Bishop Love addresses Diocese of Albany

Excerpt:

The 141st Annual Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Albany

Bishop’s Address

By

The Right Reverend William H. Love


At its best, the Episcopal Church and Anglican Communion have so much to offer to the wider Church and to the world. Unfortunately, at the moment we are far from being at our “best.” Like many of you, I am deeply grieved by the growing division within The Episcopal Church and the wider Anglican Communion. I had hoped and still do that the proposed Anglican Covenant could help bring healing into the Communion. As many of you know, the most recent version, the Ridley Cambridge Draft, has been put on hold, due to concerns raised by some members of the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) over Section 4, which deals with the possible disciplinary actions. I remain hopeful that it will be worked out and that we will have an opportunity to vote on the Covenant. In preparation for that, we as a diocese will be studying the Ridley Cambridge Draft and any changes that may be made to it over the coming year. In addressing the ACC, as reported in The Living Church, Archbishop Rowan Williams urged Anglicans not to “put off discussion of the covenant,” stating that, “The texts are out there. Please pray through them, and talk them through, starting now.” (TLC May 31, 2009)

There has been some question as to whether dioceses will be allowed to officially vote on the covenant if and when it finally comes out. While some within The Episcopal Church believe that only provinces should be allowed to vote, I believe strongly that each diocese should be allowed to vote. That belief is based on my understanding of the true polity or organization and governance of The Episcopal Church, as outlined in its Constitution and Canons and as described in a recently published document entitled “Bishops’ Statement On The Polity Of The Episcopal Church,” signed by myself along with 14 other bishops in the Episcopal Church and three highly distinguished Episcopal theologians. Each of you have a copy of this document in your materials along with a summary of the document, prepared by our chancellor. It’s one of the things Chancellor Strickland has been working on. I signed the Bishops’ Statement because I believe it accurately reflects the true polity of the Episcopal Church as described, again, in the Constitution and Canons of the Church. I came to that conclusion after reading and studying the document and consulting with several other bishops, theologians and canon lawyers. Fr. Charles King, our Diocesan Canon Theologian, also agrees with the accuracy of the Bishops’ Statement. There is much confusion right now throughout the Church as well as the Courts concerning the true polity of The Episcopal Church and a diocese’s constitutional and canonical relationship with the other dioceses within the province as well as with the Presiding Bishop. The Bishops’ Statement is offered in an attempt to provide clarity in regard to these issues.

Moving now to other concerns, I remain greatly troubled by the biblical illiteracy that is so rampant and the resulting ongoing struggle amongst so many to recognize the Bible as the living Word of God -- that continues to speak to us today and has authority over our lives, containing all things necessary to salvation. I cannot stress enough the importance of taking time each day to read and study God’s word. Every parish in this diocese, regardless of how large or how small they are, should have an ongoing Bible study. As I stated in the past, they don’t have to be on Sunday morning and they don’t have to be in the Church, nor do they have to be led by the clergy. They can be in people’s homes during the week. The important thing is that they take place. In addition, I encourage each of us, not only to read and study the Bible, but to do that which at one time in my life I thought only Baptists do, and that is to memorize key Bible passages so that they become a part of who we are. As Paul reminds us in II Timothy 3:16, “All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” The Bible is a gift from God to be treasured, to be read and to be studied, not ignored or explained away or put on the coffee table as a decoration.



Similarly, I am extremely frustrated by some who have been called to leadership positions within the Church and yet either fail to recognize, or stand up and proclaim the uniqueness of Jesus Christ as the Son of God, God incarnate, “The Way, The Truth, The Life,” the ONLY ONE through whom salvation and entrance into eternal life with God the Father is possible.

While very cognizant of the politically correct society in which we live, and the belief by some, that to promote Christianity above other world religions would be regarded as offensive, yet as Christians we have a responsibility, given by Christ, himself, to share our faith. We cannot, nor should we force our faith on anyone, but we are commanded by our Lord in the Great Commission to share our faith with all people throughout the world.

Either Jesus truly is the Son of God as proclaimed by God the Father at Jesus’ baptism in the river Jordon and on the Mount of Transfiguration, or He isn’t. Either Jesus truly died on the cross as a sacrifice for the sins of all the world, or He didn’t. Either Jesus truly rose bodily from the dead, conquering the power of sin and death, or He didn’t. Either Jesus Christ truly is who He proclaims Himself to be, the one pointed to by the prophets, attested to by the apostles, and proclaimed by God the Father and revealed by the Holy Spirit -- or He isn’t. There can be no area of gray as to the true identity and uniqueness of Jesus Christ.

If Jesus truly is who the Holy Scriptures proclaim Him to be, then may God have mercy on us if we fail to acknowledge and receive Him as Lord and Savior of our lives and do everything we can through the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with all who will receive Him.

If Jesus isn’t who the Holy Scriptures proclaim Him to be, than as St. Paul stated in I Corinthians 15, “…Our preaching is useless and so is your faith…If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied above all men.” (I Cor. 15:14, 19). Ultimately every person must decide for themselves who Jesus truly is and how we will respond to Him. Just as Jesus asked Peter and the other apostles, He asks each of us as well, “Who do you say I am?” (Matt. 16:15) Our eternal destiny is dependent on the answer to that question.

As your brother in Christ, as Bishop of this Diocese, and as a bishop in the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, I am committed to doing everything I can through the guidance and power of the Holy Spirit to proclaim the Truth and Good News of Jesus as Lord and Savior of the world. I invite each of you, my brothers and sisters, to join me in that same commitment. The broken and hurting world in which we live is in desperate need of hearing the Gospel, and experiencing the love, mercy, healing grace that can only be found in our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Lord has put a real urgency upon my heart. Time is running out for millions of people in our own country and throughout the world who are dying never having heard or come to believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior. Untold numbers of people are living in deplorable conditions and literally starving to death while hardened hearts turn a blind eye to their suffering. Countless souls are withering away with spiritual thirst, never having tasted the “living water” that the Lord has promised to all who believe in Him. It is not good enough to simply talk about or give lip service to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission – we must live them! They are not simply suggestions, but rather commands from our Lord himself, the one in whom “all authority in heaven and on earth has been given.”

According to a survey in 2007, on any given Sunday in New York State, only between 14 and 15 % of the people of this State attend Church. While I have never been great in math, unlike my wife, even I can figure out that means 85 to 86% of the people living in our communities are not in church. Even if we are generous and double the number attending, assuming that 30% of the people have some connection with a church, that means we still have approximately 70 % of the people living in our communities that have no Church affiliation. Of that 70 %, studies have shown that approximately 50% would go to Church if invited. That means we have a one in two chance of someone saying yes, if we invite them. Dear friends, it is time to pray for holy boldness to step out of our comfort zone and share our faith with others – that they too may come to know the peace that can only be found in Jesus Christ.

I recently read a book entitled Living Water by Brother Yun, a Chinese Christian who came to faith when he was 16 and became a leader in the underground House Church movement in China. In reading this book, the Lord has both blessed and challenged me greatly through Brother Yun’s Christian witness and teaching. It has caused me to seriously think and reflect about my own faith and relationship with the Lord. In comparison to individuals who are truly willing to be imprisoned, tortured and even killed for their faith in Christ, the Christian faith, as many of us in the West have witnessed it, often seems to be superficial at best. What would our lives, our parishes, this diocese, the Church at large look like if we were more intentional about truly living what we proclaim we believe?

I have been so convicted by the Lord through Brother Yun and his book, that by the generosity of a friend, I was able to purchase and give a copy of the book Living Water to all the active clergy in our Diocese. You should have received it when you checked in. If not, we have one. I’m giving it with the expectation that they will not only read it, but share it with all the folks in our parishes throughout the Diocese. I am asking that the clergy and lay leaders in each congregation organize book studies with an open invitation to everyone to read and study and share their thoughts, their fears, and their inspirations resulting from the book. While Brother Yun comes from a different tradition and culture, I believe he shares much that we need to hear and much we need to learn. As I shared in the letter to my fellow deacons and priests, I truly believe the inspiration for doing this is from the Holy Spirit. May we be obedient in that which He is asking of us.

After reading Living Water and visiting with Church leaders from around the world, one thing I have become increasingly convinced of, is that in too many cases continuing to do “Church as usual” does little to build up the Kingdom of God and is not particularly pleasing to the Lord. Far too many of our parishes remain stuck in a survival or maintenance mode focusing all of their time and attention inside the four walls of the Church building or on trying to keep a roof on the Church, rather than taking the Gospel into the world. In many cases we have become enslaved by our buildings and in some cases they are on the verge of becoming idols. In saying this, I am not suggesting that church buildings aren’t important or that we shouldn’t take care of, but rather if all our time, energy and effort is going into our buildings, we need to rethink our priorities. Far too many of our outreach and stewardship programs are motivated and geared primarily out of a necessity to pay the bills rather than a true desire to reach out to the un-churched and to share the love of Christ and to be good stewards of that which He has entrusted to us giving generously for the building up of His kingdom.

When I first became bishop, I spoke of what I have come to believe is a spirit of poverty that has a death grip on far too many parishes and far too many of our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. The current economic crisis has only intensified it. While several individuals and parishes have taken advantage of the Crown Ministry program offered through the Diocese, and have been blessed by it, far too many for whatever reason have refused to participate, therefore continuing to miss out on the liberation discovered by all those who have come to trust the Lord, submitting their finances and worldly possessions to His Lordship. While I admit from a worldly standpoint, tithing 10% or more of our income, especially when finances are tight and we’re struggling to make ends meet, doesn’t seem to make sense, yet from God’s standpoint it makes perfect sense. Who better to trust with our money and possessions, than the one who gave them to us in the first place and the one who only wants the very best for us. When we put God first, trusting in His faithfulness and generosity, He blesses our efforts. Speaking as one who first struggled with the idea of tithing, but has since come to discover the blessing of tithing and the Lord’s faithfulness in providing for our needs when we trust Him, I invite and encourage you to trust Him and submit to Him as Lord of your entire life, to include your finances and your worldly goods. Some people try to ease into tithing, sort of like easing into a cold lake or pool. In so doing, chances are you won’t get much past your ankles or perhaps your knees, or you can dive in head first. After the initial shock, it is quite exhilarating and freeing. It is time to cut the financial albatross that has enslaved far too many for far too long. Trust the Lord. Until you do, chances are very little will change with your individual financial circumstances and that of your parish.

I pray that for those of us who are still struggling with trusting the Lord with their finances as well as their time, 2009/10 will become the year of the tithe. Not only do I believe God is calling us to tithe our money, but I believe He is also calling us to tithe our time. To do so means that we are to be intentional about dedicating at least 2 hours and 24 minutes a day to the Lord and His service through prayer, the study of His word, various ministries, and reaching out to serve or assist others in the name of our Lord, remembering that in serving them, we are in fact serving Him. It might require getting up a little earlier in the morning or giving up a favorite TV show, yet the blessing we receive by spending time with our Lord, far outweigh any sacrifices we might make. The Lord wants us to be open to His presence and intentional about inviting Him into all aspects of our life, not just when we are in a crisis. There is no greater person to hang out with, yet far too many of us allow the daily demands and circumstances of life to shove the Lord off to the side, or even worse, totally out of the picture. He created us to be in relationship with Him and through Him with one another. It is only then that we can truly live as God intends, experiencing life to its fullest in His love and peace.

One final thing I would like to briefly mention this evening, if we are to truly rethink how we “do Church” is the need to rediscover the extreme value and necessity of active lay ministry. As mentioned earlier this evening, we have far too many pew potatoes who have been conditioned into believing that ministry is simply one of presence. Regardless of how well trained, motivated and hardworking our clergy may be, the Church will never grow into its full potential, and the building up of the Kingdom of God will be severely hampered if the rector and or deacons are the primary ones carrying out the majority of the ministry. Please don’t misunderstand, while the clergy have a vitally important and unique role in administering the sacraments of the Church, as well as leadership and training responsibilities to equip and encourage the rest of the body, much of the day to day ministry of the Church can and should be carried out by the laity. In some cases that will mean clergy will need to learn to let go of some things and trust others. Believe me, I know how hard that is. In some cases, it will also mean that the lay members of the parish will need to take on added responsibility. We are all members of the one Body of Christ and as such we each have a responsibility to the rest of the body. May the Lord, through the power of the Holy Spirit guide and inspire each of us to know how best to live and exercise our various ministries within the body of Christ – lay and ordained alike in order that we may truly be “One Church fulfilling the Great Commandment and Great Commission, moving from membership to discipleship; equipping, emboldening, and sending disciples to make disciples.”

As we gather here this weekend, we do so not in our own power or authority, but that of our Lord Jesus Christ, for as we are reminded in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus proclaimed, “For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with you.” (Mt.18:20). It is in Jesus’ name that we are united one with another as brothers and sisters in Christ. It is Jesus’ name that we are called and empowered to carry out the work before us. It is in Jesus’ name that we come here this weekend, to worship and to serve the Lord; to be fed and nourished by His word and sacraments; to enjoy one another’s company – supporting, upholding and encouraging one another as we continue on our faith journey, going forward boldly in His Name – “…the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”


May the blessing of God Almighty, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be upon you and remain with you mightily this night and always! May He watch over you and protect you. May His light shine upon you and radiate from you. May He fill you with His Holy and life giving Spirit as we go forward in His name, in accordance with His will and to His honor and glory and the benefit of His Church and people. Amen.