A Word About Wednesday

There's something sleepy about Wednesday. Or maybe it's just me. Or maybe its just what happens after 5 overfilled days of meeting, eating, watching, waiting, worshiping, praying, laughing, and occasionally rolling one's eyes. Not that it isn't all wonderful -- perhaps, in fact, it's all the more tiring because of the wonder of it all.

A General Assembly Wednesday begins with the Ecumenical Service of worship -- featuring, this year, Archbishop Elias Chacour -- a Nobel peace prize nominee, and prelate of the Melkite Catholic Church in Galilee. As he entered the pulpit, he opened wide his sport-coat saying, "I am a Palestinian, I have no bombs." His message was stirring as he urged the church to engage, "Some say, 'We are not Jewish or Palestinian. We don't need to get involved.' But what would have happened if the Good Samaritan didn't get involved? He got his hands dirty...and I invite you Presbyterians to get your hands dirty."

The Assembly will turn to recommendations in regard to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict on Friday evening.

After worship -- Wednesday morning is a time for reading. All of the committees have submitted their work, so its time to peer into the crystal ball (or your LCD display) to see what actions will be coming up.

Among the items to come --

• A statement on Muslim/Christian relations
• A call for correcting translation errors in the Heidelberg Catechism (one of which reckons with the words "homosexual perversion" -- a phrase not found in any edition of the Catechism until the 1960s.)
• The beginning of a process that would add the Belhar Confession to the Book of Confessions
• A motion to refer the work of the Form of Government Task Force to the presbyteries for continued study
• A recommendation to disapprove any changes to the language defining marriage as between a man and a woman
• A new Authoritative Interpretation that reemphasizes the work of the Peace, Unity, and Purity task force and clarifies the process known as "scrupling"
• A recommendation to delete G-6.0106b
• The election of a new Stated Clerk for the General Assembly

The list goes on.

And it is that lengthy list, and all the work that leads up to it, that makes Wednesday a little bit sleepy.

Or is it the chicken? ...since all you eat at GA seems to be chicken. No, I guess that would have to be turkey. Hmm... yup -- must be the work.

Get some rest.
(Photo by Danny Brolin, Presbyterian News Service)