Dear Friends,
We have the call from God, through Christ, to reconcile ourselves with one another and with God. That work is fundamental and primary for Christians, and it will require the efforts of a lifetime. The work likewise is costly. It led our Lord to the cross. However, in God’s providence and care, what appeared to be failure became, rather, a means to the goal of reconciliation.
“All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God” (II Corinthians 5:18-20).
The call to the work of reconciliation echoed from our gathering at diocesan convention. Convention’s resolution commends this work to us: recognizing our different conclusions about biblical teaching on human sexuality; valuing one another as faithful Christians nevertheless; and enlisting our participation on the path of respectful conversation. Our diocesan Commission on Reconciliation is hard at work, developing suggested means for conversation – an initial step in reconciliation – for our churches and the areas of the diocese.
On a more personal level, I have had many conversations with Episcopalians and others, within our diocese and beyond, on the subject of reconciliation as it relates to strongly held differences of opinion about human sexuality. In one such extended conversation, a gay Episcopalian freely used the term “gay marriage.” However, the church has been very clear in defining marriage, in part, as the union of a man and a woman. Thus, for me, the term “gay marriage” conveys a message loaded with political agenda.
In our conversations, we must come to terms with the terms we use. Obvious-ly,
much work lies ahead. And as civil governments engage in the discussion,
our task as the church is complicated further. But the call to reconciliation
rings clear. The work is fundamental and primary for Christians, and it
will require a lifetime. It will be a costly process. However, it is a
work we cannot avoid, if indeed we choose to follow Jesus Christ.
Faithfully,
Charlie
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