Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,

I write this during the season of Epiphany, that season of the church year in which we remember the extraordinary ways that God showed up in the life of Jesus, convincing those around him that God dwelt in him in such powerful ways that he not only was like God, but was God. But by the time you read this, we will be in the season of Lent, a time of self-reflection for the building up of ourselves as followers of Christ and the building up of His Church, His Body on earth.

If you’re like me, all the good intentions of keeping a Holy Lent by now will have been replaced with the busyness of everyday life, and whatever disciplines we have taken on in this season of Lent are in danger of being forgotten, overlooked or abandoned as being impractical. Or for some of us, we never really got around to making a commitment to ourselves and to God to “do something extra” for Lent.

“Giving something up” for Lent is an ancient practice. Jews keep kosher in part in order to remind themselves of who they are, what binds them together, and what witness they might make in the world. Every time an observant Jew declines meat and dairy on the same plate, or says “no” to the side of bacon with their eggs, they remember that theirs is a special covenant with God – not about what foods to eat, but about how they are to be a special blessing to the world in God’s name.

Giving up chocolate or alcohol or desserts might have that same effect, but in a world filled with poverty, disease and warfare, that seems less than satisfactory, even superficial. If we are to “give something up,” why not think about giving up those things which St. Paul tells us destroy the Body
– like gossip, self-centeredness, pride, and needing to have our own way? Instead of saying “no” to desserts, what if we said “no” to our own pushiness in having things our way – in our families, at work, and at church? What if we each gave up “whining” for Lent – a practice that only says we consider ourselves at the center of the universe? What if, when we hear a juicy bit of gossip, we said “no” to passing it along to someone else (prefacing it with “I don’t know if this is true, but…” is just as destructive)—or better yet, saying “yes” to checking out its truth with the person involved! When encountering someone who disagrees with us about something, what if we said “no” to immediately trying to counter their viewpoints, and said “yes” to asking, “Could you tell me more about why you feel/think that way?”

‘Go West, young man’ (and South)

Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,

As you read this, I will be beginning a three month sabbatical leave, as prescribed for clergy in this diocese every five years. To say the least, the last five years have been busy for me – at times busy and exhilarating, at other times difficult and challenging. I am ready for a rest.

Most memorable for me in these last five years was the day of my election – not just because of being elected, but because of the feeling of the presence of the Holy Spirit in that church on that clear June morning in 2003. To have been called to this ministry by the very peers with which I had served for nearly thirty years was an indescribable blessing. I cannot remember a time when I have felt so humbled, so unworthy and so wanting to fulfill the hope you placed in God working through me. Whether or not I was ever confirmed by the larger Church mattered less than the confidence you expressed in me.

The drama over your election of me as Bishop continues to play out. In the end, God will have God’s way. Episcopalians in America and Anglicans around the world continue to seek  God’s guidance in dealing with the challenge that my election represents. On a daily (and sometimes hourly) basis, I remember the phrase so often repeated in the Old and New Testaments by the God  who loves us: “Be not afraid.”

Now it is time for me to rest a while. I intend to do so. I also will be doing some things that I have wanted to do, and which this time will permit me. For a month, I will be traveling in the Pacific. I will be traveling to several parts of the Anglican Communion to learn about the Christian life in different contexts. I hope to make a contribution to the ongoing life of the Communion by meeting personally with some of the Anglican Church Primates who are willing to receive me – to hear about the challenges that they face in THEIR contexts, to learn about the spread of the Gospel in far off places, and mostly to build relationships with some who do not know or understand OUR context for ministry. The Primates have no way of knowing who I really am, beyond what the press has said. I hope that my building relationships with some of them might, in some small way, contribute to reconciliation in the Anglican Communion. These “stops” include Hong Kong, a remote diocese in the Solomon Islands (Province of Melanesia), Australia and New Zealand. My partner Mark will join me “down under” for some “down time” in Australia and New Zealand, two places we’ve always wanted to visit, but have never had the opportunity.

Continued...

Pray for the church

September 2007

Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,

On my many official visitations and informal visits to parishes and with individuals, I am often asked about the state of the Anglican Communion, about my not being invited – yet – to the Lambeth Conference of Bishops next summer, and the future of our Communion. Allow me to update you on where things stand at the moment.

It is true that I have not received an invitation to the Lambeth Conference of Bishops, to be held next July 16 – August 4 in Canterbury, England, although the archbishop has stated that he is considering some sort of invitation for my participation. The Archbishop of Canterbury is in a difficult and delicate position, and I don’t envy him in this difficult choice. There are those who have communicated with him that they will not attend if the Bishop of New Hampshire is a participant; others have gone so far as to threaten not to attend if anyone associated with my consecration (even those who voted “yes” on my consent, but were not present for the consecration) is in attendance.

On the other side, there are those who have threatened not to attend if the Bishop of New Hampshire is NOT invited, out of solidarity with the American church. Obviously, this is a Gordian knot as yet to be untied.

I am in conversation with the archbishop’s staff about how that might all work out. Those with whom I have been talking, by phone and in person, seem to agree that it makes no sense for me to be entirely excluded – especially given the Lambeth Conference’s “commitment” to a listening process of hearing the stories of its gay and lesbian members. What sense does it make to exclude the one openly gay voice available among its membership? We are searching for a way for me to be present without unnecessarily excluding those people for whom my consecration is problematic.  I have made it quite clear that I am open to reasonable options which do not deny my canonical status as a duly elected and consecrated bishop of the Church. That would be an affront, not only to the Diocese of New Hampshire, but to the entire American church. Time will tell whether or not such a “status” can be carved out that both preserves the integrity of the American church’s right to follow its own canons in

the election of a bishop, and also acknowledges the discomfort and objections of those who disagree.

Continued...

My brothers and sisters in Christ,

On Thursday, I took an action which some of you have applauded and to which some of you have thoughtfully, respectfully and reasonably made objection.  In publicly endorsing a candidate in the coming primary, I have attempted to do what I hope all of YOU will do, exercising what I see to be the rightful role of religion in public, political discourse:  review the values you hold as a person of faith, survey the candidates for the one who best embodies those values, and then work as a part of the political process for the election of that person -- no matter who the candidate or what the party.

Many will say that religion and politics don't mix.  I would counter that religion and politics MUST mix.  But not in the way we have seen from the religious right.  We are not attempting to force our beliefs on anyone else; we are not trying to move toward a Christian theocracy, where the tenets of one brand of Christianity are imposed on the electorate, but rather we are seeking to have our Christian beliefs and values INFORM our politics and our political decisions. 

Let me be clear:  I don't care which party or which candidate you choose to support.  That is YOUR business.  But I do encourage you to contemplate the values you hold as a Christian before deciding, making sure that the person you support is commensurate with those values -- noting, of course, that NO candidate is perfect or even close to it, humankind and politics being what they are.  There is no candidate with whom you will always agree, no candidate who perfectly embodies those values.  But politics is the art of the possible, and we must make choices among those candidates presented to us.

I believe that our country stands at a threshold as it faces an uncertain future.  I believe that we need a way out of the polarizing atmosphere within which we try to have a civil discourse about the nation.  I believe that we need to look at the future -- not of one party or another, but of the country.  I am looking for a candidate who has a vision for reconciliation in this country, not further polarization.  Reconciliation is a Christian value.  I believe that we must end the demonization of our enemies, whether they be members/candidates of the "other" party, or our "enemies" around the world.  It is time to worry less about narrowly "winning" a vote, and work more to achieve a consensus about how this country needs to move and act, both at home and abroad.

As for the HOW of my announcement -- and this is very important -- I have checked all the IRS regulations about what I can and cannot say as a religious person:  I (or any of us) can say anything I want as a citizen -- free speech-- as long as it is not from a pulpit, not at a church meeting or gathering, not in a church publication, and as long as I do not attempt to speak, or insinuate that I am speaking, for the church or the diocese.  To that end, you will never hear me speak in a pulpit, on our website, in the Episcopal News, or on a visitation, about any candidate.

Continued...