General Convention physically puts the world right in front of your eyes. The cab driver from the airport had been born in Ethiopia and had left California to escape gang violence. A man with no arms sits on the sidewalk begging. The invisible poor make our beds and cook our meals. There are 2,492 pairs of boots lined up on the grass to represent the number of American soldiers killed so far in the war. (That number has grown since the boot exhibit was installed three days ago.)

We are a world hungry for good news. All are God’s children and all want to be heard.

Right now Convention seems caught in the tension between weary acquiescence if it will stop the bickering and the welling up of a renewed sense of the mission before us. Our biggest temptation is to choose the need of one group over another – to set priorities, to weigh the merits of a need based on likely outcomes, to worry away at one issue only to ignore or neglect others, or deal only with issues that cause no disruption. These are not options.

In our baptismal covenant, we promise to “strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being.” In this setting, it means paying attention without discrimination, deep listening to those with whom you agree or disagree, a genuine loving of the other, trusting that the Holy Spirit is showing up and moving forward and moving on.