Monday, February 12, 2007
WITNESSING THE PAIN OF A BLACK MAN I LOVE
Today was very difficult. I sat in silence as I listened to a dear friend talk about his experience of the church -- the same church that I know and love. We worship in different congregations, but we share a history and love of Anglicanism.
My heart is heavy with sadness. Sadness about the ways the church treats its members and the way we go about doing God's work. The work of ministry, ordained ministry in this case, is never easy to explain and the act of discerning call to ordained ministry is fraught with opportunities for misunderstanding and pain.
We as a church say that we believe in the ministry of all baptized people, yet we clearly put greater emphasis on ordained ministry. We say that the call to ordained ministry is a gift of the Holy Spirit, but we continue to mete out ordination to those who meet our qualifications and I wonder how well we do discernment the will of the Holy Spirit. We say that the ordination process is open to all, regardless of race, color, age, gender, or orientation, but the truth is probably not nearly that inclusive. Over and over again we raise up for ordination people just like us, and when we look at others who are not just like us, we fail to see the Holy Spirit working in them.
It is our loss as well as theirs. When I look at the passion and love of the church that my friend expresses, I cannot imagine a church without him. I can see the Holy Spirit working in and through him, and I know that the church would be graced by his presence in a leadership position. I also know, as he does, that he will not be given an opportunity to live into that ministry without significant change in the church. We both pray for that change to happen -- and to happen quickly, so that we can go about the work of ministry together.
Racism is a scary thing. It so often parades around as something else -- political differences, theological argument, age discrimination, or a host of other ways we actively seek to exclude others.
All my friends deserve a place at God's table.
All my enemies deserve a place there too.
When will the church welcome all of us?
