One person who went to GA described trying to tell people back in his home church about what happened as being like a Civil War vet trying to explain the Battle of Gettysburg back home. He then said, “I’ve seen the elephant and they haven’t even been to the circus.” Another person, these both writing on Facebook, said, “I told a friend it was like Frodo and Sam coming back to Hobbiton and trying to resume normal life. How do you explain the war we’ve just experienced?” But while it may be difficult to describe what happened to those who have not experienced it before, I am sure you can tell that I have returned Spiritually reinvigorated even if physically exhausted.
Upon returning here are a few observations that I think will be helpful in the days ahead:
The “myth of inevitability” is a myth. It is not inevitable that the PCUSA will endorse civil unions (and then later, marriage) for same-sex partners. There is the danger that the myth can become a ‘self-fulfilling prophecy,’ but only if we sit back and let it happen. I make this point because it often seems like we have just put off something for another two years and because it can be difficult to keep fighting the same battles over and over again.
We are engaged in a protracted Spiritual struggle. It gets exhausting, but we need to be in it for the long-haul. James Edwards makes this point at length in an article called “The Protracted Struggle as a Spiritual Discipline,” published by Theology Matters after the last GA. You can download that issue at http://www.theologymatters.com/NovDec08.pdf
Also in that issue is an article by Faith Jongewaard called “The Reformation of the Church: Living the Hosea Life.” Putting the story of Hosea in a modern setting, she begins, “All his friends would have understood if he had left her. She was unfaithful, wandering, adulterous—plain and simple, she was a whore. The children, who all bore his name, didn’t all look very much like him. He was always having to go after her, always having to hunt her down in bars and strip joints and other men’s houses. … So, everyone would have understood if he had left her. Some would have even applauded.” The point being that we need to continue to love one another in our denomination even when what we see looks more like the prostitute in Revelation than the bride of Christ.
In summary, we have to take the long view. We have to be concerned with our own Spiritual health as individuals and then as a congregation. In other words, we must begin with self-examination. And then we need to step up to love our presbytery, synod, and GA. Perhaps there is some way that you can do more of the work in our local congregation so that someone else is freed up to do more work in our presbytery. Or perhaps you are one of those people who has the time to serve on a presbytery committee. We just got a letter from the presbytery’s nominating committee asking for volunteers – now is the time.
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