Edinburgh, Scotland

August 5, 2008

It's 8:30 Tuesday morning. I'm having coffee and conversation with an affable chap. He's laughing, eyes behind glasses, almost twinkling, as he talks of his three-and-a-half weeks of travel in the UK. Somewhat animated, the cadence of his speech is relaxed. My new friend looks as if he's ready for a brisk walk, green and white stripped polo shirt, workout slacks and running shoes. Truth be told, he's out of uniform, yet just as comfortable as the night before when he addressed a capacity crowd in the sanctuary of St. John's Scottish Episcopal Church.

Very few would recognize this man, vilified by some, praised by others. This same man was jokingly introduced by the rector of St. John's, the Rev. Dr. John Ames, who said, "He wasn't born notorious."

Ames also asked: "Do you consider yourself to be a liberal?"

His guest roared with laughter. "That's one of the nicest names...

From this morning's London Times, by the numbers ...

• 500 pairs of holy socks bought by bishops during the Lambeth conference.
• 120 liters of communion wine consumed during 25 hours of worship.
• 3,610 pints of lager consumed.
• 10 years between conferences.
• 50 copies of "Eye of the Storm," signed by Gene Robinson, sold.
• 2 copies of "The Truce of God" by the Archbishop of Canterbury sold.

"There will be heavy security in and around the Cathedral."

Those were the chilling words of the Rev. Robert Willis, dean of Canterbury Cathedral.

It was the last of his morning announcements at the 11 a.m. sung Eucharist. The dean was explaining how all passageways through the cathedral grounds would be closed Sunday afternoon due to security concerns on this evening's closing service for the Bishops of the Anglican Communion.

Lambeth was about to end … and extra security was called for – not to control an overflow crowd but to make sure the crowd inside and out were safe.

"These are perilous times," a member of the U.S. Episcopal Church clergy told me.

"The threats made to several bishops and priests have to be taken seriously."

Threats all because some of us who make up this communion see things differently than others.

As I sat along the wall of the great cathedral,...

Five years ago today, I buried my mother. For 47 years, she was married to my father. It was not a marriage without struggles. Like most middle-class families of the ‘50s and ‘60s, we had our dysfunction, our issues, our worries and our periods of pain. Much was self-inflicted. In the midst of this, my mother kept her sense of humor, her love of the living Christ and her joy of hope. It became her legacy of positive thinking and went well beyond talk of glasses being half full or half empty.

I embrace that legacy and clearly hear her words, “David, always remember, even if all you have is a drop in that glass, it’s a start.”

At my darkest moment, she met me on my knees, and we prayed. As she ended her prayer, Mama leaned over to me and whispered, “Never, ever give up. God created you in His image, and you are His. He will see you through this … your glass is overflowing … drink from the love God gives you.”
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Canterbury is special – really special. It was special to Saint Thomas Becket. It was special to Geoffrey Chaucer. It was special to the 11-year-old who began the Christmas Eve mass last year with his seamless singing of “Now in David’s Royal City.” It has been special to countless pilgrims and to those who call it home.

For the past two weeks, it has been, and continues to be, special to some 600 bishops and their spouses who have traveled, some at great expense, from the far reaches of the world to be part of a unique gathering called The Lambeth Conference.

By now, most of you have some idea of what this gathering within the Anglican Communion is about.

These people of God, including Bishops Curry and Gregg, are here for a number of reasons. Chief among those reasons – their commitment to Christ as shown to each other through their love of Christ.

Our diocesan Web site has proven to be a wonderful tool...