Today was the second day of the Lambeth Conference retreat. Our Bible study groups met for the second time. Our conversation together about the presentation of John the Baptist in John’s Gospel was deeper than yesterday. I expect that my group will become more stimulating in the days to come.

I am so honored to participate in the Lambeth Conference. The retreat setting within the Canterbury Cathedral is holy. The atmosphere is prayer filled and formed in Holy Scripture. Archbishop Williams gave two talks today that were helpful to me. He spoke of the American writer William Stringfellow who noted the distinction between being a “religious person” and a “biblical person.” A religious person can be caught up in mere habits, whereas a biblical person is caught in God’s spotlight; in God’s attention; and God’s call. A bishop is to be a biblical person. This is, of course, true for all Christians, but this is a retreat for bishops. The archbishop also cited Church Father Tertullian in saying “A single Christian is no Christian.” This led to his teaching that a single apostle is no apostle with the clear implication that bishops are called to live in community; community that is both local and worldwide. He referred to the wounded ness within the Anglican Communion and said we are working and praying for its restoration and deepening. He challenged us to pray in covenant with and for each other. He urged us to be faithful to each other.

Within this context of prayer and Scripture I had several moments that were personally striking. One was in the sharing of diocesan needs and concerns with a bishop from Kenya. We prayed with and for each other together in a personal deepening of the bonds of our affection. The second moment was when I had the quiet time to pray in the martyrdom chapel. This is the area known as the Altar of the Sword’s Point where Archbishop Thomas Becket was murdered in 1170. I prayed for the good people of the Diocese of Southwest Florida there. I am grateful that God called me to ministry there. Finally, in our closing worship we prayed as a communion of bishops the Lord’s Prayer in our own languages. The sound of hundreds of voices lifted in multitudinous dialects offering the prayer Jesus taught us is both humbling and hopeful. This time of prayer was immediately followed by the hymn “The Day Thou Gavest, Lord, is Ended” which contains the verse:

                                                As o’er each continent and island

                                                The dawn leads on another day

                                                The voice of prayer is never silent,

                                                Nor dies the strain of praise away.

The prayers I heard are the prayers that are offered around the globe and our communion every day!