Sleeping Through the Storm (not me)

It is Day Three of the actual Conference (although we started on Saturday with a day of Prayer).

Before us today, following morning worship, is the Plenary vote on the matters we discussed yesterday (and I reviewed last night). We will take up the petitions again, and if the ones that have been referred to Judicial Council are found unconstitutional by the Judicial Council (as is quite likely), there will be work to perfect them. More debate and discussion. And posturing.

The Good News folk are crowing a bit. Their morning digest of yesterday is that United Methodists made a clear preliminary decision. THey say, “This decision (approving the Traditional Plan and defeating the Once Church Plan) was painful for the church and for the delegates. Ultimately, however, the decision is in sync with the Scriptures and the historic teaching of the Church. It opens up the possibility of God’s transformation for all of us in our own brokenness. It creates a new way for the church to move forward in faithfulness.” (Thomas Lambrecht, today’s General Conference Focus; www.goodnewsmag.org).

Not to be cynical, but there is brokenness and there is brokenness.

All over the auditorium concourse as I came in were members of the Queer clergy with rainbow tape over their mouths, with bags over their head, as it to symbolize their being invisible and muted. I don’t know whether those kinds of expressions are sensitizing or quite the opposite, or whether some are quite glad to get these voices and faces out of the church. All I do know is that there is a deep sense of woundedness and despair, especially among some of our younger clergy who came into St. Louis with real hope that we would find a way to keep the tent big enough for all of us who claim Jesus, Wesley, Methodism and the work of the church.

We will see whether there is the least of that hope left today.

The morning preacher talked of Jesus asleep in the boat. One of my favorite stories. And how Jesus was blissfully unaware of the crisis till the disciples called-out, screamed, pleaded with him to help them. Then we prayed, very quietly. Might have been a time for chorus prayer or that Korean form we learned the other day. Then, too soon, we stopped. I thought I saw Jesus’ eyebrows raise a bit as he took a deep breath and lick his lips, and resume his rest.