The Last Word on the Bag of Bags

When did Primates become an Instrument of Unity? I guess we are reaping some of the seeds sown by Presiding Bishop Allin when he was looking for a way to duck the issue of the ordination of women. We are just fattening frogs for snakes! While the Primates are making pronouncements, Indaba mates are, in the words of Rodney King, just trying to get along.

The Parable of the Bag of Bags

After traveling west from Garden City to Brooklyn and west across the North Atlantic, north to Canterbury from Southampton and onward north to the University of Kent, the bag of bags and box of bags were delivered and distributed on the same day that the Archbishop of The Sudan was making his pronouncements. It was not really clear if the newly minted Primate was speaking for his entire Province. The Indaba gifts arrived to the appointed place and were distributed by a wise and generous giver. The group was blown away by the beauty and significance of the bag. And there was joy in the Indaba group. All the bishops were most appreciative. One bishop in particular was really liking his Indaba bag but on further notice, he seemed to be casting a longing eye on the now empty bag that had contained the bags. The admiring bishop was from The Sudan.

The giver of the bags being a wise and senior bishop picked up on the signal but as a wise and senior bishop he said that I must speak to a higher authority about the bag; I must speak to my Canon as this former bag of bags from the Buyers Warehouse in Hempstead purchased for this occasion may be a family heirloom. The wise and senior bishop held out some hope saying, "I'll see what I can do," because the wise and senior bishop was enjoying his newly minted friendship with the bishop from The Sudan.

Now when the wise and senior bishop saw the oft-time mercurial canon, the canon was in a snit over the recently issued statement of the Primate of The Sudan. Being a wise and senior bishop, that wise and senior bishop left the canon alone.

The next day the wise and senior bishop inquired about the future of the former bag of bags and seeing that the canon was in a joyful mood added that a bishop from The Sudan was interested in having the bag. The canon heaved a heavy sigh. The loyal and faithful canon of the wise and senior bishop remembered the teachings of the wise and senior bishop over the years - We are Long Island, we are not petty, we come in fellowship, we are doing the Lord's work in middle management and it is more blessed to give that big former bag of bags away than to lug it home.

So the bishop from The Sudan received the bag formerly of bags, the wise and senior bishop saved face and the mercurial canon learned a great lesson about grace - let the Primates be Primates - we have work to do building the kingdom one bag at a time.

This parable was written by a blithe spirit who has occupied Canon Porter's body as it is her birthday.