Dear St. Luke’s,

I am writing this on the eve of the Diocesan Convention. I am overjoyed that I am now your rector, but now that I am official, I have to go to these things, and I hate them. Waking up early on my days off is a bummer, but it is not the end of the world. I actually like making small talk, but the amount of small talk that will take place will be no fun. I absolutely do not like it when a small handful of priests repeatedly go up to the microphone, but we now have smartphones to distract us from such departures in good taste. What really makes my skin crawl is being held hostage in a crowded room not knowing when we will be free from the presentations, discussions, and Robert with his cruel rules of order.

Here’s the thing though, the bureaucracy of the Church is a big reason I am an Episcopalian instead a member of a different Church that may not be required to go to these things. I do not like Diocesan Convention, but it is a chance to see the size of the Church, it is an opportunity for all of the Churches to move together on some issues, and most importantly, it ever so briefly allows us to know and be known by other Churches without the filter of our normal context. If we all stayed in our silos, we could be tempted to be filled with self-importance, or worse, self-pity. Our strengths and woes are not unique, and every other Church is evidence that our way of doing things is not the only way. Diocesan Convention is not just an annoying task of being part of a larger Church, it is an act of humility and empathy and it is as old as the Church itself.

By the end of the Gospels, we see the disciples go into hiding, while the female followers of Christ walk with Jesus on his way to his death and are the first to witness the resurrection when they come to care of Jesus’s body. By the time we get into the Acts of the Apostles the men are back in the picture, receive the gift of the spirit, begin to proclaim the Good News, and start the Church. Needless to say, the disciples were busy, and in the midst of the drama, revelation, and turmoil, the first Christians received an earthly Church instead of the Kingdom of God that Jesus preached.

I hope that deep down in the heart of St. Luke’s is a desire to work toward and serve the Kingdom of God. If we fail to participate with our brothers and sisters within our own little outpost of the Jesus Movement, then we could fool ourselves into thinking we have a monopoly on being the Church. I don’t like convention, and something that bothers me, even more, is when people say, “please stand as you are able”. I don’t like it because you don’t need my permission to sit! If you’re not able, or just don’t want to, then don’t stand. Jeez… I promise you I will hear that phrase a dozen times in the next two days, and if it distracts me from worship, then maybe I need to worry less about having my way all of the time and more about worshipping God.

The Kingdom of God is perfect, but the Church is messy by design. Whenever we can interact with our brothers and sisters that worship within different walls, we can be reminded that the mission of the Church goes far beyond our styles and agendas. Every Church is called to proclaim the Good News, and we should take every opportunity to experience how others are carrying out that sacred duty, so we can check ourselves and make sure our eyes are set on the Kingdom.

I’ll see you on the other side of the convention.

Blessings,

Nick