Generous orthodoxy

It's been an interesting year of ordained ministry! I believe anyone who is ordained will tell you that no amount of seminary or formation actually prepares you for what happens when you finally put the collar on. Even my Lutheran friends, who wear collars as seminary interns before they are ordained, find that things are still different after they become "pastor."

If you've never heard the song Jeremiah by Suzzy and Maggie Roche, get a copy of their album Zero Church and take a listen. The words are from God's words to Jeremiah (33.3):

Call me Jeremiah
Call me and I'll show you
Great and mighty
Things you have not seen.

How true it is for those of us who are ordained. We see things both great and mighty things ... and sometimes we see things that, if we are completely honest, we'd rather not. But God calls us to see these things, especially the painful and hard things, to witness to God's love and reconciliation in Jesus Christ.

I just finished reading Bishop J. Neil Alexander's book This Far By Grace: A Bishop's Journey Through Questions About Homosexuality. This book is outstanding for anyone wanting to understand how in the world the Episcopal Church can consecrate an openly gay bishop in a partnered relationship in light of Biblical passages which seem to condemn homosexuality.

I've read a lot of reflection since 2003 on what I believe to be our "hot button topic du jour." I say that because I do believe it's just the next round of debate on how we engage the Scriptures on a variety of topics (not the least of which was the appropriate role of women in the church ... a question which is still being debated in a number of places and which still limits where I can realistically be called to exercise my priestly vocation ... but that's another blog post for another time). There are those who take a more literal interpretation of the Scriptures within the Episcopal Church. They are hurt and frustrated about the full inclusion of gays, lesbians, transsexuals, and bisexual persons in the life of the church because they believe it violates Scripture.

Recently, our Presiding Bishop met with some clergy in South Carolina (who are more literalist and conservative in their interpretations). The question which kept being raised was surrounding the "authority of Scripture" in the Church. Literalist conservatives (and as a note, I hate labels ... but use them only as descriptors here, not as pejoratives!) accuse the Episcopal Church of rejecting the authority of Scripture. I don't believe that's an accurate definition of the issue.

If you've followed this blog for any length of time, you've probably figured out I consider myself a "progressive." Again, labels are a problem, especially since "liberal" has a whole theological connotation which is different from the political one and which is a theological position I reject. I'm not a Biblical literalist all the time. I do think there are some things in the Bible which should, and even must, be taken literally. Jesus said, "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." I take that literally - I'm not sure how one could take it any other way. But do we take everything literally and does every piece of Scripture carry the same moral weight? I don't think so. I truly think the prohibitions against wearing a polyester/cotton alb (Lev 19:19) aren't very important in the grand schema of the Almighty and therefore I do not assign the same moral weight to that passage as I do to Jesus' love commandment.

In the ordination service for all clergy in the Episcopal Church, we make a solemn declaration about what we believe regarding the Scriptures. "I solemnly declare that I do believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the Word of God, and to contain all things necessary to salvation." What I did not say was I believe all things in the Holy Scriptures to be necessary to salvation! There are many things in Scripture which have nothing to do with salvation. It doesn't mean we disregard them, but it does mean we need to discern their importance in light of the saving work of Christ on the cross.

The question, therefore, is not whether folks like me have rejected the authority of Scripture (as some may believe). The question is whose interpretation of Scripture will be authoritative for the community? That's a much more dodgy question because it involves interpretation which is a living, dynamic process rather than a static set of rules. Bishop Alexander says in his book that the interpretation of Scripture needs to incorporate the Jewish Midrashic process wherein we engage the reading of Scripture with scholars throughout the ages to wrestle with the questions of our time. Our question then will move from "What does the Bible say about ...?" and become "What do you believe the Bible says about ...?" I think his point is well taken.

To me, this is the generous orthodoxy of which both Bishop Alexander and Brian McLaren address from their respective perspectives. Orthodoxy isn't a rigid set of rules which become the litmus test of who is "in" and who is "out." Orthodoxy is found when we all enter the conversation to find the deeper truth that any of us alone can grasp. It's the process that allows diversity at the table and is generous in letting the messiness of that conversation unfold.

Interestingly, the word "orthodoxy" comes from Greek. "Ortho" is to be "upright," "straight," "correct" and "doxy" comes from doxa, which means "glory," "brightness," "radiance," "majesty" and "splendor." The word, over time, has been interpreted as "right belief" ... but going back to the original etymology, it's really about "right glory." How do we give God "right glory?" I believe it's by engaging others with differing insights and resisting the temptation to go for the quick and easy answer.

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Now playing: Suzzy & Maggie Roche - Jeremiah
via FoxyTunes

Will preach for food ... no wait ... for the highest bidder!

I don't do unemployment very well. There ... it's out ... I feel better. ;-) There are folks who have raised unemployment to an art form - I'm even related to some of them. But I don't know how to do it very well. Guess that's the latent Lutheran, Scandinavian work ethic imbued in my DNA.

I made my resignation from Gathered by Christ official this week with a letter to my bishop. He's in hospital, but I copied all the folks who need to be "in the know." Best to make it clear to everyone involved that my call to serve Gathered by Christ is finished and to make room for the next call.

So I can't really call myself the "Virtual Vicar" anymore ... since I'm not technically a vicar of anything. The pope is the "vicar of Christ" ... not me. And does Christ really need a vicar?! Hmmm ... makes me wonder ... ah well, sorry about that ... brain sometimes goes off to the Bahamas for a minute!

Anyway, I'm now doing what we call "supply work" and it's kind of cool. I get to visit other churches while their clergy are on vacation and preside at worship. I go in, I preach the sermon, preside at the Eucharist, have some coffee and chat time with the locals, get a check and go home. As supply clergy I'm just there for the day gig so the members of the congregation are quite happy to see me come and have been very gracious and welcoming. I don't have to go to vestry meetings, get embroiled in any congregational controversy, make prophetic spiritual or moral demands on the members, or run a stewardship campaign. Nope, just preaching and liturgy and take it on the toe. It's a nice respite ... and I'm liking it. Of course, it won't sustain me financially (yeah, there's always a "down side" isn't there??). I need a call, but hopefully this will carry us through until something appropriate opens up for me.

Being a "supply clergyperson" sounded a bit boring and "unemployed priest" just wasn't doing anything for my sense of self and call. "Hired gun" was a bit too violent for a woman of the cloth. So I came up with "Mercenary Presbyter for Christ" ... a bit more joie d' vive and says it all, don't you think? :-D

Call and cure

Lately I've been mulling the difference between call and cure. In the church, we speak of being called by God to ministry. That is true for all people of faith, regardless of whether you are ordained or not. When you are ordained, we speak of being called to a particular congregation to be a priest or pastor. But what happens when this call to serve a particular congregation goes away? What does it mean? This is where I am right now.

With the help of friends, I've come to realize that the Call (that "capital C" Call) is bigger than any one congregation's circumstances. Speaking of being called to a congregation can certainly muddy the waters of definition. Call is bigger than any one community or circumstance. I worked a Cursillo weekend (Maryland 95) last weekend. It was just what I needed to get this question straightened out in my heart and mind. It was clear that my Call to be a priest was still there and strong as ever. My call to Gathered by Christ has finished - but that is only a part of my Call.

One of our fellow spiritual advisers last weekend was the Rev. Eddie Blue from Holy Trinity in Baltimore. It's been a great blessing to get to know Eddie+ through the teaming process and we found ourselves cutting up quite a bit ... nothing like a little clerical stream of semi-consciousness humor to keep things interesting. When I said to Eddie+ that I was "losing my call" to this congregation, he replied, "You haven't lost your call, you've lost your cure." Hmmm ... hadn't thought about it that way.

Webster's dictionary defines cure as a noun in three basic ways:

1. A remedy, healing
2. A means to preserve meat
3. A spiritual or religious charge of the people

I don't think "door number 2" applies here ... but maybe one of my readers will find an interesting way to do so (never underestimate the creativity of the blogosphere!). Definitions one and three have some traction though. Three describes the call to a congregation as a cure. That's the "little c" call. It's a call for a reason and a season. Some cures are long term ... others quite short. I was called to take spiritual charge of the people at Gathered by Christ for the purpose of doing whatever God wanted me to do there for God's glory. It turned out that what God wanted was definition number 1 - a healing.

Today, I returned from Diocesan Convention. This is my last official act as Vicar of Gathered by Christ. I distributed all the letters of transfer this past week to the remaining few members. The last one went to our delegate to convention ... he couldn't leave until after he finished his duties!

So I've completed my work there. Now to write the resignation letter to my bishop to make it all official. It was a cure from God ... in more ways than one.