Silence
I'm sure my silence has been conspicuous (or maybe not) over the past two weeks. As I've heard so many friends and colleagues say recently, "I just don't know where to begin." And so I've started with silence.
My heart is saddened for my sister in Christ, Beth Stroud. I continue to affirm her calling in ministry, as do many others. Beth has taught be many things about what it means to be called to ministry, how to live out that calling to its fullest and not be arrogant. Her humilty is Christ-like and her struggle is part of living the cruciformed life. I yearn for the day when Beth, and many others, can wear the yolk of her calling again and break bread at table meant for all people.
And while I harbor great concerns about the Judicial Council decision in the case of the pastor from Virginia who denied full membership in the Church to a man based on his sexual orientation, I pray for that congregation, the pastors, and the community. While we may fall on one side of this conversation or the other, the humanity and faith of a congregation should be a pastoral concern to which all of us who call ourselves Christian should recognize.
I weep for my Church. I struggle to understand the logic behind both decisions. I continue to pray. I celebrate our differences as a denomination, and I pray that these differences can continue to be held in creative tension. This isn't a win-lose game.
And so silence has brought me to this place. I certainly hold a specific opinion and I certainly pray that the Judicial Council will re-consider the case of the Virginia Annual Conference. I also hope that our General Conference will recognize the interconnectedness of these decisions to the schizophrenic language found in our Book of Discipline. And yet, I pray for the unity of the church for indeed this is the reconciliation to which Jesus Christ calls each of us.
Lord, in a breath you created me, and I am yours. It is your breath that I hear, and it is your breath that I speak. Help me to hear, help me to love, help me to stuggle. Let your will be done. Amen.
My heart is saddened for my sister in Christ, Beth Stroud. I continue to affirm her calling in ministry, as do many others. Beth has taught be many things about what it means to be called to ministry, how to live out that calling to its fullest and not be arrogant. Her humilty is Christ-like and her struggle is part of living the cruciformed life. I yearn for the day when Beth, and many others, can wear the yolk of her calling again and break bread at table meant for all people.
And while I harbor great concerns about the Judicial Council decision in the case of the pastor from Virginia who denied full membership in the Church to a man based on his sexual orientation, I pray for that congregation, the pastors, and the community. While we may fall on one side of this conversation or the other, the humanity and faith of a congregation should be a pastoral concern to which all of us who call ourselves Christian should recognize.
I weep for my Church. I struggle to understand the logic behind both decisions. I continue to pray. I celebrate our differences as a denomination, and I pray that these differences can continue to be held in creative tension. This isn't a win-lose game.
And so silence has brought me to this place. I certainly hold a specific opinion and I certainly pray that the Judicial Council will re-consider the case of the Virginia Annual Conference. I also hope that our General Conference will recognize the interconnectedness of these decisions to the schizophrenic language found in our Book of Discipline. And yet, I pray for the unity of the church for indeed this is the reconciliation to which Jesus Christ calls each of us.
Lord, in a breath you created me, and I am yours. It is your breath that I hear, and it is your breath that I speak. Help me to hear, help me to love, help me to stuggle. Let your will be done. Amen.
posted by Chett Pritchett at
10:42 PM
1 Comments:
I'm theologically conservative, so I don't regret this judicial decision. But I have prayed for Beth Stroud and will continue to do so -- that she be healed and that God give her purpose and meaning.
It would be unChristian to gloat or to bear her ill will.
By
John, at 8:22 AM
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