By Sydney Webb, alternate deputy
“Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being?” I have been reading the Baptismal Covenant each night to focus in prayerful discernment on the decisions to be made at General Convention. This is the piece of the Covenant that has stood out to me the most. As I’ve sat in on numerous hearings on resolutions, this question has played over and over in my head. Today my focus shifted to a different question.
“Will you continue in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers?” As a young alternate deputy, many people have inquired about my involvement with the Church and my future plans. This evening a priest from Texas asked about those exact aspects of my life. We talked about the many paths God could be planning for my life, and he asked how much time I spent each day reading the Bible. No matter what answer I gave, he would have said, “That’s not enough. Do more.”
He followed with a recap of one of his sermons that I found to be especially powerful. He held up $100 and told the congregation that whoever came to the front and spun around three times could keep the money… but he said it in German. Of course, no one in the congregation spoke German. The discernment process for our futures is much like this discrepancy in communication. If we want to know what God is calling us to do, we have to speak His language; we have to grow in relationship with Him and understand His teachings in order to hear and comprehend what He has to say.
This is an incredible teaching to say the least. Aside from this one lesson, all of the conversations and experiences I have had thus far at General Convention have taught me something new. They have also multiplied my love for the Church. I am worshipping in fellowship with thousands; I am standing alongside leaders calling urgently for social justice; and I am witnessing inclusion, unconditional love and the pure joy found through God. Most importantly, I am loving the Church and everything it stands for more deeply than ever before.
“Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being?” I have been reading the Baptismal Covenant each night to focus in prayerful discernment on the decisions to be made at General Convention. This is the piece of the Covenant that has stood out to me the most. As I’ve sat in on numerous hearings on resolutions, this question has played over and over in my head. Today my focus shifted to a different question.
“Will you continue in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers?” As a young alternate deputy, many people have inquired about my involvement with the Church and my future plans. This evening a priest from Texas asked about those exact aspects of my life. We talked about the many paths God could be planning for my life, and he asked how much time I spent each day reading the Bible. No matter what answer I gave, he would have said, “That’s not enough. Do more.”
He followed with a recap of one of his sermons that I found to be especially powerful. He held up $100 and told the congregation that whoever came to the front and spun around three times could keep the money… but he said it in German. Of course, no one in the congregation spoke German. The discernment process for our futures is much like this discrepancy in communication. If we want to know what God is calling us to do, we have to speak His language; we have to grow in relationship with Him and understand His teachings in order to hear and comprehend what He has to say.
This is an incredible teaching to say the least. Aside from this one lesson, all of the conversations and experiences I have had thus far at General Convention have taught me something new. They have also multiplied my love for the Church. I am worshipping in fellowship with thousands; I am standing alongside leaders calling urgently for social justice; and I am witnessing inclusion, unconditional love and the pure joy found through God. Most importantly, I am loving the Church and everything it stands for more deeply than ever before.