Let's Face the Music and Dance

Yesterday was class photo day giving the official photographer another opportunity to learn to properly reset the f-stop to adjust for the changing composition of the Communion. If the 200 or so African and handful of Australian bishops had come this year, some more adjusting would have been required and I don't know where they would have fit.

There was some political statement trying to be made by the judicious (or in- as it may actually be) placement of certain bishops. It sounded like an ecclesial prize is right. Bishop female, gafcon participant, middle of the roader, liberal come on down and let us make sure people know that you are here.

While all this delicate placement was taking place, the bishops broke into song. The old evergreen that they chose was Just as I Am, which seemed to say how they feel about change. I found myself singing "When the red red Robin goes bob-bob-bobbin along" as they were in rochet and chimere.

What could have been newsworthy was if the formation had morphed into an Electric Slide line (can't you just see those shimmying chimeres).

In my diocese, the Electric Slide has become, in the words of T'yve, Tradition. In my words, something done twice at convention. The Electric Slide would be another type of stretch especially for those in Indaba groups under revolt.

The Electric Slide is a dance that everybody can do, you don't need a partner (No not that kind of partner, a dancing partner). Those who know the steps have to put up with those who don't and those who don't know the steps sometimes are moving right when the step is to the left and vice-versa or fro when it's to but then after a while and some initial struggles with the steps and the rhythm, the line starts working and moves as a unit. From my experience and far from scientific clinical observations, everyone has a good time and the most people are on the dance floor because it's a way for maximum participation. So that was my fantasy - dancing bishops. If only some music had come blasting out of the Big Top the bishops could have danced instead of waltzing back into their covert caucuses.

Maybe they would have preferred the Cha-Cha-Slide?