Curry - Welcome to Galilee - Lent 2013*

7/29/2019 Curry - Welcome to Galilee - Lent 2013*

1/17

welcomegalileeto

GALILEETHE

INITIATIVE

TheEpiscopalDiocese ofNorthCarolina

Te Pastoral Address of the Rt. Rev. Michael B. CurryTe 196H Annual Convention of

Te Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina

Friday, January 20, 2011

Te Churchmust go where thecongregation is,not wait for thecongregationto come tothe Church.


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TheBishopofNorthCarolina

ThePastoralAddressoftheRightReverendMichaelB.Curry

The196thAnnualConventionoftheEpiscopalDioceseofNorthCarolina

BentonConventionCenter,WinstonSalem,NC

Friday,January20,2012

TheGalileanAccent

IntheNameoftheFather,andoftheSonandoftheHolySpirit.Amen

InMatthewsGospel,whenMaryMagdaleneandtheotherMaryarriveatJesustombearlyin

themorning,theyfinditempty.Strangely,thereisnobody.Confusedandshaken,thinkingthebodyhas

beenstolenbypoliticalenemiesorravagedbywildbeasts,theyencounteranangelwhosaystothem:

Heisnothere;forhehasbeenraised,ashesaid.Come,seetheplacewherehelay.Thengoquicklyand

tellhisdisciples,Hehasbeenraisedfromthedead,andindeedheisgoingaheadofyoutoGalilee;there

youwillseehim.1

Lastyearatthe195thAnnualConventionofourDiocese,weconsideredwhytheRisenLord

JesuswouldchoosetogotoGalileetorevealhimselftohisfollowers. Weexploredtheideathat1st

centuryGalileewasalandofdramaticdiversity,alandofprofoundreligiouspluralism,alandofcultural

confusion.Galileewasaplaceofsocialandpoliticalunrest,oftenthebreedinggroundforrebellions

againstRome.

Galilee

was

aplace

of

economic

instability

and

uncertainty.

And

it

is

precisely

to

Galilee

thattheRisenChristgoes,andgoestothisday,andsaystothosewhowouldbehisdisciples,Come,let

usgotoGalilee.

1Matthew 28:6-7


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Buthowdowedothat? TodayIwouldliketosuggestawayforustofollowJesusintothevery

heartofGalilee,intotheveryheartofourcontemporarymissionfield,withallofitsanxietyand

uncertaintyanditsincrediblemissionarypossibility.FortodaystextIofferastoryfromthe26thchapter

ofMatthew.TheLastSupperhasended.Thefinalhymnhasbeensung.Thediehasbeencast.The

betrayerhasdonehisdiabolicalwork.TemplepoliceandRomansoldiershavedonetheirjob.Jesusthe

Galilean,ashewasoftencalledatthetime,isunderarrest,soontobetriedforblasphemyagainst

religionandseditionagainsttheRomanEmpire.Andhisclosestfollowershavefledfortheirlives.

SimonPeter,nowontherun,istryingtohideout. Letspickupthetextfromthere.

NowPeterwassittingoutsideinthecourtyard.Aservantgirlcametohimandsaid,Youalsowerewith

Jesus

the

Galilean.

But

he

denied

it

before

all

of

them,

saying,

I

do

not

know

what

you

are

talking

about.Whenhewentouttotheporch,anotherservantgirlsawhim,andshesaidtothebystanders,

ThismanwaswithJesusofNazareth.Againhedenieditwithanoath,Idonotknowtheman.Aftera

littlewhilethebystanderscameupandsaidtoPeter,Certainlyyouarealsooneofthem,foryouraccent

betraysyou.2

I

Galileeof

the

21st

Century

and

Jesus

the

Galilean

Youraccentbetraysyou. Letsholdthatthoughtforamoment,andIllgetbacktoit. Last

yearIattendedameetingwithfiveotherbishops.Afterwardswedecidedtograbacupofcoffeebefore

headinghome.Wewalkedoutofthecathedralcomplexandonlythenrealizedwedidntknowwhereto

findacoffeeshop.Thiswasinthecollegeareaoftown,sotherehadtobeacoffeeshopwithmaybe

somesconesandWiFi.Butwhere?

Ayoungman,obviouslyastudent,cametowardus.Weaskedifheknewwherewecouldfinda

coffeeshop.Hethoughtforamoment,thenaskedustofollowhim. Oneofthebishopsjokinglysaid,

Wereabunchofbishopsonanevangelismmission.Aswebishopslaughed,theyoungmansface

2Matthew 26:69-73


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stayedblank. Hedidntgetthejoke. Hehadnoideathatfourguysinclericalcollarsandpurpleshirts,

withcrossesdanglingongoldchains,werebishops.Maybehedidntevenknowthewordevangelism.

Atthatmoment,IrealizedIwasinGalilee.

AndthisdidnthappeninNewYorkCityorontheWestCoast.ThiswasinCharleston,South

Carolina,rightintheBibleBelt. WelcometoGalilee.

***

Ethnicdiversityandreligiouspluralismwerecharacteristicsof1stcenturyGalilee.Ethnic

diversityandreligiouspluralismarecharacteristicsofour21stcenturyGalilee. Mygrandparentsfrom

Hertford

County

wouldnt

recognize

todays

North

Carolina

either

ethnically

or

religiously.

But

diversity

andpluralismarewhatweknow.

MorethantenyearsagoDianaEck,theheadofthePluralismProjectatHarvardUniversity,

publishedherfindingsonthisreligiouslandscapeofAmerica. ShetitledherbookANewReligious

America:HowaChristianCountryHasBecometheWorldsMostReligiouslyDiverseNation(HarperSan

Francisco,1997). Butsinceherbookwaspublished,anotherdimensionofreligiouspluralismiscoming

tolight. WhenAmericansaresurveyed,doyouknowwhatisthesinglefastestgrowingreligious

designation?Its

not

Islam.

Its

not

Buddhism.

Its

Not

Hinduism,

Judaism,

or

any

Christian

group.

In

fact,

since1990thepercentofpeoplewhoidentifythemselvesasChristianshasdecreasedfrom86percent

in1990to76percentin2009.Thefastestgrowingreligiousdesignationbywhichpeopleidentify

themselvesisunaffiliatedornone,dependingonhowthequestionisasked. Thepercentageof

peopleidentifyingthemselvesasunaffiliatedhasdoubledsince1990tomorethan15percentofthe

U.S.population.3Theyoungmanwhodidntrecognizeabishopwhenhesawonemaywellrepresent

thewaveoftheAmericanfuture.Hesnotanaberration.Moreandmore,heisthenorm.

Butthereismore.Whenresearchersprobealittledeeper,theyarediscoveringarapidly

growingsubsetwithintheunaffiliatedornoreligiongroup.BaylorUniversityina2011studyof

religiousattitudes4foundthatfully44percentofthosesurveyedadmittheyspendnotimeseeking

3J on Meacham, The End of Christian America,Newsweek, April 3, 2009

4Baylor University Religion Survey, 2011


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"eternalwisdom,"and19percentbelieve"it'suselesstosearchformeaning."5Thatissimply

astounding.

Imnotsuggestingeveryonehastobecomejustlikeus,orthatweneedtorampuprecruitment

effortstofillemptyingpews.ThatsnotwhereImgoingwiththis.ButIdontforonemomentbelieve

thattheLordGodputusonthisearthjusttoeat,drinkandbemerry. Weareheretodomorethanjust

consumetheoxygen. Wearehere,astheJewishtraditionoftikkunolamteaches,tohealandrepairthe

creation. WeareheretolovetheGodwhocreatedusandtoloveandcareforeachotheraschildrenof

theoneGod,asthehumanfamilyofGod.Weareheretotransformwhatoftenisanightmareofsinand

death,hatredandviolence,animosityandbigotryintosomethingmorecloselyresemblingGodsdream

ofarenewedandtransformedhumanfamilyandcreation. Ibelievethatourhopeasthehumanfamily

depends

on

our

getting

that

right.

Ididntfigurethatoutonmyown,though.Itsnotmymessage. ThatsthemessageofJesus.

ThatstheGospel.AndIbelievetheworld inthe1stcenturyandinthe21stcentury needsthatword

andthatwisdom.ButIalsobelieveitsgoingtobemoreandmoredifficulttohelpthatmessagebe

heard.AndthatswhereJesustheGalileanmatters.

***

NowIwanttogetbacktoourtextfromMatthewsGospel. Ibelievethiscanbeatextforour

time,atextthatcanhelpushelpthatmessagebeheard.Doyourememberwhatthebystanderssaidto

SimonPeter?Certainlyyouarealsooneofthem,foryouraccentbetraysyou.

Foryouraccentbetraysyou.TheydidnthavephotoIDsbackthen.NoFacebook. NoLinkedIn.

YoucouldntevendoaGoogleImagesearch. Buttheyhadwaysoffindingoutwhosomebodywas.

Remember,theywereinJerusalem,insouthernPalestine.Galileewasupnorth.AGalileanaccentwould

standoutinJerusalemlikeaBrooklynaccentwouldattractnoticeinWinstonSalem.PetersGalilean

accentbetrayedhimandexposedhimtoallasafollowerofJesus.

5For many, 'Losing My Religion' isn't just a song: Its life, by Cathy Lynn Grossman, USA TODAY,

December 25, 2011


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IwonderifMatthewtellsthisstorytogetustoseepreciselythatthatwhenpeoplespenda

lotoftimewithJesustheGalilean,theirveryspeech,theirveryliveswillrevealtheyarehisdisciples.

Myfriends,whenwespendtimewithJesus,ouraccentisgoingtobetrayus. ThevoiceofJesus

ofGalileethatspokeandresonatedinthe1stcenturywillspeakthroughus,inthesameGalileanaccent,

inthe21stcentury.YearsagoIheardDr.DavidH.C.Read,whowasthenseniorpastoroftheMadison

AvenuePresbyterianChurchinNewYorkandoneofthegreatpreachersofthe20thcentury,preachon

thistext.Irememberhowheendedthesermon. RecallinghisdaysasachildintheChurchofScotland,

herecitedapoemhelearnedinchurchschool:

Othatitmightbesaidofme,

Surely

thy

speech

betrayeth

thee,

ThouwastwithJesusofGalilee

Itisthatvoice,thatSpirit,thatpresence,thatlifegivingrealityofJesusthatcanspeakanewto

ourheartsandthenthroughus,ifweuseitsaccent,throughusstraightintotheheartofGalilee.Inour

textthefirsttimesomeoneaccusesPeterofbeingwithJesusthepersonsays,YoualsowerewithJesus

theGalilean.JesustheGalileancanspeakanewtoGalileeofthe21stcentury,justashespoketoGalilee

ofthe1st.

IwanttoencourageusalltoexplorewaystodrawnearerandgodeeperwithJesus,bothinthe

sacredsolitudeofourspiritsandalsotogether,asthecommunityofJesus,thebodyofChristcalledThe

EpiscopalChurch.Iwanttoencourageprayeramongus.Iwanttoencourageatimeofreadingand

wrestlingwiththeHolyScripturesamongus,notonlyasindividuals,buttogetheringroups. AndIwant

toencourageustotakeourprayerandourreadingandourwrestlingbeyondthedoorsofour

congregationsandoutintothemissionfieldthatGodhasgivenus,outintoour21stcenturyGalilee.


Surelythyspeechbetrayeththee,



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II

TheChurchin21stCenturyGalilee

DuringthelastyearwegatheredsomepeoplewhoarepassionateabouttheideaofourDiocese

becomingthechurchinGalileeandbroughtthemintotheSwindellSpeakersFundCommittee.

TogetherwiththeSchoolofMinistrytheyareworkingonafewideasIthinkaresimplyextraordinary,

ideasthatcanhelpusemergeaswhatwemightevenwanttocalltheEpiscopalChurchofGalilee.

Oneofthememberslookedupthewordgalilee.Hereswhatwasinanonlinedictionary: The

wordgalilee(whenthelettergislowercase)denotesaporchorvestibule,oftenonthegroundfloor

of

a

tower,

at

the

entrance

of

some

English

Churches.

6

So

the

word

galilee

could

mean

a

porch,

a

thresholdbetweenthechurchbuildingandtheworld,aplaceofsteppingoutintotheworld. The

ChurchinandforGalileeisamissionaryChurchfocusedoutward,steppingoutward.

AyearagoIwasinacoffeeshopinRaleighwhenIstruckupaconversationwithaguyinline

withme. HeturnedouttobeaMennonitepastor,supportedbytheMennonitesandsomeother

churchestobeapastortothehomelesscommunityindowntownRaleigh.

Inthe

course

of

our

conversation

he

said

the

Mennonites

have

deployed

him

to

work

among

the

homelessbecausetheybelievetheChurchmustgowherethecongregationis,notwaitforthe

congregationtocometotheChurch. Andhewasright.TheChurchinGalileeisaChurchthatdoesnt

waitfortheworldtocometoit,butinsteadfollowsJesusoutintotheworld.

Thatisonereasonweareencouragingadramaticexpansionoftheministryofdeaconsinour

Diocese.TheministryofadeaconisnottoservetheChurch,buttohelpusasChurchtoservetheworld

inthenameofJesus. Andthatexpansionoftheministryofdeaconsamongusisbeginningtohappen.

6www.dictionary.com


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Theordinationprocessfordeaconshasbeenredesigned.Theformationandtrainingprogram

haslikewisebeenredesignedwiththeSchoolofMinistryandtheDeaconsProgramworkingtogether.

Wepresentlyhavethreedeaconinternsintheprogram,withtennewnomineesfornextyearsclass.

TheChurchinGalileeisaChurchthatdoesntwaitfortheworldtocometoit,butinstead

followsJesusoutintotheworld.

Since2001,Kids4PeacechaptersinIsrael/Palestine,theUnitedStatesandCanadahavebrought

togethergroupsof11 and12yearoldMuslim,Jewish,andChristianchildrenfromIsrael/Palestineand

fromNorthAmericaforasummercampexperience. Eachcamphas24children,12from

Israel/Palestineand12fromtheUnitedStatesorCanada.Educationaleventsandfamilygatheringsin

Jerusalem

and

Galilee

bring

together

Israeli

and

Palestinian

families,

and

similar

events

in

the

U.S.

and

Canadaconnectfamiliesofthechildrenhere.

Thegoalisnothinglessthantoteachreconciliationthroughinterfaithpeaceeducation,which

helpscreateunderstandingsandfriendshipsacrosscultural,religious,andethnicdivides.

Kids4PeaceoffersaclearexampleofhowtofollowwheretheRisenChristhasgone.Thiswork

manifeststheministryofreconciliationforwhichourLord,himselfaPalestinianJew,sacrificedhislife.

St.Pauls

Letter

to

the

Ephesians

says

Jesus

died

to

break

down

the

dividing

wall

that

separates

us

fromGodandfromeachotheraschildrenofGod,whoareallmeanttobeGodsfamily.7 Forthese

reasons,Iwillpresentthe2012BishopsAwardattheEucharistthiseveningtoKids4PeaceNorth

Carolina.




NowletsthinkmorebroadlyabouttheChurchinGalilee,theChurchthatdoesntwaitforthe

worldtocometoitbutinsteadfollowsJesusoutintotheworld.Howmightthisperspectivechangethe

shapeoftheChurchasweseektowitnessintheworld? Howmightsuchanorientationchangethe

7see Ephesians 2:14


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shapeofthe21stcenturyEpiscopalChurchinourpartofNorthCarolina?Inyearstocome,willthe

DioceseofNorthCarolinabeonlytheparishes,missions,campusministriesandinstitutionsthatweare

now?OrwillourDioceseencompassmanyvariedformsofexpressionintheEpiscopaltradition,

includinghousechurchesorevenchurchesoutonthestreets?

HowmightthischangingcontextofGalileebegintochangetheshapeofthetraditionalparish

ormission? Whatwouldhappenifweencouragednewpossibilitiesforbeingworshippingandserving

congregationsandcommunitiesoffaith?WhatwouldanEpiscopalChurchpresenceonthestreetandin

publicspacesandinuntraditionalcontextslooklike?HowcouldweasaDiocesefosterthosekindsof

experimentsforbeingtheChurchintheworld?

The

idea

of

being

the

Church

in

Galilee

can

give

us

new

perspectives

on

the

life

and

the

viability

ofourexistingcongregationsaswell. Agroupoftransitionministryofficersfromseveraldioceseswho

workwithcongregationssearchingforanewRectororVicarrecentlygatheredtofigureoutwhatit

reallycoststooperateaparishtoday.Whentheyaddeditalltogetherfulltimepriest,parttime

secretary,musician,sexton,buildingcosts,altarguildsupplies,Christianformation,youthprogram,

outreachthefigurecametoroughly$300,000peryear.Thenwhentheyfactoredintheaverage

pledgeintodaysEpiscopalChurch,theyestimatedacongregationwouldneedatleast200adultsor

pledgingunitstocomfortablyministerinthisparishmodel.Heresaninterestingfact:Ofthe118

congregationsin

the

Diocese

of

North

Carolina,

only

24

of

them

have

that

membership

of

200

or

more

neededtosustainthetraditionalmodel.

Itsnosecretthatmanyofourcongregationsarestruggling,tryingtoliveintothatmodelwith

fewerthan200people.Thatmakesmewonder:Whydoweonlyhaveonemodel?Isitpossiblethere

areothermodelsinadditiontoourtimetestedmodel?Isitpossibletherearemorewaystobean

EpiscopalChurchthanasaparishoramission?

WenowhaveanopportunitytolookdeeplyandseriouslyintowhatitmeanstobetheEpiscopal

Church,whatitmeanstobefaithfulandeffectivecongregationsandworshippingcommunities,and

whatitmeanstobeaDiocesetogetherinthis21stcenturycontext. ThereisnotachurchinthisDiocese

thatisnotfeeling,orthatwillnottosomedegreefeel,thestrainofthispresentmoment. The

missionarychallengebeforeusisbiggerthananyoneofus,oranyonecongregation,whethersmall


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townorbigcity,whetherlargeorsmallormediumsizedcongregation. Thedeepwisdomofthe

catholictraditionoftheEpiscopalChurchisthatwearenotsingle,solitary,isolatedcongregations.John

Donnetoldus,Nomanisanisland,entireofitself.IntheageofGalileeweneedmorethanevertobe

Churchtogether.WeneedeachothertomoveforwardfortheGospelinthistime.Weneedtobethe

EpiscopalDioceseofNorthCarolinatogether.AstheRev.Dr.MartinLutherKingJr.,whosebirthdaywe

commemoratedearlierthisweek,usedtosay,Wemayhaveallcomeondifferentships,butwerein

thesameboatnow.

IamaskingthisConventiontocommissionataskgrouptostudythecomplexsetoffactorsthat

canpromotethelifeandsustainabilityofcongregationsandtheEpiscopalChurchhereinthe21st

century.Iwillaskthetaskgrouptoreportbacktothe197thconventionin2013andtomakeafinal

report

with

recommendations

for

action

at

the

198

th

Convention

in

2014.

***

In2006,weasaDiocesereachedaforkintheroad. SomewillrecallthatwhenBishopGloster

retiredasourBishopSuffragan,heblessedusbystayingonparttimeasAssistingBishop.BishopMarble

retiredasBishopofMississippiandalsoblessedusbyjoiningusasparttimeAssistingBishop.Wewill

continuetobeblessedbyBishopMarblesministryamongus.WhenBishopGlosterdidretireas

AssistingBishop

at

the

end

of

2006,

we

knew

we

would

need

asecond

full

time

Bishop

to

join

Bishop

Marbleandme.

Atthattime,afteryearsofstudyandwork,wewereabouttoimplementourMissionAction

Planwhichcalledforthecreationofregionallybasedteamsofapriest,adeacon,andayouthworkerto

beresourcepeopleandtoprovidedirectsupportfortheministryofour118congregations,237clergy

activelyserving,andthelayleadershipofourcongregations.

Weknewthatcreatingthisregionalapproachwouldtakemassiveamountsoftimeandenergy.

WealsoknewthatelectingaBishopwouldtakeasimilaramountoftimeandenergy.Wecoulddoone

ortheotheratthattime,butnotboth.TheMissionImplementationTeamencouragedmetoappoint

anotherexperiencedBishopasAssistantBishopratherthanelectingaBishopSuffragan.


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Iwasverymuchapartofthatconversationandconcurredwiththatassessment.Thiswasa

strategicdecisiondesignedtomakeimplementingtheregionalapproachofthemissionplanourtop

priority. Atthe191stAnnualConventionin2007,Ithereforeaskedforthecreationofthepositionof

AssistantBishopandsaid: ThisisadifferentapproachtoepiscopalleadershipforusinNorthCarolina.

ItisoccasionedbytheparticularmissionaryneedsofthisDioceseatthismoment.Implementingthe

missioninitiativesthatIhavehereoutlined,overthenextfivetosevenyears,isgoingtorequirea

significantconcentrationofourenergy,time,andresources.8Ialsopromisedinthataddressthataswe

nearedtherealizationofoureffortstoestablishtheregionalministry,Iwouldthenreviewwiththe

StandingCommitteetheneedsoftheDioceseforepiscopalleadershipinthenextphase.

Afterthosecriticaldecisionshadbeenmade,wewereblessedthatBishopGregg,thenBishopof

Eastern

Oregon,

joined

us

as

Assistant

Bishop

and

helped

establish

the

first

two

of

our

three

regional

ministries.Togetherwiththecanonsandmanyofyouwhoservedonsearchcommittees,infocus

groups,andinadvisorygroups,wehavearrivedatthismomentinwhichwenowhaveaneffective

meansofprovidingresourcesanddirectsupportforclergy,layleaders,andcongregations.

Thethreepriestswhoserveasourregionallybasedcanons,togetherwithregionaldeaconsand

youthministrycoaches,arenowworkinginallsevenconvocationsofourDiocese.Andthisworkis

alreadymakingasignificantdifferenceforourclergy,layleaders,andcongregations.Iamnowableto

reportto

this

Convention

that

the

mission

initiatives

outlined

in

2007

have

been

accomplished.

Sowheredowegofromhere? Ibelievethenextstageofourmissionarydevelopmentisto

moveforwardtogethertolive,share,andwitnesstotheGospelofJesusChristintheageofGalilee.I

believeweneedtobethatcommunityofpeoplewhoreflecttheradicalwelcomeofJesusinour

churches. AndIbelieveweneedtomovebeyondthechurchdoorstoreflectthatwayoftheGospelin

theworld.

Ibelievethistaskrequiresadifferentshapetoourepiscopalleadership..Therefore,after

consultationwiththeStandingCommittee,Iamcallingfor,andaskyourapprovalof,theelectionand

consecrationofaBishopSuffragantojoinusasapartnerinthismissionaryjourney.

8Pastoral Address of the Bishop to the 191

stAnnual Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina


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Ifyouapprove,wewillelectaBishopSuffraganatthe197thAnnualConventioninJanuary2013

andhavetheserviceofOrdinationatDukeUniversityChapelinJuneofthatyear.Beforetheordination

ofthenewbishopwewillhavethechancetothankBishopandMrs.Greggfortheirpresenceand

ministryamongus. ThiselectionofaBishopSuffragancanbeanincredibleopportunityforusasasign

ofourcommitmenttobetheEpiscopalChurchinourportionofNorthCarolinaforthe21stcentury

world.

***

SomeofyoumayrecallthatsoonafterIbecameBishopalmostadozenyearsago,weoffereda

DiocesanwidestudyofVernaDoziersbookTheDreamofGod. ThevoiceofVernahelpedustoclaima

way

of

discipleship

that

follows

Jesus

in

the

direction

of

Gods

dream

for

us

and

for

all

creation.

AfewyearsagomanyofusreadStephanieSpellersbookRadicalWelcome.Stephaniesvoiceis

helpingustohastenthedaywhenthefaceoftheEpiscopalChurchhereinNorthCarolinawillreflect

thefaceofthepeoplesofNorthCarolinainallofourGodgivendiversityandvariety.

Nowasweleanforwardintothismissionarymoment,themembersoftheSwindellSpeakers

FundCommitteeandtheSchoolofMinistryhavecomeupwithsomeextraordinaryandexcitingideas

oneof

them

involving

yet

another

prophetic

voice

that

can

help

us

to

follow

Jesus

into

Galilee.

They

willtellyoumoreinafewminutes,butletmetellyouaboutoneoftheseideas.Allowmetoframeitas

aninvitation.

IwouldliketoinvitetheclergyandthepeopleoftheDioceseofNorthCarolinatojoinmeinan

onlinebookstudyduringtheseasonofEaster,whenweliveouttheresurrectionofJesusandhis

journeytoGalilee.WewillreadasoontobepublishedbookbyDianaButlerBassentitledChristianity

AfterReligion:TheEndofChurchandtheBirthofaNewSpiritualAwakening.Dr.ButlerBasswilllead

thebookstudyonlineoveraperiodofsixweeks,sharingherinsightsintothismissionmomentand

enteringintoconversationwithus.Andbecausethestudywillbeonline,itwontbejustwithus.The

onlinestudyoffersonewaywecanmovebeyondthedoorsofthechurchandoutintotheworld.There

isnolimittohowwidespreadthisconversationcanbe. Andthiswontbejustavirtualconversation.Dr.

ButlerBasswillalsobepresentwithusforthreefaceto facesessionsduringEastertide.


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12

Illquotethepublishersdescriptionofherbook.Imawarethisisanadvertisementbut,

knowingDr.ButlerBassworkovertheyears,Idontbelievethesewordsexaggerate: Basssclearly

worded,powerful,andprobingChristianityAfterReligionisrequiredreadingforanyoneinvestedinthe

futureofChristianity.

III

AVoiceforthisHour

Last

year

my

wife

and

I

went

to

see

the

film

The

Kings

Speech.

It

tells

the

story

of

the

Duke

of

York,whowassecondinlinetothethroneofEngland,suddenlybeingcalledtobecomeKingofEngland

afterhisolderbrother,Edward,abdicatedthethrone.

Iknewthestory. ButIhadforgottenaboutthedarkcloudsthathungoverEuropeandmuchof

theworldatthattimeasarmiesoftheThirdReichslowly,steadily,andthenswiftlyanddecisively

conquerednationafternation,untilEuropewascoveredindarknessandtheverysurvivalofcivilization

wasatstake.Sudetenland,Austria,Czechoslovakia,Poland,theEuropeanLowlands,Dunkirk,France.

Andalas,

nothing

but

England

stood

between

Nazism

and

the

world.

It

was

in

that

hour

that

aman

who

neverexpectedtobecomeKingofEnglandwascalledbyhistoricalcircumstancetothethrone.Buthe

wasnotprepared.Andhestuttered.LikeMosesintheBible,hestuttered.

Atonepointinthefilm,whenthesoontobekingisbeginninghisspeechtherapysessions,he

takesoutacigarette.TheAustralianspeechtherapist,breachingallrulesofetiquette,tellshim,No

smokinghere.Putthatthingout.Towhichthesoontobekingreplies,Mydoctorstellmethat

smokingisgoodformylungs.Thetherapistreplies,Yourdoctorsareidiots.Thesoontobeking

harps,Theyhaveallbeenmadeknights.Thetherapistretorts,Wellthen,thatmakesitofficial.

Theirrelationship,ofcourse,isthefilmsstory. Iwatched,fascinated,asthesetwofallible

humanbeingsworkedtogether,onewiththeskillofatherapistofspeechandatherapistofthesoul,

andtheotherwiththepowertosummontheincrediblecouragetofindhisvoiceasthevoiceofaking.


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13

AvoicethatbecameasignofhopefortheBritishwhentheystoodalone. Avoicethatbecameasignof

hopeforcivilizationandforhumandecencywhenfewothervoiceswereabletoberaised.

WhenIwenttothemovie,Iwentknowingthebroadstrokesofthehistoricalstory,andIlove

history.ButIhadn'texpectedtobesomoved.IwasmovedbecauseKingGeorgewasaguywhodidn't

thinkhehadwhatittooktoleadanationthroughitsmostdifficulthour.Hisbrotherhadbeentheone

whowasgroomedandwasdestinedtobeking.Still,throughhisworkandthroughhisrelationshipwith

thespeechtherapist,amiraclehappened.ItwasntthatGeorgesuddenlyturnedintohisbrother.The

miraclewasthattherealGeorge,deepinside,wasallowedtoemerge.AndwhentheauthenticGeorge

didemerge,itbecameclearthathiswasthevoicethatwasmeanttobethevoiceforthathour.

Now

I

am

not

suggesting

that

Diana

Butler

Bass

is

an

Australian

speech

therapist.

But

I

do

wonderifweintheEpiscopalChurchtodayaren'tmoreorlessinthesameshoesastheKing. We

Episcopaliansarenotgenerallyinclinedtogivevoicetothefaiththatisinus.Thechallengeofthis

Galileemomentisdaunting.TheeconomicsofbeingtheaverageparishormissioninGalileecanbe

discouraging.Themissionfieldwillbecomeincreasinglymorecomplexanduncertain.Andsomeofus,

myselfincluded,aregettingabitolder.Wemaynotreallybesurewereuptothis.Wedonthavemega

churches.Mostofourchurchesaresmall.Ourfundsandresourcesarelimited. Allofthatistrue.

Andyet,

and

yet

there

is

something

rich

and

strong

and

good

and

holy

within

this

Church.

It

maybethatdeepwithinandamongusweknowwealreadyhavewhatweneedforthishour.Maybe

wejustneedtheSpirittohelpustonameit,claimitandproclaimitwithourlipsandinourlives. We

alreadyhavewhatisneeded.AGodtocommend.AlovingandliberatingLordtofollow.AGospelthatis

goodnewstoproclaim.AwayofbeingChristianthatisfaithfulandorthodox,lovingandcompassionate,

openandgenerous. AwayoffollowingJesusthatisradicallywelcomingtowardallandunafraidto

proclaim,asthesayinggoes,thatGodlovesyou,noexceptions! AChurchwitnessingtothese

extraordinarytruthshasamessageforthismoment.Thisisthetruthforthe21stcentury.Thisisavoice

forthesetimes.This,infact,istheaccentofGalilee.





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Te Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina

200 West Morgan Street, Suite 300, Raleigh NC 27601

Curry - Welcome to Galilee - Lent 2013*

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Transcript of Curry - Welcome to Galilee - Lent 2013*