Sermon preached by the Reverend John E. Kitagawa at the Celebration of the Holy Eucharist on Sunday, 26 July 2009 (The Eighth Sunday after Pentecost) at St. Philip’s In The Hills Parish, Tucson, Arizona

BY THE POWER AT WORK WITHIN US[1]

II Samuel 11: 1 – 15; Ephesians 3: 14 - 21; John 6: 1 - 21

I have struggled to find ways to encapsulate my thoughts and reflections about the recently completed 76^th General Convention[2]. The ending of today’s portion of the Epistle to the Ephesians turns out to be a solid Biblical frame for my post-Convention thoughts and reflections.

Now to [God] who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to [God] be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3: 21).

To set the stage for this summer’s Convention, I want to recall a factor that colored everyone’s approach to this Convention. The 75^th General Convention in 2006[3] passed Resolution B033[4], which in effect established three moratoria : one on the consecration of Gay or Lesbian bishops, one on the writing of liturgies for same sex couples, and one on the incursion of bishops into dioceses where they did not have jurisdiction. Early in this Convention, after studying about 13 differing and sometimes contradictory resolutions, the Committee[5] reported three possible courses of action:

1. To directly repudiate 2006 Resolution B033, which would cause an uproar in the Anglican Communion, and in some domestic dioceses and parishes;

2. To affirm 2006 Resolution B033; which would cause a great deal of pain to our LGBT brothers and sisters; or,

3. To find a middle way to move beyond B033, without directly repudiating it, thus preserving fragile unity.

I firmly believe, by the power of the Holy Spirit working first through the authorship of Deputy Snow from Alaska, and then the whole Convention, we found a middle way to set the future course of the Church, without directly repudiating 2006 Resolution B033. This resolution, identified as D025, and titled "Anglican Communion: Commitment and Witness to Anglican Communion",

· reaffirms our commitment to and desire to pursue mission with the Anglican Communion;

· reiterates our commitment to Listening Process urged by Lambeth Conferences of 1978, 1988, and 1998;

· notes that our own participation in the listening process led General Convention in 2000 to "recognize that the baptized membership of The Episcopal Church includes same-sex couples living in lifelong committed relationships 'characterized by fidelity, monogamy, mutual affection and respect, careful, honest communication, and the holy love which enables those in such relationships to see in each other the image of God'";

· recognizes that ministry, both lay and ordained is being exercised by such persons in response to God's call;

· notes that the call to ordained ministry is God's call, is a mystery, and that the Church participates in that mystery through the process of discernment; [and]

· acknowledges that the members of The Episcopal Church, and of the Anglican Communion, are not of one mind, and that faithful Christians disagree about some of these matters.

The other resolution that received a lot of press is C056, titled "Liturgies for Blessings." The text adopted was a substitute for the original, but the title remains unchanged. It

· acknowledges changing circumstances in the U.S. and elsewhere, in that civil jurisdictions in some places permit marriage, civil unions, and/or domestic partnerships involving same-sex couples, that call for a pastoral response from this Church;

· asks the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music, and the House of Bishops, to collect and develop theological and liturgical resources for such pastoral response, and report to the next General Convention;

· asks those bodies to invite comment and participation from other parts of this Church and the Anglican Communion;

· notes that bishops may provide generous pastoral responses to the needs of members of this Church; [and]

· asks [us] to honor the theological diversity of this Church in regard to matters of human sexuality[6].

I have left a paper with these two resolutions on the back table. Please feel free to take one.

In the House of Deputies there were some doom and gloom speeches about the future of the Church, but for the most part, the rancor of previous conventions was missing. Many who spoke against Resolutions D025 and C056 in the House of Deputies did not object to the content, but pleaded for more time for the Communion, some domestic dioceses and congregations to become more accepting. Among bishops I spoke to, based on the debate in their House, there did not seem to be a strong sense of more bishops and dioceses leaving the Episcopal Church. In fact, they reported great efforts to include the views and concerns of more conservative bishops. I have been watching the papers and checking various websites. So far I have not seen any strong reactions within the Anglican Communion. That is not to say such reactions will not happen. They may. For the moment, however, it appears that we have struck a balance between a truthful presentation of the reality of our Church, and our commitment to unity with the rest of the Anglican Communion. As the Presiding Bishop noted in her letter to the Church, true dialogue requires us to be truthful about who we are. In this regard, it was important that several archbishops and bishops from around the Communion were present for significant portions of the Convention. They learned that our polity—our way of governance—is much more democratic and balanced than in most parts of the Communion. In our complex polity, three parties must agree: The Laity in the House of Deputies, the Clergy in the House of Deputies, and the Bishops in the House of Bishops. In effect, any one party can veto the actions of the other two. International visitors spoke to the House of Deputies and confessed their prior lack of understanding and appreciation, which had led to a number of false assumptions and thus some bad decisions[7].

In addition to matters of human sexuality, the General Convention accomplished a great deal. In all, the 76th General Convention completed work on 361 pieces of legislation[8]. Among them, we passed eight environmental resolutions (A045, A156, C011, C012, C070, D014, D015, D031); one on the War in Iraq (A041); one that brings us into full communion with the Moravian Church (A073); and, a Charter for Lifelong Christian Formation (A-082). We passed a Canon (Church Law) Establishing a Mandatory Lay Employee Pension System (A138), and one that equalizes clergy and lay employee health care benefits, and another that establishes a Denominational Health Plan (A177). We recommitted the Church to Anti-Racism work (A142, A143, A144). Native Americans are an important demographic in our Church. Thus, we passed resolutions concerning Preservation of their Burial Sites (A152), and in support of the UN Declaration on Rights of Indigenous Peoples (B011). We condemned Torture (C020), Nuclear Weapons (D060), and Cluster Bombs (D078). We called for the end of Human Trafficking (A167) here and abroad. We supported a strong bill on Immigration matters (B006), and we recommitted the Church to the Millennium Development Goals (D019). There were several important Evangelism resolutions (A063), including one to reach Latinos (D038), and a strategy for Establishing New Congregations (A067).

We approved measures with immediate application to everyday parish life. For example, we authorized a worship book called “Rachel’s Tears, Hannah’s Hope” with liturgical material at the time of Abortion and Mishaps in Pregnancy (A088). We reaffirmed and strengthened Principles for decisions at the End of Life (D011). Once again, we reaffirmed the Tithe as the Minimum Standard of Giving in the Episcopal Church (D055). All resolutions required committee hearings with opportunity for testimony, committee debate, discussion in the House of Bishops and the House of Deputies; and, had to be passed in the exactly the same language.

The big “downer” of the Convention was the Triennial Budget. The Budget Committee had to trim $17 million dollars. Among other things this means 30 to 35 people will lose their jobs, and there will less program money. Income is down due to the impact of the economy on investments, and a number of dioceses choosing to pay a smaller percentage than they are asked. Arizona has been paying its full 21% asking. One of the criteria used by the Budget Committee to make cuts was what they called the Principle of Subsidiary. In effect, this means pushing the work down to the level at which the ministry is taking place. In case you are having difficulty with the translation, the Church is counting on creative and responsive ministries taking place in parishes and dioceses. That is us, folks. Mission and ministry will have to emanate from local congregations committed to and convicted by Gospel mandates to love one another as Christ has loved us (John 13: 34), and to make disciples and baptizing them in the Name of the Triune God (Matthew 28: 19). Should you feel like we are being burdened with an impossible task—after all we are coping with our own financial concerns—permit me to refer you back to where I started this morning.

All through the Convention, I wrote a daily Face Book note. It was a helpful way to reflect on events, and a means to communicate with friends across the country. Towards the end, I wrote:

… this Convention has been an antidote to some creeping cynicism I was sensing in myself. I arrived concerned that we might not accomplish much and that we might work very hard at moving around proverbial deck chairs. Instead, I am hopeful about the Church and the future. It is an object lesson in learning to trust a little more deeply in the power of the Holy Spirit[9].

Whether you fully embrace all the actions of the General Convention or not, I invite you to join me in learning to trust the power of the Holy Spirit to “work within us to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine,” and to join me in praising and glorifying God for God’s grace-filled, healing and reconciling presence and activity in our personal and corporate lives.

AMEN.