We have continued to wait for several hours in the court room. There has been some movement... the stenographer leaves with her machine... counsels arrive and leave...
But nothing.
Friendships form. The counsel for the bishop used to have a law partner who was a fraternity brother with a representative from Soul Force. The women whom Amy married talk about their impressions of God when they were kids with another lesbian couple. We smile. We wait.
Then music broke out. Rev. Janet Ellinger found her way to the spinet piano and led us in singing "Leaning on the Everlasting Arms." This became Amazing Grace, then Standing on the Promises, then we slid back into leaning on the everlasting arms again.
And soon it was a full hymn sing. We sang the songs of the faith for over an hour. Hymnals were handed out. We learned new ones. We danced. We sat. We stood. We sung.
There is no word from the jury. It isn't clear that we will even get a word today. The jury could not be able to decide.
The Bishop has said a few times to people (of course he stayed for the hymn sing!) that it is possible that we will break for the day and come back in the morning so that they can continue to deliberate.
We don't really know what's going on in there. They have sent out several questions that the bishop has had to run by the counsels. We don't know. It's a run full of clergy people who are trying to come up with a penalty for one of their peers.
So we're still waiting.
1 comments:
Will,
One of the gifts of what seemed like the deliberation that would never end, was experiencing your leadership and ministry in leading a portion of the hymn-sing. Your joy was palpable and contagious. Thank you for allowing the Spirit to be so fully present in and through you! You are a gift - to me, to the church, to the world.
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