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May 31, 2011

Committing place to purpose

Look at Mr. Catolick's latest on Lambeth's, er, conference facilities:


I'm not Church of England; I'm not even "cradle" Episcopalian. I would love to go to England, but I haven't even done that yet. (I saw Ireland from a plane at sunrise, and that was pretty good, though obviously insufficient.) I'm a stateside massing priest, a guy who cares, and who understands that image and first perceptions count.

It occurs to me that perhaps our C of E friends might entertain turning Lambeth into some kind of all-seekers-welcome sort of spirituality/helping-the-needy kind of place - Iona Nueva with a dash of seek-knock-find Taize, or somesuch, with the "least" of Matthew 25 as its guiding spirit.

If Lambeth itself - center of that messy, polymorphous object of grace called the Anglican Communion - was seen to represent some kind of health and healing and a move toward the center of the Gospel, perhaps more would take it seriously.

The great round world has shifted out from under Christendom. This is understood. Lambeth is not for knocking around in; it is for the centrality of mission, and the unashamed heart of same.

More head-scratching here in Iowa.

My, what we have made of Jesus and his ministry. Repentance is the only appropriate response at this point.

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