Jesus to the Pharisees: “But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless.”
[Matthew 12:7 NRSV]
For the benefit of all the Episcopalians on this newsletter list, here are some reflections on General Convention. We now have had a few weeks since the once-every-three-years national convention in Minneapolis, July 30 through August 8. You saw the news media’s coverage of the hot issues, and may or may not have heard anything else about what happened at General Convention. You may have read a letter from your bishop, or have been involved in conversation about issues of sexuality and authority and how the Bible is interpreted. Those conversations may have been with those who hold the same perspective that you hold, or they may have been conversations with those with viewpoints conflicting with your own. It is an understatement to say that there has been a lot of reactivity about the topic of human sexuality. We have reacted, and expressed that reactivity in myriad ways. The topic of sexuality touches on what goes to the heart of self-identity. And so our responses often have less to do with rationality as emotionality and retreat into holding positions which are trusted as secure in their expression of the Mind of God, but which, if we should examine them further, would be shown up as being from a limited and limiting understanding in respect to the whole matter.
Let me share with you another perspective, as an eyewitness to the events of General Convention and the whole culture and life that formed for 10 days there in the Minneapolis Convention Center among the several thousand persons present – deputies, bishops, support staff, volunteers, visitors, exhibitors, Triennial delegates, and representatives of various different church organizations and interest groups. Besides attending to the Prayer of the Lamb booth in the exhibit hall, I was able to be in the gallery during momentous events in the House of Deputies, House of Bishops and committee hearings, and, best of all, to participate in the daily eucharists. What I observed everywhere was a noticeable restraint and civility in conversation and action. Everyone seemed committed to listening respectfully to one another and to speaking without inflammatory language, speaking from personal positions without generalizing, categorizing or name calling, using “I” statements without blaming. I found this utterly remarkable. It seemed as though the process of Gospel study employed each day in the eucharists had its effect on how conversations were being held the rest of the day. People still held positions passionately, but also were demon-strating in varying degrees that the larger context for being together as a faith community was the context of agape love, unitive love that could recognize Christ in one another.
The prayer beads, some 800 bracelet-sets of them, indeed had a role to play at General Convention. These were offered free to anyone interested. After a couple of days people were coming to the booth because others had mentioned it to them. Then there were the high school youth groups providing a tremendous youth presence at convention. The beads were very popular with them, and literally we were swamped with young people, and I had to very quickly give instruction in how to pray with the beads and introduce them to a spiritual practice that they could take with them into daily life. Because of their eager interest in learning some concrete and practical way to pray, I am thinking about how to present an introductory seminar specifically for youth.
As each day passed I spotted more and more prayer beads on people’s wrists scattered throughout the convention center. And people returned to the booth to tell me how much they had been using the beads for praying the Prayer of the Lamb during sessions of the convention, during times of voting, and when waiting for the results of votes. What people were recognizing is that the Prayer of the Lamb, Jesus, Lamb of God, have mercy on us, helped them to shift out of an adversarial attitude and to release their own prayer agenda about how they wanted things to turn out or how they thought God should act. The Prayer was an aid in seeing broader possibility, in opening to change, and in finding compassion for others. One person told me that she was finding that she was becoming much more inclusive in her openness to others with strongly differing perspectives, becoming more inclusive not through her own intention to do so, but as a discovery that this is what had happened spontaneously within her.
For those of you who made the prayer bead bracelets and prayed an hour on each set, know that you contributed to the prayerful atmosphere that pervaded the General Convention. I am glad that I was able to be there, thanks to the financial support of many contributors. There are conversations that were held in the booth to be followed up on for possible further expansion of this ministry, and the contacts and connections made were numerous. Whether or not the Prayer of the Lamb is adopted by others as a spiritual practice as a result of the booth in the exhibit hall, the quiet influence of the Prayer during the convention itself was the most significant reason for being there. I cannot help but feel that all will be well ultimately where hearts are open. For to take up the practice of the Prayer of the Lamb is to place oneself in a position for being opened up to the transforming presence of the Resurrection Jesus, the Lamb of God.
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