133 Bishops Walk into a Retreat Center...

Did you know that (almost) all the bishops of the Episcopal Church met last week? There was a House of Bishops meeting at Camp Allen in Texas. It was their first in-person meeting since COVID-19 first hit!

(By the way: the name “House of Bishops” is less like Game of Thrones’ House Lannister and more like the U.S. Congress’ House of Representatives.)

Women Bishops attending the House of Bishops Spring Gathering. Photo by Frank Logue.

Our bishops meet twice a year as the House of Bishops to pray, share resources and information, and discuss important topics. This year, they released two pastoral statements about timely issues.

Here in Connecticut, Bishop Ian and Bishop Laura sent these statements to the leadership this week. Ideally, clergy and lay leaders are supposed to disseminate these within our parishes.

(Fun fact about the Episcopal Church in Connecticut: the Dean of our cathedral, the Very Rev. Miguelina Howell, is one of the chaplains to the House of Bishops!)

Statement on Ukraine

The first a statement about the conflict in Ukraine, including a statement of the bishops’ prayers. Click to download it:

Statement_on_war_in_Ukraine_FINAL

.pdf

Download PDF • 168KB

Resolution on Gender Identity

The second is a resolution of support for transgender and non-binary people and their families. The bishops urge everyone in the Episcopal Church “to create safe spaces and shield all people form harassment based on gender identity.”

Flying the Pride flag, as we decided to do year-round, is only a first step toward creating such spaces. As we head toward Southington Pride’s second annual celebration, I urge you to really think about how we, as a St. Paul’s community, will take up the bishops on their urgent request.

This second resolution is much shorter, so I’ll include the whole text here, as well as the link to download the official statement.

Resolution adopted by the House of Bishops:

In light of the baptismal covenant’s promise to see Christ in all persons, and the recent and any actions by elected officials in Texas, Alabama, Arizona, Idaho, Iowa, New Hampshire, Michigan, Missouri, Florida, Arkansas, Ohio, North Dakota, Mississippi, South Dakota, Nebraska, Indiana, South Carolina and any other states, municipalities, and school districts targeting transgender children and their families, we, the Bishops of The Episcopal Church gathered at Camp Allen, Texas, in March 2022, voice our love and continued support for all persons who identify as transgender or non-binary and their families. We decry legislative initiatives and governmental actions targeting trans children and their families. We urge all in our Church to create safe spaces and shield all people from harassment based on gender identity.

Resolution_adopted_by_HOB_FINAL

.pdf

Download PDF • 116KB

About the Bible?

Moses was taking care of the flock for his father-in-law Jethro, Midian’s priest. He led his flock out to the edge of the desert, and he came to God’s mountain called Horeb. The Lord’s messenger appeared to him in a flame of fire in the middle of a bush. Moses saw that the bush was in flames, but it didn’t burn up. Then Moses said to himself, Let me check out this amazing sight and find out why the bush isn’t burning up.

When the Lord saw that he was coming to look, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!”

Moses said, “I’m here.”

Then the Lord said, “Don’t come any closer! Take off your sandals, because you are standing on holy ground.” He continued, “I am the God of your father, Abraham’s God, Isaac’s God, and Jacob’s God.” Moses hid his face because he was afraid to look at God.

-Exodus 3:1-15 (Common English Bible)

• Didn’t Moses grow up in Egypt? How does he end up in Midian?

• Why is Moses afraid to look at God?

• What are some other stories where God calls someone to do important work?

Do you ever read a Bible passage and wish you could know more about it?

One of the things I love about the Episcopal Church is that academic study of the Bible doesn’t threaten our faith—in fact, it can be a tool to deepen or strengthen it!

It can be difficult to find reputable sources on the scriptures that shape our tradition. Many websites have shallow or misleading information that doesn’t match our theology or our understanding of God’s expansive, all-encompassing love.

When I was in seminary, I worked on a project called Yale Bible Study. Using videos of Yale professors talking about Bible passages, YBS provides study guides, discussion questions, and other resources. Oh, and it’s all free!

Rylands Haggadah, 14th century, manuscript illumination

This week, I hope you’ll take a little time to look through Yale Bible Study’s resources. As a starting point: here’s the lesson on the Burning Bush passage from Exodus. (This reading is appointed for today, the Third Sunday in Lent, in our lectionary.

With my colleagues, I put together a lot of the Discussion Questions and Additional Resources sections on this website. I also wrote some of the Study Guides. It was really fun to find these resources, but the process underscored for me just how much incorrect information about the Bible is online.

If you have other reputable resources for online Bible information, please share them with me!

(And remember: I still do work for Yale Bible Study as the host and producer of the Chapter, Verse, and Season podcast, which is another resource for reliable information about the Bible.)

Should You Get Confirmed?

This weekend, we start an online Inquirers Class series. All are welcome to join!

We’ll meet four weeks in a row on Zoom, 7pm–8:30pm on Sunday evenings. Each week will focus on one topic, with a short presentation from me and then some time for questions and discussion:

March 13: Baptism

March 20: Eucharist

March 27: The Episcopal Church

April 3: The Anglican Communion

Want to join? Register here for the Zoom link.

Part of the hope is that these classes could prepare adults for confirmation, reception, or reaffirmation of baptismal vows. For Easter Vigil, we will go to Christ Church Cathedral in Hartford, where Bishop Ian Douglas will offer those three rites.

Are you considering confirmation or something like it? Here’s how to tell which of these rites might apply to you. Please email me if you’d like more information!

Confirmation

If you’ve been baptized in any Christian church (including the Episcopal Church) but were never confirmed, you might want to seek confirmation. Read more about confirmation here.

According to the Episcopal Dictionary of the Church, confirmation is:

Those who were baptized at an early age … are expected to make a mature public affirmation of their faith, recommit themselves to the responsibilities of their baptism, and receive laying on of hands by a bishop (BCP, p. 412).

Reception

If you’ve been baptized and confirmed in another Christian church but not received into the Episcopal Church, you might want to seek reception. Read more about reception here.

The Episcopal Dictionary of the Church says the following of reception:

Baptized persons who have been members of another Christian fellowship and who wish to be affiliated with the Episcopal Church may make a public affirmation of their faith and commitment to the responsibilities of their baptism in the presence of a bishop.

Reaffirmation of Baptismal Vows

If you’ve already been confirmed or received in the Episcopal Church but want to make a public reaffirmation of your faith, with the laying on of hands by a bishop, you might want to seek the reaffirmation rite. People sometimes seek this when they’re going through a hard time or a major life transition: marriage or divorce, graduation from college, etc. Read more about reaffirmation here.

The Episcopal Dictionary of the Church explains of reaffirmation:

These might be persons returning to the church after a period of unbelief or those who have entered a new level of spiritual life. The BCP does not specify who these persons are, and a variety of interpretation exists.