Where do we say, “These are the rules.” And where do we say “the church is yours.” Where do we achieve that balance so that this Church too can be a place where people have an experience of Christ that is unparalleled in its depth and power.
And just as important, who is the “we” who gets to decide? For that question is perhaps the most critical of all, because at its heart is the question of who owns this space? Who is this community really? Are we going to have insiders and outsiders? And if so, who is which?
I preached these words this Sunday talking about Pentecost. After the service in our "On the Table" community forum, we had a conversation that put these words to work. It was the kind of conversation that I've come to expect at Christ Church Cathedral, the kind that makes me proud to be a part of this community ... where people speak their experience of truth in love and listen deeply to the experience of one another.
The presenting question was simple enough: What is considered acceptable behavior in worship? People shared stories of being disturbed by others talking or eating or trading cigarettes. The conversation was sparked by stories of behaviors experienced from people who come into the space from living in nearby shelters or on the streets. There was a call to establish a set of rules. And that's where the conversation got good and holy.
We asked the question: Who gets to decide? It's a fundamental question of who is the church.
This conversation led to the heart of the complexity of living together in our diversity.
Is the "we" the traditional "we" for churches? People who have addresses in the directory. People who put money in the plate. In which case, don't we create a "them," who while they might be objects of ministerial affection aren't a part of "us" as the Body of Christ?
Or do we -- everyone together -- reach for the Pentecost "we"? Do we reach beyond "us and them" language ... not asking "how do 'we' deal with or help 'them'" but instead saying how can we -- everyone -- be part of a community where together we work towards God's dream of human flourishing for all -- and trusting that we are each and all gifted uniquely and differently by the Holy Spirit for the task.
We discovered quickly this was about much more than the diversity of people with homes and people without. When you say "no eating" (setting aside the Eucharist for a minute), what about the father who gives his 3-year old daughter a bag of Cheerios to munch on during the service? When we say "no talking" what about the well-dressed people who chat during the anthem? What about ... as one person raised ... people who come from African-American church traditions where the congregation talking -- and often talking back to the preacher -- is part of the culture?
Does that get to be a part of we? Aren't we all richer if the answer is yes? And yet, still, don't there need to be some agreed-upon standards of behavior?
We agreed to try something together. Over the next several weeks those of us who were there agreed to engage as many different people from as many different constituencies at Christ Church Cathedral as we could ... and to ask two questions:
1) Why do you come here on Sunday morning?
2) What standards of behavior do you think are appropriate during worship? Particularly, are there things you think should not be allowed during worship?
On Sunday, June 29 after the 10 am service, we will gather in the front of the Nave to share the truths we have heard and see if we can come up with some standards agreed upon by the broadest "we" possible (and the broadest "we" possible is invited to take part in the conversation). These will be shared with everyone in the coming week and for a period of a couple months we will ask one another to commit to them and to support and hold one another accountable in adhering to them. Then in the early fall, we'll gather again and ask "what do you notice?" and evaluate and make any changes that seem necessary.
I ended my sermon Sunday with these words:
Pentecost ain’t just holding hands and singing kum ba yah. Embracing diversity is hard, hard work. It leaves us with many more questions than answers and, like the status quo (at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre), often leads us into solutions that for now fall short of God’s dreams for us yet are also beautiful in their dedication to continuing the shared struggle. The struggle of law and grace. Grace and Law. Meeting. Battling. Kissing. Colliding.
From the church’s birth it has been this way. And so it remains today.
I am proud and overjoyed that we have a community where people feel free to speak what's on their heart in love and at the same time to do that hard, hard work of trying truly to embrace our diversity. Believe it or not, conversations like this are just the beginning, the low-hanging fruit of coming together. But as we engage these with integrity and faith. As we begin to jettison our "us" and "them" language and think and speak and act more in terms of the larger "we." As we get more and more comfortable inhabiting that space where we repeatedly collide in our diversity ... the Holy Spirit will be revealed and will transform us in ways we can scarcely imagine.
As always, I, your clergy, your wardens and your Chapter welcome your comments, and your prayers.
And just as important, who is the “we” who gets to decide? For that question is perhaps the most critical of all, because at its heart is the question of who owns this space? Who is this community really? Are we going to have insiders and outsiders? And if so, who is which?
I preached these words this Sunday talking about Pentecost. After the service in our "On the Table" community forum, we had a conversation that put these words to work. It was the kind of conversation that I've come to expect at Christ Church Cathedral, the kind that makes me proud to be a part of this community ... where people speak their experience of truth in love and listen deeply to the experience of one another.
The presenting question was simple enough: What is considered acceptable behavior in worship? People shared stories of being disturbed by others talking or eating or trading cigarettes. The conversation was sparked by stories of behaviors experienced from people who come into the space from living in nearby shelters or on the streets. There was a call to establish a set of rules. And that's where the conversation got good and holy.
We asked the question: Who gets to decide? It's a fundamental question of who is the church.
This conversation led to the heart of the complexity of living together in our diversity.
Is the "we" the traditional "we" for churches? People who have addresses in the directory. People who put money in the plate. In which case, don't we create a "them," who while they might be objects of ministerial affection aren't a part of "us" as the Body of Christ?
Or do we -- everyone together -- reach for the Pentecost "we"? Do we reach beyond "us and them" language ... not asking "how do 'we' deal with or help 'them'" but instead saying how can we -- everyone -- be part of a community where together we work towards God's dream of human flourishing for all -- and trusting that we are each and all gifted uniquely and differently by the Holy Spirit for the task.
We discovered quickly this was about much more than the diversity of people with homes and people without. When you say "no eating" (setting aside the Eucharist for a minute), what about the father who gives his 3-year old daughter a bag of Cheerios to munch on during the service? When we say "no talking" what about the well-dressed people who chat during the anthem? What about ... as one person raised ... people who come from African-American church traditions where the congregation talking -- and often talking back to the preacher -- is part of the culture?
Does that get to be a part of we? Aren't we all richer if the answer is yes? And yet, still, don't there need to be some agreed-upon standards of behavior?
We agreed to try something together. Over the next several weeks those of us who were there agreed to engage as many different people from as many different constituencies at Christ Church Cathedral as we could ... and to ask two questions:
1) Why do you come here on Sunday morning?
2) What standards of behavior do you think are appropriate during worship? Particularly, are there things you think should not be allowed during worship?
On Sunday, June 29 after the 10 am service, we will gather in the front of the Nave to share the truths we have heard and see if we can come up with some standards agreed upon by the broadest "we" possible (and the broadest "we" possible is invited to take part in the conversation). These will be shared with everyone in the coming week and for a period of a couple months we will ask one another to commit to them and to support and hold one another accountable in adhering to them. Then in the early fall, we'll gather again and ask "what do you notice?" and evaluate and make any changes that seem necessary.
I ended my sermon Sunday with these words:
Pentecost ain’t just holding hands and singing kum ba yah. Embracing diversity is hard, hard work. It leaves us with many more questions than answers and, like the status quo (at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre), often leads us into solutions that for now fall short of God’s dreams for us yet are also beautiful in their dedication to continuing the shared struggle. The struggle of law and grace. Grace and Law. Meeting. Battling. Kissing. Colliding.
From the church’s birth it has been this way. And so it remains today.
I am proud and overjoyed that we have a community where people feel free to speak what's on their heart in love and at the same time to do that hard, hard work of trying truly to embrace our diversity. Believe it or not, conversations like this are just the beginning, the low-hanging fruit of coming together. But as we engage these with integrity and faith. As we begin to jettison our "us" and "them" language and think and speak and act more in terms of the larger "we." As we get more and more comfortable inhabiting that space where we repeatedly collide in our diversity ... the Holy Spirit will be revealed and will transform us in ways we can scarcely imagine.
As always, I, your clergy, your wardens and your Chapter welcome your comments, and your prayers.
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