For you were going astray like [so many] sheep, but now you have come back to the Shepherd and Guardian ([a]the Bishop) of your souls.(A)I Peter 2:25
The Bishop election in South Dakota is important, but we ultimately have one episkopos, one Good Shepherd under whom all must serve and to whom all must give account of their ministry.
The Shepherd and Bishop of our souls is Jesus Christ himself.
I will lay off blogging about election stuff for Holy Week, not because the election is unimportant but because it takes any and all meaning it might have from the events that Christians walk through in the next few days.
I will post some of my Holy Week sermons along the way, and look forward to any insights you might want to share in these sacred days.
Almighty God, we pray you graciously to behold this your family for whom our Lord Jesus Christ was willing to be betrayed, and given into the hands of sinners, and to suffer death upon the cross; through Christ our Lord. Amen.
2 comments:
I can appreciate what you're saying here. Sometimes it's not good to "push" thoughts too much, and then when we're focusing on something else entirely, the ideas come.
I wasn't really even "thinking" about the bishop search yesterday when I had a sort of epiphany, or at least an idea I'd like to share. I would welcome anyone's comments on it.
I am concerned with Father Floberg's act of "leading the petition drive" to introduce Laurie Thompson (Rev. Henry L. Thompson III) to the slate of candidates for the Episcopal bishop of North Dakota.
While I think that Father Floberg has many, many strong points, and I have commented on these on this blog, I think that this issue of the North Dakota bishop search needs to be fully explored.
Why? It leads to a question of his character.
It has come to me that Father Floberg's act of introducing Laurie as a candidate was primarily a political statement.
Playing a political game introduces questions of intent and integrity.
Did Father Floberg actually think that Laurie was the best candidate for the job?
(The Rev. Thompson DID, admittedly have much "reservation" experience . . . I'll let you decide whether that was III-ism born with a silver spoon in his mouth white guilt or anything vaguely REAL. I don't believe he had ever been the pastor of a church, however.)
Did Father Floberg really think that Laurie would be chosen as bishop? (As many of you may remember, Rev. Thompson was knocked out in the first round - - i.e. got cut in the first vote. I guess he wasn't exactly Mr. Congeniality.)
Did Laurie actually get a call from the Holy Spirit to run for bishop?
Did Laurie engage in the sort of questioning, meditation, even battling in his mind against the sacrifices that God asks us to make - - i.e, the sort of intense, prayerful, tough process that the other candidates (hopefully) went through?
Or was he just a pawn?
IF he WAS just a pawn, a pawn in a political game, Laurie was a pawn who KNEW that he was a pawn and would be sacrificed. (Sacrificed for the salvation of the ND diocese? I leave that up to you.)
How does this past act, a blatantly political statement reflect upon Father Floberg's candidacy?
Yes, the issue that was raised is key. It doesn't really do to sweep it under the rug. However, I question Father Floberg's judgment, not to mention his spiritual discernment in this matter.
Was God indeed part of the choice to introduce Rev. Thompson as a petition candidate?
I wonder.
Hi, Anonymous - will you be at any of the walkabouts (or know someone who will be?) These kinds of questions, linked to specific events, can give some of the best insight into a candidates point of view and cut through some of the genaralities we are likely to hear. "Why did you do X?" is so much better than, "What is your opinion of Y?"
I haven't yet read the candidate statements (which are in the hands of all Convention delegates now). Will look and see if this comes up... but probably not until next week :)
I think that what reflects well on Floberg, given this history, is his positive relationship and work with the candidate who was elected in ND, Bp. Michael Smith.
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