this church will stand

On a stormy Sunday night my wife and I visited St Aidan's San Francisco, where the parish hosted the recent documentary Love Free or Die. Its about the Right Reverend Gene Robinson, Bishop of New Hampshire. For those who don't know, Bishop Robinson is the first openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church. In very brief, it follows Bishop Robinson from his trip to England as the only American Bishop not invited to the the decennial 2008 Lambeth Conference, to the 2009 General Convention of the Episcopal Church, which passed resolutions allowing openly gay clergy as deacons, priests, and bishops and the the blessing of same sex couples where civil marriages and civil partnerships are law. It also includes interviews with Bishops Bob Duncan (Pittsburgh), Tom Shaw (Massachusetts), Barbara Harris (Massachusetts), Jon Bruno (Los Angeles), Otis Charles (Utah) and Ed Little (Northern Indiana), and other clergy and laypersons who share their opinions on Bp Robinson, the issue of gay clergy, same sex blessings, and the Church's response.

There are incredible moments in this film, some stand out in particular. One is Bishop Robinson, preaching in London. The Archbishop of Canterbury inhibited him from preaching in the Church of England, yet one parish offered him a pulpit. Despite a heckler interrupting his sermon, Bishop Robinson asked the gathered faithful to pray for him. There are touching moments where interviewees describe how they met their partners, their blessings and hoped for weddings, and the responses from their parishes – some hopeful, some incredibly cruel. What particularly stands it are the scenes from General Convention 2009. Witnesses spoke at the hearings on whether same sex blessings should be authorized and whether gay clergy can become bishops. The film showed speakers in favor, and, against the question; one person, speaking in tears, explained why she understood how same sex blessings could heal the church yet she could not agree with the motion, and asked for prayers. When the vote was made, on the last day of convention, the motions passed, and the room was silent for several minutes – not a person moved, not a person spoke.

There are many ways to interpret that scene; what did the Holy Spirit, working in our world today, say to the Church gathered as the Body of Christ? I believe what I saw in that moment was the best of Anglicanism was present – our belief that no matter where we are on our theological spectrum, how we understand God working in our lives – we are all welcome to God's table.

We are friends and strangers gathered at the table; we agree, we disagree, we talk through our issues and remain committed that we gather together at the God's table.

All of us – no exceptions.

The Body of Christ is one.

Thank you, the people of St Aidan's, for bringing the film to San Francisco and thanks to Rev Tommy Dillon and Bishop Otis Charles for speaking with us afterward.

At St Cyprian's we talk about our faith everyone is welcome, wherever we are in our spiritual life, to share at God's table. We invite you – and you – and you, to St Cyprian's and experience our open table, know what it means to be where everyone matters.

See you at Turk and Lyon

peace

eric