The Because of Things

Easter Day
April 8, 2007
The Episcopal Church of St. Paul
(the Rev’d) Elizabeth Kaeton, rector and pastor

It seems that this Lent and Holy Week and Easter, I’ve been entertaining little angels unawares. For some reason unknown to me, the cosmos has conspired to ask little children to bring insightful, profound questions to me, sprinkling them lavishly at the doorway of my heart like pearls of great price.

My own granddaughter, MacKenna Jane, was one of them. On Wednesday of Holy week, we were driving in the car, she in the backseat buckled safely in her car seat, when she asked, “Nana, how fast are you going?” I shot a quick glance at my speedometer and noted that I was safely doing the speed limit, which I dutifully reported to her. “Why do you ask?”

“Well,” she said, with all the dramatic exasperation of a child who proclaims to be ‘five and three-quarters years old’, “I want to know why it is that when I look down, the ground is going by really, really fast, but when I look up, the trees go by really, really slowly.”

Ah, you see, my granddaughter was learning one of the first important lessons in life: it’s all a matter of perspective, isn’t it? MacKenna was curious to know the “because of things.”

On Good Friday, three year old Olivia Mollo came bursting into the Parish Hall where we were preparing to begin to walk The Stations of the Cross, pulled on my coat and asked urgently, “Reverend Elizabeth. . .but . . . why did Jesus die?”

It was a question asked with all the seriousness of a heart attack. Her parents looked quizzically at her, shaking their heads and shrugging their shoulders in complete bewilderment as they looked to me for some assistance. I led her by the hand and sat down with her on the steps, her parents hovering closely by so they could listen in, and answered her question.

Olivia’s question, as well as that of MacKenna, has to do with “the because of things.”

Author E.M. Forster makes a distinction between story vs. plot. A story, says Forster, is a narrative of events arranged chronologically as in “the king died, and then the queen died”, whereas a plot, although a narrative of events, concentrates more on the ‘because of things’, as in “the king died and then the queen died of grief.”

Scripture is filled with story and plot, but theology is brim full of the ‘because of things’. Because of the ‘because of things’ of your life, you may understand God in a certain way that is different from, say, my understanding of who God is and why God has been, is now and will continue to be present in our lives.

My experience teaches me that you are here in church this morning because of the ‘because of things’ of your life. Some of you are here, perhaps for the first time since last year this time, because it is expected of you – or, perhaps, because it is required of you.

Others of you are here because you have heard the story of the life and death and resurrection of this man named Jesus of Nazareth, and you are curious about the ‘because of things’ You, like little Olivia, want to know why it is that Jesus died. Why would God allow such a cruel fate to befall one’s “only begotten son”? What kind of God is this that we worship? And, if God is this cruel, why worship such a God at all? You are ready to move beyond the story, into the plot, and begin to formulate your own theology of the history of salvation.

Still others of you have worked out for yourself the ‘because of things’ of the story of Jesus, and proclaim him as your Christ, your Divine Liberator who has helped set out for you a pathway which leads you to your Salvation. However, you, like MacKenna, want to know about perspective. Perhaps you have been driving along the road of your life and things have been moving much too quickly. It’s all become a blur and you need either to slow down or look up to a place where your perspective can change, things move more slowly, and you can see more clearly.

Either way, you have come to the right place this morning. When church is at its best, it is the place where the ‘because of things’ of the stories of scripture and the story of your life can intersect into the cross that is yours to bear in life. Church, when it is most excellent, is the arena where you can struggle with difficult questions like the nature of God and the purpose of the crucifixion and the meaning of it all in your life.

Not all churches are like that. There are some, even in the Episcopal Church, who want us all to report the story word for word, line by line, with every comma and period exactly in place. They do not want to allow for things like possibility or creativity or imagination.

What I heard myself say to Olivia in response to her question was this: “Jesus died because good people got confused and terrified. And, when people get confused and terrified, they can do bad things, things they never thought in a million years they could ever do. But, they do them anyway. That’s exactly what happened to people in the time of Jesus. They got confused and terrified and because of that, Jesus died.”

Confusion and terror are the enemies of intelligent thought and reason. They always have been. They always will be. Confusion and terror are also the assassins of the God-given gifts of possibility and creativity and imagination.

“Why do you look for the living among the dead?” the angels said to the women at the empty tomb, whom scripture describes as “terrified” and “perplexed” or “confused.” There’s still a lot of that going around, even today.

We look for the living among the dead because of the ‘because of things’ of our life. Because our perspective on our very busy lives is a blur and we want one place where things are motionless, where time stands still, where nothing ever changes – neither the way the story of God is told nor even God, Herself.

We live in an Age of Confusion, where the fast past of the postmodern life has led to the death of Certainty. We also live in an Age of Terror, in a time where confused people, certain about their God and their life, proudly call themselves ‘terrorists’ and make it their lives’ work to confuse and terrorize the world where innocent people die for the sins of others.

Despite the confusion and terror of life, because of the ‘because of things of life’, the human mind will never stop wondering about mystery and seek truth.

Because of the ‘because of things’ of life, the human heart will never stop its quest for love.

Because of the ‘because of things’ of life, the human soul will never stop longing for God.

Here’s the truth I know about the Easter story, the ‘because of things’ I live to proclaim: Because of God, I know about the power of the gifts of creativity and imagination to look into an empty tomb and see possibility.

Because of Jesus, I know about the power of hope to heal and inspire.

Because of the Holy Spirit, I know the confidence which is the antidote to confusion and terror.

The story of your life can be “Jesus died and then he rose.” Or, the story and plot of your life can be, “Jesus died and then he rose to love you lavishly, abundantly and beyond your wildest dreams.” The ‘because of things’ in your life can make the difference between a life which succumbs to confusion and terror or one that embraces possibility and hope.

You only have to wait and listen for the angels that come to the empty places of your life to fill them with their questions and their curiosity.

The Lord is risen! He is risen, indeed! And, because of that, I can say, “Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!” And let the whole church say, “Amen!”

TRIUMPH OVER DESPAIR

Easter sermons try to capture the power of Biblical account
Sunday, April 08, 2007
BY JEFF DIAMANT
STAR-LEDGER STAFF

For Christians, the Biblical tale of Jesus' resurrection -- central to today's Easter celebrations around the world -- carries joyous emotional power not just from the religious import of the resurrection, but for its contrast to the despair of the crucifixion.

Many clergy, in sermons accompanying Easter liturgies before packed churches today, will speak vividly of both life and death, of light and darkness. Here are excerpts from three sermons that will be heard in New Jersey today:

From Archbishop John J. Myers of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark:

"Easter celebrates a fact but forces us to go beyond normal human ways of thinking and acting.

"After His passion and death, Jesus Christ rose from the dead. Everyone knows that people don't come back from the dead. St. Paul himself was laughed out of a temple by priests for claiming something so preposterous.

"Even the notion of Resurrection itself is difficult to grasp. It is not like Lazarus coming back alive. Nor is it like any of the famous monster movies. It is not even like science fiction. Those things are restoration to a life that we already know. It is easy to imagine that. It is comfortable because we are in control. There is mystery on how it comes about but not in what it is.

"Yet, Jesus was transformed. He entered a new order of existence. The post-Resurrection events recorded in Holy Scripture disclose this. It is unlike anything we know, yet related to all that went before. It is important for us to keep this in mind.

"Just as the limits of our understanding are stretched by the true notion of Resurrection, so the life we live now, life in the Risen Lord, carries us beyond our normal limits just as Jesus' life did Him. Our life in Christ leads us beyond the limits of our own control; beyond the limits of our ability to accept or deal with events; beyond the limits of our ability to endure; beyond the limits of our ability to give even when we feel we cannot give any more.

"Jesus went through rejection, betrayal, death, and endured the incomprehension of His disciples. But through His fidelity to the Will of God, He was victorious.

"How often do we experience such situations? We experience insecurity, failure, both of ourselves and our loved ones, loneliness, pain, and sickness, or deep hurt. Do we see them as Jesus did -- as potential paths to a deeper life, to new life, to renewed life? Our world tends to seek 'self-fulfillment' at all costs. People race after the fleeting, after the ephemeral. They clutch for baubles.

"Jesus calls us and leads us through the normal limits when we do not understand, when we cannot go further, when we cannot give any more, when we want only some bit of attention for ourselves."

From the Rev. John W. Bechtel, Calvary Assembly of God, in Union.

"When several of the women, who were devoted followers of Jesus, showed up early Sunday morning at the tomb of Jesus, what were they searching for? What did they really expect to find?

"The truth is: They were expecting a dead Jesus! We know this because they brought the spices necessary to prepare His body for final burial. The women were expecting a dead Jesus. But, much to their surprise, they found the exact opposite. They were encountered by two angels, who said: 'Why do you look for the living, among the dead? He (Jesus) is not here, He is risen.' (Luke 24:5,6)

"When you come to church, what do you expect to find? When you open your Bible, what do you expect to find? When you kneel down to pray, what do you expect to find? People from every stratum in society spend their fortunes and energy searching in the craziest places for answers to life. Why? It's because they think that Jesus is just some long dead person of a time long ago.

"The first thing a person needs to do is stop expecting a dead, defeated Jesus and start looking for the living Savior Jesus. Don't stop at Good Friday! Don't leave Jesus hanging on the cross! You must move on to Easter to the Risen and Living Savior. Only then can you discover the full and true meaning to who Jesus is."

From the Rev. Elizabeth Kaeton, the Episcopal Church of St. Paul, in Chatham

"On Good Friday, 3-year-old Olivia Mollo came bursting into the Parish Hall where we were preparing to begin to walk the Stations of the Cross, pulled on my coat and asked urgently, "Reverend Elizabeth ... but ... why did Jesus die?"

"It was a question asked with all the seriousness of a heart attack. Her parents looked quizzically at her, shaking their heads and shrugging their shoulders in complete bewilderment as they looked to me for some assistance.

"Olivia's question ... has to do with 'the because of things.'

"Author E.M. Forster makes a distinction between story vs. plot. A story, says Forster, is a narrative of events arranged chronologically as in 'The king died, and then the queen died,' whereas a plot, although a narrative of events, concentrates more on the 'because of things,' as in 'the king died and then the queen died of grief.'

"Scripture is filled with story and plot, but theology is brim full of the 'because of things.' ... Because of the 'because of things' of your life, you may understand God in a certain way that is different from, say, my understanding of who God is ...

"My experience teaches me that you are here in church this morning because of the 'because of things' of your life. Some of you are here, perhaps for the first time since last year this time, because it is expected of you or, perhaps, because it is required of you.

"Others of you are here because you have heard the story of the life and death and resurrection of this man named Jesus of Nazareth, and you are curious about the 'because of things.' You, like little Olivia, want to know why it is that Jesus died. Why would God allow such a cruel fate to befall one's 'only begotten son'? What kind of God is this that we worship? And, if God is this cruel, why worship such a God at all? You are ready to move beyond the story, into the plot, and begin to formulate your own theology of the history of salvation.

"Still others of you have worked out for yourself the 'because of things' of the story of Jesus, and proclaim him as your Christ, your Divine Liberator who has helped set out for you a pathway which leads you to your Salvation. However, you ... want to know about perspective. Perhaps you have been driving along the road of your life and things have been moving much too quickly ...

"What I heard myself say to Olivia in response to her question was this: 'Jesus died because good people got confused and terrified. And, when people get confused and terrified, they can do bad things, things they never thought in a million years they could ever do. But, they do them anyway. That's exactly what happened to people in the time of Jesus. They got confused and terrified and because of that, Jesus died.'

"Confusion and terror are the enemies of intelligent thought and reason. They always have been. They always will be. Confusion and terror are also the assassins of the God-given gifts of possibility and creativity and imagination."

Dave Walker's Holiday Guide for "C & E" Christians

Dave Walker over at CartoonChurch.com has done a great service for those "C & E" Christians, so named because they only come to church on Christmas and Easter.

This is not to be confused with "C of E" Christians which, of course, is "Church of England" - although, according to all reports from across the pond, I understand it's hard to tell the difference between the two these days.

If you or someone you know hasn't been to church in awhile, God knows there's precious little in the Religious Blogosphere to inspire you to attend.

Just in case, I offer these wonderful bits of humor to prepare you for the experience.

Just a few questions on Good Friday

NB: I can not tell you how deeply honored I am to have something I wrote included as part of Jack Spong's weekly email newsletter (April 4th). Jack has been a mentor, a colleague, a pastor, a friend, and a father in God.

I have disagreed with 80% of what has come out of his mouth, but he never fails to challenge me and invite me into a larger clarity about what it is I do believe, which has led to a deeper understanding and experience of my own faith.

When we were at Lambeth together in 1998, there were times when I was being introduced to some hostile one or another and Jack instinctively placed his body in front of mine. That did not stop some of the verbal gutter-snipes from trying to take a shot or two, but mostly, he took all the hits.

For that love and faith and witness, I am even more deeply a debtor.

You can order his weekly newsletter here. EK+


Dear Friends,

In place of the Question & Answer feature in my column this week, I want to run comments made by an Episcopal priest named the Rev. Elizabeth Kaeton. It is an insightful analysis of the current conflict in the Anglican Communion. If you would like to react to this piece, I will consider running a sample of your letters in a future column. Needless to say, I have great admiration for this priest.

– John Shelby Spong

Primates who met at Windsor, Dromantine and Dar es Salaam continue to uphold the Lambeth resolution on human sexuality to be the "standard" of the church, which conservatives want "enforced" so that all are in "compliance."

They have apparently forgotten, these princes of the church and teachers and guardians of the faith, that words like "enforce" and "compliance" are absolutely antithetical to the long tradition of the gracious Anglican Spirit of Accommodation.

In her conversation with the staff at the National Church Center, our new Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts-Schiori points out the incremental progress of some Global South primates who can no longer claim not to have met lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender people (LGBT).. She muses that it's simply a "matter of time" before the rest of the communion allows "reason" to take its place along side classical Anglicanism of scripture and tradition.

So here are my questions. There are three:

1. How long, exactly, does it take, for the church to correct its "standard" when the church's standard is at least significantly different from the experience of others in other parts of the world, not to mention that the scientific evidence in the West is significantly different from that of the church?

Stop me if you've heard this one before:

For centuries, the church's teaching about the shape of the world was that it was flat, in accordance with what was written in scripture, despite scientific evidence that it was not. People were excommunicated - not to mention tortured and tried and sent to jail and murdered for disagreeing with the official church "standard" of teaching.

For centuries, the church's teaching about seizure disorder was that it was demon possession, in accordance with what was written in scripture, despite scientific evidence that it was not. People were excommunicated – not to mention tortured and locked in asylums because the outward manifestation of their lives were contrary to the official church "standard" of teaching.

For centuries, the church's teaching about left handedness was that it was a sign of evil, in accordance with what was written in scripture, despite scientific evidence that it was not. People were excommunicated – not to mention tortured and shunned and exiled because the outward manifestation of their lives were contrary to the official church "standard" of teaching. (My beloved can tell you stories that will raise the hair on the back of your necks about the abuse she and others suffered in Roman Catholic elementary schools because of their left handedness).

2. If we agree that the colonialism and cultural imperialism perpetrated by the North and West on the global South were evils of which we repent, why are we now allowing the attempted ecclesiastical colonialism and imperialism of the Global South primates to be visited upon the churches of the North and the West? I never remember Jesus teaching that "two wrongs make a right." Then again, I don't have a King James Version of the Bible so I may be missing something.

3. Who will take responsibility for the emotional, psychological and spiritual damage done to the church and her people for perpetuating the evils of this deficient standard of teaching? And, let's be clear: it's not simply LGBT people who will suffer. As we have learned from the evils of slavery, racism, sexism and the ignorance which once taught that the world is flat, people who have seizure disorders are possessed of demons and left handed people are the scribes of Satan: when the dignity of any human being is compromised or insulted, a mortal wound is created in the Body of Christ.

I think our Baptismal Covenant has something to say about "the dignity of every human being," as does the Outline of Faith (commonly called the Catechism).

Who will take responsibility for the damage that is done while a deficient standard is upheld and promulgated in the church? Knowing what we know about the irrationality of prejudice, who could claim innocence? Knowing what we know about LGBT people and social sciences and lived experience, why isn't the church's "standard of teaching" being challenged – if not absolutely rejected? And, what price are we willing to pay for the damage done to the Sacred Body of Christ while we wait?

If nothing else, these questions underscore what I see as the need for a Season of Discernment, Study and Prayer so that we are very, very clear what it is we are being asked to do.

MadPriest's Version of the Upper Room

So, Ann asked MadPriest, "Who fell asleep at the table?"

That was all Himself, the "Mad Photoshop Artist," needed to make a slight adjustment to this venerable icon.

As MiMi would say, "And both of them priests!"

By the way, that Photoshop picture of "Mind the Anglican" below was done as a present by Brother Tobias for Madpriest.

See what madness is inspired by this MadPriest? It's wrong, I tell you. Very, very wrong to have such a wicked giggle on Good Friday.

This is why the conservatives say we're going straight to hell! Ah well, at least we'll have plenty of company.

The Triduum: Three Days of Awe and Wonder

Note: This is the essay fwhich appeared today in my monthly column "Faith Matters" in THE DAILY RECORD.

I’m keenly aware as I write this essay that it will be published on Maundy Thursday, the first day of the “Triduum,” three of the most sacred days of Holy Week for all Christians, from Roman Catholic to Anglo Catholic, Evangelical to Mainline Protestant, and the entire range of traditional, historic Orthodox Churches. While our Muslim friends just completed Mawlid an Nabi, the birthday celebration of the Prophet Muhammad (March 20-31), it is also the Third Day of Passover for Jews of the Reform, Conservative, Orthodox and Reconstructionist traditions.

These are holy days for many people of faith – filled with the stories of the holy people who gave us the foundation of our respective faith traditions. They are stories of miracles and wonders of how
• through the great Prophet Moses, the Hebrew Nation was miraculously spared from the last plague brought on by God as a way to soften Pharaoh’s heart and convince him to break the crushing bonds of slavery.
• in the birth of the eminent Prophet Muhammad, Ishmael, the first-born son of the ancient Prophet Abraham, realized the promise made by God to become a mighty nation.
• in the shameful, hideous, sacrificial death of Jesus, the great Prophet and High Priest for Christians, the gift of resurrection and new life was given.

While the content of the stories vary greatly, these three major religions of the world hold similar things as sacred: the history of God’s presence and action in the world, the power of sacred story to teach and heal, and the ability of God’s love to restore and renew the people of God to the image God had of the human condition from the very beginnings of the whole of Creation.

No matter who you are or the exact nature of the faith you profess, there is no denying the sacred nature of these days of early Spring, when the ground, made hard by a long winter, begins to soften like Pharaoh’s heart, freeing the life held in the long winter’s bondage. One can feel the promise of new life as the heads of the crocus, bruised purple from their labor, make their way up through the earth to remind us that whatever God has promised will be granted. And as the forsythia stretch their shrubbery fingers in blossoming, brilliant yellow toward the sky, we are reminded of the cosmic source of all Life, always renewing, always reviving, always resurrecting.

The whole of creation, it seems, conspires to tell the story that these are days of miracle and wonder, set aside, in the magnificent words of the Book of Common Prayer, that, “the whole world may see and know that things which were cast down are being raised up, and things which had grown old are being made new, and that all things are being brought to their perfection.”

May these three days, and all the days of our lives, be most holy for you and yours.

Mind the Anglican!

Dawn French is, I think, my absolute favorite (favourite, sorry) British comedienne. Her character, Geraldine, THE VICAR OF DIBLY, never fails to make me giggle, when I'm not laughing right out loud. One of my favorite birthday presents of all time was a boxed DVD gift set of three seasons of her show (The tea-time conversations between Vicar Geraldine and the loony Alice at the end of the program are even more hilarious than the show.)

Truth be told, I also love Patricia Routledge, who plays Hyacinth Bucket (pronounced "Bouquet") of the British comedy "Keeping Up Appearance." Hyacinth Bucket is the ultimate Queen of Snobbery. She is a classic British classist who does not possess an iota of class. Draging her long-suffering husband, Richard, along with her, the sole purpose of her life is to devise whatever strategy is necessary to cross paths with Britain’s upper crust, win their good graces, and wedge herself into a new niche, however ill-fitting it may be. Unfortunately, her climb up the social ladder is often sabotaged, in her mind anyway, by her own family - including sisters Daisy and Rose (a veritable Bucket - "Bouquet" - of sisters) - whom she sees as a constant source of embarrassment.

So, imagine my delight to find this gem over at my beloved MadPriest's Blog

The middle-ground of the Anglican Via Media has recently been reclaimed as the moral high ground by the March 20th Statement from the House of Bishops in The Episcopal Church. The danger of traveling neither the Left nor the Right side of the road, of course, is that you risk a greater danger of being run over.

Even so, it feels good to be back where we belong.

"Mind the Anglican," indeed!

Trouble in the Episcopal Church?

One of the things I learned in the midst of the evil that was the AIDS epidemic is this: laughter in the face of evil is one of the greatest statements of faith. Obviously, only a true belief in God could give someone the courage to actually laugh in the face of evil.

I stopped counting after I lost my 50th friend to the epidemic. Although my memories of the mid and late '80s are of enormous pain and loss, they are also laced with some of my fondest memories of the amazing death-bed conversations and the wonderful, creative funerals I attended. The memory of them, even now, makes the pain of that loss of all of those wonderful brothers a balm to my aching soul.

The "troubles in the church" can be a manifestation of evil, or it can be an opportunity to deepen our faith.

I think this advertisement for Easter Services in the Episcopal Churches in the San Francisco area is a brilliant statement of faith that says more about belief in the power of resurrection than any 10 sermons.

If you can't read the fine print, click on the picture below for a full screen view and enjoy!

A Picture Says a Thousand Words

Now, I understand.

Drexel Gomez
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Archbishop Drexel Gomez is an Anglican Archbishop.

A graduate of St Chad's College, Durham University, he was consecrated as Bishop of Barbados. In 1997 he was elected Bishop of the Diocese of the Bahamas & the Turks & Caicos Islands. He was elected Archbishop and Primate of the Province of the West Indies in 1998. His full title is His Grace, The Most Rev'd Drexel Wellington Gomez, Lord Archbishop, Metropolitan and Primate of the Church of the West Indies & Bishop of the Diocese Of Nassau & The Bahamas (Including the Turks & Caicos Islands).

Along with Archbishop Peter Akinola, Anglican Primate of Nigeria, Archbishop Gomez is a leading opponent of the ordination of practising homosexuals as Anglican clergy, an issue that escalated into a crisis for the Anglican Communion following the consecration of openly gay clergyman Gene Robinson as Bishop of the Diocese of New Hampshire in the USA in 2003.

In October 2003 Archbishop Gomez was appointed to the Lambeth Commission on Communion by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams. The Commission produced the Report of the Lambeth Commission on Communion (also known as The Windsor Report and the Eames Report), published in October 2004.

Australia: Women are people, too.

I suppose when you live in a place referred to as "down under" it is difficult for the light of a new day to illuminate the thinking of the church.

Nah, that's not it.

Actually, the word "Neanderthal" comes to mind. I'm told they still do roam the earth, finding Churches in general and the Roman and Anglican church in particular, places of sanctuary where they can drink in as much embalming fluid as they desire.

I found this over at "MadPriest's" blog.

Brisbane Times.
Linda Morris, religion editor

THERE is no constitutional barrier to women becoming bishops in Australia, despite warnings from conservatives that such a decision would risk damaging national church unity, the Anglican Church's highest court has been told.

Lawyers representing supporters of women bishops told the Appellate Tribunal's landmark hearing that a plain text reading of the church's 45-year old constitution showed only that bishops must be baptised, be a priest and be over 30.

They claimed the decision of the national church 15 years ago to permit women to become priests was more momentous than first thought and had effectively removed one of the legal impediments to them becoming bishops.

The long-running and contentious political and theological battle to break the stained glass ceiling came down to four hours of complex legal argument on Saturday. Debate included whether the word "person", when referring to clergy in the Anglican church constitution, meant males only.

Being male was not a "pre-requirement" for the Anglican Church's episcopate, just as it was not for any experienced barrister or lawyer seeking appointment to the judiciary, said Richard Refshauge, the chief legal adviser to the Bishop of Canberra and Goulburn, George Browning, who supports the idea of women bishops.

Removing the constitutional link of maleness to the priesthood in 1992 had important legal consequences for the elevation of women to be bishops, he argued.

But the conservative and influential Sydney diocese, which is leading the case against admitting women to the Australian Anglican episcopate, says the church's general synod, not its legal courts, must decide if women should become senior church leaders.

Robert Tong, chairman of the conservative Anglican Church League, told the Herald that if the tribunal ruled that supporters of women bishops could bypass the church's parliament, it would undermine church unity and open the floodgates for other dioceses to go it alone on other issues. He said supporters of women bishops did not have the numbers to change the system.

Muriel Porter, from the Melbourne diocese, said Sydney had such dominance in the general synod it might frustrate this and other changes indefinitely. "But if we don't get through this way we will keep on until women can be bishops in this country. It's a scandal that this discrimination is allowed to continue."

She noted that the former archbishop of Sydney Donald Robinson had stalled on approving changes to bishops' qualifications in 1989 precisely because he feared it would allow women bishops.

Claire Smith of Equal but Different, the conservative lobby group which argues that women are equal to men but should not be bishops, said the national church would need to set up some alternative mechanism to minister to conservatives who would not accept female bishops.

"In almost every diocese there are people who object to women bishops," she said. "With a church you can change churches but with dioceses you just can't change cities."

Earlier, the Archbishop of Perth, Roger Herft rejected an application by Sydney to have him disqualified from the hearing.

The tribunal, made up of seven bishops and lawyers, is expected to deliberate for several months.

Father Jake Stops the World: The Subversion of the Church From Within

Father Jake Stops the World: The Subversion of the Church From Within

Who is "walking apart"? Who is "walking away?" Who is creating schism in the church? Find out all these answers and more over at Father Jake Stops the World wherein himself brings the whole tawdry story into the light.

Where I live . . .

Welcome to my world, where everyone is an equal opportunity offender (and, given that this is the Land of the Soprano's, you can take that in whatever interpretation you desire).

I don't know the identity of the creator or origin of this, but I think someone has LOTS of time on their hands . . . an unfortunate "occupational hazard" in the NE Corridor.

Let "The Barbie's" introduce to The Garden State of New Jersey




"Hackettstown Barbie"

This recently paroled Barbie comes with a 9mm handgun, a Ray Lewis knife,a Chevy with dark tinted windows, and a Meth Lab Kit. This model is only available after dark and must be paid for in cash (preferably small, untraceable bills) unless you are a cop...then we don't know what you are talking about.


"Irvington Barbie"

This B arbie now comes with a stroller and infant doll. Optional accessories include a GED and bus pass. Gangsta Ken and his 1979 Caddy were available, but are now very difficult to find since the addition of the infant.





"Lake Hopatcong Barbie"

This tobacco-chewing, brassy-haired Barbie has a pair of her own high-heeled sandals with one broken heel from the time she chased beer-gutted Ken out of Statesboro Barbie's house. Her ensemble includes low-rise acid-washed jeans, fake fingernails, and a see-through halter-top. Also available with a mobile home.



"Mountain Lakes Barbie"

This princess Barbie is sold only in the Mountain Lakes area. She comes with an assortment of Kate Spade Handbags, a Lexus SUV, a long-haired foreign dog named Honey and a cookie-cutter house. Available with or without tummy tuck and face lift. Workaholic Ken sold only in conjunction with the augmented version.



"Rockaway Barbie"

The modern day homemaker Barbie is available with Ford Windstar Minivan and matching gym outfit. She gets lost easily and has no full-time occupation. Traffic jamming cell phone sold separately.



"The Short Hills Barbie"

This yuppie Barbie comes with your choice of BMW convertible or Hummer H2. Included are her own Starbucks cup, credit card and country club membership. Also available for this set are Shallow Ken and Private School Skipper. You won't be able to afford any of them.



" Sussex County Barbie"

This pale model comes dressed in her own Wrangler jeans two sizes too small, a NASCAR t-shirt and tweety bird tattoo on her shoulder. She frequents Bahama Bob's . She has a six-pack of Bud Lite and a Hank Williams Jr. CD set. She can spit over 5 feet and kick mullet-haired Ken's butt when she is drunk. Purchase her pickup truck separately and get a confederate flag bumper sticker absolutely free.

Talking with Our Katharine

Deputy for Communication Jan Nunley speaks with Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori for an update on the recently concluded House of Bishops meeting in Camp Allen, Texas.


http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81231_ENG_HTM.htm

Bishop Tom Shaw in The Boston Globe

M. THOMAS SHAW
Openness in the Episcopal Church
By M. Thomas Shaw March 28, 2007

THE EPISCOPAL Church's House of Bishops recent meeting in Navasota , Texas, attracted much public attention as observers waited to hear how the bishops would respond to challenges facing the Anglican Communion over the full inclusion of gays and lesbians.

The debate also centered on the church's place within the larger framework of the Anglican Communion. The House of Bishops is an autonomous body within the larger Communion representing 15 sovereign nations, the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, The Virgin Islands, and Micronesia.

The Episcopal Church, in its deliberations, may come across to many as overly fractious as it grapples with what kind of faith community it will be in the 21st century, yet it is precisely within this tension that the best of our church is revealed.

Openness and transparency, including the airing of differences, is important to the life of faith lived in community and it is through this type of conflict and discussion that we understand how God is calling us into the future and how the church will respond to the contemporary world.

And so, in faithfulness to that tradition, the bishops approved resolutions affirming our desire to continue in the discernment process with the wider Communion about our church's place in it, but not at the expense of our polity, which is part of our church identity, and not at the expense of gay and lesbian members seeking full inclusion.

Our meeting statements validate who we are as Episcopalians and inform others of what we are not. In rejecting a proposal that would allow prelates from other parts of the Communion to oversee dissenting American parishes, we are saying that such a scheme would violate our church law and compromise our autonomy "while sacrificing the emancipation of the laity for the exclusive leadership of high-ranking bishops.

"For the first time since our separation from the papacy in the 16th century, it [the proposal] would replace the local governance of the Church by its own people with the decisions of a distant and unaccountable group of prelates."

The last point is important.

The Episcopal Church divides authority between the laity, clergy, and bishops.

Bishops from other parts of the Anglican Communion did not readily understand this structure. At the same time, the House of Bishops pledged the Episcopal Church's commitment to remain a constituent member of the Anglican Communion, continuing to engage in dialogue with our sister churches throughout the world and working to strengthen bonds that allow us to live out the Gospel in mutual mission.

Our resolutions state that membership in the Anglican Communion "gives us the great privilege and unique opportunity of sharing in the Anglican family's work of alleviating human suffering in all parts of the world. For those who are members of The Episcopal Church, we are aware as never before that our Anglican Communion partners are vital to our very integrity as Christians and our wholeness."

While public attention was channeled on the perceived differences among parts of the Anglican Communion, the bishops spent considerable time reflecting on the many global partnerships that allow us to keep our focus on God's mission, specifically on the Millennium Development Goals initiatives of the United Nations, which call upon nations to work together to alleviate poverty, suffering and disease, to ensure environmental sustainability, to eliminate discrimination, and to develop global partnerships. In our diocese, much of our work is focused in partnership with Anglican churches in Kenya and Tanzania where we fund programs that feed 7,500 AIDS orphans a week and train home-based AIDS workers who provide testing, care, and AIDS prevention.

As the Christian church prepares to celebrate the events at the heart of our salvation through the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, in the words of our statement, we find new hope that we can turn our attention to the essence of Christ's own mission in the world, to bring good news to the poor, to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to liberate the oppressed, and to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor (Luke 4:18-19).

It is to that mission that we now determinedly turn.

The Right Reverend M. Thomas Shaw is Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts.

Newark Debut: "A Pebble In My Shoe"

I'm delighted to tell you that the first performance in the Diocese of Newark of A PEBBLE IN MY SHOE: The Life and Times of John Shelby Spong, will be held Sunday afternoon, November 11th, at the Morris Museum.

The performance is from 3 - 5 PM with a reception from 5 - 7 PM to honor Jack and Christine.

Mark your calendars now and plan to join us for this marvelous event! (http://www.willandcompany.com/pebble/on )

Here are just a few of the books written by Jack Spong which speak so eloquently and passionately to serious post-modern seekers and followers of Christ in the third millennium who are even more in exile in many parts of the Anglican Communion.

Farewell to a dear friend

I expect that we will be hearing soon from her family and friends in Pittsburgh, but word has just reached me that Sue Boulden, indefatigable pilgrim on the Via Media of justice and reconciliation, died shortly after midnight, on her birthday.

Sue was a feisty and opinionated lover of Jesus, her family and friends, her church and her diocese, which is why she worked and fought so hard for its life. Her life embraced the Spirit of Anglicanism, even to the extent that while her own bishop, "Donuts" she called him affectionately (as in Dunkin'), often made her furious, she still professed an authentic love and care and concern for him.

"I voted for him," she once told me, "and I don't make mistakes about things like that."

She was an active member of Calvary, Pittsburgh where Harold Lewis was her rector and pastor, as well as the Pittsburgh Chapter of the Episcopal Women's Caucus and Integrity, and no doubt many other organization which will be revealed in other people's memories of her, as well as in her obituary. It was through her efforts that I was able to twice be present as a representative of each of these organizations. I will never forget the generosity and graciousness of her hospitality.

One example: When she learned that I was a huge fan of Fred Rodgers, but could not attend the Memorial Services after his death, she arranged to have the service videotaped and sent me a copy. That was the kind of friend you had in Sue Boulden.

I am simply very, very sad at my own personal loss of her, even as I know there is great rejoicing in heaven for one of their own has returned home.

May you rest in peace and rise in glory, Sue.

An Easter Message from Our Katharine

New life out of death: a message for Easter
Katharine Jefferts Schori


I write at the close of our recent House of Bishops meeting. On the way from the airport to the meeting, we saw a few wildflowers, of one or two varieties. They stood out from the grass, just beginning to turn to the green lushness of spring. During the week we met in Texas, the trees went from mere hints of green in the topmost branches to having leaves unfolding on all their branches. And on the way back to the airport a week later, the riot of wildflowers was astounding.


The new life of resurrection can be just as surreptitious -- we look and things seem quite dead, we look away, and when our focus returns, we discover that God has been at work making all things new. Anyone who has grieved the death of a loved one will recognize the pattern. Those who experience the loss involved in moving away from a beloved community will know it as well. As this Lent draws to a close, take a careful look at your life. Where has God been at work during this fast? What new life can you discern?



For my own part, I will celebrate the new life that has been growing hidden in the lives of leaders in this church. We are blessed with leaders, lay and ordained, who are increasingly aware of their God-given ministries to lead this people into fuller participation in God's mission of healing the world.




I celebrate the work of God expressed in the gathering of Anglican women at the United Nations in late February and early March, who were able to say to the world that attention to mission is what unites us as a Communion.




I celebrate the gathering of people from all across the world in South Africa, at the TEAM (Towards Effective Anglican Mission) conference, to build stronger partnerships for doing that healing work, especially around AIDS and HIV.




I celebrate the gracious way in which the bishops of this Church engaged each other in discussing challenging and difficult matters in the meeting just past, and affirmed the focus of this Church on mission.




I celebrate the many, many healthy and vital congregations of this Church, engaged in God's mission of healing the world. The Executive Council joined in worship at one, St. Michael and All Angels, in Portland, Oregon, recently, and saw passionate engagement in children's ministry, the work Episcopal Relief and Development, abundant outreach in the community, and a lively life of worship.



Among my mail when I returned to the office was a generous check from a congregation in North Carolina. Members there had read about a fire in the Bronx that had killed several members of an immigrant family from Mali, and left others injured and homeless. Somehow the news of their suffering had reached across the mountains and plains to touch the hearts of people of St. James in Wilmington, and they responded.




A new heart of flesh is growing in countless places across this Church.



Alleluia. Christ is risen. The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia!

Help Wanted: STOP THE KILLINGS IN NEWARK NOW!

Newark teachers' plea: Stop the killings By WAYNE PARRY, Associated Press Writer


NEWARK, N.J. - Advertisements by teachers unions typically feature smiling instructors leaning over fresh-faced youngsters. But a half-dozen new billboards in New Jersey's largest city offer a far darker message.

"HELP WANTED," they read. "STOP THE KILLINGS IN NEWARK NOW!"

Depending on who is counting, there were either 106 or 113 people slain in Newark last year — the highest number in more than a decade. Before officials in the troubled school system can think about tackling problems inside the classroom, they have to worry about safely getting students and teachers into those classrooms, teachers union officials say.

"Some people don't like the shock, but it's a lot less shocking than stepping over a body, or looking down the barrel of a gun," Joseph Del Grosso, president of the Newark Teachers Union, said of the billboards scattered downtown that were paid for by the group. "We tried more subtle ways of bringing attention to the problem, but they didn't work."

Mayor Cory Booker, who has made reducing violent crime the cornerstone of his administration since taking office in July, would not comment on the billboards.

But his spokeswoman, Lupe Todd, said in a written statement: "We are committed to reducing crime in Newark and welcome the involvement of all parties who are interested in engaging in constructive dialogue and active participation."

Del Grosso said violence in Newark makes it hard to attract and retain teachers. Since September, nearly 100 teachers have resigned or retired, many citing crime and fear for their safety, he said.

"Who's going to send their daughter or son to teach here?" he asked. "This is an epidemic. The mayor needs help, the police department needs help and we need help."

The union, which represents 5,400 teachers and support staff, recently polled its members on issues negotiators should raise during contract talks. Increasing safety and preventing violence in Newark's 83 public schools ranked second behind salary and benefits.

The city of 277,000 counted 106 homicides last year, while the Essex County Prosecutor's Office put the total at 113, including bodies found in county parks within city limits and people who weren't necessarily killed in Newark even though their bodies were found there.

Those who commute into the city 10 miles west of Manhattan can't help but see the billboards while stuck in rush-hour traffic. Some say that reinforces the negative image of a city that is already poorly regarded by suburbanites.

But others say acknowledging the reality of the city's streets is necessary.

"People need to know what's going on in Newark," Love Brookins said Thursday as she waited for a bus across the street from one of the billboards. "It is dangerous here. Where I live, that's all there is — killing."

James Caines also supports the signs, regardless of how they may look to out-of-towners.

"We need to stop the young people from killing each other," he said. "We're losing an entire generation here, and we need all the help we can get. I don't care where it comes from."

After the billboards went up last week, Del Grosso said he spoke with Booker's staff, which made its displeasure clear.

"Maybe these billboards aren't the solution, but at least it's calling attention to the need for a solution," Del Grosso said.

New from Dave Walker: "EASTMAS"

http://www.cartoonchurch.com/blog/

Okay, just hush and let me be a proud Nana, show some pictures and tell a story

Ms. Abby and Ms. MacKenna Jane

Ms. Abigayle Sophia


Ms. MacKenna Jane at school

It's exhausting to be five and a half and have so many questions about so many things.

Like this:

"So, Nana," says Mackie, "You were speaking Italian at the Pizzeria last night, right?"

"Right!"

"And, people who speak Italian are from Italy, right?"

"Yes, or, people who want to speak to people from Italy, but you knew that, right?"

"Of course, Nana." (Rolls her eyes as only a 5 1/2 year old can do)

"So, Nana, we're Episcopalian, right?"

"Yes, my darling."

"So, um, Nana?" (Long, thoughtful pause)

"Yes, my darling?"

"So, um, Nana? So, if we're Episcopalians . . . (another long, thoughtful pause, followed by a deep, exasperated sigh) where exactly IS 'Episcopalia'?

"Well, Ms. Mackie, I guess you could say we're all over the map."

"Oh, so that's why everybody knows us, right, Nana?"

"Right, my darling."

"So, it's good to be Episcopalian, right Nana?"

"You bet it is, my darling!"

See what I mean? It's exhausting to have to think such BIG thoughts.