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| 3 Pentecost 25 June, 2006 The Rev. Robert C. Granfeldt |
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This is NOT a sermon! This morning, I simply want to share with you an experience
that Mary and I had while we were away from you!
And what a difference a week does make!
Last Sunday we went to Mass about 450 miles from here, in Columbus, Ohio, and
worshipped with, I would guess, at least 2000 other Episcopalians – maybe 3,000; it
was kind of hard to estimate. It was the Sunday Morning Eucharist of the General
Convention of the Episcopal Church.
The Service, itself, was quite an experience – not totally to my own, particular taste,
but interesting.
It wasn’t held in a Church, but in a rather typical, large hall – one of three – in the
Columbus Convention Center; a cavernous, featureless room, with a flat floor, row on
row of stackable but comfortable chairs, a large stage area with a portable altar in the
middle, and a lectern/pulpit to the side. Flanking the stage were two huge screens
showing televised images of both altar and pulpit.
And off to the side was the band! Again, not exactly to my taste, but, to tell the truth,
not all that bad! It was not the typical “praise band,” of so much contemporary
worship – more of a jazz combo, actually – and they played a mix of contemporary
Hispanic hymns, traditional hymns, and a couple of “old favorites” of the kind so
beloved in nursing homes – but they did it as swing! Kind of fun!
And because it was Sunday, the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church Celebrated
and Preached – the Most Reverend Frank Griswold. I have to admit I’ve heard better
sermons – but the whole experience of General Convention is grueling, at best, for
all the Bishops and deputies, and it was especially hard this year – and for no one
more than the Presiding Bishop! Bishop Griswold was clearly tired by this midway
point of the Convention!
But I don’t think anyone was there for the sermon, anyway. We were there to worship
God on a Sunday morning! More importantly, though, we were gathered AS THE
EPISCOPAL CHURCH to worship God – gathered as the official, elected,
representatives of the Episcopal Church gather only once every three years! And for
all the drawbacks – the discomfort, the dullness of the setting, the marginal music,
the only passable sermon – it was a wonderful experience!
And at the end, Bishop Griswold did an unusual thing. After the Postcommunion
Prayer, but before the Blessing and dismissal, he asked the congregation to be
seated. After making a couple of procedural announcements, he asked that, following
the Blessing and Dismissal, everyone else remain at their seats until all the Bishops
present had left, so that they could get to the busses that were waiting to take them
to Trinity Church where their special, closed session would be held to elect our
Church’s new Presiding Bishop! The Congregation stood and sang as the Bishops
went out, and our Service was over.
Four hours and five ballots later, they had done their job, and with a near-unanimous
confirmation-vote by the House of Deputies, we had a new Presiding Bishop! And an
historic event it was!
Thirty years ago, in the General Convention held in Minneapolis, Minnesota, our
Church took a great and historic step, becoming the first Catholic Church in the
modern world – the first Church possessed of the Sacramental Priesthood and the
historic Episcopate – to begin ordaining women. 12 years later, one of our own
woman Priests, from right here in Philadelphia, Barbara Harris, was ordained not only
the first female Bishop, but the first black female Bishop!
And now, only 30 years after that Minneapolis vote, and 18 years after Barbara’s
Consecration, we had elected a woman to be the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal
Church: Katharine Jefferts Schori – the Bishop of Nevada!
And what a day that was! The whole place was electric, and everywhere in the
Convention Center that one looked, people were smiling!
There were some, indeed, who were not happy with a woman as PB, but they were a
very small minority, and not much in evidence on that day! Everyone else was
glowing!
As for me, personally, Bishop Schori is the only one of the seven nominees I’ve met –
two years ago at the Annual Conference of the Network of Clergy Associations held at
her invitation in her Diocese – but I can say, she is one of the most impressive
people I’ve ever met: brilliant, accomplished and charismatic! Her undergraduate
degree was in biology, her Master’s and her PhD. are in Oceanography. A lifelong
Episcopalian, she went to seminary at the urging of the members of her parish, and
was ordained only in 1994 – just 14 years ago – and becoming Bishop of Nevada only
7 years later, in 1991! Her husband is a retired theoretical mathematician, and their 22
year old daughter is a Lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force! Quite a family! Quite a Woman!
And quite a Bishop!
That event was the highlight of the Convention. More happened, certainly, but most
of the rest was nuts and bolts legislation – the kinds of things that any organization
needs to tend to in order to be what it’s supposed to be. Our conventions are
working sessions, and not a lot of fun for the Bishops and deputies – but GREAT fun
for those who are just attending!
But just for your information, I want you to realize that our General Convention, which
meets every three years, is the largest, bicameral legislative body IN THE WORLD;
and it is the largest convention in the United States!
I will, in coming weeks and months fill you in on more that happened, and more that
will be happening as a result of this Convention – things that you need to know, as
Episcopalians!
For this morning, I just wanted to share with you a taste of the experience that Mary
and I shared in last week, and to let you know that, once more – as in Minneapolis in
1976, where we were also present – once more, we led the world, in opening our
arms wide to a class of people formerly excluded from power; once again leading the
world in taking a great step forward.
I have never been more proud to be an Episcopalian than I was a week ago, today!
Be proud of your Church! And, as she approaches her installation on November 4,
pray for our sister, Katherine: the first Catholic primate in history!
In Jesus Christ’s Name. Amen!
that Mary and I had while we were away from you!
And what a difference a week does make!
Last Sunday we went to Mass about 450 miles from here, in Columbus, Ohio, and
worshipped with, I would guess, at least 2000 other Episcopalians – maybe 3,000; it
was kind of hard to estimate. It was the Sunday Morning Eucharist of the General
Convention of the Episcopal Church.
The Service, itself, was quite an experience – not totally to my own, particular taste,
but interesting.
It wasn’t held in a Church, but in a rather typical, large hall – one of three – in the
Columbus Convention Center; a cavernous, featureless room, with a flat floor, row on
row of stackable but comfortable chairs, a large stage area with a portable altar in the
middle, and a lectern/pulpit to the side. Flanking the stage were two huge screens
showing televised images of both altar and pulpit.
And off to the side was the band! Again, not exactly to my taste, but, to tell the truth,
not all that bad! It was not the typical “praise band,” of so much contemporary
worship – more of a jazz combo, actually – and they played a mix of contemporary
Hispanic hymns, traditional hymns, and a couple of “old favorites” of the kind so
beloved in nursing homes – but they did it as swing! Kind of fun!
And because it was Sunday, the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church Celebrated
and Preached – the Most Reverend Frank Griswold. I have to admit I’ve heard better
sermons – but the whole experience of General Convention is grueling, at best, for
all the Bishops and deputies, and it was especially hard this year – and for no one
more than the Presiding Bishop! Bishop Griswold was clearly tired by this midway
point of the Convention!
But I don’t think anyone was there for the sermon, anyway. We were there to worship
God on a Sunday morning! More importantly, though, we were gathered AS THE
EPISCOPAL CHURCH to worship God – gathered as the official, elected,
representatives of the Episcopal Church gather only once every three years! And for
all the drawbacks – the discomfort, the dullness of the setting, the marginal music,
the only passable sermon – it was a wonderful experience!
And at the end, Bishop Griswold did an unusual thing. After the Postcommunion
Prayer, but before the Blessing and dismissal, he asked the congregation to be
seated. After making a couple of procedural announcements, he asked that, following
the Blessing and Dismissal, everyone else remain at their seats until all the Bishops
present had left, so that they could get to the busses that were waiting to take them
to Trinity Church where their special, closed session would be held to elect our
Church’s new Presiding Bishop! The Congregation stood and sang as the Bishops
went out, and our Service was over.
Four hours and five ballots later, they had done their job, and with a near-unanimous
confirmation-vote by the House of Deputies, we had a new Presiding Bishop! And an
historic event it was!
Thirty years ago, in the General Convention held in Minneapolis, Minnesota, our
Church took a great and historic step, becoming the first Catholic Church in the
modern world – the first Church possessed of the Sacramental Priesthood and the
historic Episcopate – to begin ordaining women. 12 years later, one of our own
woman Priests, from right here in Philadelphia, Barbara Harris, was ordained not only
the first female Bishop, but the first black female Bishop!
And now, only 30 years after that Minneapolis vote, and 18 years after Barbara’s
Consecration, we had elected a woman to be the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal
Church: Katharine Jefferts Schori – the Bishop of Nevada!
And what a day that was! The whole place was electric, and everywhere in the
Convention Center that one looked, people were smiling!
There were some, indeed, who were not happy with a woman as PB, but they were a
very small minority, and not much in evidence on that day! Everyone else was
glowing!
As for me, personally, Bishop Schori is the only one of the seven nominees I’ve met –
two years ago at the Annual Conference of the Network of Clergy Associations held at
her invitation in her Diocese – but I can say, she is one of the most impressive
people I’ve ever met: brilliant, accomplished and charismatic! Her undergraduate
degree was in biology, her Master’s and her PhD. are in Oceanography. A lifelong
Episcopalian, she went to seminary at the urging of the members of her parish, and
was ordained only in 1994 – just 14 years ago – and becoming Bishop of Nevada only
7 years later, in 1991! Her husband is a retired theoretical mathematician, and their 22
year old daughter is a Lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force! Quite a family! Quite a Woman!
And quite a Bishop!
That event was the highlight of the Convention. More happened, certainly, but most
of the rest was nuts and bolts legislation – the kinds of things that any organization
needs to tend to in order to be what it’s supposed to be. Our conventions are
working sessions, and not a lot of fun for the Bishops and deputies – but GREAT fun
for those who are just attending!
But just for your information, I want you to realize that our General Convention, which
meets every three years, is the largest, bicameral legislative body IN THE WORLD;
and it is the largest convention in the United States!
I will, in coming weeks and months fill you in on more that happened, and more that
will be happening as a result of this Convention – things that you need to know, as
Episcopalians!
For this morning, I just wanted to share with you a taste of the experience that Mary
and I shared in last week, and to let you know that, once more – as in Minneapolis in
1976, where we were also present – once more, we led the world, in opening our
arms wide to a class of people formerly excluded from power; once again leading the
world in taking a great step forward.
I have never been more proud to be an Episcopalian than I was a week ago, today!
Be proud of your Church! And, as she approaches her installation on November 4,
pray for our sister, Katherine: the first Catholic primate in history!
In Jesus Christ’s Name. Amen!
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| Calvary Episcopal Church, Rockdale |
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