Sunday, January 25, 2009
Sunday Night at the Cafe: Saving Grace
If You find it in Your heart, can I be forgiven?
Guess I owe You some kind of apology.
I've escaped death so many times, I know I'm only living
By the saving grace that's over me.
By this time I'd-a thought I would be sleeping
In a pine box for all eternity.
My faith keeps me alive, but I still be weeping
For the saving grace that's over me.
Well, the death of life, then come the resurrection,
Wherever I am welcome is where I'll be.
I put all my confidence in Him, my sole protection
Is the saving grace that's over me.
Well, the devil's shining light, it can be most blinding,
But to search for love, that ain't no more than vanity.
As I look around this world all that I'm finding
Is the saving grace that's over me.
The wicked know no peace and you just can't fake it,
There's only one road and it leads to Calvary.
It gets discouraging at times, but I know I'll make it
By the saving grace that's over me.
-B. Dylan
Tip of the tinfoil to RWB.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
The Washington Times: The Episcopal Diocese of Virginia inches closer to blessing same-sex unions
UPDATE: Julia Duin, the reporter, has a blog post on the Diocesan Annual Council here.The Washington Times reports on today's developments at the Diocese of Virginia Annual Council here:
The Episcopal Diocese of Virginia inched closer to blessing same-sex unions Saturday when delegates approved a resolution affirming "the inherent integrity and blessedness of committed Christian relationships between two adult persons."Read it all here.
The resolution, which passed by an uncounted show of hands by the 700 or so Episcopalians meeting at the Reston Hyatt, first recommended the diocese respond "to the pastoral needs of our faithful gay and lesbian members."
A second paragraph defined the "relationships" as "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."
"There is a time to take that step and follow Christ," said Matt Johnson, a delegate from Grace Episcopal Church in The Plains, Va. "I think this is one of those times. Yes, these relationships have integrity and are blessed. For 20 years, we have been talking about this. Let's go do it."
Frank Baxter, 70, a Front Royal resident who said he had been in a 24-year "committed relationship," agreed.
"I would like to see the diocese accept us as full members of this church while we are still on the green side of the grass," he said.
But opponents said the "relationships" could apply to any sexual partnership.
"I can envision that relationship with one of those persons married to someone else," said a male delegate from Church of Our Saviour in Charlottesville. "What do we do about that?"
"I think we're going to open some doors we do not wish to open," said delegate Ann Davis from Louisa. "A 30-something woman told me her understanding of monogamy means 'one at a time.' There is nothing here about these relationships being 'lifelong.' "
The question of same-sex blessings and gay clergy split the diocese two years ago when 11 conservative parishes left over issues of biblical authority and the diocese's approval of the 2003 consecration of the openly gay New Hampshire Bishop V. Gene Robinson.
Diocese of Virginia endorses resolution that "affirms the inherent integrity and blessedness" of same-gender partnerships
R-4a Integrity of Committing RelationshipsRESOLVED, that the Diocese of Virginia recognizes our responsibility to respond to the pastoral needs of our faithful gay and lesbian members in a spirit of love, compassion and respect, and in doing so seek to fulfill our baptismal commitment to respect the dignity of every human being; and be it further
RESOLVED, that accordingly the 214th Annual Council of the Diocese of Virginia affirms the inherent integrity of and blessededness of committed Christian relationships between two adult persons, when those relationships are "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." (Resolution 2000-D039 of the 73rd General Convention of the Episcopal Church).
Diocese of Virginia plans to introduce liturgies for same sex couples as part of "listening process" campaign
Read the whole thing here. The report is now online and includes the two same sex liturgies as well as an odd liturgy that blesses friendships (is that for those who want to remain celibate?). The two same-sex liturgies are called Thanksgiving for a Committed Relationship I and Thanksgiving for a Committed Relationship II. It starts on page 35 of the "Windsor Dialogue Commission Report."A resolution will be up before the Council on this commission. Here is the text:
R-9s: Resolution Referral to the Windsor Dialogue Commission
Whereas, many members of the Diocese are pained that gay and lesbian members are not fully accepted by our Church; and
Whereas, the Church has not reached a consensus about the place of gay and lesbian persons within the life of our Church; and
Whereas, there is a listening process recommended by the Windsor Dialogue Commission; and
Whereas, we are in the midst of episcopal transition be it therefore
Resolved, that R-5 and R-6 be referred to the Windsor Dialogue Commission; and be it further
Resolved, we commend to the entire Diocese the listening process that has been set before us at this Council.
Day Two: Diocese of Virginia Annual Council
Russ Palmore is making a report on the litigation and it's no wonder that these dear folks have no idea what's going on. One would expect that at a diocesan council there would be the opportunity for questions, but he just made his report and sat down after a standing ovation. It would be difficult to open up negotiations - or even to talk about negotiations - after a presentation like that.UPDATE: Again, one of the extraordinary faux pas of Russ Palmore's report to Council was his apparent loss of memory about the Standstill Agreement between the Diocese of Virginia and the CANA churches after the vote and filing of the 57-9 petitions with local courts. The Standstill Agreement still does not appear in the diocese's online documents and for some reason is consistently and constantly omitted from the diocese's public legal presentations to the laity and clergy of the Diocese of Virginia. Perhaps because it includes a piece of information that completely changes the justification for filing lawsuits against nearly two hundred lay volunteers and their rectors after the Diocese inexplicably called off the Standstill and walked away from the negotiating table, the next step in the protocol process instituted by the Bishop of Virginia's own Special Committee.After the litigation report from Russ Palmore (who actually wrote the Protocol, by the way), we heard a report on the building of a chapel at the Roslyn Conference Center in Richmond and named in honor of Bishop Lee. The chapel plans are beautiful and when built, the chapel will sit on a hill at the Roslyn Conference Center like a beacon of glass. At the end of the presentation, Bishop Lee received another standing ovation as did his wife during Bishop Jones' report that followed. Surely an era is coming to an end, in more ways than we ever could have imagined.
Here is an excerpt from the Standstill Agreement (2b) (dated Dec. 18, 2006):2 The Congregations ...Read the entire Standstill Agreement here.
b. will not initiate any civil legal action against The Diocese/TEC, but may report their congregations determinations by filing a petition/report with the relevant VA Circuit Courts pursuant to Va. Code 57-9 without violating the agreement. The congregations' Va. Code 57-9 filings will state that notice has been provided to The Diocese/TEC. The congregations will not take any further steps to bring the Va. Code 57-9 filings to judgment. Upon the Diocese's request, the congregations will seek a stay of their Va. Code 57-9 filings. If the Diocese seeks to intervene in the Va Code 57-9 filings, the congregations will not oppose such intervention and upon the Diocese's request will jointly with the Diocese move to stay the filings. In not opposing the intervention, the congregation of course reserve the right to contest the Diocese/TEC's alleged interest in the property.
This was where the CANA Congregations stood when the Diocese of Virginia, followed shortly be a completely separate filing by Katharine Jefferts Schori (perhaps just in case the diocese did not take her warnings seriously). Why Russ Palmore forgot to mention this rather crucial part of the timeline when making his report to Annual Council in front of 700 delegates is, well, odd.
You decide. Of course, Council did go ahead and unanimously pass a 2009 budget that included a line item that authorizes taking out a $4 million "line of credit" to finance the diocese's litigation, even as it cuts staff and programs and will retire their bishop early to balance the budget.
Alas.
Bishop David Jones is now giving his report, which included a short update on his activities with the "continuing" diocese in Pittsburgh that is being fashioned around old-friend around here at the Cafe, Jim Simons.
He's making the pitch for more financial support and not only that, but that the parishes should give a percentage right off the top to the diocese. How interesting that the Suffragan is giving the money talk. Why is the bishop doing the money talk? And he's using the rationale that the people here need to give the next bishop "the tools he needs" to do stuff.
Okay, here's the rewritten resolution by the Resolutions Committee proposed resolution affirming the "integrity" of what they are calling "committing relationships" which, of course, means - same sex partners living together.R-1a - The are now discussing R-1a called Involvement in the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America and the Anglican Communion
The resolved includes affirmation of being in the Anglican Communion, as well as to affirm "pastoral care" for everyone (which is code words).
They are now discussing including recommending ssu liturgies at General Convention as an added resolve.
Church of the Messiah Fredericksburg and St. Matthew's Richmond, and a church in Stafford have risen to oppose the amendment since it doesn't have anything to do with the rest of the title of the resolution. Now a member of the Commission has also risen in opposition.
The Amendment FAILS.
Church in Aldie rises to strike final resolve that was added by amendment.
10:30 a.m. Russ Randle asks to table the amendment and vote is taken and a count is now underway.
Kate Chipps does not understand what is going on and so the Chancellor has taken the podium to explain what they are doing.
The motion to table the amendment is passed.
10:37 R-2 Comprehensive Marriage Ministry Strengthens Congregational Vitality is referred to the Executive Board.
You can follow along with the original resolutions here. There have been some changes and we'll try to give you what those changes are as we go along. We're watching in particular R4a (the text is below).
R3-a Advocate for the Poor in 2010 Budget Hearings and Strive to Protect the Poor from Disproportionate Suffering is now on the floor and is being discussed with an amendment. It has also been modified by the resolutions committee. The final resolve now reads that parishes should work with the Virginia Interfaith Center which is interesting.
Amendment is passed.
10:46 a.m. Another amendment is proposed by Holy Cross, Dunn Loring. This amendment wants Bishop Lee to appoint a Task Force to lobby the Commonwealth of Virginia.
I wonder where they'd get the money to finance a Task Force and lobby the Commonwealth government?
Very interesting, Patrick Getlein has taken the podium to explain what the Interfaith Center for Public Policy is as a lobbying center. This is also the group that has gathered together regarding providing support for the diocese's litigation against the Virginia congregations that have voted to separate.
The amendment failed! Fascinating.
10:57 Discussion now begins on R-4a:R-4a Integrity of Committing Relationships
RESOLVED, that the Diocese of Virginia recognizes our responsibility to respond to the pastoral needs of our faithful gay and lesbian members in a spirit of love, compassion and respect, and in doing so seek to fulfill our baptismal commitment to respect the dignity of every human being; and be it further
RESOLVED, that accordingly the 214th Annual Council of the Diocese of Virginia affirms the inherent integrity [and blessedness] of committed Christian relationships between two adult persons, when those relationships are "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." (Resolution 2000-D039 of the 73rd General Convention of the Episcopal Church).
Endorsed by:
Region V
The Vestry of St. Anne's Episcopal Church, Reston
The Vestry of the Church of the Holy Comforter, Richmond
The Vestry of St. Mark's Episcopal Church, Richmond
A new "Whereas" is proposed and has been taken by the chair. A delegate has risen opposing the amendment that its content is beyond the competence of the council to make an judgement. The amendment fails.
St. Anne's Reston - thanks the committee. Is thankful that this resolution changes the diocesan policy on intimate relationships. Wants to propose another amendment in the second resolve second sentence "and blessedness" - integrity alone is insufficient. So it would read:
RESOLVED, that accordingly the 214th Annual Council of the Diocese of Virginia affirms the inherent integrity of and blessedness of committed Christian relationships ...Russ Randle rises to oppose the amendment. He says he will support this whole resolution, but not this amendment. Says this will adversely affect mission relationships with the Sudan.
Another Delegate has raised the issue that the second resolve is out of order and opposes the amendment.
Lauren Stanley supports "blessedness" - that "holy love" and "blessedness" goes together. She says that this will not be a problem for the Sudan. She said that the people don't care.
Front Royal supports the amendment on blessedness.
Another delegate said we should judge no one and embrace everyone. She opposes it because it signals out a particular group for blessedness and not everyone.
St. Anne's Reston is in favor of the amendment.
Vote: They are taking count. "Blessedness" has a particular sacramental meaning and this word will emphatically change the Diocese of Virginia's stance on same sex "blessings."
11:14 a.m. While the tellers count the bishop is introducing his staff, who get a standing ovation. Bishop Lee is introducing other folks as well as we await the outcome of the vote on including the word "blessedness" into the proposed resolution.
A call for the resolution to be tabled has just been requested from the floor but was ruled out of order by Bishop Lee.
We are told that the vote is very close.
VOTE: 211-206 - the amendment passes to add the word "blessedness." BB NOTE: This is one major example where five or six people make a difference.
The call is again made to table the resolution.
The table fails - about 1/5 or even 1/7 voted to table.
An attempt is now made to refer this resolution to the Windsor Dialogue Commission.
St. Anne's Reston back at the mic to oppose the referring of this resolution to the commission.
11:23 a.m. St. Michael's Arlington also opposes referring the resolution to the commission.
Susan Eaves, chair of the Commission, is confused - she is clarifying that the commission is finished its work. It doesn't exist any more. Is also confused also over people not wanting to talk about these issues. She says that all the decisions reside with the bishop.
Caroline Parkinson - opposes the referral because so much is referred.
Roger from Church of the Spirit - Speaks about Bishop Lee's affirmation of what is the diocesan policy on relationships and marriages, and asks a question to Bishop Lee.
Bishop Lee says he stands by what he said in the past and the council has its own voice. Bishop Lee would not permit Roger to ask a follow up.
Another delegate said the vote revealed that there is no consensus and that they need more conversation.
St. Paul's Memorial Charlottesville - This is an issue that can't be solved by talking about it. He says that the "rights" need to be extended to gays and lesbians.
St. Paul's Bailey Crossroads - calls the question, says this is just another way to table.
Now a vote on the motion to defer.
11:30 a.m. The motion to refer fails.
St. Dunstan's McLean - concerns are that it seems like a small appeasement or something small we're giving to gays and lesbians in the diocese. WANTS a larger context about what is sacred in relationships and not half-based. He has concerns about the second resolve "two adult persons" does this include a man and woman living together? Seniors living together? What is a covenant relationship in the Anglican Communion? He wants to see a resolution with theological depth.
Another Delegate is opposed to the resolution and requests the second resolve be removed, but supports the first resolve. He has served on the Windsor Dialogue Commission.
Discussion is now underway to remove second resolve.
11:33 a.m. Aquia Church Stafford - He asks whether we are doing this as a church? Only the last speaker talked about Holy Scripture. Before we get into the whole complex issue of sexuality, we need a comprehensive view of theology - can't move into "blessedness" without the underpinnings of theology. Excellent points, excellent.
St. Michael's Arlington is against the amendment to strike the second resolve.
Rector St. Paul's Bailey's Crossroads - says that Set Our Hope on Christ is the theology. Why has our church paid so little attention to it?
Another member of St. Paul's Bailey's Crossroads - also speaks out against the amendment, says it's time to take those steps that it's integrity and blessed. Let's just take a step and do it!
All Soul's Mechanicsville - opposes amendment because it affects those who are living together and go to Episcopal Churches and take communion and we're all ready affirming those relationships of men and women living together without marriage by not talking about it.
Roger from Church of the Spirit, Alexandria: Question on D039 does not include the theology of committed relationships have integrity - that's a new thing, that's a new theology, that is not a spirit of D039 and as someone has been listening for twenty years since the diocese has been doing the listening thing for a while - we're going to have this as new theology while quiets the voices of those who don't agree. How will they be listened to because council has spoken and we've created something new here. Words have meaning, if it is a will of council to do something new then do it, but don't say it's in the spirit of D039.
Bishop Lee is now lining everyone up behind two mics representing the two sides. Debate continues over whether to remove the second resolve. That resolve reads:
RESOLVED, that accordingly the 214th Annual Council of the Diocese of Virginia affirms the inherent integrity [AND BLESSEDNESS) of committed Christian relationships between two adult persons, when those relationships are "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." (Resolution 2000-D039 of the 73rd General Convention of the Episcopal Church).
The debate continues.
Church of Our Savior Charlottesville - Look at the words, he can envision relationship between two adults same sex or different sex and can envision one of those individuals being married to someone else. Excellent point.
Lauren Stanley says that the language is in line with D039.
St. James Louisa - supports removing second resolve. There's nothing in this resolve about lifelong, but could be monogamy of one relationship after another.
Kate Chipps - wants to vote and get on with our lives.
Bishop Lee calls for a vote.
Amendment fails.
Call the question. Ready to vote.
The Resolution is passed.
There's no call for prayer, nothing. Monumental moment for the Diocese of Virginia.
Discussion is now underway regarding a special meeting of General Convention of the Anglican Covenant:
Russ Randle encourages adoption.
St. Anne's Reston opposes adoption.
Here is what they are voting on:
R7: The Anglican Covenant
Resolved, that the Diocese of Virginia urge the Presiding Bishop to call for, and the majority of bishops to consent to, a special meeting of the General Convention at a “time certain" before the 2012 convention in order to consider adoption the Anglican Covenant. "
The call is for a special meeting of General Convention to consider the Anglican Covenant.
We are now awaiting the results of this vote.
Resolution Fails -171 to 210.
R-9a is a resolution to refer R-5 and R-6 to the Windsor Dialogue Commission (which the chair thought was done with their work) and that it would be included
12:05 p.m. St. Anne's Reston has risen to amend the resolution to delete the first resolve and add three resolves that would restore R-5 and R-6. The text is here.
The council is weary and it's six minutes passed it's published ending time.
St. Luke's Wellington - against the amendment. Bishop Lee clarified that the commission has not been discharged.
Christ the King Harrisonburg - moves to table the amendment.
Council votes and tables the amendment.
St. Anne's Reston - wants clarification. Is there a time limit to table? Chancellor says that the time limit is indefinite.
St. Gabrielle's says that the second Where As is contradictory to what was just passed in R4a. Consensus is now clarified regarding gay and lesbian relationships in the church.
Lauren Stanley moves to take from the table the amendment. It is second. No debate. The vote to take the amendment off the table.
Motion fails.
Andrew Murrow of St. Mary's Arlington - second Where As is a paraphrase of what PB said at the Press Club.
Kate Chipps said that what we did a few moments ago was for the Diocese of Virginia, not "The Church."
Falls Church Shadow - proposing amendment - majority vote does not signal a consensus to amend to say "Where as the church and the diocese ... "
Now voting.
Bishop Lee calls for the tellers.
Whereas, many members of the Diocese are pained that gay and lesbian members are not fully accepted by our Church; andWhat is before the Council right now is to add the words "and the Diocese"
Whereas, the Church and the Diocese have not reached a consensus about the place of gay and lesbian persons within the life of our Church; and
Whereas, we are in the midst of episcopal transition; be it therefore
Resolved, that R-5 and R-6 be referred to the Windsor Dialogue Commission; and be it further
Resolved, we commend to the entire Diocese the listening process that has been set before us at this Council.
12:17 p.m. While the voting continues, Sarah Bartenstein, President of the Standing Committee is at the Podium.
This is a very sad moment in the history of the Diocese of Virginia. I wonder if Bishop Lee ever imagined that his episcopacy would end like this. He does a masterful job with the resolution debates, he's just amazing in how he holds it all together.
"It seems that transition is very much on our minds these days," Sarah says from the podium. Yes, that is true.
By the way, Meade Memorial was made a parish. It was nearly lost in all the other items on the agenda. That's very good news for that longtime church in mission status.
Sarah is now paying tribute to Bishop Lee. She is glad that Bishop Lee will be with the diocese before and after General Convention. She announces a special service:
Washington National Cathedral
May 30
Celebration of Bishop Lee's Ministry
Back to the Resolutions. Vote on Amendment 234-136 carries - "and the Diocese of Virginia" is added to the resolution.
St. Anne's Reston - Proposes an Amendment - Asked the commission return next year.
And that a commission be charged to make a report to the 215th annual council. There's been a move to table the amendment. That fails. Bishop Lee calls for discussion.
Rick Lord of Holy Comforter Vienna with Sue Eaves - the Windsor Dialogue Commission has made two reports, one last year and one this year. They speak against this amendment.
Now voting.
The amendment fails.
Now back to R9s. The question is called.
R9s is adopted.
Constitution and Canons - call for a comprehensive review of diocesan (and regional) structures. They are against C-1.
Council votes no against C-1.
THE BUDGET:
The council is now going over the reductions in the budget. I don't see anyone running to the mics to discuss the budget, but for one comment. The budget is passed.
Barry Morgan, Archbishop of Wales, returns to the podium. He is going to "table" his fourth meditation. Instead, he's going to give closing reflections on what he's seen happen over the past several days, including the hospitality he's been shown, the outward-lookingness of people, the encouragement that people show one another, the wide-variety of items on the agenda, also impressed with the ministries that the diocese provides, more than most Welsh dioceses do.
Now he's telling the council that he doesn't want them to think that The Episcopal Church and Canada are pariahs - but that all are in the firing line. He feels that The Episcopal Church has behaved "graciously" unlike other members of the Communion.
Regarding the Covenant, he says the Church in Wales has problems with the Covenant and hasn't adopted it. He says he is concerned that the current draft still has "punitive" clauses that encourages spying on one another.
He said that he would resist the founding of another province with every fiber of his body. He got a standing ovation for that one. He says it's "total nonsense." He says that if it's possible for that to happen to The Episcopal Church, it's possible for any of us, he says. He says he's a minority in the primates. And he commended Bishop Lee's work.
Bishop Lee has now taken to the podium.
This is his final address to Annual Council. He is commending the people gathered. "I'm leaving with a sense of thanksgiving," he says. And now the final blessing.
Sine die.
The Washington Post: Longtime Bishop Who Presided Over Va. Rift to Step Down
Michelle Boorstein reports for The Washington Post:The Rt. Rev. Peter James Lee, who has been bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia for 24 years, announced yesterday that he will step down Oct. 1 to make way for a successor who was named in 2007.
The diocese, which covers northern and eastern Virginia and includes 80,000 members, is one of the largest in the Episcopal Church, the U.S.-based branch of the global Anglican Communion.
Starting this fall the diocese will be overseen by the Rt. Rev. Shannon Johnston, 50, an Alabama native who has worked in dioceses in the South and is known for his work in prison, music and HIV/AIDS ministries.
Under the laws of the Episcopal Church, a bishop must retire either by age 72 or no more than three years after a successor is consecrated.
"I think the church is more focused beyond ourselves as Americans than when I first came," Lee said yesterday at the diocese's annual council meeting, where he announced he would be stepping down.
Johnston will inherit one of the largest and costliest legal disputes in the history of the Episcopal Church, a land fight with a cluster of Virginia congregations whose members voted to leave the national church over what they see as its liberal distortions of Scripture -- and sought to keep their church properties, worth tens of millions of dollars. The breakaway conservative movement recently won a decision in district court, but the diocese and the national church are appealing.
Lee, 70, said yesterday that the churches' departure was "a major disappointment of my time in office," but he added that in hindsight he feels he could not have kept everyone together.
Lee said he would like to return to working in a church, probably outside of Virginia, and expects to eventually retire to Chapel Hill, N.C.
Read it all here.
The Washington Times: Bishop of Virginia announces early retirement
Julia Duin reports for The Washington Times:Virginia Episcopal Bishop Peter J. Lee said Friday that he will retire three months early, on Oct. 1, in a bid to save money for his financially-strapped diocese.
"My resignation will occur several months earlier that I had originally anticipated," he said to 700 Episcopalians gathered at the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia's annual council at the Reston Hyatt, "but I believe it is an appropriate and necessary response to the realities we face."
His early resignation will save the diocese $63,000, one-quarter of his salary package that includes housing, travel and other benefits, according to diocesan treasurer Mike Kerr.
The loss of 11 conservative Northern Virginia churches in 2006 over issues of biblical authority and homosexuality, the ensuing lawsuit over church property that the diocese is appealing to the Virginia Supreme Court and an economic crisis that has dried up church contributions nationwide soured Bishop Lee's recent tenure.
One of the Episcopal Church's three most senior bishops, Bishop Lee, 70, has since 1984 ordained 235 deacons, 190 priests and confirmed 15,982 people. Under his leadership, Virginia became the country's largest diocese at 95,000 members.
"I would like to finish this ministry with a sense of accomplishment and completion," said the bishop, in a wistful speech sprinkled with words such as "incompleteness" and "unfinished."
"The final months of our ministry together will not be a time of tidy endings ... In our incompleteness, we wait for Christ's victory and completion, not our own," he said.
The bishop, who plans to move to Chapel Hill, N.C., was given a lengthy standing ovation. He will be replaced by Bishop Shannon S. Johnston, 50, who was elected in 2007 to succeed Bishop Lee.
Read the whole thing here.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Time Out: Okay, it's getting a bit serious, time for a new HP preview
... and just to make it rather interesting, it's from Japan. Enjoy!
Live from the Diocese of Virginia Annual Council (Day One)
Barry Morgan, the successor of Rowan Williams as the Archbishop of Wales, is the guest speaker and preacher at the council this year. He is known for his outspoken liberal views on theology, defense policies, and has publicly stated his willingness to consecrate a gay bishop. He is about to speak to the Diocese of Virginia Council here in Reston, VA.He is opening his sermon with an overview of the definitions of Christian. He's now going on to illustrate what is a Christian by Hans Kung in his book, On Being a Christian. He is saying that being a Christian is about a community. Now he quoting from Why Go to Church by Timothy Radcliffe. And his point here is that all Christians belong to a community - the wider-Episcopal Church and the wider-Anglican Communion. What unites us is more important than what divides us, Archbishop Morgan says is Bishop Lee's point of view.
"Jesus Christ is the window into God," said Barry Morgan. The community is centered on Jesus because "he shows us what God is really like." Then he talks about how it's all about God loving us. He says that Jesus loved and accepted everyone just as there were.
Barry Morgan says that all we do is receive "the divine love" and what matters is how we love others unconditionally, accepting them. That's all that matters. Then he sat down.
Nothing about repentance, nothing about transformation, nothing about the fact that we come to Jesus as we are, but He does not leave us in that place, nothing about the choice we make to follow Him. Thank God for the liturgy, which still takes us to that place.
LUNCH BREAK: The Council has broken for lunch. I might as well be in Denmark for the amount of unfamiliar faces that now fill the hallways. Every so often I see a familiar face, some from Region VII (on both sides of the aisle), others who are friends in the Coalition.
It is an end of an era coming - Bishop Lee has had a long episcopacy in the Diocese of Virginia. When I first started attending Truro, he predecessor was still bishop, but after I graduated from college, Bishop Lee suddenly became bishop at the death of Bishop Hall in 1985. I was received by Bishop Lee into the Episcopal Church that same year. That seems like a lifetime ago.
I'm trying to remember when I first started attending diocesan council. I believe it was in the mid-1990s. My first council was actually down in Richmond - I think. It was between the 1994 General Convention in Indianapolis (my first General Convention) and the 1997 General Convention in Philadelphia (which some times seems like just yesterday, with the AAC meeting place in an old abandoned bank about a quarter of a mile away from the Convention Center). The change between the 94 Convention and 98 Convention was dramatic and I had attended diocesan councils in-between. But even then, I had no idea just what kind of commitment this would turn into.
Of course, the person who stands out in my memories through all of this is Diane Knippers. She was the one who talked me into going to the General Convention in 1994 in the first place and I can recall memories of late nights at Diocesan Council as we waited to hear what had happened at the Resolutions Committee meetings that sometimes went close to the wee hours of the morning so we could strategize for the next day. I learned a lot - not just at the General Conventions (which were in those days so different from Diocesan Councils) but at the Virginia councils as well. It will be interesting to see this annual council handles the resolutions that are up before it, if the diocese will finally give way and stop studying the topic and - even a small step - finally embrace what looks to be inevitable.
Archbishop Morgan's "sermon" was surprisingly tepid, incredibly sophomoric, I thought we should all just break out in a rendition of the Beetles, All You Need Is Love when he was done. I liked his accent though. My father's ancestors were originally Welsh Quakers - not sure what they would have thought about a Welsh Archbishop, but I can imagine.How can someone who is an archbishop in the church give such a vapid sermon - where he spent the entire time quoting other authors, but not scripture. And what did we learn? Turns out that Jesus is a window.
Hmm ...
AFTERNOON SESSION: We're hearing a report from the Executive Board. One thing we might want to note is a signal we may have received from Bishop Lee during his earlier address that he will not support the passing of the more controversial resolutions now before this council, when he said, "We continue in our diocese to have serious conversations about issues that are controversial. You will receive a report at this council from the Windsor Dialogue Commission, inviting a process of conversation to continue. The only recommendation the Commission makes for council action encourages listening." That could very well be coded language that sends a message that "listening" will continue, and action is postponed. Stay tuned.
Once again we hear from the Executive Board the same thing that Bishop Lee said in his address, that the Diocese will continue to pursue spending substantial funds on litigation with lines of credit and paying off the lines of credit with the sale of diocesan properties (one can only wonder if they mean selling off the parts of our properties that are unconsecrated). Not sure how they are paying off the interest, though, since right now there is a budget deficit that nearly matches the amount set aside for the interest. The Executive Board Vice President said that for the Executive Board, the "litigation" is their "backdrop" this year, since they are in charge of the budget of the diocese. The justification for the expenses (which are not actually being said publicly - at least, not yet) continues to be to save the property as a legacy of the church, even though the real legacy is the people, not the props.
Bishop Johnston, the Bishop Coadjutor, is now speaking at the podium. This is the first time I've seen and heard him and he has a nice refined drawl, denoting his southern roots. He voice sounds so much like my Uncle Charley, who was raised here in Virginia. It's amazing how much his voice and accent sounds just like my Uncle Charley.
He's very enthusiastic and effective communicator. He is emphasizing his commitment to World Mission, by bringing the expenses for that work into the diocesan budget as the current funding outside the budget is about the "expire."
Bishop Johnston is announcing that he will call a Canon to the Ordinary. The diocese has not had a Canon to the Ordinary since Clay Matthews was elected bishop. This person would aid the bishop directly and in the oversight of the ordination process.
ALERT: It was recommended to Bishop Johnson, he said, that he accept a postulant in a same sex relationship to Holy Orders which he agreed in principle, but does not feel free to ordain persons in same sex relationships since there is no rite of blessing for same sex partners in the Diocese of Virginia. Bishop Johnson made it clear that that he does support the goal, but will not move forward until the conclusion of the "listening process" that will be presented to this council.Bishop Johnston placed a "hold" on this postulant involved (as well as the chair and the ordination committee) while this "listening process" goes forward.
Read his address here.
Now how can someone say he is going to "listen" when he's clearly all ready made up his mind? What holds the bishop back, it appears, is the process - not the biblical teaching on identity and holy living. He does not seem to hold the view of establishing "prophetic witness" events, but takes a more process-oriented approach to go jump through the established hoops, and then end up where he intended to go all along.
And yet he says he's going to continue to entertain applications of more postulants in "committed" same sex relationships, even though he's not going to ordain them? What's up with that? That can't go over very well - except for those who nodding off into their purses.
Churches are now being publicly recognized for their percentage giving to the diocese. Can't recall this - but it does seem like an elaborate setup for shaming. The idea of the Virginia Plan is that the laity hold the purse, not the diocese, not the clergy of the parishes - but the laity. It's one of the ways the leadership is held accountable. Shaming won't make people give more, in fact, it just turns some churches into "bishop's-pets." The perspective is backward. In fact, I recall that we voted down these "percentage" thingys. The Virginia Plan assumes that the parish will give according to how the Lord leads, not because the diocese speaks in whisper like Don Vito Corleone.
UPDATE: Report on the "Windsor Dialogue Commission" with Susan Eaves and Rick Lord now underway. They seem quite jovial. It reminds me of the Reconciliation Commission and before that the R-7 Group. What makes this one different? They are releasing their report today. It includes "three possible 'liturgical' responses."
Holy Cow, what does that mean?
The commission is urging continued compliance on the moratorium and the study of the Anglican Covenant, supports continued communication with what they call "ad-hoc" groups that have separated from The Episcopal Church as well as those groups that support same sex unions and ordination for same-gendered partnered gays and lesbians. Well, that's a pip.
The Windsor Dialogue Commission are recommending liturgical resources - two liturgies were developed for same sex couples as a "pastoral response" in the Diocese of Virginia and will be part of this "listening process."
Here is the Windsor Dialogue Commission report.FINANCIAL BUDGET: Over $2.5 million has been drawn (where only $100,000 was budgeted) in 2008 from the what is now the $4 million Line of Credit. More will be drawn, but the treasurer feels that $4 million will be enough, though he will consult with the Executive Board.
Mike Kerr, the Treasurer, was given a standing ovation as he concluded his report.
LATER: Okay, I'm back from the Resolutions Open Hearing. There are three controversial resolutions up before this council which you can read here having to do with different forms of endorsing same sex blessings and same gender partnered clergy in the Diocese of Virginia. The hearing room is standing-room-only and one speaker after another after another speaks in favor of the resolutions. One exception was Russ Randall of Christ Church Alexandria who spoke eloquently as the canon of a cathedral the Diocese of Virginia built in the Sudan and what such resolutions would do to break up the relationship the diocese has built over the years with the Sudan. Russ is so calm when he speaks, but straight to the point. But it seemed - at least by those who rose to speak - to fall on deaf ears. It is difficult to tell whether those assembled are in agreement or are being polite in the Virginia-way. Certainly Bishop Lee has signaled that he does not want these resolutions to go forward, choosing instead the "listening process" of his Windsor Commission.Last year, however, everyone knew he was going to Lambeth. This year everyone knows he's now going to retire. Will the Open Hearing be the avenue for people to express their points of view and then be done with it? Or will the Resolutions Committee go along in this direction, despite the apparent verbal wishes of the Bishop of Virginia?
The "listening process" does seem disingenuous, especially when it looks like so many of the leadership have all ready made up their minds and the "listening process" looks more like a public relations tour to get everyone on board than any serious contemplation that perhaps all these folks could be off the short pier.
Russ Randall's remarks reminds me of this, one of the most extraordinary moments of my life when I met the Bishop from the Sudan while on my way to the cafeteria at the Lambeth Conference in Canterbury. I will never, ever forget that and he's not kidding. Russ knows, he's been there. There is no greater champion for the Sudan that Russ (well, there are - Faith McDonnell comes to mind as well) but Russ has been there, consistently, year in and year out. He knows what he speaks. But will Virginia listen?
So tonight we have news that Bishop Lee is retiring early to save the diocese money, we have some resolutions that seem to have a swelling of support but diocesan bishops who know that if you turn the ship too fast it will capsize (and we might maintain that in turning it has all ready hit the iceberg), and we have a line of credit of $4 million of which $2.5 million is all ready spent and the rest is expected to be spent without any credible payback in sight but for some hopeful someday when the real estate market is restored. It appears the deficit matches the interest payments on the line of credit, but we'll see if that's so tomorrow.
There are two funds in great need - Shrine Mont and World Mission. I keep wondering if there is a much better way to be dealing right now (especially since one of the goals of the diocese's Windsor Commission was to maintain contact with the groups that have separated from the diocese, which we would think means the new province) then pouring millions into the lawsuits and instead stand-down and start negotiating, especially since the will of the diocese seems to be moving overwhelming in the direction of progressive political theology. Why can't we return to the Special Committee Report (which took years - years - to develop when we add it all up, the diocese basically appears to have started over again, only this time it's to deal with the progressives rather than the orthodox) and start negotiating? Why is the Beers/Sauls Strategy Scorched Earth Strategy the only deal in town? Why can't there be a Virginia Way?
There are many, many wonderful Episcopalians here who are having a good time with one another, who love their bishops, and love their church, and don't go to the resolutions open hearings or the budget committee hearings - but just catch up with one another, swap stories, smile and hug and talk about mission trips and bake sales. They cart around their freebies and ask each other about the children and grandchildren and if asked, are rather perplexed about what happened two years ago.
But there is still a sense that things have changed, that there's been a divorce and family members are missing and it's hard to explain just what happened. It becomes a line item in a budget, not the faces of families once here and now are gone.
I have been welcomed here - and it's one of the reasons I remain Episcopalian, even in exile. There is this little bit of hope that keeps looking around for someone, someone to recognize that there are better ways to conduct ourselves then battling in a court of law. There's no reflection here after their massive losses in court, one loss after another - no reflection in any of these side rooms (at least as far as the public eye can see) to reassess the Beers/Sauls strategy and develop another way, a Virginia Way. But one continues to hope, even now, at this late hour.
And it's a late hour, indeed.
One wonderful moment happened while I was standing in the doorway watching the Open Hearing proceedings and a dear, dear friend whom I met about twelve years ago on Cursillo and later went to VTS, came up to me while I stood by the door and we had a reunion. She was serving at an Episcopal Church across the Potomac in the Diocese of Maryland for a while, but has just returned to Virginia. We come from different points of view, there's no doubt about that, but our friendship is a gift and it endures. It was such a surprise to see her - and it's those little moments when I'm reminded that there must be a better way to do this.But voices drift out of the hearing room and it seems that the course is set and one either jumps on the ship come what may, or jumps into a life boat for the shore. There seems to be no other way.
Until tomorrow ... Steve, article headed your way.
BREAKING NEWS: Bishop Peter James Lee announces that he will step down as Bishop of Virginia in October
After twenty-five years as the Bishop of Virginia, the Rt. Rev'd Peter James Lee, announces to the 214 Annual Council of the Diocese of Virginia, that he will step down as bishop in October."A major obligation of leadership is to recognize changed circumstances and to respond imaginatively and realistically to those circumstances. All of us recognize that we live at a time of economic recession. That reality is reflected in the significant number of congregations in our diocese that have reduced their pledge to what we do together in the diocesan budget. As diocesan bishop, it is my responsibility to face those changed circumstances and to respond accordingly. The position I hold is a significant part of our budget. I have decided, therefore, to resign as Diocesan Bishop effective October 1, 2009. That means that my absence for the last quarter of this calendar year will provide a 25% reduction in the cost of the position of diocesan bishop and will bring some relief to the stress on our budget. My resignation will occur several months earlier than I had originally anticipated but I believe it is an appropriate and necessary response to the realities we face. I am exploring the possibility of ministry in some other form after I leave Virginia as I begin my transition towards retirement."The full address is here. Press release here:
Bishop Lee was installed as the 12th bishop of Virginia on May 27, 1985. He was ordained to the diaconate in June 1967 and to the priesthood in May 1968. From 1968‑1971, he served as the assistant minister at St. John's Church, Lafayette Square, Washington, D.C. In 1971, Bishop Lee became rector of the Chapel of the Cross, Chapel Hill, N.C., and continued as rector there until he was elected bishop of the Diocese of Virginia in 1984.
The Washington Post has now published an article here:
The Rt. Rev. Peter James Lee, who has been bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia for 24 years, announced today that he will step down Oct. 1 to make way for a successor who was named in 2007.
The diocese, which covers northern and eastern Virginia and includes 80,000 members, is one of the largest in the Episcopal Church, the U.S.-based branch of the global Anglican Communion.
Starting this fall the diocese will be overseen by the Rt. Rev. Shannon Johnston, 50, an Alabama native who has worked in dioceses in the South and is known for his work in prison, music and HIV/AIDS ministries.
Under the laws of the Episcopal Church, a bishop must retire either by age 72 or no more than three years after a successor is consecrated.
"I think the church is more focused beyond ourselves as Americans than when I first came," Lee said today at the diocese's annual council meeting, where he announced he would be stepping down.
Johnston will inherit one of the largest and costliest legal disputes in the history of the Episcopal Church, a land fight with a cluster of Virginia congregations whose members voted to leave the national church over what they see as its liberal distortions of Scripture -- and sought to keep their church properties, worth tens of millions of dollars. The breakaway conservative movement recently won a decision in district court, but the diocese and the national church are appealing.
Lee, 70, is widely respected, and initially it seemed his status as a moderate would allow him to keep his churches together. However, discussions stalled in late 2006 and conservatives blamed him for offering to negotiate and then filing a lawsuit later over the properties. At that point, however, the conservatives had already filed a separate action in court that many saw as provocative.
Today Lee said the churches' departure was "a major disappointment of my time in office," but he added that in hindsight he feels he could not have kept everyone together. "I think some of these churches were heading in that direction even 25 years ago."
Lee said he would like to return to working in a church, probably outside of Virginia, and expects to eventually retire to Chapel Hill, N.C.
Here's the Diocese's video of the announcement with authoritative voice-over by former Vice President of the Executive Board, Brother John Ogle.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
First Things: A Review of Rowan's Rule
Jordan Hylden of First Things review's Rupert Shortt's newly published biography on the current Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams. Here's an excerpt:
Read the whole thing here.Williams is best viewed as part of the rebellion against the rebellion of the 1970s, working alongside his colleagues Oliver O’Donovan and N.T. Wright to bring the Church of England away from the arid liberalism of Honest to God and Don Cupitt and back to its roots in Word and sacrament, prayer and worship, tradition and Nicene-Chalcedonian orthodoxy. While many of his professors busied themselves with demythologizing the gospels and re-presenting Christian doctrine as anthropology, Williams insisted that Christianity at its core is answerable to God’s initiative, and most particularly so in the unique revelation of the life, death, and resurrection of Christ.
Very much against the grain of British academic theology of the day, Williams’ first book, The Wound of Knowledge, showed through relating the history of Christian spirituality that “the theologian,” as the fourth-century monk Evagrius said, “is the one who prays”—which is to say that theology must always grow out of the encounter in worship and prayer with the surprising and extra nos Word of Christ, rather than taking its agenda from modernity. And in his second book, Resurrection, Williams showed that the church’s message of forgiveness and new life rests entirely on its real encounter with the risen Christ, who unexpectedly returned to his disciples from beyond the grave.
Likewise, although critics have pointed justly to a certain degree of fuzziness on the sources of authority (Scripture, but not quite? Or the church’s tradition and language, but what parts from which church?), Williams has always been forthright that the church’s authority is God in Christ, who speaks through Scripture, sacrament, and our ongoing reception of the same.Arguably, it is just here where Williams parts company most with theological liberals—he insists that the first task of theology is to listen to God’s revealed and redeeming voice, and he truly has sought to hear this voice in Scripture and tradition. By thus placing Williams in his proper theological context, Shortt has performed a genuine service to those who would prematurely write off Williams as just another Anglican liberal. While Williams does not always line up with traditional positions, Shortt shows that it is simply misleading to view him as of a piece with the standard liberalism represented by Gene Robinson and Katherine Jefferts Schori.
All that is not to say, of course, that Williams is beyond criticism. Shortt certainly does not regard him as such, and points in particular to Williams’ views on politics and economics. One friend of Rowan’s, according to Shortt, averred that Williams’ politics “have always come out of a different and less sophisticated part of him.” The chief trouble, as Shortt sees it, is that Williams has not shown himself to possess a particularly subtle voice on the right use of state power, or a very helpful understanding of the genuine benefits of free-market economics for the welfare of the world’s poor. More often than not, Williams is prone to broad condemnations of war and globalization.
Shortt also notes, however, that Williams has elsewhere been quite critical of the “childishness” of utopian politics, which wrongly supposes that hard choices do not have to be made about the distribution of scarce goods, and that peace will simply break out when social constraints are removed. The puzzle, for Shortt and many other observers, is why Williams has not followed through on his own best insights.Williams has also been criticized for lack of emphasis on the central truths of the Christian faith, and for pointing too much to how the gospel unsettles our judgment and not enough to the blessed assurance given to the saints. Shortt quotes Eamon Duffy, who argues that Rowan’s version of the Christian tradition at times “can seem like a never-endingly argumentative seminar, constant upheaval without any point of rest or leverage.” The judgment is, to a certain extent, sound. Particularly before his enthronement as archbishop, Williams’ work gave great weight to the apophatic moment in theology—to the need for our words about God to be open to judgment and the possibility of saying more.
But in his new role as the most visible Christian bishop in a very secular and uncomprehending England, Williams appears to have taken this criticism to heart. As Shortt points out, his recent book Tokens of Trust is a clear and winsome introduction to the basics of Christian faith; his short guide to the desert fathers, Where God Happens, was very well received; and his most recent book on Dostoyevsky’s fiction is (viewed from one angle) a profound apologetic for the Christian faith in response to the shallow and naively optimistic atheism of Richard Dawkins. Williams the archbishop, it appears, is not the same man as Williams the professor.
This has also shown itself to be true in Rowan’s conduct during the ongoing Anglican struggles about homosexuality. It is well known that as a professor Williams had been quite forthright in his support of same-sex relations, but he changed his tune after becoming archbishop. Many liberals have seen this as Williams’ great betrayal of their cause, charging him with giving in to conservative bullies or of sacrificing truth and justice for unity. Shortt, for his part, makes it clear that he believes Williams ought to have taken a firmer line on the advancement of same-sex unions. But all the same, he does step back and allow Williams to make his defense.As a bishop, Williams believes that it is his responsibility to teach what the church teaches. “The bishop,” Rowan argues, “does not make decisions, doctrinal or disciplinary, alone: The church decides, and the bishop’s unique role is to guarantee all that the church decides.” Moreover, Williams as archbishop has come to believe that Anglican unity is no small thing—in fact, it matters a great deal that Anglicans continue to speak the same language of faith, even if in different idioms. For Williams, preserving the catholicity of the church is not just a matter of sacrificing truth for unity; it is a principled stand.
Thousands "March for Life" in Washington today
How did Barack Obama respond? By signing into law the authorization of American taxpayer money to finance abortions abroad - so in the midst of our financial crisis, we will be using our American money to pay for destroying the lives of those at their most vulnerable in countries around the world.
"To mark the anniversary, Obama signed an executive order that lifts restrictions on foreign organizations, and will now allow foreign organizations that perform abortions to be eligible from U.S. support. The so-called Mexico City Policy, which requires any non-governmental organization to agree before receiving U.S. funds that they will "neither perform nor actively promote abortion as a method of family planning in other nations," was first instituted by President Ronald Regan in 1984. Former President Bill Clinton lifted the ban as one of his first acts in office in 1993, although 8 years later George W. Bush reinstated the ban as one of his first acts as president."
Guess we could say you're putting our money where your mouth is, Barry.
In honor of your decision to set us back eight years with one stroke of your pen, we offer this:
Thank God your mother made the right choice.
TEC-backed lobbying group "re-invigorated" as counter-point to the Global South leadership
The progressive lobbying offensive continues.What appears to be now a heavily TEC-coordinated political advocacy group named the The International Anglican Women's Network (IAWN) is planning a meeting in Manhattan next month with a group that has been recruited heavily from the Global South to apparently counter the efforts of the bishops and archbishops of the Global South leadership. Targeting women (naturally!), the goals of the lobbying group are aligned with the goals of the progressive wing of The Episcopal Church.
Fascinating American-style politics at work.
How were these lobbyists picked? Were these lobbyists elected by their provincial leadership? How were the elections or appointments done? Were there slates of candidates put forward? Do these women represent their own personal views or are they authorized to speak for their province and their primates? Who do they speak for? All women? Who are they accountable to? What sort of financial support are they receving, who is paying for their hotels and expenses while in Manhattan, and where is that funding coming from? These are globally tough economic times - and bringing all these women into Manhattan for yet another political strategy group meeting must cost a pretty penny indeed. Why not just have a Skype-video conference?
TEC must want the photo-op.
The group was - love this euphemism - "re-invigorated" by among other people, Jenny Plane Te Paa after The Episcopal Church crisis intensified and the Global South rose in support of the Episcopal orthodox minority who continue, even now, to vote to separate from The Episcopal Church and join other Anglican provinces in the Global South. Apparently "re-invigorated" to be a progressive counter point to the Global South's witness, it bears keeping an eye on this group as they are used as a TEC-backed lobbying group at the Anglican Consultative Council meeting in May.
Also, note carefully which western province is missing from the so-called "steering group." Very interesting indeed.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
An Awesome Prayer
Let us pray.
Almighty God, our father, everything we see and everything we can't see exists because of you alone. It all comes from you, it all belongs to you. It all exists for your glory. History is your story.
The Scripture tells us Hear, oh Israel, the Lord is our God; the Lord is one. And you are the compassionate and merciful one. And you are loving to everyone you have made.
Now today we rejoice not only in America's peaceful transfer of power for the 44th time. We celebrate a hinge-point of history with the inauguration of our first African-American president of the United States.
We are so grateful to live in this land, a land of unequaled possibility, where the son of an African immigrant can rise to the highest level of our leadership.
And we know today that Dr. King and a great cloud of witnesses are shouting in Heaven.
Give to our new president, Barack Obama, the wisdom to lead us with humility, the courage to lead us with integrity, the compassion to lead us with generosity. Bless and protect him, his family, Vice President Biden, the Cabinet, and every one of our freely elected leaders.
Help us, O God, to remember that we are Americans, united not by race or religion or blood, but to our commitment to freedom and justice for all.
When we focus on ourselves, when we fight each other, when we forget you, forgive us. When we presume that our greatness and our prosperity is ours alone, forgive us. When we fail to treat our fellow human beings and all the Earth with the respect that they deserve, forgive us.
And as we face these difficult days ahead, may we have a new birth of clarity in our aims, responsibility in our actions, humility in our approaches, and civility in our attitudes, even when we differ.
Help us to share, to serve and to seek the common good of all.
May all people of good will today join together to work for a more just, a more healthy and a more prosperous nation and a peaceful planet. And may we never forget that one day all nations and all people will stand accountable before you.
We now commit our new president and his wife, Michelle, and his daughters, Malia and Sasha, into your loving care.
I humbly ask this in the name of the one who changed my life, Yeshua, Isa, Jesus (hay-SOOS), Jesus, who taught us to pray, Our Father who art in heaven hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on Earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.
Amen.
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