Time to Hit the Mattresses: A New Direction

Dear Reader,

Do you remember the epic film "Patton"? It has always stuck with me, especially the opening scene where General Patton (George C. Scott) is addressing his troops. I remember him saying, (roughly, and edited for my more delicate readership), "Many years from now, when you are sitting by your fire with your grandson on your knee and he asks you, 'Grandpa, what did you do in the Great World War II?', you don't want to have to tell him, 'Well, I shoveled animal excrement in Iowa.'"

I've been having a different incarnation of this going through my head. "Many years from now, when you come before Christ on his great and terrible day and he asks you, 'What did you do when there was a war on for the soul of your portion of my beloved Church?', you don't want to have to tell him, 'Well, I wrote a safe little blog on liturgy and tried to be polite and stay out of it.'"

I love my Episcopal Church. I love my colleagues on the left and my colleagues on the right. In fact, I love her too much to sit on the sidelines while there is a war on for her soul. We must fight fairly, we must strive with one another in love and forbearance--but fight we must. We must hold fast and boldly proclaim the faith, and we must not shy away from this task.

When I was ordained to the priesthood, I was charged with taking my share in the councils of the church. It is my sacred obligation to contend for the supremacy of Scripture, as interpreted by apostolic tradition, over all things in the life of the church. To fail to address wrongs, to fail to lift high the Catholic faith once delivered within my beloved Episcopal Church, is to fail at upholding the promises I made at my ordination.

I will still post on liturgy from time to time, and I will try to not get too worked up, but you all deserve better than I have been giving you, and for that I am sorry.

There will be more to come in the days ahead. Let us all pray for the whole state of Christ's Church, and especially for our tiny portion of it, presently gathered in General Convention:

Almighty and everlasting Father, you have given the Holy Spirit to abide with us for ever: Bless, we pray, with his grace and presence, the bishops and other clergy and the laity now assembled in your Name, that your Church, being preserved in true faith and godly discipline, may fulfill the mind of him who loved it and gave himself for it, your Son Jesus Christ our Savior; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (BCP, 255)

Gracious Father, we pray for they holy Catholic Church. Fill it with all truth, in all truth with all peace. Where it is corrupt, purify it; where it is in error, direct it; where in any thing it is amiss, reform it. Where it is right, strengthen it; where it is in want, provide for it; where it is divided, reunite it; for the sake of Jesus Christ thy Son our Savior. Amen.(BCP, 816)

O God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, our only Savior, the Prince of Peace: Give us grace seriously to lay to heart the great dangers we are in by our unhappy divisions; take away all hatred and prejudice, and whatever else may hinder us from godly union and concord; that, as there is but one Body and one Spirit, one hope of our calling, one Lord, one Faith, one Baptism, one God and Father of us all, so we may be all of one heart and of one soul, united in one holy bond of truth and peace, of faith and charity, and may with one mind and one mouth glorify thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (BCP, 818)

Yours in Christ,

David+