Lambeth

I have spent far too much time this week reading everything I can find being written from the bishops at Lambeth and avoiding most of what the press has to say. Odd that Lambeth falls in the midst of all the "the Kingdom of Heaven is like" parables in the Lectionary, isn't it?

In any case, there are some very moving stories being told by our Anglican bishops and it appears that there are many ears and hearts listening to them. I commend feeds.feedburner.com/LambethBishops to those of you curious to hear what's happening. It's almost like being a fly on the wall.

There are videos, too, for those who like TV better than books and several bishops are quite creatively including intriguing pictures with their text. They are way better at this blogging stuff than I am.

So what does Lambeth offer us in response to Matthew's series of Kingdom parables? Well, I suspect more than one mustard seed has been planted and one can only hope that those will grow to be wondrous in size. Likewise the leaven. So many bishops in one place is a lot like enough flour for 60 loaves of bread in one bowl, eh? I hope most of them came searching for the most precious pearl but will they be willing to sell all that they have to get it? These parables of treasure are hard all by themselves because we don't equate material wealth with the Kingdom all that well.

Still, Matthew's statement, "Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old" might well speak to the Lambeth experience for our bishops. As Matthew interwove his tradition with his new life and faith, may these good women and men return home with new perspectives on old Anglicanism and how both may live and grow together to create something greater than either one alone.