It is a huge week for the nation, and there are also many critical things going on in our diocese. This E-pistle is perhaps a reflection of the scattered nature of my own thoughts, prayers, and actions.
Bishop
2024 Diocesan Convention Anticipation
Our diocesan staff is eagerly getting ready for our Convention on Saturday, October 19. So are the good people of St. Philip’s-in-the-Hills, Tucson, who are hosting us!
Amidst the frenzy, I am spending some time reflecting on our convention theme: Rising Joy.
Visit from Bishop John Oringa Omangi of Kenya
I have counted Bishop John Orina Omangi of the Diocese of Upper Southern Nyanza-Kisii, Kenya a friend and colleague since we met at the Lambeth Conference in 2022. Several people from the Diocese of Arizona visited him in Kisii last summer, and you have been collectively generous in supporting the ministry and mission of their newly established Diocese.
It is my joy to confirm that Bishop John is on his way to Arizona right now, and will be visiting many of our churches and ministries, including our Diocesan Convention this October.
Harden Not Your Hearts
Today at Morning Prayer, I prayed Canticle G from Enriching our Worship, the Song of Ezekiel. It includes the verse, “A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit put within you. I will take the stone heart from your chest, and give you a heart of flesh.” It’s one of my favorite verses in the Bible.
I have felt myself, this week, subconsciously hardening my heart–choosing the heart of stone over the heart of flesh. The news is too awful, there are too many places of violence, and too many conflicts that seem intractable.
Call for Nominations to Diocesan Leadership
Jesus called disciples and then sent them out and trusted them with the mission of the Gospel. Generation after generation in the church, clergy and lay leaders have prayed about, interpreted, and acted on that mission.
Each of our congregations does this, and we do this on a diocesan level as well. This is the last week we are receiving nominations for two important diocesan elected ministries: Disciplinary Board and Standing Committee.
Prayer Vigils for the Elections
Election news dominates almost every headline; election ads intersperse most TV programs, our social media feeds brim with opinions, quotes, and opportunities for involvement. Passions and tensions are high–sometimes for very good reasons. I feel in myself a mix of hope, fear, anxiety, and exhaustion. It’s possible that you feel some of those emotions, too.
Breadapalooza!
I think we are now in week four (or five? I have lost track) of “breadapalooza,” the summer season during the Lectionary Year B where we hear stories about bread in the gospel for six weeks in a row.
Like many preachers, I am constantly looking for new illustrations to make potent the image of Jesus as the Bread of Life, to keep our sermons varied enough that we don’t simply preach the same thing six weeks in a row–though at some level, repetition is exactly what we are called to do. Gospel: Jesus is the bread of life. Liturgical Action: eat the bread of life. Repeat at least weekly.
The Olympic Refugee Team
This year, I’m also intrigued by the team of refugees and displaced people who are competing under the Olympic flag.
Celebrating Women in the Church
This Sunday we will host our diocesan observance for the 50th Anniversary of the ordination of the first women priests in the Episcopal Church at 4 pm at Trinity Cathedral.
Our preacher at Evensong will be the Rev. Machrina Blasdell, who was one of the first women to go through the ordination process in the Diocese of Arizona. I will let her share her own story—but I will tell the punchline that although she went through the ordination process here, she was not actually ordained in Arizona or by a bishop of Arizona.
81st General Convention Wrap-Up
Last week leaders from all over the Episcopal Church met in Louisville for the 81st General Convention.
The things I was most personally gratified to see were the approval of the first readings of a gender-neutral marriage rite, and an amendment to our Catechism defining marriage as a lifelong union between two people (rather than a man and woman) as part of the Book of Common Prayer. These were things I was working on the past two years on the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music.
General Convention Begins! (Almost)
The 81st General Convention of the Episcopal Church kicks off officially on Sunday evening—but our deputation will arrive by this Thursday for a series of critical pre-convention events.
Real Estate for Mission
How does your building serve the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Our church buildings, for the sake of the Gospel, are often used seven days a week for various activities