As my sabbatical draws to a close, I’m thankful to once again be preparing a sermon for Sunday. Though I am out of the habit and am feeling quite rusty, there is something about being immersed in the study of Scripture that is soothing to my soul. While I’m not particularly excited about the way in which the great Revised Common Lectionary divining rod has decided to reenter Mark’s Gospel after what felt like 100 weeks in John’s Bread of Life Discourse, it does serve as a great bridge for me from my last sermon through sabbatical time to everyday parish ministry.
My thesis, the proposal for which you can read here, takes a look at the ways in which The Episcopal Church might be well suited to meet the needs of a changing America. This assumes that we can all agree that things are changing. Having received some pushback from at least one professor who thinks that this time is no different than any other, I set my sights on the great Phyllis Tickle and her book, The Great Emergence. Tickle cites the late bishop of Bethlehem (PA), Mark Dyer, in arguing that though our time is not unique, it is a rare moment of opportunity for the Church to engage in the hard work of a rummage sale.
“About every five hundred years the empowered structures of institutionalized Christianity, whatever they may be at that time, become an intolerable carapace [1] that must be shattered in order that renewal and new growth may occur.” [2]
In many ways, the Church today: be it Episcopal, Roman Catholic, and even non-denominational conservative evangelical; can be accused of the same thing. Each expression of the Christian faith can be accused of worshiping its worship. Each can be called to task for paying attention to their own desires over the dream of God. Each can be accused of inviting God to bless their plans rather than fulfilling God’s plan for them. Jesus’ message is as needed today as it was in the Synagogue 2,000 years ago. We must move beyond our obsession with tradition in order to live more fully into the kingdom of God. The work is not easy, there really is some awesome crap crammed in there, but the task of cleaning house, of seeking to follow God more closely, is certainly holy.
[1] The hard upper shell of a turtle, crustacean, or arachnid.
[2] The Great Emergence, 16.
Draughting Theology 
Amen, markers in hand!