Note: I posted this reflection on Facebook on April 7, 2021. I'm posting it here, now for ease of access later.
Oh,
Lord have mercy but look at the gift this Easter Wednesday has brought!
Does this man look familiar to you? This is none other than my sweet
brother in Christ, Barry Stopfel.
You may remember his name from the infamous Walter Righter Heresy
Trial. Heresy, you ask? What could possibly constitute heresy in The
Episcopal Church? Well, Bishop Righter had ordained Barry who is (as was
said back in the day) “openly gay”. Seems hard to imagine now, doesn’t
it?
Trust me on this: It happened.
One of the highlights of my life was preaching at the Sunday night evensong at St Luke’s, Montclair the night before the start of the heresy trial. As Barry said to me that night, “There was a lot of mojo in that sermon.” That’s because I just transcribed it directly from Shekinah Spirit.
Here it is here, from May 1996: https://telling-secrets.blogspot.com/.../wade-in-water.html
We had an amazing several hour lunch over which we told stories and "remembered-when" and caught up with all the "what are you doing now" and finally came to the conclusion that we both still have a bit of PTSD from that time and that the costs were uncommonly high but, as that old Gospel hymn goes, neither one of us “would take nothing for my journey now.”
And, we agreed, we owe a huge debt of gratitude to Jack Spong who was Bishop of the Diocese of Newark and opened a space through which the Holy Spirit could move in us and through us.
Our hearts are filled with gratitude, full to the brim, pressed down and overflowing.
Do you see how happy we are? Indeed! We promised each other that it wouldn’t be that long until our next reunion. My heart is leaping with joy at the mere thought of it.
Christos Anesti!
Trust me on this: It happened.
One of the highlights of my life was preaching at the Sunday night evensong at St Luke’s, Montclair the night before the start of the heresy trial. As Barry said to me that night, “There was a lot of mojo in that sermon.” That’s because I just transcribed it directly from Shekinah Spirit.
Here it is here, from May 1996: https://telling-secrets.blogspot.com/.../wade-in-water.html
We had an amazing several hour lunch over which we told stories and "remembered-when" and caught up with all the "what are you doing now" and finally came to the conclusion that we both still have a bit of PTSD from that time and that the costs were uncommonly high but, as that old Gospel hymn goes, neither one of us “would take nothing for my journey now.”
And, we agreed, we owe a huge debt of gratitude to Jack Spong who was Bishop of the Diocese of Newark and opened a space through which the Holy Spirit could move in us and through us.
Our hearts are filled with gratitude, full to the brim, pressed down and overflowing.
Do you see how happy we are? Indeed! We promised each other that it wouldn’t be that long until our next reunion. My heart is leaping with joy at the mere thought of it.
Christos Anesti!
Alithos Anesti!
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