__________Psalm 119:102
I do not
shrink
from
your
judge-
ments,
be-
cause
you
yourself have taught me.
* The
Consecration
in 1794 of
Samuel Seabury
(1729- 1796)
the first bishop of the American Episcopal Church. After being chosen, he sailed for England to be consecrated. Although he had served as a chaplain in the British Army during the Revo-lutionary War, now an American citizen, he could not a swear allegiance to the crown, the head of the Anglican Church in Great Britain since Henry VII, when we went from The Church IN England to the Church OF England.* So that was out. A Year later he was finally consecrated In Abredeen by 3 non-juring bishops in the Episcopal Church
in Scotland, thus en-suring the apostolic succession. There are always 3 bishops as consecrators - so there’s always at least ONE who didn’t slip through the cracks! I love it that when the bishop lays hands on you in Confirmation, those hands go directly back to the apostles and to the hands of Jesus himself. At the General Convention of 1792, he was fianlly able to join with 2 other duly consecrated bishops in the consecration of the first Episcopal Bishop on American soil
Grant that , joined together
in unity with our bishops, &
nourished by your holy sacraments,
we may proclaim the Gospel of redemption
with apostolic zeal Collect
*Which makes for an interesting opportunity to pause and consider the relationship and interaction and challenge of our political and out spiritual allegiances… It can’t have been an effortless transition from one political allegiance to another, although I had never really thought of it before.
(Our friend Bill always claimed
that when the consecrators laid
hands on the new bishop, they
were taking out his spine!
But that’s another matter.)
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