I was present this weekend for the investiture of my friend Kee Sloan as Bishop of Alabama. Kee was already Bishop Suffragan of Alabama so there was no need for an ordination and consecration. His transition to being the chief pastor of the diocese was marked instead with his investiture as Bishop Diocesan and his seating in the cathedral.
He renewed his ordination vows. He was officially recognized in his new role by the Presiding Bishop. Henry Parsley, the now-retired bishop handed over the pastoral staff symbolizing his responsibility. And amid great fanfare Kee was seated in the cathedra, the bishop’s official seat and most important symbol of office (more on why that is some other time).
But in my opinion the highlight of the service came close to the very beginning when Kee formally asked admission to the cathedral. This is an obscure tradition, but it has to do with cathedrals enjoying a degree of medieval autonomy, which required, whether or not they were the official and literal seat of the bishop’s ministry, that the bishop formally ask to be admitted. This is symbolized by the bishop standing outside the closed doors of the cathedral, knocking (traditionally done with the crozier), and requesting to be allowed in.
After the opening prayers, we waited inside the cathedral. Knock, knock, knock came the sound. “Who seeks to enter here?” the president of the Standing Committee asked. Very dramatic.
“John McKee Sloan, Bishop-Elect of the Diocese of Alabama,” was the answer. There was no reply. The doors did not open.
Again, three knocks. “Who seeks to enter here?”
“The Right Reverend John McKee Sloan, Bishop Suffragan of Alabama and Bishop Diocesan-Elect of Alabama,” was the response. I’m not actually sure of how that ended as we were all laughing at the “The Right Reverend” part of the plaintive request for admission. Still, no reply, and the doors did not open.
Finally, once again, knock, knock, knock. “Who seeks to enter here?”
“Kee Sloan, child of God and follower of Jesus.” And the doors were flung open with the prayer, “May the Lord prosper your way.”
It was more than an appropriate answer on the eve of the Feast of the Baptism of our Lord. “Child of God and follower of Jesus.” It is the fundamental baptismal reality. And at least the first part of it, the child of God part, is the fundamental human reality.
In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased. Mk. 1:9-11.
The fundamental reality is this, “You are my Child, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”
Now, I’m not sure God is always pleased with everything we do. In fact, I’m quite sure God is not. But in our fundamental humanity, which is God’s creation, I have no doubt of God’s immense pleasure. All we have to do is live into it.
That is what the follower of Jesus part is all about. For Kee, for me, and for many of us, we find being a follower of Jesus, the fully human one, a way of living into our own humanity. It’s not about trying to be more than we have the capacity to be. It’s just about trying to be what we actually were created to be. Real. Alive. Human.
Human, of course, comes from the Latin word humus, which means earth, dirt, ground. It also happens to the same root meaning of humility. Human. Humility. Earthy. Sometimes we find children of God and followers of Jesus to be just that—earthy, humble, human. Sometimes they can even happen to be bishops, which is quite remarkable because there are so many things that work against it in that office. I don’t think those things will get the better of Kee Sloan who is, in the true sense of the word, grounded, grounded as child of God and follower of Jesus. It sets a good example.
Peace,
+Stacy
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