Whew - it's been a long morning. Thankfully, worship is completed and all has gone well. Note to self: don't attempt to blog at an Assembly at which you a) are the chair of the worship commission; b) must count the offering after worship services due to condition a; and c) are 1/2 of the care team for a four month-old.
The final three candidates for Bishop have been named, two whom I expected and one which is a surprise. At this point it's neck-and-neck and it's definitely going to be an interesting afternoon.
We addressed a resolution memorializing the ELCA and its worship staff to discontinue the practice of emphasizing gender-neutral language. I know the author of the resolution and consider him a friend, and it's a good discussion to have. However, yesterday in a forum on the new hymnal a participant asked where a warning might be found about the 'intentional inaccuracies' in the psalmody of our new hymnal. Let's be clear: there are no intentional 'inaccuracies.' There is no agenda to lead people astray as to the identity of God - to call God "Creator" rather than "Father" is not heretical. Some spoke very highly of using the name of God, which is a point worth considering, but our friends of the Jewish faith would have a huge issue with the words we call God's "name," wouldn't they? The resolution was defeated after a lengthy conversation, which I think was the best possible outcome; it got people thinking without committing us to a course of action with which there is significant disagreement.
Now we're breaking for lunch and will be returning for the fourth ballot for Bishop. Oh, and yours truly was elected to the Synod Council - whoopee. :-)
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