Lambeth Laments

The above lament, composed as a Psalm was nailed to the door of St Andrew Cathedral Church, on the Sunday before the Lambeth Conference.

We offer this lament with the painful realisation that some of our bishops from our extended St Andrew Cathedral Church (SC 001058) family will not be in attendance at this global gathering while the College of Bishops of our own Province will be using this occasion to seek emancipation from the burden of accountability. 

It is extremely distressing to read the LAMBETH CALL ON SAFE CHURCH: Safe Church/Safeguarding is about working to ensure the safety of all members of the church community, with a particular emphasis on children, young people and adults made vulnerable by circumstance or relationships where there is an imbalance of power while some members of the St Andrew Cathedral Church (SC 001058) family will continue to suffer trauma and plead for help.  The Lambeth Call states further ‘We, the bishops of the Anglican Communion gathered at the Lambeth Conference 2022, make this call to promote the physical, emotional and spiritual welfare and safety of all people, especially children, young people and vulnerable adults, within the churches of the Anglican Communion.’
Please find the Statement from the College of Bishops here: Preparing for the Lambeth Conference.   Also, please find here: The Lambeth Calls.

I find myself in deep distress as I found the above Psalm nailed to the door of St Andrew Cathedral Church, Aberdeen (SC 001058).  It seems to carry the significance of the 95 Theses nailed to the Doors of the Castle Church in Wittenberg in 1517.
In today's gospel the Disciples asked, 'Lord, teach us to Pray' and the Lord taught them: “‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come.  Give us each day our daily bread.  Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.  And lead us not into temptation.’”

We shall reflect on this first step of Discipleship - Prayer and in the problem of calling God, 'Father' in the context of 'Human Dignity.'

There is clear evidence of excitement in the Scottish Episcopal Church about the Lambeth Conference going by a Statement made by the College of Bishops.  And yet we have a lament nailed to the door of our historic St Andrew Cathedral Church (SC 001058) mindful of our place in the Anglican Communion.  Do we hear a call to lament over the Lambeth Calls?
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We shall continue to reflect over the coming days, pray and lament the state of our Church which is ready to make a Statement on 'Human Dignity' while 'it is written' (three times, like the Temptations of our Lord) that it is being violated by the words and deeds by this troubled body of Christ?  Why is this community called again to be prophetic?  It made a prophetic proclamation in 1784 by Consecrating the First Bishop to the Free and Independent America?  It is called again to make a Prophetic Proclamation today in these Lambeth Laments!