Electing the 10th Bishop of Georgia

The following is from the Rt. Rev. Harry Shipps, who served as the 8th Bishop of Georgia:

On September 12, a Special Convention of the Diocese of Georgia will gather in Dublin to elect the tenth bishop of our Diocese. The election will be from a group of six nominees selected by our Nominating Committee. Our diocese, larger than the countries of Portugal or Austria and dating back to 1733, is a family of seventy-two congregations. By and large, we have been a happy and responsible diocese.

There is no one Anglican procedure for selecting a bishop. In The Episcopal Church, the diocesan convention is divided into two electoral groups, clergy and laity. Each group votes separately for a nominee (termed a Vote by Orders) until each group has given one nominee a majority of their votes. That person is then the bishop-elect. The number of ballots varies from few to many. In other Anglican Provinces the procedures differ, from appointment by the Queen in England, to an election in which representatives of all dioceses participate, as in the The Church of Ireland. Our way reflects the American democratic approach, which also recalls the style of our Congress.

Our election then will be ratified by a majority of diocesan bishops and Standing Committees of The Episcopal Church. This is because all bishops are a part of and responsible to a greater whole, The Episcopal Church, in which they participate in its life and governance. When such consent is obtained, a date is set with the Presiding Bishop for consecration of the bishop-elect. At present, consecration of the bishop-elect is tentatively planned for 23 January 2010 in Savannah, the See City. All bishops are invited to participate in the consecration. A minimum of three is required by ancient canon, the Presiding Bishop normally being the chief consecrator. Oftentimes many more attend.

We would all do well to review the liturgy or the Ordination of a Bishop beginning on page 512 of the Book of Common Prayer. We will find therein what really is expected of our Bishops.

+ HW Shipps

Pray today for the Holy Spirit to be felt in a mighty way in the electing convention and for God's will to be done. Results will be posted as they are available online at www.georgiabishopsearch.org

My Old Buick and Me

This past Tuesday (the Feast of the Epiphany), Bishop Harry Shipps marked the 25th year of his consecration as a Bishop. He served as the eighth Bishop of Georgia and since his retirement has served as an assisting Bishop in Texas and elsewhere. What follows is a recent reflection of his for the newsletter of St. Paul the Apostle, Savannah:

I have an old Buick. It is a 1993 model with 127,675 miles on the speedometer, and the engine sounds a bit like a coffee grinder. I love my old Buick and I take good care of it. In return, I think it appreciates me and serves me well.

I also have an old body, 1926 year male issue. It has many miles on it. It doesn't hear too well and moves rather slowly these days. I take good care of my body and I think I get good returns, all things considered. What do the old Buick and I have in common? The need for regular maintenance and care, with the full understanding that nonetheless we will wear out someday. Eventually we both will need disposal, as repairs and replacement parts no longer keep us running.

Is there a lesson here? I think so. I must be prepared to give up my old Buick someday. It is inevitable. I also must be prepared to leave this old body someday. But not too soon! The Buick will go to the scrap heap. But I have a higher hope for me, not for my body, as that will be disposed of efficiently. My hope is for the real me, the me that continues on after the body is gone.

What is my hope? We find it in the New Testament. It is a life in union with God, the creator of the cosmos. This God is 'personal,' and is 'love' in the full sense of the word. This God has been revealed to us in the person of Jesus Christ. We know our hope, even though we cannot imagine the details of a life beyond the created universe, out of time and space.

The care we must give ourselves reaches beyond the body to the real you and me. That care is the practice of the Christian religion to the point "that we live in such a state that we are never afraid to die."

+HW Shipps

Five Heavy Words

The Eighth Bishop of Georgia, the Rt, Rev. H.W. Shipps, offered the following reflection for the newsletter of St. Paul the Apostle Episcopal Church in Savannah, where he attends:

Discussion of the means of our redemption, a major issue during the 16th century Reformation, is never out of date. Christians today must know the means by which we are saved. Several of the terms overlap in meaning, but point to the same divine action.

Justification How are you, a sinner, justified and brought into a right relationship before a righteous God? By the merits of the wholly righteous Son of God who offered himself as a propitiation or expiation for the sins of the whole world. Some would say forensic sacrifice. This unmerited gift is imputed or imparted to an individual at baptism.

Sanctification Although we are also sanctified at baptism, what usually is meant is the growth in holiness that follows baptism. The Christian matures in faith and practice while living in the context of Christ’s Eucharistic body, the Church. This is an infused gift of Grace.

Righteousness We have none of our own devising. All righteousness is a gift of God, imputed to us from Christ’s righteousness. Thus we can stand before God as redeemed sinners in a right relationship with God. We cannot earn righteousness by good deeds. St. Paul is very clear on this.

Redemption We are redeemed from our lost selves by Christ’s oblation of himself once offered for the sins of the whole world. Some would say a substitutionary sacrifice. Christ’s resurrection then completes our salvation.

Atonement Our at-one-ment with God is obtained by the self offering of the perfect sacrifice of Christ on the cross. Our sins treated as non-existent, as never having occurred, after our repentance and the confession of them. By the pure offering of Christ we thus are reconciled to God.

+HW Shipps

Four Little Greek Words

The Eighth Bishop of Georgia, the Rt. Rev. H.W. Shipps, wrote the following reflection for Saint Paul the Apostle Episcopal Church in Savannah where he attends:

Life as Christians active in parish or diocesan mission and ministry can become complicated and in need of prioritizing. There are four Greek words that clarify our discipleship and provide a way forward.

Kerygma The proclamation of the Good News through preaching, renewal, and evangelism. Holy Scripture is the basic source of our salvation history, and every sermon should have good news as a component. Evangelism to the un-churched and lapsed is a Gospel ministry laid on all baptized persons. Our personal and parish renewal and commitment enhances this ministry.

Leitourgia, literally the ‘work of the people’. Liturgy is the worship of the Triune God by the people of God, especially in the context of celebrating the sacraments, as well as in the Daily Office. Here we may note the three orders of clergy; episcope, presbyter and diakonoi in the Greek. By virtue of Holy Baptism, all baptized persons engage in liturgical worship, especially as we keep Holy Day.

Diaconal is the servant ministry of the Church to the world. This is carried on at all the different levels of the Church, from individuals through parishes, dioceses, and provinces. Community outreach in its several forms is perhaps the most common servant ministry. Again, a ministry of the baptized. In addition to hands-on ministry, we have opportunity to make offerings to special ministries: Episcopal Relief & Development, United Thank Offering, The Church in Jerusalem, Episcopal Youth & Children’s Services, amongst others.

Koinonia describes our life in the Church, the Body of Christ. As baptized Christians, we are in fellowship, in communion, with one another. We are a community of believers which transcends denominational lines. Christianity is a societal religion, in contrast to some others. It is “Our Father,” not “My Father”. It is “our Church,” not “my Church”.

Our life as Christians is fulfilled by living into these four ministries. Each of us is called to utilize the skills God has given us in order to enhance our discipleship with intentionality and purpose. None is free to ignore them.

+HW Shipps