January 19, 2007

Trial of Pastor Bradley Schmeling – Thursday night

"Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love…" Ephesians 5:2

Thursday night we gathered at St John's for a prayer service. We were some 200 people, guided into church along candlelit stairs. Greeting each other as we prepared for worship, we could see both the familiar and the not-as-familiar in the worship space. The altar was decorated in seasonal colors, with the large interior-lit, Pentecostal-colored stained-glass cross over the center of the worship space.

St John's worship space is in the round, with the celebrant and assistants chairs on one side under the loft for the choir and organ. A wooden interior gifts the entire space with warmth. The gathered people gift the space with welcome.

But, in addition to the expected candles and cloths, there were four chairs, one at each of the cardinal compass points, with towels, basins and water. The Washing of the Feet was going to be integrated into this prayer service.

The bulletin for the service said it was to be The Confession of St Peter. The service opened with a Thanksgiving for Baptism in which we were all reminded of the power of baptism to free us to live in God's grace.

Our worship leaders were Pastor Ben Steward, a member of St John's, formerly the chaplain at the Holden Valley retreat center and currently a doctoral candidate in liturgical theology at Emory University's Graduate Division of Religion. Assisting Minister was Connie Monson, member of St John's and currently a seminary student. Ian McFarland, a Theology professor at the Candler School of Theology at Emory University, read the scripture lessons. Jeanette Burgess of St John's led the music and the St John's choir.

The tone was set by the opening hymn, "All Are Welcome."

The First Reading was of Peter's declaration in Acts 4:8-13 that the good that people saw was being done by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, "the stone that was rejected by you, the builders…"

Following the Psalm, the second reading was the wonderful guidance offered in Ephesians 4:25-5:2, in which we are exhorted to not let anger lead to sin nor last even past sunset. We are not to speak evil, "but only what is useful for building up." Bitterness, wrath, anger, wrangling, slander and malice were to be put aside in favor of kindness, tender-heartedness, and forgiveness for each other. We were to be "imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us…."

The Gospel text was John 13:1-20, the story of Jesus washing the feet of the disciples, and the lesson that Jesus drew from that act for the disciples.

The Rev Barbara Lundblad preached on this text, on this day of preparation, and on the days to come. Barbara, an ELCA pastor, is the Joe R Engle Institute Associate Professor of Preaching at Union Theological Seminary, New York, and is rated as one of the top ten preachers in the United States.

She began by reminding us that Bradley Schmeling is not Jesus, that he has never made such a claim, nor has such a claim been made for him. And, she said, we are not acting out a Passion Play. What we were doing was what Jesus commanded us to do in the text: "if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to was one another's feet." And she said this abasement was not optional, wasn't a "may." And it is followed shortly after this text by Christ's new commandment that we love one another, as He did.

Foot washing is framed by love, she said, the love of Jesus for His disciples and His commandment to us about love and each other.

She said that when Bradley was called to St John's to be the pastor he was responding to a call in his bones. He was straight-forward with his congregation and his bishop about his sexual orientation. She reflected that Bradley has assumed his ministry in the manner of his ordination, "believing that the Church's call is God's call to the ministry of Word and Sacrament." She spoke of his preaching and teaching the Scriptures, creeds and confessions, of his diligence in studying the Scriptures and nourishing God's people.

She made a parallel to the current situation of Bradley, using the words of a gay orthodox rabbi who said it is required of gay and straight people that they "hold fast to the covenant." The rabbi said that if people do that then "God will work the story out and link the loose ends." This means that those who are LGBT are to seek a path toward sanctity in gay life. The rabbi concluded that "the complexities generated by a verse in Leviticus need not unravel [his] commitment to the whole of the Torah." The parallel is that the complexities generated by one sentence in Vision and Expectations need not unravel one's commitment to the Gospel.

She said that Christ had with this foot washing ceremony done something TO the disciples, not FOR them. He says that – "Do you know what I have done to you?" He had anointed them. They had no choice. They had to do as He had done. They had to go and 'wash the feet' of others. It was an anointing that could not be undone, the anointing as a servant of Jesus, an anointing Bradley had.

[The full text of Barbara Lundblad's sermon will be posted on our website as soon as it is available.]

Following the Hymn of the Day, "Lord, Whose Love in Humble Service," a ceremony of foot washing took place, in which those who wished to participate came and had their feet washed – and in turn performed the same act upon another.

In our bulletins was a piece of fabric. Those who wished wrote prayers on them, so these could join those sent in from around North America which are being woven into a prayer cloth tomorrow, Friday, and presented to the Hearing Committee on Saturday.

Following the prayer service, Bradley spoke briefly to the assembled, thanking them for their prayers and work. He spoke of the services being held around the country at the same time. He introduced the defense team and those who had worked so diligently in support of the defense team and the other activities and worship services that were going to take place over the coming days.

We ended in fellowship conversations.

By the way, if you have not done so, go to http://stjohnsatlanta.org/prayervigil.php5 to see the 500 people who have signed up for the prayer vigil. Archbishops, bishops, pastors, deacons, priests, nuns, laity from all parts of North America, people in the Armed Forces, people from England, Costa Rica, Indonesia, Germany. Just keep scrolling – the list is long. If you wish, you can make the list longer.

Tomorrow the proceedings begin in earnest.

"The Lord bless and keep us; the Lord make His Face shine upon us and be gracious to us; the Lord look upon us with favor and give us peace…"

…and justice.

Phil Soucy
Director Communications LC/NA
communications@lcna.org