Bishop's Message
Convention 2011 Address
Thu, Nov 17th 2011, 11:36
The Kingdom of God Has Come Near to You
A Diocese Imagining, Envisioning, Moving, Building
Let us pray: Most gracious, loving and holy God,
we pray that placing ourselves in the presence of your Holy Spirit
you might embrace us as your diocesan family,
for whom our Lord Jesus Christ was willing to be betrayed,
and given into the hands of sinners,
and to suffer death on a cross
before you raised him up in new life for our sake.
Be our guiding presence as we take counsel at this convention
for the renewal and mission of your Holy Church
in Far West Texas and New Mexico.
We pray, teach us in all things to seek first your honor and glory,
as well as your Kingdom among us and within us. Amen!
First, I would like to say a warm word of welcome to each one of you: lay delegates, alternates, visitors, clergy, visiting bishops: the Rt. Rev. David Bailey , our beloved friend in the Diocese of Navajoland and his wife, Anne; also, our beloved friend the Rt. Rev. Jerry Lamb and his wife, Jane, retired in Las Cruces and now our blessing in the DRG in assisting me/us in various ministries;
And to our very beloved former interim bishop and his wife
– I refer to them as this diocese’s ‘patriarch and matriarch‘
like Sarah and Abraham – but not so advanced in age! -
the Rt. Rev. William Frye and his wife, Barbara … Let us observe a moment of silent prayer for Barbara’s healing, guidance and strength.
Bienvenidos/benidas totos ermanos/as ; “ ya’ at’ eeh “;
Welcome, beloved people and friends of our Lord Jesus Christ.
This is my first convention address, and what I would like to say to you is based on a fundamental presupposition. I would like you to embrace your creative imagination and powers of visioning as you listen to me. Imagination and visioning from a biblical perspective are certainly in essence elements of a living faith, and I live my faith believing that what I cannot see is infinitely more important than what I can see. A writer named Peter Z. Zarlenga describes imagination best, saying (and I’ve added visioning here):
“I am imagination. I can see what the eye cannot see.
I can hear what the ear cannot hear.
I can feel what the heart cannot feel.”
I am asking you to do this not only during this address, but throughout all our labors of this convention. We are a people of God on the move, imagining the future that God has given us to bring the Kingdom of God to this region. We are envisioning our future and building it in the power of the Holy Spirit. Engage your imaginations with me; dream with me about where we are going together. The Lord is truly blessing us, and we believe as Psalm 127 says: “unless the Lord builds the house we labor in vain.”
It is hard for me to believe that I have served with you for one year now. Certainly the time has passed too quickly, but each day and month has truly been a blessing beyond my imagination or expectations. Thank you – all of you – for making it clear that I am a welcomed member of this diocesan family, and for trusting and embracing me as your bishop. It has been and will continue to be, I know, a great privilege for me to serve you and share in Christ’s ministry and his mission in this great Diocese. Above all, I have loved the opportunities I have had with you to dream the dreams of God, and to do the ministries God has given us together to accomplish. We are indeed building the House of God with the aid of the Holy Spirit.
It is an understatement to say that we are living in extraordinary times. I have often described the church of this 21st century, not unlike the church of the first century, as moving from familiar boundaries to new, unfamiliar and often frightening frontiers. St. Irenaeus, one of the early church fathers and apologist, who lived in the late second century’s changing world, was familiar with life’s frontiers. In his time, Irenaeus embraced new theological and spiritual insights and understanding in his writings. The changing world and the changing needs of the Church spurred him on to use his imagination to create new paths forward for his Church and ours.
His emphasis was on preaching about the Kingdom of God. For Irenaeus, the Kingdom as described and taught by the Incarnate Jesus was revelatory of God’s new frontier in the redemption of the world, and was of first importance. This spiritual sensing of God’s Kingdom, I believe, was the very experience of the early church at Pentecost, where we read in the Acts of the Apostles about the birth of the Church, and God’s gifts of the Holy Spirit to the Church, the People of God. The gathered disciples and followers of Jesus, who also faced daunting new times in a different age from what they experienced as they followed Jesus’ ministry, were awakened to a pervasive new divine reality and consciousness, which recognized and embraced that God’s Holy Spirit mysteriously moved in and among a variety of peoples, who wholeheartedly believed that Jesus was the Son of God, risen and truly the Lord of the Church and of all Creation. These Pentecostal apostles knew how to imagine a new world, new ministries, and new opportunities that the Spirit was opening to them and to the world.
The descriptive and experiential characteristics of God’s Kingdom in this world is best described by St. Paul in his letter to the Galatians: “…But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, godliness, and self –control” (Gal. 5:22-23).
We know these experiences. Do we not love living in the presence of these spiritual gifts? Our witness as a church is to the reality of the Kingdom of God even through our challenges and failures. Life’s experience from familiar boundaries to new frontiers, let’s faces it, takes a tremendous amount of trust, letting go, faith, hope, imagination, and patience in believing that God‘s will is unfolding in this world, and in each one of our very mundane lives.
The Kingdom of God has come near to us, yet how often we are unable to recognize it. We need our imaginations deeply rooted in Jesus Christ to help us see the Kingdom of God that is indeed very near to us. Imagine with me the Kingdom of God we might create right here in the DRG.
The great 19th Century Danish Christian, Søren Kierkegaard – father of Existentialism – once remarked: “Christ turned water into wine, but the church has succeeded in doing something more difficult: it has turned wine into water.”
That’s a way of saying that we have not always done a good job of convincing the world that God lives, and conveying the full Gospel story about salvation in Christ Jesus. Of course, redemption and healing are part of it, but not all of it. Salvation in the Kingdom of God is about the fullness of life we have with God and each other: the newness of life we experience in Christ risen, the joy and peace brought into life that is symbolized biblically by the brimming banquet table open to everyone, and the abundance of life-giving wine. The banquet table is prepared, and we, all imperfect people, are privileged to be invited to sit together and eat divine food with the Lord of all Creation, and to imagine with a divine imagination the fullness of life given to us and to the world through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Many years ago an author named A.C. Krass, who worked in the field of “Applied Theology,” and who wrote a popular book titled, Go Make Disciples, said: “God’s plan for the world is not that the Church will be saved. God’s plan is rather to ‘use’ the Church for the salvation of the world.” As the mystical Body of Christ, you and I, the Church, the people of God in Christ, have our work cut out for us in these extraordinary times facing new frontiers, and imagining new ways to be the people of God in the world.
The comedian Lily Tomlin commented in an interview: “I always wanted to be somebody, but now I realize I should have been more specific!”
Now I would like us to be more specific. Please continue to use your creative imaginations and visioning as I briefly describe some new ministries and facets of our mission as a diocese building for a new tomorrow, a diocese seeing beyond our current horizon, and a diocese on the move with the Holy Spirit. These initiatives are only the beginning, the first steps, in making our divine dreams a reality in the Church and in the world.
You may recall that last January, after several previous months of study, reflection and sabbatical time, I convened the chairs and representative members of the Standing Committee, Diocesan Council, Commission on Ministry, and the diocesan staff in a two-day retreat. Our goal was to pray and intentionally reflect on the purpose of our various ministries as described by the Canons of the Episcopal Church, and both to clarify and set new goals in enabling the public presence and witness of this Diocese, described in its mission statement. That mission has simply been stated: “We are a missionary people.” This was the beginning of our imagining, our dreaming, of the way into which God was leading us.
So, over many months we asked ourselves, in what way are we a missionary people, what are our mission priorities, and how are we going about accomplishing them in the variety of ministries presently under way, and how do we imagine our ministries in the future? We held before us the wisdom of the Book of Proverbs, Chapter 28: verse 18: “Where there is no vision, the people perish.”
Acknowledging that visioning always entails re-visioning and real use of imagination, we began a year-long spiritual discipline of seeking the Holy Spirit’s guidance, envisioning where our Diocese was headed, and what new priorities of ministries we would encourage. Dream with me. Imagine with me. We are a Diocese on the move.
Our first sign from God that we were on the right track was the Bosque Center: a symbol of our new life and future for generations to come, and a sign of our willingness to grow spiritually and learn together, pray, worship and study Scripture together in retreat, and, as frequently as possible, gather as a diocesan family. The Bosque Center is a dream come true for all of us. Imagine how it will serve us as we continue to move and grow as a Diocese!
St. Paul talks about equipping the Saints for ministry, building up the Body of Christ, and caring for, feeding and meeting the needs of the People of God. We first turned to what Jesus taught early in his ministry, initiating the coming of the Kingdom of God. At Nazareth in the synagogue Jesus said: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind; to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4: 16-21).
The Church’s witness is to Christ’s stated purpose in the world, and our diocesan vision, pray God, will inspire our living into Jesus’ Beatitudes in recognizing and serving the poor in spirit, those who mourn, embracing the meek, and those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, welcoming the stranger, supporting the merciful, the pure in heart, and the peacemakers. This we will do, recalling that Jesus said that we are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. How we minister to the poor, the hungry, the thirsty will require us to use our imaginations, to be creative, to find new ways, to muster our spiritual and physical resources in imaginative and fruitful ways.
In building a new tomorrow …to be more specific:
You will hear about our plans to restructure and revitalize our deaneries, strengthening and inspiring community building through new formation gatherings and education; building stronger collegiality among the local and ecumenical church communities, the laity and the clergy; heightening the deanery’s public presence in its local missionary efforts of aid, and in meeting and serving the people’s needs in the geographical community we call the Deanery. The Diocese and Deaneries are mutually linked in one and the same mission of Christ Jesus, imaginatively and creatively bringing the Good News of Jesus Christ to the world and to the Church. Imagine with me the future ministries of our deaneries.
You will hear about our new “Diocesan Congregational Life and Development Committee.” This group of trained consultants is educated and equipped to assist congregations and groups, laity and clergy, in transitions. They will be able to address the issues of growth and mission, as well as health and wholeness in congregational life. This committee especially imagines the new life of each congregation and community, drawing upon the rich gifts for ministry, and helping communities to make their dreams and aspirations real.
The health and growth of our parishes and missions are a top priority for me. My greater vision and goal is this: that in 2021 – in ten years – our congregations will double in size, not because I am a numerologist and like numbers, but because the statistics tell us clearly that all around us there are thousands of un-churched and displaced people. The harvest is plentiful and the laborers in the Kingdom must also be! Imagine with me how wonderful the future will be. Dream with me about the growth and rich ministries of our congregations.
Growth is already taking place; Hope-in-the-Desert has been approved by Council and Standing Committee to move into parish status. I am anticipating a resolution of endorsement and congratulations from this Convention. San Gabriel’s, Corrales, is also on the move toward parish status, and next convention we hope to welcome them. St. Jerome’s in Chama, St. Stephen’s in Española, Sts. Mary and Joseph in Lajitas, St. Paul’s in Marfa, and St. James’ in Alpine – and I know there are many more – are all looking beyond their horizons, and becoming more independent as diocesan mission congregations. These parishes are imagining new life, new energy, new directions, and they witness to the imaginative power of the Spirit at work among us.
You will hear about our new “young adult and youth councils” now being organized, both at the deanery and diocesan levels. This new effort and endeavor is to assure that young adults (18-35 years), and our youth (birth thru adolescence) are not only recognized, valued and cared for, but included in every aspect of church life. Our youth are imaginative and creative; they dream new dreams, they envision new realities. New and imaginative efforts will be employed, I hope, inspiring the young to create peer communities to serve their spiritual needs and grow in the image of God. Let us use our imaginations to help them come to fullness of life, and to take their proper place in our diocese.
You will hear about the initiation of our new “Phoenix Communities” caring for and serving the spiritual needs of the gay/GLBT communities in our Diocese. We are encouraging congregations in the name of Christ to embrace, welcome and support fellowship groups for gay people and their families; new parish groups encouraging spiritual growth and nurture, counsel, and Christian formation for those whose sexual orientation differs from others in the Body of Christ. Imagine the fullness of life given to our new Phoenix community; imagine the fullness of life they will bring to us as a Diocese. We dream together of a large and wonderful Kingdom of God right here.
In seeing beyond our current horizon…to be more specific:
You will hear about our new efforts to establish “border ministry outposts” to provide basic aid and services for the migrant poor living on our border of the Diocese and Mexico. This pastoral ministry is already going on in several parishes near the border, and now we hope further to support and increase resources in feeding, clothing, and securing shelter, and pertinent information for the most needy. The Diocese will be serving the poor on both sides of the border as we have been, acknowledging that courageous and faithful women – and a few men – continue to cross the border and build houses for the homeless in Juarez. We will need to imagine ways of supporting and nurturing these maligned people, and to bring them the refreshment of God in their times of trial.
You will hear about a more intentional effort to build up “Hispanic/Latin American ministries” in the Diocese, aiding and assisting those congregations who wish to reach out and integrate displaced Hispanic/Latin American peoples. Again, the statistics of those displaced, and who have no spiritual communities is enormous. The DRG will not look away from God’s anawim, but we must be creative and imaginative about how we may reach out, include, and nurture our neighbors. We must be creative in ways of bringing Hispanic and Latin American folks into our parishes and Diocese. Dream with me.
You will hear about a new “covenantal relationship with the Diocese of Navajoland,” and our commitment to spiritually acknowledge in prayer and mutual missionary efforts our Navajo Native American brothers and sisters. The cultural and spiritual gifts of our neighboring Native American community are plentiful and these gifts shape the broader context of our mutual relationship as dioceses. With Bishop Bailey’s leadership, a new day is dawning for Navajoland, and our blessing is to share in his vision. The door is open for ministry with Navajoland, and now we trust the guiding of the Spirit to help us imagine how we shall work, study, and live together in partnership.
In realizing a Diocese on the move …to be more specific:
You will hear about even more ministries focusing on community building, spiritual growth and health and wholeness; some are the Recovery ministries, the Cursillo movement, Marriage and Engagement Encounter, Youth Happenings, and who knows what else might come before us? Imagine the possibilities with me. Dream with me about our future spiritual and pastoral life as parishes and as a Diocese.
The educational efforts are expanding the COM to the Commission on the Ministry of the Baptized, and creating the Bishop’s School for Ministries. In this we are moving toward a robust and extensive set of opportunities for study and reflection together through the new Bishop’s School for Ministries, a school for laity and clergy alive to explore the riches of the Scriptures, History, and Traditions of our Church, and to imagine new ministries in the Name of Jesus Christ our Lord.
I will close with a word about a “transformational narrative” that will be presented to you for your endorsement: “the budget.” All that we have been imagining and envisioning is described by numbers/figures in the budget.
A budget is a guideline, but also a symbol of our faith and sacrament in a God who always provides for his Church. A diocesan budget is the face of the diocese’s priorities, and clarifies its goals. It speaks to our future and well being. It speaks to our dreams and aspirations for the future. It is where our heart lies, and where our hopes are born. I ask you to recall the teaching of Jesus:“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Luke 12:34)
This budget we present, created by the Finance Committee, Diocesan Council, Standing Committee and the Deaneries, is a faith budget, a budget rooted in our deep trust in God’s rich providence. It is based on an emphasis on a theology of abundance, hope and trust. It reflects our willingness and determination to imagine, to dream, to grow and move on. And so you all have realized that there is a necessary percentage increase in fair share, based on a formulary of each congregation’s strengths and resources.
My pastoral message to you is this: Defy the odds of doubt and have faith that you will be able to meet your fair share. Trust that in this challenge your congregation will spiritually grow in unexpected ways. The Lord will provide. The Lord will make our dreams a reality. The Lord will make what we imagine for the Kingdom here something given for our salvation, and the salvation of the whole world.
Together let us turn our imagining about the future and our dreams about the future Kingdom of God that we are building into a reality in our budget today. Let us live into our dreams, moving in faith, even as we face difficult times toward an abundant future that we know God will provide for us. We can indeed turn our divine imaginations into reality, because we have the presence of the Risen Lord and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Thank you for being so attentive in listening and for your patience.
Embrace your creative imagination and God-given powers of visioning.
Embrace your faith.
We are a Diocese building a new tomorrow,
seeing beyond our current horizon,
moving on into a bright future,
and living into the Kingdom of God!
Amen!
