Shifting the Prism
A Reflection on the Primate’s Address
Published: February 2009
Related Topics: Bishop/Staff, Current Issues, Leadership, People
So much of what Archbishop Hiltz said on January 15 as he addressed the Diocese of Niagara resonated with me. His eloquent and passionate commentary on the five marks of mission of the Church and our call to action with regard to poverty, First Nations and stewardship issues was powerful. I appreciated how he clearly connected Niagara's new vision to the Church's understanding of mission. And I was so grateful for the thoughtful and sensitive responses he made to the questions, comments and advice he received.
I would, however, like to suggest that if we shift the prism just slightly, the light refracts very differently on some aspects of our common life. There are three ways in which I noted a different illumination of our common life from that shared by the Archbishop.
I would like to suggest that to frame what Niagara has done around the issue of full inclusion and same gender blessings as discussion, dialogue and learning is to miss something significant. It's certainly true that we have engaged in dialogue for decades, both at the synodical level and in our parishes. And we have, indeed, made and honoured a significant commitment to dialogue, not debate – a way of listening to one another that asks us to listen deeply; to hold our assumptions in abeyance as we together explore the issue. We have offered many resources to our parishes to help them have these dialogues. A panel of speakers travelled around the Diocese. Small group programs were provided. Bishop Spence convened a Dialogue Task Force that generated a three month series in the Niagara Anglican featuring dialogue between six diocesan folks with different understandings of this issue as well as a Parish Guide for Same Gender Blessing Dialogues. Experienced facilitators are available for parishes wanting help with dialogues. Our intentionality and integrity around this process is indeed something that others might want to share. But that's not the whole picture!
Time after time, again and again when we have come together around this issue, we have invited the presence of the Holy Spirit to permeate our gathering. Time and time again, we have prayed for the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and we understand ourselves to be acting in response to that guidance. Niagara has not weighed the pros and cons of making the decision to bless same gender unions. We have not positioned ourselves as conservatives and liberals contesting our own righteousness. The Diocese of Niagara is responding to what we believe is the call of the Holy Spirit – to create a rite to acknowledge a blessing that God has already conferred on same gender unions. This is not to suggest that other dioceses are wrong in their discernment of what God is calling them to right now. I have no trouble believing that God could be calling Niagara to one course of action while the call to other dioceses is different. Consistency is not a hallmark of God's call. Quite the opposite; God's call is marked by surprise, risk and courage – the courage to step out of the boat when Jesus says 'come'. The courage that the Primate lauded in our Bishop is, I believe, the courage to say 'Yes' to the Holy Spirit in the face of unimaginable opposition; a courage grounded in a diocesan discernment that 'Yes' is indeed what Niagara is called to; a courage rooted in a humble response to the Holy Spirit.
The light refracts differently for me when I consider the relationships of the Church. I understand the bonds of the Communion; the ties of friendship and the commitment of Anglicans to our life together are important, even vital to our identity as a church. I would like to suggest that those relationships are grounded in the Gospel; in the love that Jesus had for his disciples, for God and for us. And our relationships with one another are at their best only when they reflect that love. Relationships grounded in Christ's selfless love are relationships that support each one of us in becoming whole, in being fully alive in God. Such relationships do not ask that the other behaves in ways that lack integrity. When one party in a relationship chooses action rooted only in a desire to be more loving, to be more inclusive, to be more like Christ, I would suggest that the loving response would be to honour that understanding, to support that desire to manifest the glory of God, humanity fully alive.
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