Invitation to the Bishop’s Lenten Book Study 2020
February 6, 2020

This coming Lent I want to introduce to the Diocese two books that have caused significant reflection.  The first is Bowing Toward Babylon by Craig M. Watts.  The second selection is Care for Creation (a Franciscan spirituality of the earth) by Ilia Delio, O.S.F., Keith Douglass Warner, O.S.F., and Pamela Wood.

“Bowing Toward Babylon is not simply another book about civil religion…Watts powerfully argues that Christian nationalism undermines the identity of the church by emphasizing our bonds to other Americans rather than our intimate connections to Christians, of whatever nation, in the one body of Christ.”

As scripture points out, we cannot serve two masters.  Watts challenges us to be honest in identifying whom we follow.  The answers may not be that easy.

The second book also speaks to matters at hand.  Drive south to Cocodrie and beyond the natural beauty of the area, you will notice that erosion is threatening properties held by families for generations.  Because of our thirst for natural resources and our lack of interest in conservation, we have thwarted the care of the earth’s soul.  We are paying the price now for the sins of our fathers and this will continue until we re-enter a relationship with the Creator.  This book focuses on ecology, theology and reflective action and the authors give us tangible insights that encourage conversation and action.

Each week I will send out a reflection meant to give our Diocese something to ponder.  It is my hope that small groups will gather to explore how thoughts are being provoked and questioned.  I encourage you to ask: where is God in the midst of our discovery?

Blessings,
The Rt. Rev. Morris K. Thompson, Jr.
Bishop of Louisiana

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You belong. You are children of God. No exceptions.

Bishop Duckworth’s sermon called us to remember the UpStairs Lounge fire in the French Quarter, a violent act of deadly arson that killed 32 gay men in nineteen minutes. In the aftermath, no church in the city would bury the dead. The exception was St. George’s Episcopal Church. Its rector, the Rev. Bill Richardson, did what he knew Jesus called him to do — he buried those men. He did so not without cost: he faced active condemnation from the larger community, but also from within his own congregation and from within our own diocese.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of two pivotal resolutions from the 1976 General Convention of the Episcopal Church. Resolution 1976-A069 and Resolution 1976-A071 declared that “homosexual persons are children of God who have a full and equal claim with all other persons upon the love, acceptance, and pastoral concern and care of the Church,” and that LGBTQ+ persons “are entitled to equal protection of the laws with all other citizens.” While we can celebrate many clear advancements for the full inclusion of our LGBTQ+ community in church and community life, the work is ongoing.

It has not always been a straight path. The church is human, and humans stumble. But consider how far we have traveled: from a church being rebuked for praying over the dead, to bishops wearing rainbow stoles given as gifts by LGBTQ+ Episcopalians at ordination. From closed communion tables to fully open sacramental life. From whispered exclusion to the joyful, public, Spirit-filled worship we offer tonight.

In our own Diocese of Louisiana, the transformation has been remarkable. Inclusive Louisiana, our network of LGBTQ+ Episcopalians and their allies, has been a light in this region for years — marching in Pride parades, offering pastoral care, and equipping congregations to proclaim God’s all-inclusive love. And here at St. Anna’s, you have led the way: becoming the first congregation in this diocese to celebrate same-sex marriage.

Bishop Duckworth’s conclusion made plain that actively creating a joyfully inclusive church is what we are called to do:

Not someday. Not when things are more comfortable. Not when the political climate improves. Today. The work of liberation is always a present-tense call.”

To speak that truth in this moment is not a partisan act. It is an act of Christian faithfulness. It is what prophets do. It is what the Church, at its best, has always done — even when it cost us something.

We serve a God who said: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.” That includes everyone. Everyone is a child of God.

The Rt. Rev. Shannon Rogers Duckworth

Bishop Duckworth offered the Prayer for Travelers from the Book of Common Prayer for Deacon Luigi, who is relocating to Chicago. His contributions to Inclusive Louisiana, St. Anna’s, the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana, and the broader community have been immeasurable. We are grateful for all he has given us, and we trust that though he leaves us physically, what he has created here will continue to grow.

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