Wayne Smith's occasional blog of pilgrimages and journeys

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Wednesday, July 30. Waiting.

This feels like the most unremarkable day of the entire Conference. Worship. Bible study. Indaba. A hearing in the afternoon. A free evening. Everyone seems to be waiting for something to come out the other side of a process we have all been part of.

The theme for the day was "the bishop and the Bible in mission," and, obviously, we considered matters of Biblical interpretation, both in Bible study and in Indaba. The text in front of us today was John 13, the unbinding of Lazarus. Each bishop, using three hundred words or so, was to interpret the passage during Bible studdy. It was a fascinating exercise, and one that showed a convergence of methods and interpretations. We continued the conversation about Biblical interpretation in Indaba, during which, again, there was much more common ground than not. It was a heartening conversation, in both venues, and it showed clearly, how from such diverse contexts, there is very much a common approach to scripture, and one that is life-giving. Moments like there are among the most heartening of the whole Lambeth Conference, moments in which there is visible unity.

During the afternoon, the Reflections Group (those gathering up the strands of conversation from the Indabas) held an open hearing. It was mostly an exercise in nuancing an increasingly large draft report and wordsmithing it. But we are all obviously waiting for that coalescence of ideas from the Reflections Group, as well as the outcomes from the Windsor Continuation Group and the Covenant Design Group. A lot will funnel into the Conference during these last days in Canterbury. Do continue pray for the bishops, as the Conference comes to its end.

1 comment:

Lisa Fox said...

As I sit with your reports and pray fervently for you and all the bishops in Canterbury, a weird thing happened tonight. You may recall that I was charged to record the songs of Lui when I was there in 2006. I have been listening to all those recordings tonight, hearing those voices, those songs. It has brought me (again) close to the voices of the people of Lui and into an attitude of quiet prayer.

My soul aches and prays that what you all speak to the church will not make outcasts of any of us.