Reflections Part 2

This morning at our Tuesday Eucharist we celebrated St. Augustine of Cantebury, not the other Auggie of Hippo, but Augustine of Cantebury, the first Archbishop of Cantebury, and there was something written by Sam Portraro in his book, Brightest and Best, A companion to Lesser Feasts and Fasts, that was very interesting to me. He wrote, "The Middle Way is not always mediocrity. From its inception Anglicanism chose a course for the middle road; for that choice Anglicans are called wishy-washy, noncommittal, even 'chicken'. Yet even the chicken will tell you, if she could, that it is the side ditch, the extreme edge of the road's path, that promises safe haven; the middle of the way is the most dangerous, exposing one to injury and death. The middle of a struggle between warring factions is the place of greatest danger."

Part of the piece I did not speak to in my previous reflection, which is right below this one, was about the sense people seemed to have, of a lack of identity for the Episcopal Church. We have struggled with this middle way identity for a very long time, it has been messy challenging and hurtful as well, not to mention a bit unmarketable, can't you see the signs, "Figure out for yourself, Join the Episcopal Church" or "We don't have the answers for you, Join the Episcopal Church", come up with your own sign and post it as a comment. Anyway, it got me to thinking, if our identity is so up in the air, why can't we simply claim ourselves as the middle way, as the messy church, and the place where you don't have to check your mind or any other part of you at the door as the core of our identity. Maybe we should rip off the the Baptismal Covenant and make as our identity the statment, "we respect the dignity of ALL people."

What came to mind was the movie, "Keeping the Faith" with Ben Stiller and Edward Norton, when Ben Stiller's character, Jake, a Jewish Rabbi, was preparing one of the kids for his Bar Mitzvah. The kid couldn't sing because his voice was cracking as he beagn his journey into, what's that called, puberty??? Anyway, Jake, the Rabbi, started giving him a lecture about how there is a reason God makes these kids do this rite of passage at 12 and 13. It is so they can challenge God and step up to the plate ready to accomplish and embrace fully their manhood, the call of God to become a man. So Ben Stiller gets the little guy to start chanting, I love that I suck, I love that I suck, all the while he's beating a drum saying at the top of his lungs "I LOVE THAT I SUCK!!!" Wouldn't it be something if we as Episcopalians took a risk and started chanting WE LOVE THAT WE DON'T HAVE THE ANSWERS FOR YOU! or WE LOVE THAT WE'RE VAGUE or WE LOVE THAT WE DON'T KNOW or WE LOVE THAT WE SUCK!

What would come of something like that, what would come of us not being ashamed that we don't think we know the bible as well as the fundamentalist just becasue we haven't memorized certain passages that fit our particular theological and political view. What would come us not being ashamed any longer of who we are as Episcopalians and confidently step into the identtiy that has been developed for ages, an identity, that I believe does not conform to the traditional denominational structures, but one that recognizes the value of listening, of community, of being in COMMUNION with each other. Are we giving up our authroity in that kind of declaration are we givng up our integrity or our relevance? I understand we are in a time of great paradigm shifts and structural upheaval and systemic transformation, but I believe that we have not been true to that vintage Episcopalianism, or better yet, Communion that was founded by Henry 8th and brought to fruition by Elizabeth. Let's put on the challenge fully rather than partly so we can begin to transform ourselves, our souls and our boidies and walk into the call God has given us.

That is all for now, I'm tired.
Be well,
A+