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Other reflections, letters and Mountain Echo Columns by Bishop Ely

Theological Reflections for the House of Bishops, September 2010
The Right Reverend Thomas C. Ely, Bishop of Vermont

“What is God up to in our midst regarding same gender relations,” September 18, 2010
“How are you making a Gospel proclamation in response to what God is doing in your context?” September 21, 2010

September 18, 2010

The invitation I’m responding to this morning is to offer a brief theological reflection addressing the question, “What is God up to in our midst regarding same gender relations,” from the contextual perspective of the diocese I serve. While there is so much more to the mission and ministry of the Diocese of Vermont than this particular focus, I appreciate very much the opportunity to share my perspective on it because I believe it is part of the Gospel proclamation, part of the Good News of Jesus Christ, being lived out in Vermont and in so many other places around our church and around the world. And I think it is Good News worth telling.

I have never known a time as Bishop of Vermont when gay and lesbian couples could not legally be joined in Civil Union or in Civil Marriage. On July 1, 2000, Vermont became the first state in the country to legally recognize civil unions between gay or lesbian couples. On April 28, 2001 I was ordained and consecrated bishop. On April 9, 2009, the Vermont legislature assured marriage equality for all its citizens. During all that time (and even before), the response of both my predecessor and me was to support and provide appropriate pastoral guidelines for the blessing of committed, monogamous, life-long, same gender relationships.

Week after week, I continue to witness the importance of that pastoral ministry in the lives of couples and congregations. Just a few weeks ago at a parish retirement luncheon honoring one of our priests who had served this particular congregation for nearly 30 years, a lesbian couple stood together during the “open mike” session and gave grateful testimony for the welcome they felt from The Episcopal Church, and their congregation in particular, where their marriage had been celebrated and blessed just two weeks earlier.

As you would expect, not all members of the Episcopal Diocese of Vermont are “at home” with these measures, and over the course of the past ten years some of those have left The Episcopal Church and moved to other faith communities. However, for the most part there is, and has been, mutual respect for a diversity of conviction, along with continuing education, conversation and pastoral care for all our members, as we seek to hold fast to the biblical understanding that one member of the Body cannot say to another member of the Body, “I have no need of you” (I Cor. 12:21).

It is also true that in the course of these past ten years many people in Vermont, including some who expressed initial reservations to our pastoral response, have come to appreciate the faithful lives and generous contributions of gay and lesbian couples whose Civil Unions or marriages have been blessed in the community of faith, and who in turn have blessed us by their lives, their gifts and their witness. I believe this is because in the spirit of Matthew 7 and Galatians 5 we have seen the fruits of the Spirit manifest in the lives of these Christians among whom we live and work and worship. “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit” (Gal. 5:25).

The outcome of our pastoral support of gay and lesbian couples who are members of our congregations, as well as those who are drawn into the life of The Episcopal Church because of our pastoral welcome, is that we are a stronger, more diverse, healthy and vital diocese in which - as Paul invites - the gifts and ministries of all God’s people are welcomed, valued, respected and embraced (I Corinthians 12). It is also an important part of our evangelical witness to the world, and not only to gay and lesbian persons, but to all persons seeking a faith community that is open, welcoming, respectful and embracing of all.

As witnessed in the ministry of our Lord, and in the expansion of God’s mission and welcome to the previously marginalized and excluded Gentiles, struggle and controversy is often part of the reality when the status quo is disturbed. And yet, thanks be to God, God finds ways to break through our fear, confusion and disagreements, leading us to new and deeper understandings and expressions of what it means to be “In Christ.” Bishop Mark Hanson said it far more eloquently than I can, when referencing II Corinthians 5 on Thursday: Indeed it is the “love of Christ” that both compels us AND transforms us.

In Galatians 3:27-29 we read: “As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. 29And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise.”  I believe that God has gifted Vermont (among other places) with the responsibility of teaching and modeling and leading the way to this renewed, reconciled, and consecrated Christian community of radical incarnation, welcome, inclusion and witness, in which the love of God is manifest in the life and witness of all its members, and especially in this age and time, in the lives of gay and lesbian persons and couples. Thank you for letting me bear witness to some of our story.

September 21, 2010

On Saturday you heard a little bit from me about the missional context of Vermont and what I perceive God is up to in our midst in one particular and important aspect of our life and ministry – our ministry to and with gay and lesbian couples. Today, I want to expand on that missional context and try to answer the question we were given for this session: “How are you making a Gospel proclamation in response to what God is doing in your context?”

The mission statement of the Diocese of Vermont is to: Pray the prayer of Christ, Learn the mind of Christ and Do the deeds of Christ. This Mission Statement is represented in the symbols on my Pectoral Cross. Christ is at the center of our life and mission. Our mission theology is that expressed in The Book of Common Prayer: We participate in God’s reconciling mission for the world. We understand that our participation in the missio dei emerges from our baptism and so the theme of baptismal ministry flowing from the Baptismal Covenant – the creedal statement as well as the five questions – is a theme that saturates all we pray, teach and do. All of this lies at the heart of our proclamation and witness to the love of God, the crucified and risen life of Christ in which we share, and the unfolding work of the Holy Spirit in our midst.

The scriptural foundations for all of this are many and especially include:

1. Our Lord’s image of the vine and the branches in John 15, and Paul’s ubiquitous teaching about the Body of Christ.
2. The reality of our dying and rising with Christ, inviting our participation in God’s reconciling mission through the giving over of ourselves to the service of Christ as expressed in II Corinthians 5.
3. The invitation in the Creation narratives and elsewhere to be faithful stewards of all that God has given into our care and to see our stewardship in response to God’s goodness and abundance.
4. Our Lord’s invitation in Luke 4, Matthew 25 and elsewhere to ground our life and ministry in concrete ways that reflect our servant commitment to love God AND neighbor.
5. The modeling of our Lord’s own words and life of prayer, and that of the early church, for the grounding our life and work in the practice of prayer and community.  I have in mind particularly John 17 and Acts 2.

The contextual reality in which we live this proclamation of the Good News, a part of which I described in my reflection on Saturday, is challenging indeed, although not dissimilar to that in which many in this room find themselves, and certainly one filled with opportunity.

The Diocese of Vermont is a small diocese in a mostly rural state with a population of 622,000 (according to 2009 statistics) – and much cattle. We have many small communities and hence many small churches. We are an older state in terms of the age of our population – the 2nd oldest in the US. We are a predominantly white state, the 2nd whitest in the US, I believe. We are, according the recent Pew study, number 1 in the U.S. with regard to those claiming no religious affiliation. Our membership decline has mirrored that of our denomination as a whole, and we have not been spared the realities of economic distress, although our unemployment numbers are a bit better than the US average.

That said, we are a lively diocese with a deep commitment to baptismal ministry, mutual ministry and ministry in daily life. Over the last few years, the focus of our Diocesan Convention has shifted from legislation to formation, and this year our Convention will welcome Emily Scott from St. Lydia’s Dinner Church in New York City as we explore some of the possibilities for “fresh xxpressions” in our worship and evangelism.

Many in our diocese have been reading and studying books related to the “emergent church,” or “fresh expressions.” One in particular – a book by Anthony Robinson titled Changing the Conversation – has been very helpful in a variety of contexts, including our recent diocesan mutual ministry review. In light of this interest, my observation is that God is up to something wonderful among us in the Diocese of Vermont and our response is to enter into the conversation with God and one another about how we will proclaim and live out the Good News of God in Christ in the midst of a changing world and changing church.

Some of the tools for the proclamation of the Good News of Jesus Christ going forward include our commitments to:

1. Explore and engage new and innovative opportunities for teaching and communicating the Good News of Jesus Christ to the people of Vermont, via an enhanced web site and other media options.
2. Extend opportunities for engaging in “fresh expressions” in our worship and outreach to seekers and members alike.
3. Develop community partnerships for more effective and efficient stewardship of our buildings and more dynamic ministries in our cities and towns.
4. Expand and improve diocesan properties and programs to be more effective in our ministries of spiritual formation, children’s and youth ministry.
5. Encourage and model good environmental practices of conservation, efficiency and the use of renewable energy sources.
6. Continue our work of ministry development in congregations, working with new and renewed models of leadership and mutual ministry to help build strong and vital communities of faith that are incarnations of our mission statement.

There was a story on NPR this morning about the oldest living man in the United States. I think he is 107 years old and apparently in pretty good shape. When asked the key to his longevity he said something to the effect of “being open to change.” Being open to change! God remains steadfast and faithful and calls the church to be adaptable to changing realities as we seek to “Pray the Prayer of Christ, Learn the Mind of Christ and Do the Deeds of Christ.” Thank you for letting me share a bit more of our story.