Andronicus and Junius

There is a conspiracy afoot in the church, one that I'd like to invite you to join.

The Diocese of Massachusetts recently passed a resolution to ask the National Episcopal Church at General Convention, July, 2009, to add St. Andronicus and Junia on the calendar of Lesser Feasts and Fasts on May 17 for trail use basis.

The Diocese of Newark, where I am resident, will also consider it at our Diocesan Convention in January.

You can read the explanation below, but I'll give you a little heads up on the bottom line reason: "Adding this feast to our calendar would balance it so that it would reflect the truth that the Risen Christ entrusted the Gospel ministry to both men and women."

I think that's a great reason, don't you? If you do, feel free to cut and paste the resolution below and submit it to your diocese for consideration.

Join the conspiracy to make the church's calendar of Saints more representative of the fullness of our vocation - lay and ordained - to the ministry of Christ Jesus.

And, if your not Episcopalian, talk it over with your priest anyway and be prepared to have an interesting conversation.

If you are of a religious persuasion that doesn't include 'the saints', or should you not belong to any 'organized religion' (not that the Episcopal Church is all that 'organized' a religion), consider doing a little research on these two saints, and let their lives inspire you to conspire with us.

I mean, really: when was the last time you were invited into a religious conspiracy?

Never mind. Don't answer that. Read on:

Feast of St. Andronicus and Junia

Resolved that this ___ convention of the Diocese of Newark submit to the General Convention to add to the calendar on a trial use basis the feast day on May 17 for Saints Andronicus and Junia, Apostles, mentioned in Romans 16:7 and venerated for 1400 years in Eastern Orthodoxy and for over three decades in Anglican Churches in the U.S.A. and Canada.

Explanation:

The Bible verse mentioning these saints, written by St. Paul, says, “Greet Andronicus and Junia, my relatives and prison companions; they are notable Apostles, and they were in Christ before me.” These Apostle saints who model evangelism, building up local Churches, women and men working together in the Church, prison ministry and faithfulness despite persecution—all needs of the Church today—are suitable models in the Communion of Saints for all the baptized. We believe this feast can function with these different emphases as supplementary and complementary for different people, not contradictory or competing concerns. Paul called them outstanding Apostles and we feel it would be fitting if the wider church would honor them in like fashion.

Since 1984 some parishes in the Episcopal Church have celebrated this feast day, long hidden from our knowledge by the mistranslation of Junia’s name in Romans 16:7. (The evidence for the correct translation has now been well documented by Dr. Eldon J. Epp.) God the Holy Spirit gave both these saints gifts, and the Spirit is giving men and women in our diocese gifts, and we can see how our call to use our gifts for the mission of the Church is an echo of their discipleship. They also represent for us our acceptance of the Spirit calling both men and women to all lay and ordained ministries in our Church.

Adding this feast to our calendar would balance it so that it would reflect the truth that the Risen Christ entrusted the Gospel ministry to both men and women. The Diocese of Massachusetts began formal trial use observance of this feast in 2007, and by 2008 parishes in at least seven dioceses observed this feast, from Rome to Iowa to Texas to Hawaii. In 2009 even more parishes and dioceses will be observing this feast.

Blessing Investment

Note: Today was our Semi-Annual "Celebration of Youth" in our church. It was a rockin' good time. We were blessed to have wonderful musicians, spirited singing and two absolutely incredible testimonies by two young men who were on this summer's mission trip to Parson's, KS. The children did EVERYTHING - read the lessons, led the prayers, and picked the hymns. I didn't preach at the 10 o'clock. Instead, I gave this little homily for the faithful 8 o'clockers.

“The parable of the Talents" - Matthew 25:14-30
Pentecost XXVII – November 16, 2008
The Episcopal Church of St. Paul, Chatham
(the Rev’d Dr.) Elizabeth Kaeton, rector and pastor

When I was in seminary, one of my preaching professors said, “If you don’t have anything to say in your sermon by Thursday night, then face it, you really don’t have anything to say. So call up the choir and tell them they are singing an extra hymn.”

I almost called the choir on Thursday night and said, “You’re singing at the 8 o’clock on Sunday morning.” Then I realized that they aren’t even singing at the 10 o’clock this morning. We have Youth Sunday and the Youth Choir is singing.

So. . . Looks like you’re stuck with me. So. . . . Looks like we’re stuck with Matthew. Again with the gospel curmudgeon, Matthew. Again with one of Matthew’s images of the Realm of God. Again with the ‘casting into the outer darkness.’

Makes me want to ring my hands again and moan, “Matthew, Matthew, Matthew.” Then again, Zephaniah doesn’t seem to be in a much better mood, either.

So, let me tell you a little story about a woman who loved figs.

She had two fig trees in her yard which bore rich harvests of luscious fruit – enough for her and anyone who came to visit her. She was very generous in sharing her fruit. As the word of her delicious fruit got out, more and more people came by to see her and eat her fruit. So much so that she began to fear that she might not have enough figs for everyone who visited her. So, she began to dry some of the seeds of the figs and started planting fig trees.

The old woman planted fig trees in her yard, but she didn’t stop there. She began to plant fig trees on the side of the road leading up to her house. She planted them in open fields nearby. She also planted them in her neighbor’s yards.

One day as she was busy planting, someone called to her, “Old woman, why are you working so hard? If people want figs, let them plant their own trees.” She called back, “I have been richly blessed by those who planted the fig trees in my yard. I am simply investing their blessing so that others might be also blessed, that they may plant seeds to bless future generations.”

Investing blessings. What a great concept! Hmmmm . . . don’t anyone tell the Wall Street types. They’ll see a whole new Hedge Fund opportunity in figs – the newest commodity. Might as well, I suppose. I know my stocks aren’t worth 1/2 of what they used to. That was an attempt at humor but there isn’t much that’s funny these days about the stock market, is there?

I don’t think we’re going to have to worry about the stock market investing blessings anytime too soon, but I think it’s a great image of the Realm of God as a place where we get the returns on our investments. The more you plant, the greater your return – not only for you but for generations to come.

I know that in Matthew’s gospel, the one who buried his one talent was thrown into the ‘outer darkness’. I’m not suggesting you bury your talent – the things you get from God, the blessings you have received. I’m suggesting your plant it deep in the soil of your soul. Invest your blessings for yourself and future generations.

What are your talents? What are your blessings? What are the fig trees of your life? What part of God’s bounty have you enjoyed so much that you want to make certain others enjoy it too?

I think the heart of this gospel message is this: Don’t play it safe with God’s blessings. God wants you to risk everything and invest it. God would rather you invest your blessings and come back empty-handed than to be safe and return God what you’ve been given without ever having derived an ounce of enjoyment and pleasure from it.

Look, even I was ‘blessed’ with this wretched piece of gospel from Matthew and I planted it deep in my soul and, voila! This sermon! I didn’t even have to call the choir!

So, live boldly. You’re never too old to dream big dreams or have great, big, hairy, audacious gospel goals. Take a risk and invest a blessing. God did with you. God invested in you.

God made a very costly and risky business transaction when God invested God’s son in you. God did not place Jesus into the ground or shut Him up in a tomb. God raised Jesus up on the cross and then raised him up to new life on the third day so we could be raised up with Him to Life Eternal.

The best investment you can make is the investment of love. Love is a very risky commodity. Many a great person has been made a fool for love. Many people stay away from it – or bury it deep in their heart, afraid to share it with anyone, even themselves.

And, with good reason: Love can break your heart. But you know, sometimes it takes a broken heart to make you a whole human being – a whole, healthy person.

So, love boldly. Love lavishly and extravagantly. Take a risk. Invest a blessing. Oh, people will think you are foolish – just like that old lady planting fig trees just because she loved them and she knew others loved them. And, perhaps you are, too. Foolish, that is.

I’m remembering something Martin Luther King once said in the mid-60s, “This hour in history needs a dedicated circle of transformed non-conformists. The saving of our world from pending doom will come not from the actions of the conforming majority, but through the creative maladjustment of a dedicated minority.”

I think this hour, and perhaps, every hour in history, needs a dedicated circle of transformed non-conformists. I think investing blessings is ‘creative maladjustment of a dedicated minority’ – and, I think, it is that investment, over time, that just might help to save the world – or, at least, keep us from completely destroying ourselves..

And, that’s as good a place as any to end a sermon I didn’t want to write because I didn’t think I had anything to say and didn’t have the choir to call in and rescue me.

It may have been a foolish investment of my time and yours. Perhaps I should have buried the words of the gospel and returned them to God whole and intact. We’ll never really know until Jesus comes back or we enter the Realm of God. But, either way, I’m betting solid money than neither of us will be cast out into Matthew’s ‘outer darkness’ for investing the last 10 minutes of our time this way.

And, I trust, when we all get to heaven, Jesus will say to you and to me, “Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter the joy of your master.”

At least, that’s my prayer – the investment of my blessing. Amen.

If you can't sing it, well, I will . . .

Well, it's official.

The Diocese of Fort Worth has left The Episcopal Church.

Here's the full story from ENS.

The full text of Bishop Iker's convention address can be read here.

Katie Sherrod has been faithfully blogging away at Desert's Child.

I won't link to the ultra-orthodox, uber-Christian blogs. You know where to find them. I wore out my kevlar vest and asbestos sneakers on my last visit there and I haven't had time to replace them.

I have been reflecting on the election of Jack Leo Iker as bishop of Fort Worth, TX. I had just come into the Diocese of Newark and was asked to join a group of women who were protesting his election, specifically, and Jack Spong's tie-breaker vote for him (despite the negative vote from his Standing Committee) in the House of Bishops.

The Bishop of Newark, true Liberal that he is, explained his vote at the time by saying words I'll never forget: "If there's room in the House of Bishops for someone like Jack Spong, there's room in the House of Bishops for Jack Iker."

It was in that moment that I knew I was not a Liberal. I am a Progressive Christian.

I love Jack Spong, but I thought he was wrong then and I think time has proven that to have been a correct assessment. The House of Bishops could have only big big enough for someone like Jack Leo Iker if there were an addition added for women who are bishops.

With a lock on the door to the men's side.

And, Jack Iker had the key.

I am sad for the pain and turmoil in The Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth and all those faithful Episcopalians who will try, against formidable odds, to stay and rebuild the Episcopal presence there.

The Episcopal Diocese of the Southern Cone, under the direction of Jack Leo Iker, will try to take the diocesean property that no longer belongs to them. There will be court battles they know they will lose, but they already have the conservative oil money in the bank.

From the depths of their great Christian love and charity, they will try to kill The Episcopal Church with death by a thousand legal paper cuts.

They also have the money to rebuild their own churches. That's not the point. They'll do that after they make The Episcopal Church bleed green.

So, you'll forgive me for not being gracious. You'll forgive me for not weeping and moaning and wailing and gnashing my teeth.

There is plenty of that in the Via Media Fort Worth. They have worked very hard to be kind and civil and Christian.

Me? I'm with Ray Charles and the ladies.

I understand from Katie's Blog that someone played a tape of this song after the vote results were revealed. That was neither the time nor the place for that. This is.

I think, eventually, even the members of the Via Media Fort Worth will come to see that this was the best thing that could have happened for them - as well as their "orthodox" brothers and sisters.

And, they will sing with me. Eventually. Not tonight. I understand. But, eventually.

This too, shall pass. And all will be well. In all manner of things, said St. Julian, all will be well.

Until then, hit it Ray . . .

Fire and Rain

The marsh is flooded today. This isn't even high tide. That comes later this afternoon, along with the prediction of rains and high winds.

Time to pack up and leave.

As I do, prayers, please, for those in the Northern Hills of LA which are beset by fire. I understand an Episcopal Monastery there has been completely destroyed.

Almighty God, whose loving hand hath given us all that we possess: Grant us grace that we may honor thee with our substance, and, remembering the account which we must one day give, may be faithful stewards of they bounty, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. (BCP 827)

Creativity and Courage

The Diocese of Fort Worth will probably leave The Episcopal Church today. This will make the fourth diocese to leave TEC for The Southern Cone.

Mark Harris, brilliant as always, has an analysis of what that means for The Episcopal Church. You can find it here at Preludium.

Bottom line: Mark says, "The point is, that in terms of The Episcopal Church these four dioceses account for something like 2.4 percent of the whole. When it is all over I still believe about 7 to 8 percent of the Episcopal Church will have left. The number leaving and taking the property? 1 percent. But that’s another story."

I think he's right. I believe that, when the dust settles, about 2% will make their way back to TEC, having seen The Light of the restrictive, draconian doctrines and policies of The Southern Cone.

It remains a tragedy, of course, and a sadness, but both sides are absolutely convinced that their actions are the cost of discipleship.

No stranger to all things draconian or restrictive, much less flat-out wrong, Bishop Jack Leo Iker doesn't believe that he's leaving The Episcopal Church. The Episcopal Church, he claims, has left them.

The brilliant cartoon above is from MadPriest ,of course. (Note to Matt: I won't be bullied into taking down my link to him and I won't stop visiting him or abandon my friendship with him. Friends in Christ don't do that. They work out their differences, speaking the truth in love. But, since you've already left The Episcopal Church, I suppose my words will fall on deaf ears.)

That's Iker's own spin on what Ron Regan said when he left the Democratic Party to become a Republican. He didn't even give the former President any credit for that. Sheesh! He can't even be original or creative when he speaks falsehoods.

Can you say 'institutional mediocrity'?

Which brings me to some thoughts about creativity and courage.

There were at least several options facing those who consider themselves "orthodox" in their faith to settle their differences, including Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori's plan for Alternative Oversight, which was given an unofficial 'imprimatur' by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

There is, in the Constitution and Canons of The Episcopal Church, a way to be received as a diocese and a way to leave as a diocese. It has to do with seeking and gaining the approval of The General Convention - which represents the fullness of all orders of ministry in the church in legislative session.

In a recent interview on a very nasty blog in a galaxy not far enough away (to which I won't be linking. Sorry, Matt), Bishop Iker claimed that this was not how the Diocese of Fort Worth came into being - that they were named "The Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth" when they were carved out of the geography that once was The Episcopal Diocese of Dallas. And so, claims the not-so-good bishop, it will be the name they retain once they move to the Southern Cone.

They must be putting something funny in the incense down there in Fort Worth, because that sounds like a man who, to use a Texas phrase taught to me by my friend Katie Sherrod, is just "all ate up with dumb."

Of course they called themselves "The Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth" but it wasn't "official" until General Convention approved it. That's the way it works in the institutional church. That's the way it works, even in the Southern Cone.

This is legal maneuver masquerading as historical truth.

Pul-eeese! If it were any more transparent, it would be embarrassing.

In fact, it is.

I can't believe that there are people in that diocese who actually buy that line. which isn't even Iker's line. Indeed, I'm sure there are some who are humiliated by the actions and statements of Jack Leo Iker.

Well, truth be told, there are many, many intelligent people who haven't bought that or any other line from Bishop Iker, et al. There are some who ain't sniffin' that incense or drinking that ecclesiastical Kool Aid.

There is, in fact, an organization of them called "The Diocese of Fort Worth Via Media" which you can read about over at Katie Sherrod's Blog Desert's Child.

You'll find there the courageous "Statement of delegates who will remain in TEC" which is being read today at the convention. It lays out in clear points the reasons not to take this action and urges lay delegates and clergy to vote against the proposed changes in the canon to leave TEC and move to the Southern Cone.

You'll also find an audaciously hopeful statement "The Once and Future Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth" which includes this vision: "We want a diocese based on the two great commandments – to love God with all our soul, with all our mind, and with all our might; and to love our neighbors as ourselves."

Please do go over and read it all, and, of your kindness and mercy, leave a little note of prayer and support. http://wildernessgarden.blogspot.com

Here's the thing about courage and creativity: It takes real courage, born of raw hope, to find a way to live the Two Great Commandments. It takes an emotional and spiritual maturity to live with differences.

I have come to believe that it is these things - real courage, raw hope, and emotional and spiritual maturity - to be creative. To be able to color outside the lines, in the name of justice, and, risking the displeasure of others, to boldly explore the crucifyingly obscure boundaries of faith. To leave the safety and comfort of mediocrity and move into the excellence of our baptismal promises. To take a step out through your fear and into faith.

I'm not talking about 'creativity' here which is about clever photoshopping or witty reparte. I'm talking about claiming and acting on our co-creative status with God.

That takes a kind of audacity which is intolerable to mediocrity - especially institutional mediocrity.

I do believe that Jesus modeled that kind of audacity - which is why the institution of his day hated him enough to have him killed.

So, pray, sisters and brothers, for the people of The Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth. Pray for those who will stay and those who will leave.

But, pray mostly for the strength to touch into raw hope, for emotional and spiritual maturity to respectfully honor differences and live together in that tension, for the audacity to resist mediocrity, and the courage to claim their co-creative status with God and, guided by the Holy Spirit, to work to bring about the vision of Jesus of the Realm of God.

There is a saying that if you 'free your mind, the rest will follow'.

I have found that if you open your heart, your mind will follow.

And, and therein lies the genesis of courage and creativity, two things which, when spent, rise like incense and are pleasing to the mind of God and warm the heart of Jesus.

Dos Locos

Friday night at Dos Locos in Rehoboth Beach means half price on the Alaskan King Crab Legs. It also means half price Fish 'n Chips at Stoney Lonen. And 1/2 price on Garlic Wings at Frogg's Pond.

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear! Whatever shall two wild and crazy people do?

Wayne and I went with the Alaskan King Crab Legs at Dos Locos. And, the Bombay Sapphire Martini's - up, just a whisper of vermouth, two olives (actually, Wayne went with the Margarita b/c we were in a Mexican restaurant, after all and I, for myself, am absolutely shameless). . . and, and, and, Kendall Jackson Chardonay with dinner.

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear!

I'm really not sure how it was, exactly, I got home, but I did. Only by God's bountiful grace, I'm quite certain. (Ms. Conroy will NOT be pleased when she reads this. Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear!)

Did I mention that I LOVE Rehoboth Beach? Even on a balmy but foggy and drizzly night in early November?

It's absolute Paradise. I am so very grateful to be here.

Oh, Clumber!

You are such a beast, my darling Clumber.

Should the caption be: "A Rose between two thorns" (Sorry, Mimi)

Or, is it: "Jokers to the left of me, losers to the right, here I am, stuck in the middle with you." (Either way, you lose, Mimi)?

Alright then, have at it.

How to change the world: A foggy night of clarity in Princetontown

Did I mention in my previous post how much I love seminarians?

It was a wonderful - albeit thick fog, drizzly rain, horrible for driving - night at Princeton Theological School last night.

About 10 seminarians - mostly Presbyterian freshmen and middlers, most on 'ordination track' but not necessarily 'in process', and two of whom were the student coordinators of the SARC ('Students Affirming Reproductive Choice') - who gathered in one of the dining rooms.

The panel consisted of moi who was more than ably joined by a young, newly married UCC minister who is a field coordinator for the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice (RCRC - of which I am privileged to be the NJ Chapter president), an American Baptist minister in his 60's and his wife who volunteer as Recovery Room Chaplains at their local Planned Parenthood Clinic, and a professional pastoral therapist, Union Grad, now being "Lutheranized" as she put it, for ordination.

There was also a Lutheran seminarian in the audience who has just started working with the ABC pastor as a Recovery Room Chaplain.

We were asked to provide the "Official Position" of our judicatory bodies and a little story about how it is we came to be involved in this work.

I was quite pleased to hear, yet again, the truth that the religious majority in mainline Protestant denominations is solidly Pro-choice.

That doesn't mean that we are Pro-Abortion. Both the Lutheran and American Baptist statements have pages (and pages) of conditions where they absolutely decry the use of abortion - birth control, convenience, etc. Indeed, I was quite surprised that statement from The Episcopal Church was so succinct.

You can find a summary of the various judicatory positions on reproductive rights here (from the National Right to Life perspective and here from the RCRC - click on "What does your religion say?").

The Episcopal Church, as late as 1958, held a strong pro-life position, stating, "Abortion and infanticide are to be condemned." In 1967, the 62nd General Convention of the Episcopal Church supported abortion law "reform," to permit the "termination of pregnancy" for reasons of life, rape, incest, fetal deformity, or physical or mental health of the mother. In 1982, the 66th General Convention condemned the use of abortion as a means of gender selection and non-serious abnormalities.

By 1988, the 69th General Convention had developed a position that stated, "All human life is sacred. Hence it is sacred from its inception until death." The statement goes on to call for church programs to assist women with problem pregnancies and to emphasize the seriousness of the abortion decision. In 1994, the 71st General Convention expressed "unequivocal opposition to any ... action ... that [would] abridge the right of a woman to reach an informed decision about the termination of her pregnancy, or that would limit the access of a woman to a safe means of acting upon her decision." In 1997, at the 72nd General Convention, the delegates approved a resolution that did not condemn partial-birth abortions but expressed grave concerns about the procedure, "except in extreme situations."

To a person, every member on the panel tried to convey that

(1) In our experience, the decision to have an abortion is rarely a simple, straightforward matter. Indeed, it is complex and complicated.

(2) Our role as pastors is neither to judge nor make the decision for the woman and/or her husband/family. Rather, our role is to provide a safe place where the woman might explore the reasons for her decision and come to one that is best for her and her particular, unique situation.

As I keep saying over and over again, in 22 years of ordained ministry, I have never - not once - counseled a woman to have an abortion; neither have I ever - not once - counseled a woman not to have an abortion.

My colleagues absolutely agreed with that statement and it seemed to have deep resonance with the seminarians in the room.

(3) Further, our role as pastors is to provide an environment in our churches where, despite what we, personally, may believe, people in our faith community as well as the community at large feel safe to come in and explore their thoughts and feelings about this and any other difficult, complex theological issue or concern.

Indeed, the ABC minister spoke quite eloquently that, after every sermon he preaches about reproductive rights on Sunday morning, he can expect at least two phone calls on Sunday afternoon - either a woman who has had an abortion or is considering one.

The UCC minister reported that he frequently gets phone calls after a presentation or event, while waiting at the airport, from someone who wants to talk with him and ask for prayers.

"I shouldn't have to have anonymous prayer on cell phones," he said with no small amount of passion. "If the church is not a safe place for people to bring their concerns and deep need for prayer, they have failed in their role as a holy sanctuary."

He's absolutely right.

The ABC minister reported that, after his first day of volunteering as a Recovery Room Chaplain at the Planned Parenthood Clinic, he reflected that he had prayed individually with 35 people. "That's more than I do in one day at my church."

I do believe our role is to stand with our people in their own crucified places, just as Mary and the other women wept at the cross of Jesus. As God-representatives, we do not abandon people in their time of need, and we do not tell people what to do with their lives or bring judgment upon them. We stand in solidarity with them in their pain and suffering - emotional, physical or spiritual - and help them find some measure of solace and peace in the justice of God.

Our role is to provide a 'holy sanctuary' - you know, just like the term we use for the church. Sanctuary. Right?

There were powerful, deeply moving stories told and a few tears shed by some of the seminarians. But, it was the tears of one of the seminarians, as we were beginning to leave, that deeply moved me.

At first, I thought something we had said might have touched her own scars in terms of abortion, but I was wrong.

"We don't get to talk like this, here in seminary," she said tearfully. "We aren't used to this kind of practical information and, well . . ." she sniffled, "honesty."

I know. I remember. I went to a progressive seminary in Cambridge, MA, but I never had an experience like the one I was privileged to be part of last night. Kuddos to the two coordinators of SARC who organized the event, for their courage and bold witness to their own theology. The church, I think, is in good hands.

It may have been foggy outside, but there were moments of real clarity which, I have to believe, deeply affected the lives of 10 seminarians last night.

And they will go forth and touch the lives of hundreds of people in their congregations. And they will go forth and touch the lives of others with the amazing, unchangeable truth of God's unconditional love, and our particular responsibility to return that love, measure for measure, insofar as we are able, with all of God's creatures.

God knows, it's not easy. It takes a certain amount of emotional and spiritual maturity, not to mention bold conviction and no small amount of courage.

In the end, it is love that changes the world. Not judgment. Not restrictive rules and punitive laws. Not pontifical theological statements of "Truth".

God knows, it takes Love. Love that is deep and broad and wide enough to trust the human condition to use our God-given gifts of intellect and reason to do the right thing. Love that stretches its arms out into the hardness of the crossroads of life with a grace-filled salvific embrace that encompasses all of God's creatures and creation.

God knows. God knows, indeed.

P.S. Not all of God's ministers are so loving and prayerful and respectful of all human life. Here's a very sad story here. Read and weep. I do believe Jesus is, even now, weeping.

A Roller-Skate Kinda Day

It's gonna be one of those days.

I'm heading into the office for a 9:30 session of Spiritual Direction with a seminarian (seminarians are always so intense) that will end around 11. Got some "administrative stuff" (YUCK!) and some "face time" with a few of my staff (YEAH!) and then its off to two pastoral visits in the afternoon (always deeply, deeply rewarding).

I leave around 4 PM to head to Princeton where I'm meeting with some (very conservative) theology students who want to know about counseling someone who comes in with a question about abortion.

I'm really, really looking forward to that. I love being challenged by young, inquiring minds. They ask the BEST questions and I always learn something from them.

From there, I hop in my car and head down to Llangollen in Rehoboth Beach where I intend to spend Friday morning in my P-jammas, looking at the water and the gulls.

Ms. Conroy tells me that we have a family of herons who have recently taken up residence in our front yard. After some proper introductions and common courtesies, I'll try to snap some pictures to show you.

I'll be checking in from time to time today, as time allows, so here's what I'd appreciate from you: Think of your toughest - not Rightwingnut but thoughtful, provocative - question about abortion that I might be asked by these conservative seminarians.

If you are a pastor - lay or ordained - what's the most difficult situation you've encountered in terms of Reproductive Rights?

As I said, I'll be checking in from time to time today and I do so appreciate your thoughts on this as I prayerfully prepare for this evening's event.

So then, off I go. I got my roller skates on and Melanie's song in my head.

It's gonna be that kinda day.

2008 Darwin Awards

It's that time again... The Darwin Awards are finally out.

The Darwin Awards salute the improvement of the human genome by honoring those who accidentally remove themselves from it.

Each year, one award is selected as being much more "honorable" than the rest, and it is crowned as the "Darwin Award of the Year" or "[year] Darwin Award Winner".

In 2007, the winner was "The Enema Within", in which a man died of alcohol poisoning after having two 1.5 litre bottles (over 100 fluid ounces) of sherry inserted anally.

Last year's winner was the fellow who was killed by a Coke machine which toppled over on top of him as he was attempting to tip a free soda out.

This year's winner was a real rocket scientist...no joke.

Read on...And remember that each and every one of these is a TRUE STORY!!!

(Hat tip to Doug, who shares my very sick sense of humor and also has relatives in his family tree who have lived under the root system for too long.)

"Just think how stupid the average person is,
and then realize that half of them
are even stupider!"
--George Carlin

And the nominees were:


Semifinalist #1

A young Canadian man, searching for a way of getting drunk cheaply, because he had no money with which to buy alcohol, mixed gasoline with milk. Not surprisingly, this concoction made him ill, and he vomited into the fireplace in his house. This resulting explosion and fire burned his house down, killing both him and his sister.

Semifinalist #2

Three Brazilian men were flying in a light aircraft at low altitude when another plane approached. It appears that they decided to moon the occupants of the other plane, but lost control of their own aircraft and crashed. They were all found dead in the wreckage with their pants around their ankles.

Semifinalist #3

A 22-year-old Reston , VA , man was found dead after he tried to use octopus straps to bungee jump off a 70-foot rail road trestle. Fairfax County police said Eric Barcia, a fast food worker, taped a bunch of these straps together, wrapped an end around one foot, anchored the other end to the trestle at Lake Accotink Park, jumped and hit the pavement. Warren Carmichael, a police spokesman, said investigators think Barcia was alone because his car was found nearby. 'The length of the cord that he had assembled was greater than the distance between the trestle and the ground,' Carmichael said. Police say the apparent cause of death was 'Major trauma.'


Semifinalist #4

A man in Alabama died from rattlesnake bites. It seems that he and a friend were playing a game of catch, using the rattlesnake as a ball. The friend - no doubt a future Darwin Awards candidate - was hospitalized.

Semifinalist #5

Employees in a medium-sized warehouse in west Texas noticed the smell of a gas leak. Sensibly, management evacuated the building extinguishing all potential sources of ignition; lights, power, etc. After the building had been evacuated, two technicians from the gas company were dispatched. Upon entering the building, they found they had difficulty navigating in the dark. To their frustration, none of the lights worked. Witnesses later described the sight of one of the technicians reaching into his pocket and retrieving an object that resembled a cigarette lighter.

Upon operation of the lighter-like object, the gas in the warehouse exploded, sending pieces of it up to three miles away. Nothing was found of the technicians, but the lighter was virtually untouched by the explosion. The technician suspected of causing the blast had never been thought of as ''bright'' by his peers.


And Now, for the winner of this year's Darwin Award:

(As always, awarded posthumously):

The Arizona Highway Patrol came upon a pile of smoldering metal embedded in the side of a cliff rising above the road at the apex of a curve. The wreckage resembled the site of an airplane crash, but it was a car. The type of car was unidentifiable at the scene. Police investigators finally pieced together the mystery.

An amateur rocket scientist... had somehow gotten hold of a JATO unit (Jet Assisted Take Off, actually a solid fuel rocket) that is used to give heavy military transport planes an extra 'push' for taking off from short airfields. He had driven his Chevy Impala out into the desert and found a long, straight stretch of road. He attached the JATO unit to the car, jumped in, got up some speed and fired off the JATO!

The facts as best as could be determined are that the operator of the 1967 Impala hit the JATO ignition at a distance of approximately 3.0 miles from the crash site. This was established by the scorched and melted asphalt at that location.

The JATO, if operating properly, would have reached maximum thrust within 5 seconds, causing the Chevy to reach speeds well in excess of 350 mph and continuing at full power for an additional 20 -25 seconds.

The driver, and soon to be pilot, would have experienced G-forces usually reserved for dog fighting F-14 jocks under full afterburners, causing him to become irrelevant for the remainder of the event.

However, the automobile remained on the straight highway for about 2.5 miles (15-20 seconds) before the driver applied and completely melted the brakes, blowing the tires and leaving thick rubber marks on the road surface, then becoming airborne for an additional 1.4 miles and impacting the cliff face at a height of 125 feet leaving a blackened crater 3 feet deep in the rock. Most of the driver's remains were not recoverable.

However, small fragments of bone, teeth and hair were extracted from the crater, and fingernail and bone shards were removed from a piece of debris believed to be a portion of the steering wheel.

Epilogue: It has been calculated that this moron attained a ground speed of approximately 420-mph, though much of his voyage was not actually on the ground.

=

BFF: Margaret and Helen

There's a blog that's new to me, but not new in the Blogosphere, that I absolutely love.

Margaret and Helen: Best Friends for 60 Years.

No, that's not them pictured above. I searched for a way to get their picture on my blog but couldn't seem to pull it off. So, I went with "style over substance."

Not that either Margaret or Helen would approve of that, necessarily. They'd have an opinion - or three - being uppity women of a certain generation.

Margaret's post yesterday was a classic: "The View Needs Glasses (Prop 8)". She took on Barbara Walters like an angry sister whose adult neices are in sore need of some good parenting. She's especially not pleased with Elisabeth saying,

"OK. I don’t like it but I can excuse it because Elisabeth comes by her hate honestly. She knows exactly what she is doing and in her world being young, blonde and married to a football star gives her permission to be a bitch. What does she care? Her children will be able to buy their way out of any problem. By the way, Harold says she’s not married to the good football player… his brother is the good one. I wouldn’t know. I just know the football player who married Elisabeth went for a Hail Mary pass and ended up with just a pass to hell."

BAM!

She also took on "Cherry, Cheryl Seymore I really don’t care what her name is.. . " and her absolutely disrespectful remarks about Gay Marriage. Here's what Margaret said, "OK. You know what? When you are given a national platform on a TV show called The View, being too lazy to do some research isn’t an acceptable excuse. And when people’s rights are being taken away, your attempt at humor is insulting."

BAM!

But wait - here's one for Ms. Walters: "(Cherry, Cherryl, Seymore) is making women everywhere look bad and Barbara Walters should have a little more respect for her audience than to allow this to go on any longer.""

BAM!

But, the best quote is this:

"If you want to protect Holy Wedlock, by all means padlock the church door whenever guys who love Judy Garland come-a-knocking. But if you want to protect marriage push for a constitutional amendment to ban divorce.

But let’s step away from the church and state argument for a second. I posted yesterday that love is about the heart not the body. Trust me, if it was about the body a lot of us would be in a world of trouble. You can’t legislate love between two consenting adults. You just can’t no matter how hard you try. If you want to save marriage, marry someone you love. And that’s all I have to say about that."

Yeah, she's all that.

I can't WAIT to be an old lady like her when I grow up - reigning terror from my laptop sitting in my wheelchair.

G'won over and visit them. You'll be glad you did.

Veterns' Day: A lesson from my father

I support our troops, but not the War in Iraq or the War in Afghanistan.

That's not an oxymoron. Neither is it unpatriotic.

I love this country. I am as patriotic as the most patriotic person, but I love this country enough that I am against war - especially these two.

I love this county, I support our troops and I do not support the War, but I am not a pacifist. That takes real courage - courage I confess I have searched for but have not yet found.

I fear I am too much of a coward to be a true pacifist.

So, I have settled for this peace: I think the most patriotic thing we can do is to do everything we can to end these wars that are not ours and bring our young men and women home.

In many ways, these two wars feel like Viet Nam all over again. Even my father - who fought on the Pacific Front in WWII, and was very proud to have been decorated with the Purple Heart - was very much against the Viet Nam War.

One year, when I was about 9 or 10 years old, Veteran's Day fell on a week end. We left shortly after he had marched in the local Annual Veteran's Day Parade and traveled to a Military Cemetery outside of Boston to visit the grave of one of his buddies who had died.

After we had laid a small bouquet of poppies near the headstone, my father said to me, "Look around. Look at the gravestones. What do you see that's the same?"

I dutifully did as my father said, walking slowly among the markers on the graves, fingering the cool marble stone and listening to the dry leaves crackle as they were blown across barren field by the brisk November wind.

"Dad," I said, finally, "Everyone of these stones has PFC before the name. What does PFC stand for?"

My father smiled briefly, proud of his daughter's correct observation. His smile was suddenly clouded - the way the sun goes in and out in the November sky.

"Private first class," he said sadly.

"What does that mean?" I asked.

"They are the youngest soldiers - the newest soldiers - the ones with the least experience in war."

"Look around," my father continued after I considered his words. "You won't see too many graves marked 'Captain' or 'Lieutenant' or 'Colonel'. Oh, there are some, but most of the graves here are the PFC's."

"Like your friend?" I asked.

"Like me, too," he said.

He grew very quiet and said, "We were very young. Too young. We were young warriors, fearless young turks, ready, we thought, to die for our country. But, when death came to our friends, we were never ready. But, we had to keep going. We had to keep going . . ."

He took a few drags from his Lucky Strike and his eyes trailed off over the tops of the gravestones to a long ago battle in a country far, far away.

"War is a terrible thing," he said almost whispering his words over the rows of graves that held the bodies of young PFCs.

I looked at my father's face, lined with sorrow and pain and suddenly, it all came clear. In that moment, I understood the terrible nightmares that woke us up in the middle of the night - a sound so horrible and so loud as to wake the dead.

I realized, then, that it must have been the dead that had awakened him.

Suddenly, I understood his frustration and anger when he would 'get an attack of The Malaria', as he called it - which brought him right back to a place and time he'd much sooner forget and never have to relive ever again.

I couldn't possibly have understood - still can't possibly understand - the full cost of war, but I knew he had paid - and was continuing to pay - a heavy price for playing his part in The War that was supposed to have ended all wars. But didn't.

"War," he said again, "is a terrible thing."

He said it as fact and he said it as prayer.

I understood then, that some may have fought for freedom for all, but all may not ever again be fully free.

Pray for our Veterans on their Day.

Pray for peace in our time - and their's.

Olbermann: It's a matter of heart

Okay, I'm not a huge fan Keith Olbermann (in fact, I'm really no fan at all) but this - THIS - is stellar.

Here's the piece that got me:

"I keep hearing this term "re-defining" marriage. If this country hadn't re-defined marriage, black people still couldn't marry white people. Sixteen states had laws on the books which made that illegal in 1967."

"1967."

"The parents of the President-Elect of the United States couldn't have married in nearly one third of the states of the country their son grew up to lead. But it's worse than that. If this country had not "re-defined" marriage, some black people still couldn't marry black people. It is one of the most overlooked and cruelest parts of our sad story of slavery."

"Marriages were not legally recognized, if the people were slaves. Since slaves were property, they could not legally be husband and wife, or mother and child. Their marriage vows were different: not "Until Death, Do You Part," but "Until Death or Distance, Do You Part." Marriages among slaves were not legally recognized."

"You know, just like marriages today in California are not legally recognized, if the people are gay."

Proposition 8 is doomed to be overturned by the courts, despite the $20 Million spent by the Mormons and the other millions by Evangelical groups.

It will be overturned because the LGBT community will work harder to reach minority communities.

It will be overturned because ultimately love is stronger than hate and prejudice.

And, as Olbermann says, ultimately, this is a question of love and a matter of the heart.

Ain't that the truth!

And, a word to the wise!

The death of religious influence on single-issue politics

Despite the shrill rhetoric and dire warnings from the Roman Catholic Church, the issue of abortion as a determining factor in political elections was finally put to rest. We have elected a President of the United States who is solidly pro-choice.

Let's look at the mandate he has been given in terms of Reproductive Rights.

According to Peter Steinfels, religion writer for the New York Times, despite the dominant message from the bishops that Catholics were morally obliged not to vote for a candidate supporting abortion rights, exit polls show that Catholics voted 52 percent to 45 percent for Senator Barack Obama. That was, he claims, seven percentage points more than the Catholic vote in 2004 for Senator John Kerry, a fellow Catholic.

Hispanic Catholics, a group the bishops often hail as representing the future of the church in the United States, led the way. Latinos voted 67 percent for Mr. Obama, 16 percentage points more than their vote for Mr. Kerry.

The shift among other religious demographics is also revealing and, at least from where I sit, hopeful.

NY Times religion writer, Laurie Goodstein, reports that among those who are "white evangelical and born again Christians", a total of 24% voted for Mr. Obama, verses 21% for Mr. Kerry.

Of those, however, 32% in the age bracket of 18-29 years of age voted for Mr. Obama as compared with 16% for Mr. Kerry.

That can not be described as anything less than significant.

Of course, this does not necessarily mean that abortion has become and accepted issue among these demographics. Indeed, it does not. What it does signal is that single-issue politics no longer has the force it once did.

Moreover, I think this signals a real shift in the authority and influence once ascribed to religious leaders - especially, I think, Roman Catholic bishops and Evangelical leaders who have used their authority and influence as a moral wedge issue against other compelling moral issues like poverty, hunger, education, immigration, health care, the environment, the war and the economy.

That kind of politic ain't gonna play - no matter what the issue. Someone forgot to tell them that the world is not flat. Indeed, as technology has made the world smaller (I'm sorry. I am so weary of the term 'global village'), life has become more complex and complicated.

On the issue of abortion, the middle ground established by Mr. Obama's Interfaith team has become the high ground. I may not like abortion. You may not like abortion. But, re-criminalizing abortion is not the answer.

Looking at the reasons women have abortion and addressing those needs holds the answer to significantly reducing by 70-80% the number of abortions performed each year.

That's change I can live with - given the complexity and compelling nature of all the other issues we have before us as a nation and a world.

I am heartened by this post "Proposition 8: A Triumph of Bigotry" by blogger 'Skeptical Brotha' as a sign of that change.

In it, he reminds us of the words of the Coretta Scott King, the first lady of Civil Rights:

I still hear people say that I should not be talking about the rights of lesbian and gay people and I should stick to the issue of racial justice… But I hasten to remind them that Martin Luther King, Jr., said, ‘Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere’ … I appeal to everyone who believes in Martin Luther King, Jr.’s dream to make room at the table of brotherhood and sisterhood for lesbian and gay people.”

“…Gays and lesbians stood up for civil rights in Montgomery, Selma, in Albany, Georgia, and St. Augustine, Florida, and many other campaigns of the Civil Rights Movement. Many of these courageous men and women were fighting for my freedom at a time when they could find few voices for their own, and I salute their contributions.

…Gay and lesbian people have families, and their families should have legal protection, whether by marriage or civil union. A constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriages is a form of gay bashing, and it would do nothing at all to protect traditional marriages."

Yes, an estimated 70& of African Americans in California who voted for Mr. Obama also voted for Proposition 8.

Yes, for LGBT people, the dance toward justice is what it has always been for every other minority population - one step forward and two steps back. The antidote to prejudice is what it has always been - education.

The message to - and the work for - LGBT people and our straight friends is clear: if we don't provide education and outreach to other minority communities, we only continue to participate in our own oppression.

We may not have significantly changed the problems besetting our environment, but one thing is clear - the religious and political climate in this country has changed.

It's a new day, children. It's time to dry our tears, wipe our noses, pull up our socks, roll up our sleeves, take a deep breath, and continue to put our hands on the arc of history, which, as Martin told us, is long, but it always bends toward justice.

The work is before us. Let's get on with it.

Life Without Limbs . . .

. . . but not without hope.

If 'rainy days and Mondays always get you down' then check this out and start your week off on the right . . .foot . . . or whatever works for you.

Wherever you are going today, wherever you are traveling this week, why not let Nick Vajicic lead you there?

Even without limbs, he can take you places past your own expectations and deep into the heart.

If you're down, you can get up. You just need to use your head.

Matthew, Matthew, Matthew!

The Ten Maidens - Matthew 25:1-13
Pentecost XXVI - Proper 27A
November 9, 2009 – The Episcopal Church of St. Paul
(the Rev’d Dr.) Elizabeth Kaeton, rector and pastor

I don’t know about you, but sometimes, when I read Matthew’s perspective on Jesus, I have to scratch my head and said, “Matthew, Matthew, Matthew! That’s not the Jesus I know.”

Sometimes I have to work very, very hard to hear the mission and ministry of Jesus through Matthew’s obvious 'agenda.”

So, let’s start with the setting of this gospel passage. What I know about weddings in ancient Israel is that the process was a long and involved one.

It began with a proposal, which was really more like a business deal. You know – the party of the first part (that would be the father) would arrange with the party of the second part (that would be the prospective groom) for an appropriate exchange of some sort of currency (money, goats, etc.) for the property (that would be the woman, the bride-to-be).

The woman, once married, was expected to move into the home of her husband, and they often lived with his parents. After the proposal was made and a deal struck between the two men, a date would be set and the prospective groom would come to fetch his bride-to-be so that they might “know” one another. That meant, of course, that they would have “carnal knowledge” of each other.

Once evidence was given that the woman had been, in fact, a virgin (usually by hanging the bed clothing out the window), the party of the third part (that would be The Party) could ensue and the marriage could take place – perhaps within the next day or so – including the signing of the Ketuba, or marriage contract. I know. How romantic.

What we are witnessing, in this passage, is the point at which the groom is coming to fetch his bride. She has asked 10 of her friends to assist her (I can only imagine how much anxiety there was in all of this. I’d need all my girlfriends around, too).

Five of them have prepared for the night by getting extra oil. Five have not. Matthew reports that Jesus says that those who were not ready were not allowed into the party, and so it will be for anyone who is not ready when Jesus comes again.

Okay, okay. I get the point. We all need to be ready for the second coming of Jesus. What I don’t get is that if we’re not, we won’t get into heaven.

That is decidedly not the message of Jesus heretofore.

It is, I have no doubt, the message Matthew wants to communicate to the original audience of this gospel – all those slackers who were not following the People of The Way – in exactly the right way.

My friend Dylan Breuer calls this image of Matthew’s Jesus as “Christ-inator,” after the robot assassin Arnold Schwarzenegger played in the first Terminator movie – an unstoppable force, absolutely determined to kill-kill-kill, and empty of any human feeling, let alone compassion, for its victims.

Matthew’s “Christ-inator” ‘vill be baaak’ – and it won’t be pretty. Not ready? Too bad for you. You won’t get into the Eternal Banquet that is already taking place in the Realm of God. Pity.

This is me, still scratching my head, still saying to myself, “Matthew, Matthew, Matthew! That’s not the Jesus I know.”

It is, however, the Jesus that many fundamentalist Christians believe in – and want you to believe in as well. Haven’t crossed all your ‘t’s’ and dotted all your ‘i’s’ in this life?

Their ‘Christ-inator’ will banish you to the far reaches of the seventh rung of hell. Haven’t crawled on your knees for a hundred miles or fasted for 40 days and 40 nights to repent of your poor, miserable, wretched life of sin? Their ‘Christ-inator’ will feed what is left of your mangled body to the dogs of hell, after he has dragged you to the four corners of the earth and back from of his heavenly chariot of fire.

Umm . . . No, I don’t think so. I’m not buying it. There is nothing in scripture that supports that image of Jesus who said, “Come to me all you who labor and are heavy burdened and I will refresh you. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Mat 11:30)

Please note: That was the 11th chapter of Matthew's gospel. We're now in the 25th chapter. I'm thinking something must have happened along the way.

Jesus also said, “And when I am lifted up, I will bring all to myself.” (Jn. 12:32) All. Not some. All. I could go on, but I'll stop there.

You see, you have to read through Matthew’s agenda to hear the mission and ministry of Jesus. You have to get through the message he was trying to give to his original audience in order to get the original point of Jesus.

And that is this: The party has already started. Jesus, the groom, has already consummated his relationship with his bride, the church. The Eternal Banquet has begun and we are all invited. And, we have to get ready for the Realm of God, which is at hand.

How to get ready? Well, we only have to look to our baptismal covenant for a few hints about what is expected of us. There’s something about faithfulness: continuing in the apostle’s teaching, in the breaking of the bread and in the prayers.

And, obedience: Persevering in resisting evil, and when we fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord.

And, evangelism: Proclaiming by word and example the Good news of God in Christ Jesus.

And ministry: Seeking and serving Christ in all persons, loving our neighbor as ourselves.

And mission: Striving for justice and peace among all people and respecting the dignity of every human being.

That’s a pretty big “honey-do” list from Jesus, the groom, to his bride, the church: faithfulness, obedience, evangelism, ministry and mission.

But, here’s the thing – the really, really important thing, which you’ll discover if you pay at least as much attention to the verbs as you do to the nouns: It’s all about continuing, and persevering, and proclaiming and seeking and striving.

God knows we are human. God understands the human enterprise, for it was God who created us and established us in community. Jesus understands, too, because he once shared out human condition and lived among us.

Which is why I believe he will not come again as the ‘Christ-inator’. Rather, when Jesus comes again, he will come among us as he did the first time – as something that surpasses our expectation and brings surprise that will delight and confound us.

The people of ancient Israel expected their Christ to come as a King, to liberate them from injustice. He came, instead, as a babe to teach them how to do justice and love mercy and walk humbly with God.

They wanted a Strong Defender who would fight off their adversaries He came, instead, as one who was as defenseless as a newborn to teach them (in the words of Alice Walker) that our enemies are only confused adversaries who are ourselves in disguise.

Jesus continues to teach us these things, to surprise us, if we have eyes to see and ears to listen to the world around us. The Realm of God comes closer to us every time we engage more fully in our Baptismal Covenant – every time we seek to be faithful and obedient and strive to do the work of evangelism and mission and ministry.

We are more prepared to enter the Realm of God we listen – really listen – to the anxiety or fear in others in these times of economic uncertainty and try to find some concrete way to alleviate it.

We are more prepared for the Eternal Banquet when we do a random act of kindness for a neighbor who has fallen on hard times.

We are more prepared to take our place at the Lord’s Heavenly Table when we hold our tongue and respect a political difference – deflecting our anger at one person’s celebration, or curbing our enthusiasm in the presence of another’s sense of defeat.

St Luke reports that Jesus once said, “The Kingdom of God is within you.” (Lk 17:21) People, get ready. There’s a wedding party already going on in your soul. The invitation was in the mail the day you were baptized.

I do believe, when we get there - when we ALL get to heaven - St. Matthew himself will be among those who meet us at the Heavenly Gate saying, “Are you ready to dance?"

Jesus said, “For you know neither the day nor the hour” when He will come.

Are you ready? Amen.

The Buzz on The Bees

Seeing this movie yesterday in NYC was one of the best things I could have done - for my head, my heart and my soul.

The deep, complex relationship between the Sisters Boatwright, combined with the secret life of Lily, plays out the metaphor of the lives of bees - and then, draws us further into the hive and has us seriously consider issues of race, gender, domestic violence and even the role of religion.

The book, I think, is even better but the movie stays true to the story. I just didn't like the addition of the music soundtrack. Oh, a piece of music now and again to underscore a point would have been fine, but on more than one occasion, I found it intrusive and annoying.

So, do yourself a favor and read the book and go see the movie.

Dark moments of hope

I took this the other night at The Episcopal Church of St. John the Evangelist, Bowdoin Street, Boston where I was privileged to talk to a group of folk about "Coming Out Christian."

Yes, it is naturally dark in the church, so this picture really doesn't do justice to the beauty of the detail. But, that's not what I wanted to capture in this photo.

St. John's is the very high Anglo Catholic church where I was a seminarian for two years and spent the six months of my ordained life as a deacon. I have always said that I am a missionary from St. John's to the rest of the church.

It was there, at St. John's, Bowdoin Street, that I learned more about the connection between good liturgy done well and the mission and ministry of the church.

It was there that St. John's Senior Action Center was established, for which my beloved wrote the grant and helped to establish the ministry. 'JSAC' augmented and complimented the 'Doorbell Ministry', which had been initiated by the Cowley Fathers.

Eventually, all of the social justice mission and ministry there became known under the umbrella term "Neighborhood Action."

It was also there that the Annual Walk for Hunger originated, and much of the ministry to People with AIDS was done there in the early days of the epidemic, when other churches and funeral homes were refusing to minister to those who had died and those who mourned.

The Cowley's - aka "The Society of St. John the Evangelist" - had established the church as their mission among the Burlesque performers and many of "the domestics" - the poor immigrants who worked and lived there, hidden in and among the shadows of the proper brownstone houses and the beautiful tree lined streets of the Beacon Hill Brahmans.

The Burlesque houses have long since gone and the houses of prostitution have been torn down, but the homeless and the working poor and the prostitutes still live and move and have their being in the neighborhood.

The place is now known as "Government Center" - just a different kind of 'corruption' and another form of 'entertainment'. (Give me a second to wipe up the sarcasm that just dripped all over this post. Okay. I think I got most of it cleaned up now.)

If you ask any of our children about their 'home church' they would not hesitate to say, "St. John's." They loved the 'rag tag' unpretentious nature of the place, which stood in sharp contrast to the sometime precious Anglo-Catholic liturgy.

It was a place where the tension between the harsh realities of our lives and the promise of the beauty of Life Eternal was palpable. Indeed, it was lived out. Daily. In the ministry that went on there and the daily masses and Offices that were faithfully said there.

The architecture and ambiance of the place simply shouted that whoever you are, whoever you thought you were, where ever you were going, you could find a place there, for however long you needed to - or could - stay.

Our eldest daughter, Jaime, loved it there. It was one of her favorite churches. She loved looking up at the reredos above the altar, and the way the crucifixion scene hung above the altar (unfortunately you can't see the altar in this picture).

She loved the sense of mystery and awe it inspired. She especially loved the Black Madonna over to the side of the altar (it was way too dark to take a picture of that). However, it was the statue of St. Joseph, there - up there in the far right of the picture - which always captured her attention.

Indeed, as I recall, one of her assignments for Confirmation Class was to write a paper on St. Joseph. She was, at first, intrigued by the statue and then she became angry that his story isn't as well known or loved as the story of Mary or even any of the other disciples.

I remember her standing with her hand on her hip, tapping her toe petulantly, and saying, "It's just not fair. I mean, God needed Joseph to say, 'yes', too."

Today is the anniversary of her birthday. She would have been 38. She will have been gone four years on December 2nd. She was beautiful and intelligent and feisty and passionate and deeply compassionate. The beauty and the suffering of the world broke her heart in equal measure.

There was a moment, just before the lecture and during the concert in the church, when I began to feel her presence and simultaneously overwhelmed by her loss.

It was also in that moment that I looked up and remembered how Jaime loved this part of the architecture of St. John's. How it comforted her and gave her hope.

And, I felt a sense of peace.

I'm leaving in a bit to spend the day with another daughter who is deeply grieving today. We'll have a late lunch and stop into one of the churches in her neighborhood to light a candle and say a prayer. Perhaps we'll catch a movie. We'll walk and talk and generally keep each other company in our sense of loss and grief.

But it will be this image of St. John's that I take with me. There is great beauty in this world. There is monstrous suffering in this world. Enough of both to break your heart. But as long as we are pointed to the mysteries in this life - the things we can't know - there is hope.

And, where there is hope, there is God. And, where there is God, there is possibility for deep peace and unspeakable joy.

You have to look up to see the sky, but sometimes, you have to reach way down, through dark moments of hope, in order to touch The Star.

Two firsts: Robinson and Obama

From Times Online
November 6, 2008
Barack Obama asked gay bishop Gene Robinson what it was like to be 'first'
Bishop Gene Robinson

Ruth Gledhill, Religion Correspondent

Barack Obama sought out controversial gay bishop Gene Robinson not just once but three times during his campaign to become President of the United States, The Times can reveal.

Bishop Robinson, the 80-million strong Anglican Communion’s only openly gay bishop whose consecration in 2003 has left the Anglican Communion on the brink of schism, was sought out by Mr Obama to discuss what it feels like to be “first”.

Bishop Robinson, who received death threats after his election as Bishop of New Hampshire and was advised by police to wear a bullet-proof vest at his consecration, also discussed with Mr Obama the risks incumbent upon being a high-profile leader in a country such as the US.

Bishop Robinson said: “At the end of the day you have to decide whether or not you are going to be paralysed by threats and by violent possibilities or whether you just move on and do what you feel called to do despite the risks.

Bishop Robinson, in London as a guest of the gay rights group Stonewall for its annual “Hero of the Year” awards dinner at the Victoria and Albert Museum tonight, said that Mr Obama’s campaign team had sought him last year and he had the “honour” of three private conversations with the future president of the United States last May and June.

“The first words out of his mouth were: ‘Well you’re certainly causing a lot of trouble’, My response to him was: ‘Well that makes two of us'.”

He said that Mr Obama had indicated his support for equal civil rights for gay and lesbian people and described the election as a “religious experience”.

Bishop Robinson described his conversations with him as part of Mr Obama’s “extraordinary” outreach to all religious communities, not just Christian groups. Mr Obama, although not a member of The Episcopal Church to which Bishop Robinson belongs, is a committed Christian with the United Church of Christ.

He said that the Mr Obama was taller than he had expected and described him as “Lincolnesque”, both literally and metaphorically. They discussed the dangers both of being demonised by opponents and idealised by supporters.

Bishop Robinson said: “And I must say I don’t know if it is an expression here in England or not but he is the genuine article. I think he is exactly who he says he is.”

The bishop, who services on The Episcopal Church pension fund board at national level, said that another member of the board, who had been friends with Mr Obama since college days, shared this view.

The bishop said: “He is impressive, he’s smart, he is an amazing listener. For someone who’s called on to speak all the time when he asks you a question it is not for show, he is actually wanting to know what you think and listens.”

He said that this made a refreshing change from the Bush regime. "We’ve had eight years of someone who has listened to almost no one.”

He added: “To see the tears in the eyes of African-Americans, it’s just been a profoundly, I would say religious, experience, very exciting.”

They spent more time discussing international issues than lesbians and gays. “He certainly indicated his broad and deep support for the full civil rights for gay and lesbian ... I pressed him on the Millennium Development Goals. I wanted to know whether he thought more about them than just they were a good idea but whether he had any intention of pushing for their full funding and so on.”

Bishop Robinson said he feared that the economic crisis might affect this agenda. “I hope the United States will not shirk its responsibilities in aid to the developing world. That’s going to be a hard-fought fight, not just with President Obama but all the powers in Washington.”

The Anglican church’s first gay bishop and the United States’ first black President-elect discussed in depth the place of religion in the state.

Bishop Robinson said: “He and I would agree about the rightful place of religion vis-a-vis the secular state. That is to say, we don’t impose our religious values on the secular state because God said so. Our faith informs our own values and then we take those values into the civil market place, the civil discourse, and then you argue for them based on the Constitution. You don’t say to someone, you must believe this because this is what God believes.

“I think God gives us our values and then we argue for those on the basis of the Constitution and care of our neighbour. And I think the Bush administration got very very close to the line if not going over the line in terms of offering support to religious-based groups who were using their social service arms to proselytise and evangelise which I would say is inappropriate.”

Bishop Robinson said that Mr Obama had not hesitated to talk about his faith.

“I find that remarkable, not only in a politician but also in a Democrat. For years it’s only been Republicans who wanted to talk about religion. All the Democratic candidates felt disposed to do so this year.”