a broader consensus emerges in the Communion, or until General Convention takes further action.” Some may feel off the hook by pointing out that no public rites have been authorized for use in any dioceses, and so perhaps use of ‘unauthorized’ rites will pass muster (wink, wink).

As I see it, either all baptized Christians are a full part of the Body of Christ or we aren’t - ANY of us! And if we are, then we’re not just eligible to be called by God to serve the Church as the Church discerns is the most faithful use of our gifts. It’s incumbent up us all that when called we say yes, even if that works out as gay=Bishop.

We can’t be about the business of saying “Welcome to the Body of Christ! But just because you’re a lung, don’t expect to go about breathing around here!” Every part of the Body is essential. Essential, not just ‘eligible’ for participation.

In my parish, our gay asst. rector and straight rector — who happens to be my spouse — made the same promise to their Bishops when they were asked: “Will you do your best to pattern your life in accordance with the teachings of Christ so that you may be a wholesome example to your people?”

What matters most in “the teachings of Christ,” Jesus himself told us, is to love God and our neighbor as ourselves. To do our best to pattern our life on that teaching — not our sexual orientation, which Jesus never talked about at all - is what makes any one of us a wholesome example to anyone else — and fit for any role to which the church legitimately calls us.

It appears to have been Rowan Williams who planted the idea at the House of Bishops meetings that, in his words, “one can say you accept gay and lesbian persons as the Body of Christ and turn right around and raise questions about their eligibility for active roles in the Church.” And so they did. Turn right around.

But in my parish — which happens to be more than 60% gay and lesbian — we are way beyond ‘acceptance’ or ‘tolerance’ or even ‘inclusion’ of gays and lesbians. We actually believe that when God’s table — and as a result, Christ’s Church — is open to all, one can actually get a glimpse here of the Reign of God breaking in. And either we ALL are essential to the Body of Christ, OR NONE OF US ARE!

We really believe we all are called as a community to be Christ’s Body — fully, however God and the Church call us to make that manifest. So the most hopeful thing to say here, despite deep sadness at yet one more exhibition of a willingness to buy unity at the price of love and justice to gays and lesbians, is just this — and I say it to ALL of us Episcopalians, straight and gay. Our Bishops have spoken. Now so should we. “Go! Be the Church!” It’s who we are. All, or none.

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