Thoughts from London 2

On the Tube train this morning I was looking at the advertising. The one that caught my eye said, “Are you making excuses not to quit your current job” followed by, “let number one look after number one.” I am on my way to morning prayer and mass so it is with a note if a stark contrast which I write. “Let God look after number oneashnumber one nurtures and tends God’s world.” Well, that is sort of what the Lords Prayer says.
In the context of attending a meeting of an international Anglican body this is a tough call. Almost everyone here is wealthy, white and privileged. Two of the largest Episcopal churches in the USA are here. St Martins, Houston and Christ Church (yes us), both have multi million dollar budgets.
Yesterday we heard Richard Chartres, Bishop of London speak. I asked a question about how he would assess the difference in mission and Evangelism opportunities in the very different landscapes.of the Church of England and the Episcopal Church. The answer boiled down to a global conversation.
Face to face conversations are costly. Practically we have to spend money to get somewhere or to invite someone to join us. But.more than that, we cannot turn a real person off. We have to put aside our supposition of difference and engage in out commonality. This is hard because the only thing we Cana really rely on in thst moment is that God is in both of us Andis already looking after us. We need to turn our time and energy to each other.
Thinking back to that advert, perhaps the question we need to ask is whether we are making excuses not to begin conversation, not to undertake the urgent work of the Kingdom. This is not a call for an employment agency. We are the Church. We are already joined, like it or not, by a common table and a common baptism. One Lord, one faith, one Church.
The fields are ripe for harvest. The fallacy of our individual independence has, at some point, to give way to a deep knowledge of our interdependence and our calling as sons and daughters, adopted in love and grace, and called to familiarity and community.