To end this impasse

The Lambeth Conference - which was held this summer in England - was, by all accounts, a blessing to the bishops who attended this once-every-ten-years event. The gathering, however, doesn't seem to have brought any closer a resolution to the crisis which is gripping the Anglican Communion. It was five years ago that the Episcopal Church consecrated as bishop a gay man in a non-celibate relationship. Since then, the endless discussion between the theologically liberal and conservative members of our denomination has only revealed profound differences in our understanding of the faith.

These theological differences between Anglicans in North America seem irreconcilable. Both sides believe they are right - indeed, that they are being led by the Spirit. What can be done to end this impasse? Many people - on both sides of the debate - have been working hard to resolve our differences. As I have prayed and pondered over this, it seems to me that a good solution would have three steps:

1) A new province would be created for orthodox Anglicans in North America. There are already enough people, parishes and seminaries in the Common Cause Partnership (a federation of orthodox Anglicans in North America) to make this a thriving Christian body.

2) This new province would be officially recognized by the Anglican Communion - the Archbishop of Canterbury and the three so-called Instruments of Communion (other senior figures in the church) - as equal in status to the two existing provinces in the United States and Canada.

3) The new province would be recognized by the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church of Canada. All dioceses, parishes and people would be given the opportunity to join the new province or remain in one of the two existing ones. And they would be able to transfer their property to the new province without fear of lawsuits and charges of "abandoning the communion." As both sides in this dispute bitterly admit, the vast sums of money that have already been spent in legal fees could have been spent in the mission of the church.

Very often in my life, I have longed for and prayed for a resolution to a situation, only to find that God has something even more glorious in mind. Please join with me in praying that in this matter, we would remain faithful - no matter what the cost - and that God would do more than we can ask or imagine.

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The Crown of Life

There is nothing quite like the Olympics. It seems as though the whole world turns its attention to the excitement and drama of this gathering of the fastest, strongest and most graceful. I was fortunate to attend some events at the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles in 1984. It was wonderful to be a part of this gathering of people from all around the globe. This year, our family can't wait to watch the Olympics on television.

The very first Olympic games were held in 776 BC in Olympia, Greece, and they continued to be celebrated until AD 393. We do not know if the apostle Paul was aware of them, but he certainly seems to have been fascinated by the whole idea of athletes competing together, and the parallel he saw so strongly with the Christian life and its ultimate goal.

In one letter he writes: "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize." (1 Corinthians 9: 24-27) Winners of these ancient races were awarded a wreath of leaves - which would quickly wilt in the hot Mediterranean sun; Christians live for a "crown of glory that will never fade away." (1 Peter 5:4)

To another church, Paul writes: "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3: 12-14) Paul lived his whole life in an enthusiastic response to what God had done for him in Christ.

Finally, in his last letter, written shortly before his death, Paul can say of his life: "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing." (2 Timothy 4: 7-8) Although none of us will be running for a medal this summer in Beijing, we can run for the greatest prize of all: "the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him." (James 1:12)

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Common grace - and saving grace

Our family loves the summertime. We enjoy the break from the school routine, more time together, visits with family and friends, long, lazy evenings, picnics, hikes in our beautiful area, vacation and a time to rest. The long, warm days of summer are an example of common grace. Common grace is how theologians describe the blessings that God showers indiscriminately on all of creation. Jesus reminds his disciples of God's lavish goodness when he urges them to "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you", for, after all, our heavenly Father "causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous." (Matthew 5: 44-45)

Whoever we are, wherever we are, every person on the planet experiences common grace and when we are enjoying the sunshine or the rain, the Bible teaches us that we should be prompted to acknowledge God's presence and benevolence. When the apostle Paul visited Lystra, he urged the crowds to whom he was preaching to turn from idols to the true God: "We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made heaven and earth and sea and everything in them. In the past, he let all nations go their own way. Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy." (Acts 14: 15-17)

Ah, some might say, but common grace does not extend to everyone. What about those who cannot enjoy the summer, those for whom there is no possibility of a vacation, or worse, those for whom there is a daily struggle for survival, those who are suffering from famine and war? Common grace points us to a good God but the reality of so many lives indicates a broken, fragmented, tortured world. Thank God then for saving grace, as Paul writes in his letter to the Romans: "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." (Romans 3:23) The wonders of creation tell us that a good God exists; the life, death and resurrection of Jesus tell us that new life is possible, both here and in heaven, God's promised eternal rest.

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Unity in the church

“How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity! (Psalm 133:1) How true these words are! We yearn for unity in our church, but how can this be found? The Presiding Bishop recently suggested this recipe for unity in the Episcopal Church: “You don’t all have to profess exactly the same understanding of the central tenets of the faith. What’s important is to worship together.”

Can this be the secret to achieving unity? I don't think so. In fact, I don’t even think it is our job to seek unity: our task is to be faithful to Christ and, when we are, God gives us unity as a result. Unity is a gift.

The apostle Paul shared this hope with one Christian congregation: “May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 15:5) In other words, it is as they follow Christ that God will give them a spirit of unity.

Unity is the caboose in the train of our Christian life: it comes at the end and as a result of our obedience to Christ. Our belief in the “central tenets of the faith” is what leads God to grant us unity. Worshiping together doesn’t create unity, but being Bible-believing, Christ-centered, Gospel-focused and Spirit-filled results in a God-given unity with all other believers who have likewise been converted, transformed and empowered by God.

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2) and trust God to bestow unity upon us.

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