The Episcopalians have me wondering …
7/16/2009 12:46:28 PM
I wonder what effect the Episcopal vote to open their ordained ranks to unrepentant self-avowed homosexuals will have this Sunday on attendance in Episcopal churches across the country and around the world.
I wonder what effect it will have on the tenor and content of the sermons preached from Episcopal pulpits.
I wonder what economic effects will be felt by the Episcopal Diocese and the hierarchy of their denomination.
I wonder what effect it will have on their ecumenical relationships within the United States and around the world.
I wonder what effect the vote will have on the relationship of the Episcopal Church to the worldwide Anglican Communion. Will the U.S. expression of the Episcopal branch of the Christian Church submit to her own hierarchical design or will the second largest Christian communion in the world find itself designing new wineskins?
I wonder what effect it will have on their existing structure and the constituency of their denomination. Will congregations seek to realign with more faithful expressions of the Anglican communion? Will the Episcopal Church hold those congregations captive over property or set them free to serve as their conscience demands?
I wonder what effect this action will have on the ability of everyday Episcopalians to bear authentic witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ as revealed in the Scriptures in the context of a culture where everyone does what is right in their own eyes.
I wonder what effect their action will have on “us” as the political resources brought to bear on the Episcopal Church are now refocused on the Presbyterian Church USA to accomplish the same goals in our denomination’s General Assembly meeting in Minneapolis in July 2010.
The Episcopalians have me wondering … and praying – with them and for them – as they now face the question of allowing their clergy to perform same-sex unions in their sanctuaries.
As Christ-exalting, Spirit-empowered, God-honoring Presbyterians let us hold fast to the Word of God and let us declare without reservation or shame the Truth and Grace of Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit at work within and through us.
Please pray for me over the next couple of weeks. I am off to Africa (specifically Malawi) to visit with mission partners at the Ministry of Hope, care for babies in the Crisis Nursery, preach in a CCAP Church, visit with the leadership of the Nkhoma and Blantyre Synods of the CCAP, visit with Larry Brown at African Bible College, deliver a wedding dress to the daughter of a ministry partner, participate in MOH’s outreach to orphans through a network of feeding centers and mobile medical services, and continue to cultivate relationships with my brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ through whom the Lord teaches me so much about His love, provision, and Kingdom.
– Carmen