The Fifth Tuesday After Pentecost: The Gift of Change, Becoming

Lessons: Psalm 97, 99; 1 Samuel 6:1-16; Acts 5:27-42; Luke 21:37-22:13.

It was the summer of 1977 I was ordained a deacon on my way to priesthood a year later. I had been assigned to a good parish for the year that I might be well mentored. I felt so abundantly blessed.

The General Convention of the Episcopal Church was to meet that September and among many things, vote on the ordination of women which three years before was disapproved.  That vote kept the male only tradition of ordination in place. 

While in Seminary I had come to question this tradition mostly by observation. I was quite traditional in my outlook except as I listened, the same questions, hopes, stirrings, fears I had experienced in discerning my own call were being spoken of by my few female classmates. I had come across information which showed hidden places in our tradition of women being somewhat ordained, clearly leaders. And of course we were in a cultural shift of women assuming increasingly recognized authority in all fields.  This information churned in my heart/mind and I felt God was at work in some new way...at least new to me.

Only a month ordained I was left in charge of the congregation while the Rector, Bill, went to the convention.  There was no small tension in the congregation as the possibility of a sea change in the ordination tradition loomed. I was left to preach in the midst of this, knowing Bill would most likely vote for women's ordination and knowing some might leave the church if it passed.

Somehow by God's grace or by the Church's plan the reading from Acts 5 came to mind.  Here was a pivotal moment in the Christian becoming. Just after Jesus' resurrection and after Pentecost a new preaching began right in the midst of the traditional gathering place of Jews.  The very idea of this mingled message of death, resurrection, Messiah (leader and Savior) being preached was a sea change?  Was it true?  That was the issue before the religious establishment.  Had they brought about a thwarting of God's will?  That was not possible to them. The one way to end this message was to put an end to these followers of Jesus. 

But a Pharisee in the council named Gama'liel, a teacher of the law, respected by all the people, stood up and ordered the men to be put outside for a short time. Then he said to them, 'Fellow Israelites, consider carefully what you propose to do to these men...because if this plan or this undertaking is of human origin, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them-in that case you may even be found fighting against God!' They were convinced by him. Acts 5:34-35, 38-39

He illustrates his point with failed attempts in the past of mere men with a following who have attempted to lead the people away from tradition and failed.

What he does here is make space for God's operation among them.  His understanding is that God will ultimately prevail no matter our protestations. What is of God rights things in the long run.  What is not of God falls away. We live in the space of that righting and that falling away.  In our daily choices we will at best choose what seems right in our lives.  This is important moral making and at times it is important yielding to a will that is beyond us, that is of God.  There is a push and a pull.  How does one honor fully the faith making tradition while leaving room for the ongoing work of God?  The idea of Messiah was not outside God's word or will.  The how of it was to date a mystery.

At the heart of the Christian faith is this notion of God's ongoing self revelation. God is constantly righting our thoughts and thus our teachings, practices, understandings. 

Like the blind men who each grasp only a part of the elephant (trunk, tail, leg, belly...) and think they comprehend its all, so are we with God.  Hold too tightly to our piece of the revelation and we may loose the essence of God. Hold it as a piece, perhaps a vital piece of truth, and we may together be drawn into the essence more deeply. 

What binds us is the core belief that Jesus invites us to touch aspects of God we may otherwise miss and thus miss our true lives. Rigor is trumped by forgiving grace.  Self preservation is trumped by life-giving service and yielding to a will larger than our own.  Purpose is defined between God, neighbor and self in conversation.

As to women's ordination, 26 years on they have served as well and as poorly as men.  The fruit seems largely worthy so far.  The insights into God brought by women in deep spiritual work has found a deeper voice I believe.  I at least see more of God then I did before.

I hear a voice within that says, "Thank you Gamaliel...and Martha, Page, Sandy, Cooper, Marge...."  God in Christ is larger than I knew.

Where next will we be pressed into deeper insight?