“Light is less something you see directly, and more something by which you see all other things.” Richard Rohr
A few days ago I called a friend and a retired bishop to discuss something. I asked him how he was doing and said, “Jos, I am sleeping well. I get eight hours of sleep every day, unlike the 4 hours I had as a bishop.” It was good for me to hear it. Because I thought sleeplessness, which I never had until two years ago, was due to my getting older! It made sense to hear it and I am grateful for the rest of the conversation I had with him.
The life of a bishop is complicated and the ministries are sometimes invisible. Many things a bishop does are not visible to the public and sometimes it is impossible to share what she or he does with everyone due to the nature of the job. But still, a church that has called a bishop to lead the Diocese deserves to know what happens behind the scenes. I believe what we are looking for in general is transparency, accountability, trustworthiness, grace, and holiness in those who are called among us, which includes bishops, priests, deacons, and lay leaders.
With this in mind, I want to share a monthly note I like to call: To Emmaus. Why To Emmaus? If you have noticed everything I do is named after the incident on the road to Emmaus. The two disciples were frustrated, upset, angry, and depressed over the events that happened a few days earlier in Jerusalem. These two disciples also had heard from a few women and the Apostles that Jesus had risen from the dead.
These disciples must have wondered, rising from the dead. Is this a joke? Should we believe this again, was the question in their minds. They believed in Jesus and walked the journey with him. But then it all came to an abrupt end when Jesus was crucified like a criminal on a cross. It was confusing and frustrating. Their trust eroded tragically.
This is where I like to begin my sharing. Because I get to celebrate the resurrection, witness frustration, disappointment, fear, anger, and at the same time willingness to grow and change into the fullness of Christ just like the disciples of Jesus in Emmaus! In my opinion what Jesus did was hundred percent personal and pastoral, spiritual and transformational, uplifting and rebuilding, changing lives in a manner that sometimes didn’t make much sense to those who were not in the room with the disciples.
The life of a Bishop is complicated and the work one does remains hidden. Because a bishop deals with issues that affect the lives of people and clergy and lay leaders in local congregations. What we hear as bishops and what we see are not pretty sometimes, and they deserve to be treated as sacred. Clergy lives need to be protected, and laity concerns need to be addressed.
Every bit of what a Bishop does is sacred, those that are pleasant, and unpleasant, even those that look distant and disconnected from parish life are still holy. That’s why we call it an administrative job because we just don’t understand what he or she does!
But let me assure you, there is nothing called administrative job as I see it. Because everything I do, and I am sure all other bishops will agree with me, is pastoral one way or another. The intricate, complicated, sometimes unpleasant, and even those that seem celebratory are pastoral work because we are engaged in changing lives and not in brick-and-mortar business!
A Bishop is the custodian of the souls of those entrusted to his or her care. A bishop lives and follows the path of the Apostle Peter in direct apostolic succession and not administrative lineage.
So, what does a bishop do? Let us delve into it contextually, as it happens in my life in the church in Idaho.
Province VIII Bishop’s Retreat
The new year began with an amazing time with the bishops of Province VIII, as it happens every year at about the same time. When we meet annually for a time of prayer, camaraderie, resource sharing, and trust building, it helps a bishop to feel that he or she is not alone, which often is a lonely job, in the ministry they are called to do in a diocese.
As you can imagine, unlike a priest or a deacon in a diocese who has a colleague a few miles from them, it’s hard to understand the complexity and context of a bishop’s ministry. When we gathered in January this year in Los Angeles not only did I get a chance to renew friendships, but learned different ways various situations can be addressed in a diocese.
This year it was also to look deeper into what interreligious dialogues look like in the context of war in Israel and Gaza, and Ukraine and Russia. These perspectives and experiences are hard to come by except through the experiences of those who are in the field. Listening to a Hindu, a Muslim, a Christian, a Jew and professionals in fields that are experiencing a very different set of challenges helps to form our opinions, responses, and ministries in our particular context! While the photos might all look like fun, most of the day is filled with deep conversations, plans, projects, and studies to address issues we face as administrators of institutions, churches, personnel, and people.
Consecration of a Bishop!
January 6th was a glorious day to celebrate the consecration of the Bishop of Arkansas. If you remember we were blessed with the company of Bishop Larry Benfield, who was my co-consecrator in June 2022. The Episcopal Church is required to have at least three bishops present at the consecration of a bishop. There are very many reasons for it, too big for me to share them all here. But ask me, and I will be delighted to share the historical context for this. But one thing that might help us to understand the role of a bishop is that he or she takes a vow to support the larger church in the consecration of bishops, their ministries, and life in and around the church.
We had 27 bishops to lay hands on the new bishop of Arkansas, Bishop John Harmon. On the day of a consecration, all bishops present meet with the presiding bishop or the presider, along with the new bishop-elect to discuss with one another the challenges we face collectively in the Episcopal Church. We talk about finding solutions or ways to deal with them appropriately and prudently.
This also allows the new bishops to know that he or she is not alone in the journey they are embarking on. They are invited to share their perspectives, prayers, and thanksgiving. As I shared earlier, a bishop is the custodian of the souls who sometimes remain far and hidden unlike a priest or a deacon or a lay leader who works people locally.
Great Leaders & Our Ministry Together!
We are blessed with amazing lay and clergy leaders in our diocese. The Standing Committee and the Diocesan Council gathered for an overnight retreat with the Bishop on January 19-20th. This long two-day event took lots of planning, coordination, conversation, food preparation, and engagement of almost every congregation in our diocese. As you can imagine, when two or three are gathered, not only the Lord is present, (thank God) but we are blessed with double the number of opinions and ideas to talk through before and after the meetings but later into weeks and months following such meetings. This is why our church is rich in ideas, grace, and goodness!
What is good about the Episcopal Church is the same thing that makes it hard for us sometimes. We are a democratic church that talks through and listens to everything from everyone’s point of view, which is a powerful and wonderful thing, but at the same time, it takes time, energy, money, and frustration to go through this exercise. Careful facilitation of these meetings is not only exhilarating, but it is also frustrating and painful in the evenings as none of us can simply ignore the residue from negativities that happen when we gather as people. Leaders get it. Clergy gets it. That’s why it is absolutely beautiful to be a church. We are raw and real! Welcome to the Episcopal Church and I am proud to serve in our church!
Remember, we are just like the two disciples on their way to Emmaus! Blessed, happy, frustrated, and disappointed sometimes, but often, joyful to live the day! We are the Gospel in action! These moments might look like administrative work, but let me assure you, it is a lot more than administrative work. It is the work of our souls! This work we do changes lives!
48, 49, 50… and… more
The best and the most energizing days of a bishop’s life are visitations to churches. That’s because a bishop gets to see faith in action. It is a lot more than celebrating at the Holy Eucharist, preaching, confirming, and attending the vestry meetings. Here we get to see our daily struggles played out in ways that sometimes require an outside perspective from someone who is not involved in it.
Bishop helps people to open up about issues that they are unable to share with anyone else. Bishop’s presence helps them see their issue as important, but not insurmountable. Bishop and the Canon bring them to a different awareness about their situation that many times calms their fears. These visits also allow the laity to share what they love about their clergy, and sometimes not, and what is not working in the parish.
The confirmation, new energy, and potlucks are icing on the cake, but real pastoral work starts at the end of a parish visit and extends to hours, weeks, and months beyond a bishop’s visit. Many hours of phone calls to parties involved, situations encountered, and financial needs addressed after the visit are what remain hidden from public view because we can not proclaim someone else’s sacred issues as problems for others to pick on and talk about. The sacred duty of a bishop calls for confidentiality while taking appropriate and decisive actions that benefit a church, visible most of the time only from 30,000 feet above!
One of the hardest working hours of my life is while I am in the car. For example, last week I made over 48 phone calls on my way to Pocatello and back. Now I know what my friend said, he only slept for 4 hours a night as a bishop!
48th Pastoral Visit: In January I had an amazing visit with Grace Church in Nampa. As I listened to Mother Karen Hunter and heard the voices of the people in that church I realized what an amazing group of people we have at Grace, Nampa.
The creative ideas, life, and ministries in Grace are an example for all. Did you know Grace is our only church where we have a bilingual Holy Eucharist every Sunday? The moment someone walks into the church he or she will know Grace is an open, welcoming, and affirming community. After my visit, I am now in the phase of looking into meeting their needs, not only resolutions from within Idaho but nationally and internationally! Mother Karen is an amazing creative leader, and sometimes that is not easy or romantic! Kudos to her and Grace Episcopal Church in Nampa.
49 Pastoral Visit: On my 49th visit to a church in two years, I came to Holy Trinity, Buhl. If you haven’t met Mother Marilyn Butler, I invite you, please, to drive over to Buhl to meet her and attend church with her community. She had her share of illness and struggles. But what she has, even more, is the grace to love, to care, to build, and to work with all to make a community come alive.
At my visit I confirmed Pam. Celebrated a Q&A time. Ate a fabulous lunch and returned to work on strengthening their need for leadership to support Marilyn’s need for assistance.
When a bishop visits a parish, it is the beginning of hours and weeks of work after the visit.
Thank YOU. Walk with me!
How grateful that you read it all! Thank you for walking with me as I travel driving about 18000 miles a year and almost every weekend away from my family into your homes, churches, and lives! Thank you. The greatest joy of my ministry is meeting all of you in your context. Meeting with the highest civil authorities of the land to the homeless and hungry on the side of the road all make it worth every second of it. Nothing of these is possible without my assistant in the office, Canon to the Ordinary, and the treasurer, our meager staff. We are missionaries!
May God watch over you and bless you. May the Lord who loves you dearly bless you and your family abundantly. Please know I may not be with you every Sunday, but I am not far from you in prayer every day!
Let us become the light, by which others see everything else around us!
With love and paternal blessings
Your friend and bishop
+Jos