Isaiah 40: 21-31
Sixth Sunday after Pentecost/ 8th July 2012
Walking, Running, Soaring in
Hope. This was the theme,
the text of the 220th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church
(U.S.A.), held in Pittsburgh this past week.
Just less than 900 elected commissioners and advisory delegates from
every presbytery came from north, south, east, and west to discern together the
mind of Christ for the PC (U.S.A.).
As
always, I’m grateful to the Session and the congregation for giving me the time
and the financial support to attend the General Assembly as part of my terms of
call. Many years ago I learned that the
General Assembly is the best place to see the Presbyterian Church at work; it’s
the best place to have a sense of the larger church, the national church, the
global witness of the Reformed Church in the world. I’ve been to so many GA’s that they feel like a
family reunion of sorts. And I’m grateful to work with and know extraordinary
Presbyterians, teaching elders and ruling elders alike who are passionately
committed to the church of Jesus Christ and our unique perspective of the faith
as Presbyterians.
The Assembly concluded yesterday
morning, after going for a very late night/ early morning session, adjourning
at 1:30 a.m. on Saturday morning, making for a long Friday that started around 9:30
a.m., working all the way through.
Catonsville Presbyterian Church should be very proud and grateful for
the service and witness rendered by David Hutton, one of our elected
commissioners from Baltimore Presbytery to GA.
He served on the Mid-Councils Committee, one of the most important committees
at this Assembly, considering the future of synods in the denomination and
whether we should have non-geographic presbyteries. I heard through friends working with the
committee that David was a rock star. They were grateful for his leadership.
After worship this morning, we’ll take some time to provide a very broad
overview of what happened this past week.
Most of the reports and a summary of the actions can be found online
through the Presbyterian News Service.
“This
assembly’s theme, ‘walking, running, soaring into hope’ (Isaiah 40:31) was a fitting
description of the assembly in many ways. At one level, the commissioners
worked tirelessly…and doing so with much energy and passion. At a deeper level,
the deliberations and discernment of this assembly reflect a church that is
endeavoring to know how to demonstrate faithfully and effectively the gospel of
Jesus Christ in the 21st century.”[1]
Here are some of
the highlights:
Worship – “The assembly paused daily
in the midst of its business, in the same space, to worship. Each of the
preachers used the same text, Mark 2:1-12, chosen by outgoing GA Moderator,
Cindy Bolbach. Commissioners and advisory delegates prayed and sang often,
using selections from the upcoming new hymnal from the Presbyterian Publishing
Corporation, Glory to God, which the
assembly voted to commend to the church.”
Business – The assembly
addressed roughly 800 items of business in the form of overtures, reports, commissioner
resolutions and more.
Definition of marriage – The
assembly chose not to change the current definition of marriage that is in the
PC (USA) constitution, namely, that marriage is a civil contract “between a man
and a woman.” Rather, through its action to approve a two-year study, the
assembly is inviting the entire church to engage in serious, deliberate conversation
on this issue. There was widespread coverage of this decision in both the New York Times and the Washington Post. The Pittsburgh
Post-Gazette provided the best
overview. Although we don’t have the
influence upon American culture as we once did, people still pay attention when
the Presbyterian Church acts and speaks on controversial issues.
In
the meantime, in places where same-sex marriage is legal teaching elders
(pastors) are now in an even greater, tighter bind, caught between honoring the
policies of the denomination and caring for gay and lesbian Presbyterians who
enter into a covenant of marriage and want to have their pastors bless their
relationship. Presently, do to so would
expose a pastor to disciplinary actions by the church. Some were pushing for the Assembly to offer
an Authoritative Interpretation (AI), which would have given protection to
pastors and alleviate the crisis of conscience.
Unfortunately, in the end, the Assembly was not willing to consider
that, a decision that has already caused considerable pain for some
Presbyterians. The Young Adult Advisory
Delegates and the Theological Seminary Advocates both overwhelmingly advised
for approving the change. They have voice, but not vote in plenary. They are the future the church and they
provide of glimpse of where the Church is moving. For some, it’s not happening fast enough and
they will leave.
The
Covenant Network of Presbyterians, of which this church is a covenant member,
and on whose board I serve, was pushing for an AI and not for a change in the
definition of marriage, primarily because we as a denomination are still living
into the new ordination standards for gay and lesbian Christians in the PC (USA).
My guess is that over the next two years there will be more pastors ignoring
the denomination’s policies and officiating at same-gender marriages.
Middle East – The assembly
chose not to divest from three companies participating in “non-peaceful
pursuits” in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza. Rather, the assembly voted
“to pursue a positive and creative course of action with respect to the current
Palestinian/Israeli conflict,” and to “devise a plan of active engagement and
projects that will support collaboration among Christians, Jews, and Muslims.”
The assembly also approved a boycott on “all Israeli products coming from the
occupied Palestinian territories.”
Heidelberg & Belhar — The
assembly voted to approve a new translation of the Heidelberg Catechism from
the 16th century Protestant Reformation and requested that the
Belhar Confession from South Africa, which emerged in response to the end of
Apartheid, be add to our Book of Confessions.
Both of these actions will be sent to presbyteries for their
ratification.
Mid-Councils – By mid
councils, we mean presbyteries and synods.
There was a proposal to remove synods and to allow for non-geographic
presbyteries. The synods remain, but
there will be fewer ones with new geographic boundaries. The assembly rejected the idea of
non-geographic presbyteries. This was a
veiled attempt, by some, to organize presbyteries around theological
viewpoints, around ideology, instead of geography. It was soundly rejected.
1001 Movement – The assembly
overwhelmingly supported a movement to create 1001 worshiping communities
(www.onethousandone.org). Those communities of faith will perhaps look much
different from traditional congregations, but those that are already
underway—in coffee shops, shopping malls, even on bicycles—are changing the
world and the church for the sake of the gospel. We are in a new world. If people aren’t coming to worship in the
church, then the church has to go to where the people are.
Depending upon one’s perspective,
our commissioners and the church as a whole spent the week walking and running. But, soaring?
I’m not so sure. Hopeful?
Absolutely. But soaring? My sense, as an observer, David might or
might not agree, is that this assembly was trying to do no harm, playing it
safe, being respectful of those churches and presbyteries that are on edge of
leaving, waiting to see what this GA would do.
Depending upon your perspective, it looks like little happened,
particularly around the marriage definition.
Two years ago, using parliamentary procedure to block business, the
assembly didn’t even want to discuss the question of marriage. This year, it was the same. I sat in the committee, I heard the debate –
or lack thereof, really. The assembly
was reluctant to have a discussion about giving relief to some pastors. Again, over the next two years, more and more
pastors will be forced to act in violation of what the courts of the church
have decided.
On Friday evening, my good friend,
Jeff Krehbiel, a pastor in DC, Sue Krehbiel’s brother, a commissioner, posted
on his Facebook page from his seat in the plenary hall. Surrounded by all kinds
of junk food to keep him going, he reached for some Dove chocolate. Dove chocolates have those wonderful quotes
on the inside of the foil wrapper. He
reached for a chocolate, unwrapped the foil, and read the quote. It said, “Be fearless.” He wrote, “Really sad when a candy company
can be more prophetic than the church.” Someone
else on his page posted, “…like a might turtle so moves the church of God….”
Personally speaking, just once I
would like to see us lead the way on social justice issues instead of following
the culture’s lead. No wonder we have
lost our moral voice in the culture. How
is it that the wider society is becoming more inclusive and loving than the
church? Another friend, Margaret Aymer,
an African-American professor of New Testament at the Interdenominational
Theological Center in Atlanta, posted on Twitter: “Remember:
Early incarnations of the Presbyterian Church voted for slavery, against
ordination of women, and for segregation.
God wins.”
“The moral arc of the universe is
long, but it bends toward justice.” So
said Dr. King (1929-1968). We move step,
by step, confident, not despairing, knowing that God is at work within us and
among us and slowly leading us where we need to go. In this we soar and hope.
For me, the highlight of the week
was worship last Sunday at East Liberty Presbyterian Church. Close to 700 gathered in their magnificent
Gothic sanctuary, built by the Mellon family.
Randy Bush, the pastor, also on the Covenant Network board,
preached. Brass players from the
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra offered the prelude; brass and organ lead the
congregation is a glorious processional hymn.
I thought I was going to burst with joy and love and gratitude in praise
to the God who calls us first to praise, to worship, to celebrate the
inexorable grace shown to us in Jesus Christ.
And I thought I would burst with pride, surrounded by all those
Presbyterians, in a service of beautiful liturgy. A new anthem was composed for the
occasion. We had music from Taizé and
pieces sung in Kiswahili. But it was a
video that Randy showed prior to the sermon that perhaps moved me the most and
brought many of us to tears.
It was the latest release of Matt
Harding’s dance video “Where in
the hell is Matt?” 2012. The video
consists of Matt dancing a funny dance with people – he’s not really a great dancer
– in small groups and in enormous crowds with people all around the world,
children, adults, all shapes and sizes and religions and races in a celebration
of the human spirit caught up in the dance, the dance that moves us all forward
toward the life God wants for all of humanity.
There’s one poignant scene in which he’s dancing with people in
wheelchairs. He’s dancing in Kigali,
Rwanda; Dresden, Germany; Damascus, Syria (the dancers have their faces blurred
to keep them anonymous); Erbil, Iraq; Kabul, Afghanistan; Port-au-Prince, Haiti;
the Gaza Strip; Thailand, North Korea, Philippines, South Africa, Cairo,
Athens, Rome, and even Patterson Park, Baltimore. Some are dangerous places, impoverished
places, places of untold pain and suffering, but also places of joy and
happiness. I’m not exactly sure why it
speaks to so many people – I was a wreck watching it – I’m not sure what’s at
the root of the emotions it releases, but it’s profound and uplifting and it
celebrates the thread that binds the human spirit together. The video is set to music, a song, “Trip the
Light,” co-authored by Matt. By trip he means to turn on the light. Here
are the lyrics:
If all the days
that come to pass
Are behind these
walls
I’ll be left at
the end of things
In a world kept
small
Travel far from
what I know
I’ll be swept away
I need to know
I can be lost and
not afraid
We’re gonna trip
the light
We’re gonna break
the night
And we’ll see with
new eyes
When we trip the
light
Remember we’re
lost together
Remember we’re the
same
We hold the
burning rhythm in our hearts
We hold the flame
We’re gonna trip
the light
We’re gonna break
the night
And we’ll see with
new eyes
When we trip the
light
I’ll find my way
home
On the Western
wind
To a place that
was once my world
Back from where
I’ve been
And in the morning
light I’ll remember
As the sun will
rise
We are all the
glowing embers
Of a distant fire
We’re gonna trip
the light
We’re gonna break
the night
And we’ll see with
new eyes
I wish the entire Assembly could
have seen it, the entire Church needs to see it, for the gospel, the good news,
is embedded in his message (I’m not sure if he’s a Christian or not, it doesn’t
matter), it gives a glimpse of what the human spirit is looking for; it allowed
me and others to soar with hope for the new thing God is doing in our
midst. For the dance continues and
nothing can stop it. Thanks be to God.
[1]From a Churchwide
Pastoral Letter from the 220th General Assembly. Throughout, I rely on the letter for a succinct overview of business approved by the Assembly. http://www.pcusa.org/news/2012/7/9/churchwide-pastoral-letter-220th-general-assembly/
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