Although I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given to me to bring to the Gentiles the news of the boundless riches of Christ, and to make everyone see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things; so that through the church the wisdom of God in its rich variety might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.
Ephesians 3:11
Following the national convention of The Episcopal Church last fall, members of the congregation at St. Mary's asked if we might spend some time looking at the actions of the national church, in particular, the rites for same-sex blessings.
I was surprised, at our first adult forum in September, to see a dozen of our Sunday attending members (almost a quarter of the total) join us that day and for the several weeks following, as we looked not only at the trial rites but at the subject of homosexuality and The Episcopal Church's response to gay/lesbian Christians and the vocation of committed partnerships. We shared openly our personal encounters, our trepidations, our opinions, and our desires for our church. By the end of the seven-week exploration, we came to a consensus that where our national church had led, we were also.
In November, at our clergy retreat, Bishop Rowe presented the process by which individual churches in the Diocese of Northwestern Pennsylvania would be permitted to use the trial rites. The first is that churches engage in an educational forum so that interested members could better understand the history and implementation of the rites. The congregation of St. Mary's had already completed our study. Second, the church leadership had to come to a consensus on the use of the rite. At our bishop's committee meeting in November, the church leadership affirmed unanimously that it wanted to provide this ministry to gay/lesbian members of the church. This was shared with Bishop Rowe, and on December 21, he gave St. Mary's permission to begin to use the rites. We are the first church in the diocese to be given this permission.
The reading from Ephesians above is perfect for Epiphany and for us as we experience this new ministry. Our desire is to reach out to those who have experienced the blessings of a vocational companionship and be given the "news of boundless riches in Christ." Our opening up of our blessings helps "make everyone see what is the plan" and not keep it for only a few. We recognize in this new motion of the Spirit that the "wisdom of God in its rich variety" is surprising, not only to us but to everyone.
Epiphany is a time of surprise, surprise at the newness of God's blessings, surprise at how God is empowering us to share those blessings, and surprise at how humanity, as old a dog as it is, can still be taught new tricks. During this season of Epiphany, may we not only be guided to God's perfect light, but may we also experience the joy in helping bring others to that same perfect light in Jesus Christ.
- Fr. Shawn
Ephesians 3:11
Following the national convention of The Episcopal Church last fall, members of the congregation at St. Mary's asked if we might spend some time looking at the actions of the national church, in particular, the rites for same-sex blessings.
I was surprised, at our first adult forum in September, to see a dozen of our Sunday attending members (almost a quarter of the total) join us that day and for the several weeks following, as we looked not only at the trial rites but at the subject of homosexuality and The Episcopal Church's response to gay/lesbian Christians and the vocation of committed partnerships. We shared openly our personal encounters, our trepidations, our opinions, and our desires for our church. By the end of the seven-week exploration, we came to a consensus that where our national church had led, we were also.
In November, at our clergy retreat, Bishop Rowe presented the process by which individual churches in the Diocese of Northwestern Pennsylvania would be permitted to use the trial rites. The first is that churches engage in an educational forum so that interested members could better understand the history and implementation of the rites. The congregation of St. Mary's had already completed our study. Second, the church leadership had to come to a consensus on the use of the rite. At our bishop's committee meeting in November, the church leadership affirmed unanimously that it wanted to provide this ministry to gay/lesbian members of the church. This was shared with Bishop Rowe, and on December 21, he gave St. Mary's permission to begin to use the rites. We are the first church in the diocese to be given this permission.
The reading from Ephesians above is perfect for Epiphany and for us as we experience this new ministry. Our desire is to reach out to those who have experienced the blessings of a vocational companionship and be given the "news of boundless riches in Christ." Our opening up of our blessings helps "make everyone see what is the plan" and not keep it for only a few. We recognize in this new motion of the Spirit that the "wisdom of God in its rich variety" is surprising, not only to us but to everyone.
Epiphany is a time of surprise, surprise at the newness of God's blessings, surprise at how God is empowering us to share those blessings, and surprise at how humanity, as old a dog as it is, can still be taught new tricks. During this season of Epiphany, may we not only be guided to God's perfect light, but may we also experience the joy in helping bring others to that same perfect light in Jesus Christ.
- Fr. Shawn
