Disciples, Apostles, and Saints!
This summer, The Episcopal Church will gather for its General Convention, the largest regular gathering of a denomination in the country. And because it only happens every three years, it always feels big.
Of course, we also have big decisions to make and big conversations, with big worship and big voices discussing big priorities and big challenges. And when we have to elect a new presiding bishop to fill the big shoes of Michael Curry, well…it is a pretty big deal.
And yet, I was recently reminded of how little any of this effects us. And this sets up an interesting dichotomy. And one we often have when the wider church makes national headlines. What do we do with this?
As big as people make generational decisions, like prayer book revision, women’s ordination, and equal marriage, these have outsized attention at first as they gradually become normal. And the main reason they become normal is that we work through it. Those that choose to, that is.
Most of our work has little to do with General Convention, the diocese, or even what we do in vestry. It starts with how we treat each other. The rest of this ends up mostly an academic exercise compared with the way we connect with other people in our community. And choose to connect beyond it.
With love,
Drew