Meditations

The Archbishop of Canterbury has led bishops in a time of reflection and retreat, as the Lambeth Conference opens. On each of the first several days, following Bible study, bishops have boarded buses for the short drive to Canterbury from the University of Kent. And there we have been blessed by the archbishop's reflections, by significant periods of quiet, and by the setting of Canterbury Cathedral itself. (Indeed, the dean and chapter have closed the Cathedral grounds to other visitors during this time.)

I have been drawn to meditate on a basic call of all Christians - to know Christ and to make Christ known. This has not been a topic specifically mentioned by the archbishop, nor has it been referred to in other presentations. Nevertheless, it seems consistent with what Archbishop Williams has said. Further, such a basic call to mission, given to all Anglicans, seems to me to present us with encouragement in our common life.

In any event, in one of the quiet periods, I was wandering around the magnificent Canterbury Cathedral, observing the architecture, noticing the chapels in various nooks and crannies, praying at the site of Thomas a Becket's death, and generally soaking in this wonderful opportunity to know Christ in a setting where countless worshipers and pilgrims have known Christ themselves, in centuries past.

My wanderings took me to one of the cloisters, apparently just outside the space on the grounds reserved for bishops. Suddenly, breaking into the quiet, there came a loud clattering of wheels and a rather frantic-sounding female voice. I looked up and just managed to dodge a young mother who was shoving a double baby carriage through the narrow cloister walkway where I had been standing and thinking.

I suspect that image may remain with me nearly as long as others from Canterbury Cathedral. This rather preposterous scene - in stark contrast to the cathedral's quiet splendor and wonder - reminds me that Christ has been known and continues to be known in very ordinary, down-to-earth moments and in quite daily occurrences. For that reality and for the reminder of it - along with the blessings of Canterbury Cathedral, of our Archbishop of Canterbury, and of the Anglican Communion - thanks be to God!

Travel challenges; gaining perspective

Our concluding time in Scotland was great, including the Sunday service there. However, the coach (bus) trip from Scotland to Canterbury was another story altogether!

The bishops from Scotland had arranged for several pick-ups along the way (to collect the international bishops), and they anticipated about 14 hours in the coach. However, some unexpected and unforeseen difficulties arose - in particular, a driver who got lost and a very bad truck wreck near Birmingham. The latter event resulted in a 4½ hour delay on a primary north-south motorway (M-6).

Since Aberdeen was the origin of the trip, Annie and I had to be at the station at 6:30 that morning ... waking up before 5 a.m. in the village where we were staying.

After the various delays and the challenge of arriving at the University of Kent so very late, we were into bed at 5:00 the next morning - more than 24 hours after we began!

Even the Archbishop of Canterbury, in his welcoming remarks, mentioned the group from Scotland. But at least we arrived at our destination safe and relatively sound.

As we begin this Lambeth Conference, a couple of impressions stand out in my own mind.

First of all, the kind of diversity, in cultures and ethnicities, which I had known about at some level, is now becoming part of my experience.

The primary spoken language thus far may be English, but the head-set translation machines have eight options on them!

The number of American bishops may be largest, in terms of provinces (about 125), but if you add all the provinces in Africa together, that continent would have far more representatives. We certainly are not primarily a white, Anglo-Saxon church any longer.

Both the spouses and the bishops began our Bible study groups today (Thursday). These small groups of about eight people form a very significant part of our Lambeth community. After only one day's experience, I can tell that it will be an enriching one indeed.

Also today, the bishops began a three-day retreat at Canterbury Cathedral. Archbishop Williams offered two thought-provoking presentations as a basis for our time together. I feel certain that this retreat will provide a foundation on which some productive and helpful conversations will be built.

At the moment, two messages from the archbishop stand out for me. First, he said last evening that the Gospel of John (the substance for our Bible study groups) is "one voice among many voices at Lambeth." That voice from St. John will offer profound and substantive input into our conversations and deliberations, and I look forward to further study.

Secondly, the archbishop continues to emphasize the priority of relationships. It occurs to me that such attention is appropriate at many levels - for instance, among bishops, throughout the Anglican Communion, and, theologically, within the Trinity of God and in the incarnational faith that we affirm. God has chosen to be "God-with-us" in Jesus Christ, and so, God Himself has indicated the priority of relationship as the very focus of our faith.

I intend to be true to that focus during this time at the Lambeth Conference, and beyond, as well.

Above, St. Swithin's Anglican Church in Lower Quinton, England, where Bishop Charles vonRosenberg and his family served in a clergy exchange in 1986 and where he and his wife, Annie, returned for a visit. Below, The bishop walks in a field near the church with its current vicar. Below, the vonRosenbergs attended a garden party in Kemnay, Aberdeen, in Scotland, during the pre-Lambeth "hospitality initiative" that welcomed bishops and spouses to the United Kingdom.

Re-connecting; new connections

Annie and I have been in the United Kingdom for a week now. We've had two different experiences, in particular, which have been of a personal nature. And these, I think, are precisely the kind of experiences that the bishops of the Anglican Communion need to emphasize and to celebrate.

First, we returned to the Diocese of Gloucestershire ... and, especially, to a village where we did a clergy exchange during the summer of 1986. We re-connected with parishioners there, met the new vicar, worshiped in the community and had a wonderful time. We re-lived experiences and enjoyed catching up on recent events and developments in the village of Lower Quinton, which was our home for seveal months 22 years ago.

Secondly, we have engaged in the "Hospitality Initiative," which is a new program for this Lambeth. That is, bishops were encouraged to agree to visit in a diocese of the UK for several days prior to Lambeth. Again, the intentions involved personal relationships - among bishops but also between bishops and "people in the pews" here.

Annie and I are currently in the Diocese of Aberdeen, with bishops and spouses from dioceses in South India, Australia, Connecticut, Columbia and South Africa, along with ones from Scotland.

My impressions here include the observation that the church and the state government try hard to work together. In fact,we've been to two "state occasions," where we were welcomed by provosts (mayors) and by local representatives of the queen.

The other primary impression is the extent and intention of prayerful support for the bishops at Lambeth. I've appreciated that a great deal indeed.

Thus, in these pre-Lambeth experiences, Annie and I have appreciated the opportunities to encounter lay people, priests and bishops as very real people.

As the Archbishop of Canterbury has observed, our first work is personal - people-to-people - and we are blessed to be in the midst of that effort. In fact, I look forward tomorrow to celebrating and preaching in a village church in the Diocese of Aberdeen - St. Ann's, Kemnay.

I assure you of my prayers, regularly, for the churches and people of East Tennessee, and I ask your prayers for me and for other participants at the Lambeth Conference as well.