05/03/2024
Sharing this with those who are interested.
This was shared by a great DS that I felt mentored me in some ways in the beginning of my journey with Christ into the gift of preaching.
General Conference Day 9
Grace and Peace to You,
Day 9 at the General Conference started out with a good work out at the gym at 5:00 a.m. this morning. It turned out today was a good work out as well.
I just got out of a long meeting with the Interjurisdictional Episcopacy Committee and finished my homework, so just a very high-level sketch today. I am sure there is already a lot posted so just some highlights and to bed. Will talk more later, I am sure.
Probably the big news is The United Methodist Church is really a new church. It is a new expression of Christianity that has “moved” on from a lot of traditional Biblical standings. I really think this is that we have moved away from using the hermeneutics of Wesley’s Notes on the New Testament. More on that another day.
Article XXII Of the Rites and Ceremonies of Churches states, “It is not necessary that rites and ceremonies should be in all places be the same, or exactly alike; for they have been always different and may be changed according to the diversity of countries, times, and men’s manners, so that nothing be ordained against God’s Word.”
Confession of Faith, Article XIII on Public Worship, “It should be in a language and form understood by the people, consistent with the Holy Scriptures to the edification of all, and in accordance with the order and Discipline of the Church.”
Yesterday the rites of The United Methodist Church declared as sacred the rites that joined together one man and one woman, and that ordination the means that marriage was between one man and one woman, and the right of ordination did not include a self-avowed practicing homosexuals.
Today the rites of The United Methodist Church declared as sacred the rites of marriage that join together a man and man and a woman and a woman and ordination of those engaged in self-avowed homosexual practice.
Some were crying and others were crying with joy. For me it was like waiting with someone who was facing death and in its final hours. The outcome was not surprising, but like all death watches the end comes slowly, slowly, slowly, then quick.
The old United Methodist Church is now dead and there is a new expression of The United Methodist Church.
You mourn and grieve even when the death is foreseen. I grieve the loss of the old Methodist Church where I poured out my life and has blessed so many. We will see what the new expression brings, but I will be bringing it home and it has also probably gone ahead of me.
The train continued and there were a lot of business motions and an attempt to bundle a lot of petitions together. I had to separate on out from the floor as it dealt with appeals and bishops. We will see what happens there.
Tonight had a late night with the Interjurisdictional Episcopacy Committee.
The two Bs, budgets and bishops continue to require a lot of focus. Will have to work more tomorrow. So I finished my homework for that and will find out more tomorrow.
P
Sorry so short, but I don’t have the energy.
God Bless,
Bob Zilhaver
