Habemas papam
Sermon inspired by Psalm 98 and Acts 10:44-48
Dear Saints!
Something wild happened these last days. Something as wild as the baptism of Gentiles in Peter’s time. When the circumcised believers, the Jews, couldn’t at first come to sense with the fact that Gentiles were loved by God just the same. That they could be baptized just the same. That the Holy Spirit was big enough to be received by anyone ready to serve Christ. That there was so much more space at the table and that the table would just magically grow with any additional chair.
I know some of you have been to synod assembly before. Usually, it’s this great 1 or 3-day gathering somewhere in a rather beautiful spot in Northern California. Which means it can basically take place anywhere. It feels like a mix of a reunion and summer camp. When I went in 2019, it was the day I met so many pastors, made connections, learned about our synod for the first time. I sat with the voting members of my congregation and used every single break for small talk and introductions. It was wonderful. It felt rushed. But the food was good and the sun was shining in Lodi. And on the way back we went to buy farm fresh strawberries from those little pop-up stores next to the road.
In May 2020, we were supposed to elect a new bishop. Which means that we started nominating candidates in September of 2019. And then, Covid hit. And the synod assembly got postponed by a year.
Before and during the synod there was this one thing that nearly drove me nuts. Everybody kept talking about the Holy Spirit leading the election. Now, don’t worry, I love the Holy Spirit, I love her whirlwindy dancing, pushing us into deep and unknown waters. But I am also aware that church is a place of church politics. And that we often tend to spiritualize politics and business in church when it’s actually about power and money and who knows whom. I wasn’t sure how much space we would leave for the Holy Spirit in that churchy mess.
Now, the bishop’s election is quite an elaborate procedure called the ecclesiastical ballot. Which basically means that any ordained Lutheran minister can be nominated or self-nominate even as late as on the first ballot. So, there were like 40 names on the first ballot. Only the first 13 made it onto the second ballot. And placed 7th was Rev. Dr. Megan Rohrer with 27 votes out of 338. There was no additional information given before the 3rd ballot. Rev. Megan got 33 out of 415 votes and moved up to the be number 4. The first 7 candidates now were allowed 5 minutes each to address the assembly. And because we were all on Zoom, it was a very quiet, muted assembly. My feeling was that the organizers were really glad about it. No interruptions to deal with, no angry comments. Yes, that happens at synod assembly. People are people. We were all just glued to our screens, listening intensely.
That speech was really just meant for the candidates to introduce themselves. A little background, make it personal and entertaining, and give us an idea of what to expect from you. What you are passionate about. That kind of thing.
And then it got messy. Really messy. The second speaker, Rev Nelson Rabell-Gonzalez had to disclose allegations of leadership misconduct during his speech. When he was done, then still Bishop Mark got up and read out more allegations. Making it sound like a trial. I was sitting at home, gasping, writing like crazy with my colleagues over Facebook Messenger and chat, trying to make sense of this. Nelson had been one of the favorite candidates until then. He is dean of his conference, well-known and respected, and just got asked to do a new mission start for our synod.
And then… nothing happened. The assembly just went on. The next candidate, Rev Linda Boston, talked. And I couldn’t hear a word. I was in shock. Just like so many others. One after the other the candidates talked for 5 minutes. I stared at my screen, stared at their mouths moving, heard the noise of their voices, and couldn’t understand a word. Some of us tried interrupting the assembly, tried asking for a break. But we were ignored. It was awful. We were failing not just Nelson but the people speaking after him. Finally, our conference’s dean Tylor asked for 15 minutes of prayer in silence before the vote. Not enough time to relisten to the speeches. But at least some time to reflect and pray and center ourselves in our loneliness in our homes. Lost in trying to figure out the truth.
We voted – and Rev Nelson dropped from third to last. Just like Linda, the only other candidate of color who had spoken right after him. 3 candidates were left. Rev Megan placed second with 97 out of 424 votes.
That was the evening of the second day. And we were all emotionally and spiritually exhausted. The rest of the evening I spent talking to colleagues, supporting each other in our loss and trauma. Anyone who tried to tell me about how the Holy Spirit decides bishop elections, I just laughed off. This was a game, a pretty dirty power game with many odds and many truths. People were hurt and nobody had reacted from the leadership team. Some people had been retraumatized by the allegations. Others felt that racism was a great part of the way this was handled. Where on earth was the Holy Spirit when we needed her?
Saturday morning I was sure the candidate who had always been the number one on all the ballots would win. Jeff Jefferson, pastor in Berkeley, a great fighter for LGBTQ+ rights. A good and safe choice, a man with the presence of a traditional bishop. Even though I had voted for Megan since the third ballot, I didn’t believe they could actually win. Why? Because they identify as transgender. And that’s still new to many people, especially people at church. Also, they are 41 years old. Which is usually like 20 years too young for being considered for bishop. Or can you imagine a bishop without white hair? So, my hopes for them to win were low while I was confident that either choice would be great for our synod. Which is a privilege in itself when none of the candidates are bad at all. After the fourth ballot, we knew that it would be a run-off between Jeff and Megan. The two of them are friends. They were both extraordinarily ordained here in the Bay Area and have fought together for the rights of LGBTQ+ pastors and Christians in our church.
Their last speech was a free address. Rev Megan chose to preach in a deep and caring way. They acknowledged the hardship of the past year, the pain over losses. They proclaimed God’s support and it sounded true. Because we knew that they had felt God’s support in the midst of hatred and pain. When being kicked out of their childhood church after coming out as gay, they felt God’s presence with them. Even though the people of God weren’t the vehicles. When fighting for their acceptance in the ELCA, they knew that God was by their side. When ministering to the unhoused and drug addicts in San Francisco, sleeping in the streets with them if need be, to protect the vulnerable from the police, they felt carried by God’s Spirit. When becoming the first transgender chaplain to the San Francisco police department in 2017. When ministering to their thousands of followers on social networks, providing encouragement and prayer throughout the week.
In March 2021 every pastor was invited to a listening session where we were able to say what we thought was important in the next bishop. I remember talking about how it needs to be someone who will think outside the box. Who will help us redefine the institution of church. Someone who can listen and connect, who sees the problems our church faces with racism and sexism, with ageism and the idea that if we just keep doing what we are doing even better, we will grow and thrive. Which I strongly doubt. I said that we need someone who represents who we want to become. Someone who is connected to new ways of doing church, someone with a vision. Right, I was basically dreaming big. Because it was called a vision session or something like that anyway.
Never did I dream that all of this would come true. And even more.
We have got a new bishop-elect, dear Saints. The Reverend Dr. Megan Rohrer, pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in San Francisco. Elected by a margin of 2 votes. I haven’t prayed as intensely in a long time as I did during those minutes when we had to give our final vote. I prayed: ”I invoke you, Holy Spirit, come upon our synod. COME COME COME! Burn in our hearts, burn in our souls! Come!” I haven’t cried as freely in a long time like when I saw the results. And I take my skepticism back. The Holy Spirit is at work in mysterious ways in our bishop’s election. The Holy Spirit made this historic day possible. Astounding the traditional believers that the office of bishop is absolutely to be given to the first-ever transgender pastor, the Rev. Dr. Megan Rohrer. A pastor the church didn’t even officially ordain in 2006 and only acknowledged in 2009. A pastor who has been deeply hurt by our institutions and many Christians. And who speaks with the uttermost grace to all of us. With grace that’s actually grace because it knows what rejection by the church and its people feels like.
Dear Saints! God is good and yesterday was a great day. During their acceptance speech, Bishop-elect Megan said: “I know that this is greater than I am. And it is.”
After the election, I posted the result on my Facebook page. Within minutes, a mom of 3 non-binary kids commented in pure, capitalized joy. The family is Episcopalian and yet, our bishop means hope for them as well. It means that their kids have a role model now. And it sends the loud and clear message to the world, that, no matter how others might treat transgender people or what others might think, there are Christians who love our transgender siblings just as we love others. At least, that we truly want to do that even though there is still work to be done.
And now, may I introduce to you our bishop-elect, the Rev. Dr. Megan Rohrer.
Three things that absolutely overwhelm me:
Bishop-elect Megan carries shame and public opprobrium with power and grace.
The way they kissed their stole. Gracious. Showing how seriously they take this role.
The Rev. Dr. Megan knows how to be vulnerable in appropriate ways. They do ministry from their scars, not their wounds.
Dear Saints! I am overjoyed for our church. I have real hope for our church and its future. Yesterday’s election is a promise of the Holy Spirit. And to me, it’s proof of her uncountable ways of shifting things. Which also means extra work. Like writing an entirely new sermon on a Saturday night. Thanks, Holy Spirit. You will hear my original sermon on friendship next week.
All I have left to do is shout out with today’s psalm:
Shout with joy to the Lord, all you lands;
lift up your voice, rejoice, and sing.
9The Lord will judge the world with righteousness
and the peoples with equity. Amen.
