From the Bishop

From the Bishop

The Rt. Rev. Douglas J. Fisher, 9th Bishop of Western Massachusetts

The theme of our Diocesan Convention this year is “Sing a New Song.” I believe it was John Lennon who said, “In the end everything will be ok, and if everything is not ok, then it is not the end.” To that I’ll add a quote from one of my favorite theologians. Walter Wink wrote: “History belongs to the intercessors who believe the future into being.”

Everything is not ok in our world right now. The plague of gun violence in our country gets worse by the day. Climate change is not coming. It’s here now. The Russian invasion of Ukraine is causing unimaginable suffering. I could add so much more to this litany but I would rather turn to the wisdom of John Lennon, Walter Wink, Michael Curry, St. Paul, and Mary the Mother of Jesus.

Everything is not ok, so it is not the end. Remember Michael Curry gives us a definition of our mission: “We are the Episcopal branch of the Jesus Movement that is out to change the world from the nightmare it is for so many into the dream God has for it.”

St. Paul tells us over and over again that in Christ we are a New Creation. We are already a New Creation in a world that is a nightmare for so many. We are a new creation because we hold on to the dream, we pray the future into being. And our prayer leads to action.

Statistics tell us that in many churches fewer people are coming to Sunday worship since COVID-19. And, of course, I think we need faith communities more than ever. We need to pray together and to be reminded that we are already a New Creation. We need to hear those difficult but true words of St. Paul: “suffering produces endurance and endurance produces character and character produces hope.” We need to say with Mary: “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my savior… for the Mighty One has done great things for me and holy is his name.”

I guess this article about a new song has become about an old truth. God is love and love is stronger than death (and everything else). But we need to sing a new song about that old truth to ourselves and to a world that longs to hear it.

“Glory to God, whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine: Glory to God from generation to generation in the Church, and in Christ Jesus for ever and ever (Ephesians 3:20-21).” ♦

+Doug