The Reverend David R. Williams

Creator God, you have made us not in one mold, but in many: so deepen our unity in Christ that we may rejoice in our diversity.  Amen.

The children in Rebekah’s womb struggle together within her; and she says, “If it is to be this way, why do I live?”

“If it is to be this way, why do I live?”  The words of this one piercing cry from a pregnant woman say so very much about the complexities of even the beginning of life.

Rebekah feels deeply within her own body the contention, the fighting, the clashing between her children. Rebekah suffers because Jacob and Esau struggle with one another. 

A mere glimpse into the lives of the twins surely reflects their behavior in the womb.  The brothers clearly are opposite personalities.  Esau, the brawny son, is interested in the outdoors, hunting and fishing. Jacob, the more contemplative, is conniving. Neither is perfect.  They both have flaws, yet both are children of God, born of the same mother. Though Esau is the elder by a few minutes, Jacob usurps the family blessing from their father Isaac by tricking his father.  Esau is impulsive, not considering long-term consequences of his actions. 

The two brothers are at odds with each other through their youth and much of their adult lives. 

“Two nations are in your womb,” the Lord says to Rebekah, not as much to console but to explain. “Two peoples born of you shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the elder shall serve the younger.”

This coming week, a historical event occurs on the grounds of Canterbury Cathedral in Britain.  About seven hundred Bishops, Anglican Bishops and American Episcopal Bishops, will gather from around the world for three weeks on the grounds around Canterbury. This long-anticipated meeting is called the Lambeth Conference.  Over the past months, we’ve seen international media references to Lambeth—and in recent weeks, we’ve read conference updates in worship service bulletin inserts.

Here’s a little Anglican Communion/Episcopal Church 101 on the definition of a Bishop, a present day Apostle of the Church. As the first generation of Apostles turned over responsibilities to their followers, the younger Apostles were called Episcopas, a Greek word for apostle.  The title of Bishop soon evolved.

Present-day Apostles or Bishops humbly serve as our overseers. They defend the tradition of original Apostles as mandated by Jesus:  Go forth into the world and baptize. Break bread together, care for the poor, and tell the story of God as revealed in scripture.

All churches around the world which honor the Church of England as “Mother” church are part of a worldwide network called the Anglican Communion.  The Episcopal Church in this country is part of the Anglican Communion.  There are thirty-eight Anglican Provinces around the world such as the Anglican Church in New Zealand, The Anglican Church of Australia, the Anglican Churches of Kenya and Ireland, the Sudan and Canada.

Bishops are either chosen or elected by clergy and laity delegations of each Province and ordained as Apostles of their respective churches in their respective countries.

Every ten years, all Bishops in all Provinces meet together by formal invitation of the Archbishop of Canterbury in Lambeth, England, not far from Canterbury.  The Archbishop of Canterbury, currently The Right Reverend Rowan Williams, is the one host. About 800 invitations were delivered around the world several months ago.  Archbishop Williams expects to meet with about 700 Bishops and their spouses.  Two out of the three Bishops from our Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina will attend the Lambeth Conference: Bishop Curry and Bishop Gregg.  Bishop Marble, our part-time assisting Bishop remains in North Carolina.

Most of us know all too well that the Anglican Communion is divided in sentiment.  We have read and studied, even participated in quite passionately, the issue of dissension and division.  The two main areas of disagreement are the authority of scripture and issues of sexuality including ordination of women and partnership of same-gender persons.

Among the 700 participating Bishops, there will be the usual extremes and demands that the church move in exclusive direction. There will be those of the “via media” moderate who feel torn over any official division and state a desire to stay in dialogue. Many Bishops believe strongly in the overriding spirit of Anglicanism affirming that we cannot understand all of God’s mysteries and that a diverse people can share ministry, living within the abiding unity of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.  

The Church gathered at Lambeth may take us home to Jacob and Esau.  Indeed, we are born of the same Mother, the same Creator, the same God of Jesus the Christ and the same Spirit of grace, love and hope. The Bishops of the Anglican Communion are very different personalities coming from profoundly different cultures. The struggle continues to intrigue and even cause deep pain at this place of origin, the womb of Lambeth.

What on earth will happen at Lambeth?  What is the plan? Tea and scones? According to Archbishop Williams, designer and pastoral host of the three-week convocation, there will be no plenary gathering of the entire body of Bishops other than for worship services. There will be no plenary debate, no passing of resolutions and declarations, no Robert’s Rules of Order. 

“As the Greeks say to Philip in St. John’s Gospel, ‘We want Jesus,’” Bishop Williams states. “We want to see Jesus in our own lives, forgiving, challenging, liberating, transfiguring. We want to see Jesus in our church, reconciling, renewing.  We want to see Jesus in our world, healing, feeding, overcoming fear.” 

Small Bible study groups, each composed of eight bishops from radically different contexts, will meet daily.  Occasionally, the Bishops will combine into larger groups called “indaba”, a Zulu word meaning “gathering or meeting.” Still, the groups will be relatively small--about forty in each “indaba”--and they will engage in certain issues of the Anglican Communion including Communion identity and evangelism, social justice, Millennium Development Goals outreach, ecumenism, gender equality, human sexuality, Biblical authority, and the integrity of Creation.  As well, workshops will be offered by world leaders. 

Bishop Williams says he has been criticized for avoidance of thorny issues in this design of prayer, spiritual enrichment and development of ministry. “On the contrary,” he says, “I would insist that only in such a context can we usefully address divisive issues.  If our difficulties have their root in whether or how far we can recognize the same Gospel and ministry in diverse places and policies, we need to engage more, not less, directly with each other.”

In effect and wisdom, Bishop Williams, first among equals with no authority over any Province or Bishop, says that “we are the Jacob and Esau of this new emerging age.  We are about to be reborn.  Let’s give Mom a break and let her prepare for the new, evolving life with a spirit of peace, trust and love.” 

We heard in the Gospel lesson this morning that familiar parable about sowing the seeds.  Of the three principals in this parable-the sower, the seeds and the soil—we know best the earth.  The Good News, the seeds, is a gift to us anytime, made possible and freely available by our Lord, the Sower. The attitudes and hearts of our Bishops and, yes, of all of us provide the fertile ground. We are the soil. 

“O Lord, mercifully receive the prayers of your people who call upon you, and grant that we may know and understand what things we ought to do, and also may have grace and power faithfully to accomplish them.”

Amen.