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Diocese

Back in 1964 Harold Wilson famously said, ‘A week is a long time in politics’ – it remains true and it’s true in the church as well. Last week I was in York for the meeting of the General Synod. You can tell how important a Synod is going to be by two indicators – how many media vans are parked around the assembly hall and how often our Dean is on radio and TV. Both suggested that this was a very important Synod – and of course it was.

There were lots of things up for debate – things such as the fees we charge for marriages and funerals; the future of Reader ministry; matters of perhaps more general interest such as climate change and its effect upon social justice; and of course the mega-topic – the ordination of women to the episcopate.

The decision to ordain women bishops had already been taken in 2006. In that debate the Synod decided that the time was right for us to make this important move – opening up all of ministry to women. But the debate this time was about how we’re going to do it – how, in terms of how we’re going to help those in the church who in conscience can’t accept the ministry of women, to stay in the church.

The Bishop of Manchester had been chairing a group which prepared a report for the Synod. They presented us with six possible options – ranging in complexity from a simple, single clause motion with local arrangements put in place for traditionalists, to a radical solution consisting of the creation of three new non-geographical dioceses for men only.

So it was for the members of Synod to decide which route it would like to take in order to achieve the twin aims of ordaining women as bishops but also keeping the Church of England as broad and united as possible.

You’re aware of the result of the debate I’m sure – the Synod overwhelming decided to opt for a Code of Practice – a statutory code that would safeguard – and I hate that word but it’s the one most often used – to safeguard the traditionalists whilst also allowing a woman diocesan bishop to really be the bishop and in doing so the catholicity of the church was maintained.

There have been reports of bishops bursting into tears in the debate, of traditionalists furious with the Synod, of people threatening to leave for Rome and of the supporters of the ordination of women jubilant. All these things are true. For myself I can honestly say that I’m proud of what we achieved in that Synod – but it was no easy task.

One of the problems for those of us who don’t shy away from the term ‘liberal’ is that we can often be less well organised than the traditionalist groups and more willing to compromise. We arrived at this Synod more organised and less willing to let go of what we believe to be true.

Both the first reading and the Gospel for this Eucharist talk about growth – of seed sown and of fruitfulness. A week later we’re prompted to ask ourselves the question: what seed was sown in York and what fruit do we expect?

Throughout the second half of the last century we were talking more and more about the place of women in society and in the church. The talk was often in terms of justice. So much of what we did was based on prejudice and was discriminatory in its effect and so we were variously cajoled, forced and taught to change the way that we looked at the place of women in society and subsequently in the church. It was all a matter of justice.

And that of course is partly the argument in the church. But I think that it’s about more than simply justice – though for me justice is a kingdom imperative and is one of the fruits of the kingdom. But there’s more than that for me.

St Paul says in the second reading ‘The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free’ – set us free says Paul from sin and death and the reasoning of the flesh. We’ve been set free to live as God intended – as one people, in which difference is not an issue to divide, in which there’s neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female but in which we’re all made one in Christ.

This is an inclusive gospel that Paul proclaims. Of course, he himself reveals from time to time that he’s culturally conditioned when he talks of women keeping silent in church and of male headship – two things that more conservative evangelicals latch onto in the women bishops debates. But at his best, Paul proclaims a kingdom in which all are equal – and of course a church which displays the values of the kingdom.

It’s much more for me that this is fundamentally what the church is – a body in which we’re all equal partners and all equally welcome – in which the divisions under the law are not maintained – a kingdom in which gender and ethnicity, sexuality, age, ability do not separate us out but make each of us a valued and equal and special child before God.

Women as bishops will help make real that kingdom message, just as women as priests have done. So what seed was sown?

Some will say of course that the seed sown at York was of division and self-destruction; the seed of schism; the seed of dissension and downfall. But others will say that this was good seed and that the soil was ready to receive it – that the seed will produce a rich harvest – the seed of justice and openness, the seed of inclusivity, the seed of honesty and vision, the seed of courage, the seed of freedom.

When the sower went forth to sow it was just the first fragile stage of what would lead to harvest, there was real vulnerability about the sowing. Last Monday in York was only one, fragile stage on the road and there’s a lot of hard work to be done before the fields are ripe for harvest. But just as in Isaiah’s vision the hills burst into song and the trees clapped their hands with joy, so I believe we should feel deep joy at what was done last week.

We did what was right – we did what was of God. Let anyone with ears listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches!

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