Interesting Post from Bishop Nedi Rivera

While we were on retreat, the [Archbishop of Canterbury] raised the hot issue of an Anglican Covenant. He raised it, however in an intriguing way that has caught my imagination for a couple of days now. I hope this is fair to his proposition, but what I heard was the suggestion that perhaps the Anglican Covenant could be a shared Rule of Life for us as bishops. I’m not thinking (and I don’t Archbishop Rowan is either,) of some lock step way of following The Way, rather the possibility that we would each commit to a Rule of Life of a similar shape.

For example, as an Associate of the Society of Saint Francis, I am asked to consider particular areas of spiritual practice in line with traditional Franciscan spirituality as I begin to design a Rule that deepens my relationship to God, as well as to the Society and is in line with traditional Franciscan spirituality. To be specific, what will my life of personal prayer be like? My commitment to corporate worship? To the Sacrament of Reconciliation? To study and spiritual direction? To giving and to corporate acts of mercy?

Tonight in plenary [author, pastor and 'emergent' leader] Brian McLaren spoke to us on “Changing contexts: Breaking Open our Models for Evangelism” What is evangelism? What isn’t it? Why is it important and how it can be hope for the world – and for the church? What gifts does the Anglican Communion bring to the world’s need to learn about the saving Grace of Jesus Christ? I wonder -- how is evangelism spiritual practice?

Both the Archbishop (in his retreat addresses) and Dr McLaren (tonight) spoke of the need for bishops to model what it means to be Christian – to be signs of God’s creative love, Jesus’ self-giving love and evidence of the power of the Holy Spirit working God’s will on earth as in heaven. Dr McLaren said this is the primary way we bring others into Christian discipleship, and that we are too often, in our churches so busy caring for the two sheep in the flock that we forget to seek out the ninety-eight that have strayed.

So, I wondered what it would be like if we bishops spent the rest of the this conference working out shared Rules of Life with elements from (for example) Matthew 5, 25 and 28 and to committing ourselves to partnerships in mutual responsibility and interdependence? How would we make Jesus known to the world if our lives looked more like the One we follow?

I think, in a sense this is what our ‘programme’ is leading us to do. We are asking questions about bishops and Anglican Identity, bishops and Evangelism, Social Justice, Environment, etc.. What if we held one another accountable to a Rule of Life that included some of these concerns as well as prayer, study, pastoral care and all the other institutional concerns we have? How would Christ be made known in all the world?

Brian McLaren’s central question was this (and it is not only a question for bishops!) What if we were willing to risk everything to do this one thing right?

Bishop Rivera is suffragan bishop of Olympia.