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Jesus raises about the allegiance of our hearts. We do not give to the annual budget, we give from an appreciation of our experience of God's generosity. You can read more at: relationalrealities.com.
This coming Sunday is Bishop Nicholas' annual visitation to the parish. I can tell you that he has told me how much he loves coming to St. Martin's. I thought it might be helpful to take this opportunity to say a little about what a bishop is, and why having a bishop is important for Episcopalians.
The Greek word episcopos means overseer. This same word gives us the name Episcopal, i.e. a church with bishops. As the generation of the Apostles began to die-out, they entrusted the authority they had received directly from Jesus to a new generation of leaders who would continue to exercise their apostolic authority in the growing church. These episcopoi, or in English, the bishops became the chief pastors in individual churches, where they were assisted by the deacons. As time went by, these individual churches multiplied in number and so the bishop became the pastor or shepherd, not of an individual church, but of a group of individual churches. This group we know as the Diocese. The bishops then appointed a new group of leaders known as presbyters or priests, to exercise their authority in the individual churches of their group, or diocese.
The connection we enjoy to Bishop Nicholas is not simply administrative, or hierarchical. Our connection to him as our bishop is through a special type of relationship, which goes by the name communion. We are said to be in communion with our bishop, and this relationship is established through the sacrament of Confirmation or the act of Reception into the Episcopal Church.
St Martin's relationship to, or our being in communion with Bishop Nicholas is crucial to our lives as Episcopalians for several reasons:
- He stands among us as our link to the historic (catholic), Apostolic Tradition of Christianity going-back all the way to Jesus, himself.
- He is our link with other Episcopalians outside of our diocese. When we talk about the National Episcopal Church, what we are referring to is actually a web of relationships. Episcopalians in the Rhode Island are in relationship or communion with Episcopalians throughout the US through the communion- relationship between Bishop Nicholas and every other bishop of the Episcopal Church.
- Episcopalians are in relationship, or communion with other Anglicans around the world through the worldwide Anglican Communion that binds Bishop Nicholas in relationship with all other Anglican bishops.
- He is our link to other Churches who mutually recognize each other as sharing the historic Apostolic Tradition such as the ELCA-Lutherans, Moravians, Old Catholics, and Eastern Orthodox. The Roman Catholic Church also shares this Apostolic Tradition, however, RC bishops do not consider themselves in communion with other Apostolic Tradition bishops not under the authority of the Pope.
Because of the great significance that Bishop Nicholas represents for Rhode Island Episcopalians, At St. Martin's we all look forward to welcoming him and his wife Karen this coming Sunday. So see you in Church, on Sunday!
Mark+
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