deni doulos

Louie Crew to Visit Columbus in Two-Day Affair

2009-10-27T14:16:00.013-04:00

Trinity, Capitol Square Hosts Episcopal Church Champion for Justice and Inclusion of All

Saturday, October 31 and Sunday, November 1 (All Saints’ Day)

Trinity Episcopal Church on Capitol Square, Columbus, welcomes Louie Crew, a founder of Integrity USA the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender advocacy group of The Episcopal Church, and longtime General Convention Lay Deputy from the Diocese of Newark (NJ). Louie is excited to return to Trinity, having worshipped with the congregation during the 2006 General Convention, and among the 1,200 people gathered for the Integrity liturgy that Trinity hosted. A Saturday morning event entitled “Singing Songs of the Saints of God: Discipleship, Justice, and Joy,” will allow us to meet and talk with Louie Crew about several important matters concerning The Episcopal Church and our common witness. The sessions begin at 9:30 a.m. in Trinity’s undercroft (3rd and Broad Streets in downtown Columbus), and will conclude with noonday prayer in the chapel.

Dr. Crew will also preach on All Saints’ Sunday, November 1st, at a Celebration of Holy Baptism and Eucharist at 9:30 a.m. A brunch and further conversation with our guest will follow. All are welcome at the Saturday morning gathering, Sunday worship, and the brunch following on Sunday.

A “Meet and Greet” Reception will be held at 6:30-7:30 PM on October 31, 2009 at The Burgundy Room (641 North High Street) with cash bar and light hors d’oeuvres sponsored by IntegrityUSA and Province V Coordinator, The Rev deniray mueller. Anyone is welcome to can stay for dinner at their own expense. Additional information about the reception can be obtained by calling The Rev deniray mueller at 668-6036 or email at deniray@deniray.com.

Last Gasp Futility or Keeping Hope Alive for Ohio Biennial Budget

2009-07-06T10:21:00.004-04:00

HungerNetOhio #6.9:Last Gasp Futility or Keeping Hope Alive

Email conversations about "ending hunger in Ohio through changing conditions which cause poverty"ON July 6, 2009

TO Advocates for reducing hunger

FROM Hunger Network in Ohio

ABOUT Extended Legislative Leverage

Baffled about what's going on at the Statehouse these days? You're not alone. Maybe a football analogy will help clear up some confusion. In a seldom used play for passing a biennial budget as time ran out at the end of the fiscal year last Tuesday, both teams punted. Legislators, unable to agree on the Governor's last minute gamble, requested an extension to what has become both a partisan and philosophical contest over the next two years of critical public services in Ohio. The governor yielded ground, agreeing to an extra quarter in the form of a one week grace period for completing the gamesmanship-if not the game--by next Tuesday. Quickly queasy about whether they had given themselves enough time, the House has pressed for another week, ending on July 14th. But who knows how long will be required and what will be the final score?

The main contention is about how, with a projected deficit of $3.2 Billion, to balance the budget (which is constitutionally mandated, although ways around strict compliance are being contemplated). How much and what programs will be cut AND/OR what and how much revenues added?

The Governor seemed to be confidence, with seconds on the clock, he had kicked a winning field goal by offered his approach for scaling back $2.3 of the gap by decimating services to huge and vulnerable populations of Ohioans. He then filled in the remaining gaping whole with $933 million in new money from an unlikely, contradictory (with his previous pronouncements), and thoroughly arguable source--video slot machines at race tracks.

So after this past holiday weekend of celebrating the wonders of democracy, many Ohioans will be at risk of being denied the assurance of human justice. At stake--and in the hands of public official--is the threat of depriving life's essentials to the neediest. These include food (funding for pantries) and health care (physical and mental medical coverage). Additionally, gutting county Jobs and Family services could occur as exponential unemployment claims and drastic reductions for schools, including special education, and libraries. Further shaving these and countless other pivotal services would deny necessities, especially to persons in poverty. Perhaps not experiencing "sudden death," many will be gradually (and severely) injured by these actions and inactions.

Two pivotal legislative committees meeting this week will likely shape the ultimate course the State will choose. One in the Senate will ruminate over the notion of gambling as a revenue source and the other, the House Finance Committee, will weigh how to cut almost a billion dollars deeper in case the Senate rejects the Governor's proposal.

We've no guarantees for changing the outcome, only stated willingness of all three governmental entities, with additional public scrutiny and input, to re-negotiate.

SHORT CUT:For those who insist, "JUST TELL ME WHAT TO DO!"

CONTACT (CALL, EMAIL, VISIT, OR TESTIFY BEFORE) THE SENATE COMMITTEE CONSIDERING GRANTING RACE TRACKS PERMISSION TO USE “VIDEO LOTTERY TERMINALS” TO EXPRESS YOUR CONVICTIONS ABOUT THIS METHOD FOR PATCHING A HUGH CRACK IN GOVERNMENT FINANCES.

AND/OR

CONTACT (CALL, EMAIL, VISIT, OR TESTIFY BEFORE*) THE HOUSE FINANCE COMMITTEE TO EXPRESS YOUR CONVICTIONS THE IMPACT OF BUDGET CUTS ON PUBLIC SERVICES. AGAIN, ASK FOR FULLY FUNDING THE OHIO ASSOCIATION OF SECOND HARVEST FOODBANKS AT $17 MILLION PER YEAR, $34 MILLION OVER THE BIENNIAL, SERVICES 1.8 MILLION CHILDREN, SENIORS AND INDIVIDUALS, THE POOREST AMONG US, WHO DESPERATELY NEED THESE SERVICES IN ORDER TO SURVIVE. CONTINUE TO WARN THEM THAT CUTS TO COUNTY DEPARTMENTS OF JOBS AND FAMILY SERVICES WILL CRIPPLE INTAKE AND MAINTENANCE FOR AN INCREASING NUMBER OF OHIOIANS REQUIRING ESSENTIAL SERVICES.

REQUEST ATTENTION TO OTHER VITAL SERVICES FOR WHICH YOU HAVE A SPECIAL AFFINITY AND WHICH IMPACTS THE MOST VULNERABLE OHIOANS-PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH CARE, EDUCATION, CHILDREN'S SERVICES, ELDERLY SUPPORT, ETC.

PERSIST IN URGING THEM TO RECONSIDER OTHER SOURCES OF REVENUES. ARGUE THAT OHIO'S LOOMING BUDGET SHORTFALL IS TOO BIG TO ADDRESS BY CUTTING THESE AND OTHER VITAL PUBLIC SERVICES ALONE NOT TO EXPLORE TAXES REDUCTIONS, FREEZES, DELAYS, AND SELECTIVE INCREASES. REMIND THEM OF THE JEOPARDY OF TRANSPORTATION RESTRICTIONS, VITAL LIBRARY PROGRAMS, SECURITY CONCERNS RELATED TO PRISON CLOSING, AND MANY MORE PROGRAMS THAT WILL BE IMPACTED.

CONTACT YOUR OWN SENATOR AND HOUSE MEMBER TO BE SURE THAT YOUR OPINION HAS BEEN FULLY AND WIDELY HEARD.LONG SUIT:

For those who plead, "GIVE ME MORE DETAILS"

We abbreviate and blend here thoughts from Jon Honeck, a fellow in public policy at the Center for Community Solutions in Cleveland, who covered the field succinctly at the end of the week (see “Time for straight talk on the state budget”)

Ohio legislators are faced with one of the most difficult state budget problems in memory as revenues fall but the need for government services grows while more Ohioans lose their jobs and ability to meet basic needs. In response, we are following a pattern of previous decisions to make deep cuts in state taxes regardless of the need for public services.

State leaders have in previous recessions cut spending first, and then found ways to raise revenue. Each of the past five agreed to some kind of tax increase when the cuts simply could not continue.

The real story for House Bill 1, the state budget bill for the next two years, is that the governor and legislative leaders are using massive cuts and short-term budget gimmicks to address the vast majority of the revenue shortfall. This allows Government to shirk its responsibilities but postpone hard choices for another year or two.

In the worst recession in a generation, the state will cut support for low-income disabled adults, protective services for the elderly and children, drug and alcohol treatment, mental health services, child care for low-income workers, and need-based financial aid for college students. These cuts will be magnified by the loss of federal matching grants which become penny-wise and pound-foolish moves.

The real long-term issue is that Ohio will be faced with another huge budget gap when federal stimulus aid expires in 2011.

A major contributor to today's budget crunch is a tax overhaul costing the state treasury well over $2 billion each year in badly needed revenue.

Discussions about taxes create hand-wringing about where Ohio's tax levels stand in relation to those of other states. The reality is, we're about average.

The most obvious option is to start plugging tax loopholes. Thus far, legislators have not closed a single loophole in the budget bill but instead have added new ones. Given the size of the budget hole, some of the cuts to the state income tax and to business taxes should be reverse.

Instead of passing seven-day continuation budgets, it's time for state leaders to admit that it's time for a balanced approach to Ohio's budget problem. It should not be solved through cuts for services to children, the elderly, disabled individuals and the unemployed, but through shared sacrifice.

PRIMARY REFERENCES AND LINKS*
Wonder what to say or how to say it? Contact Hunger Network in Ohio (below) today for help with your presentation and/or arrange to join us on Tuesday at noon before the 2:00 House Finance Committee hearing.Connections with Public Officials

SENATE LEADERS AND CONFEREES
The Honorable Bill Harris, President; 614-466-8086
SD19@senate.state.oh.us

The Honorable Tom Niehaus, President Pro Tempore; 614-466-8082
SD14@senate.state.oh.us

The Honorable Capri Cafaro, Minority Leader; 614-466-7182
senatorcafaro@maild.sen.state.oh.us

The Honorable Shirley Smith, Assistant Minority Leader; 614-466-4857
senatorsmith@maild.sen.state.oh.us

The Honorable John Carey, H.B. 1 Conferee; 614-466-8156
SD17@senate.state.oh.us

The Honorable Dale Miller, H.B. 1 Conferee; 614-466-5123
SD23@maild.sen.state.oh.us

The Honorable Mark Wagoner, H.B. 1 Conferee; 614-466-8060
SD02@senate.state.oh.us

HOUSE LEADERS AND CONFEREES
The Honorable Armond Budish, Speaker of the House; 614-466-5441
district08@ohr.state.oh.us

The Honorable Matt Szollosi, Speaker Pro Tempore; 614-466-1418
district49@ohr.state.oh.us

The Honorable William Batchhelder, Minority Leader; 614-466-8140
district69@ohr.state.oh.us

The Honorable Louis Blessing, Assistant Minority Leader; 614-466-9091
district29@ohr.state.oh.us

The Honorable Vernon Sykes, H.B. 1 Conferee; 614-466-3100
district44@ohr.state.oh.us

The Honorable Ron Amstutz, H.B. Conferee; 614-466-1474
district03@ohr.state.oh.us

The Honorable Jay Goyal; H.B. Conferee; 614-466-5802
district73@ohr.state.oh.us

OHIO HOUSE FINANCE AND APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE
Representative John Adams: district78@ohr.state.oh.us; (614) 466-1507
Representative Amstutz: district03@ohr.state.oh.us; (614) 466-1474
Representative Batchelder: district69@ohr.state.oh.us; (614) 466-8140
Representative Blessing, Jr.: district29@ohr.state.oh.us; (614) 466-9091
Representative Bolon: district01@ohr.state.oh.us; (614) 466-8022
Representative Boyd: district09@ohr.state.oh.us; (614) 644-5079
Representative Brown: district48@ohr.state.oh.us; (614) 466-1401
House Speaker Budish: district08@ohr.state.oh.us; (614) 466-3246
Representative Burke: district83@ohr.state.oh.us; (614) 466-8147
Representative Carney: district22@ohr.state.oh.us; (614) 466-2473
Representative Celeste: district24@ohr.state.oh.us; (614) 644-6005
Representative Chandler: district68@ohr.state.oh.us; (614) 466-2004
Representative Dolan: district98@ohr.state.oh.us; (614) 644-5088
Representative Driehaus: district31@ohr.state.oh.us; (614) 466-5786
Representative Dyer: district43@ohr.state.oh.us; (614) 466-1790
Representative Evans: district87@ohr.state.oh.us; (614) 466-1366
Representative Fende: district62@ohr.state.oh.us; (614) 466-7251
Representative Gardner: district06@ohr.state.oh.us; (614) 466-8104
Representative Garrison: district93@ohr.state.oh.us; (614) 644-8728
Representative Goodwin: district74@ohr.state.oh.us; (614) 644-5091
Representative Goyal: district73@ohr.state.oh.us; (614) 466-5802
Representative: Grossman: district23@ohr.state.oh.us; (614) 466-9690
Representative Hall: district97@ohr.state.oh.us; (614) 466-2994
Representative Heard: district26@ohr.state.oh.us; (614) 466-8010
Representative Jordan: district02@ohr.state.oh.us; (614) 644-6711
Representative Luckie: district39@ohr.state.oh.us; (614) 466-1607
Representative Maag; district35@ohr.state.oh.us; (614) 644-6023
Representative McClain: district82@ohr.state.oh.us; (614) 644-6265
Representative McGregor: district72@ohr.state.oh.us; (614) 466-2038
Representative Mecklenborg: district30@ohr.state.oh.us; (614) 466-8258
Representative Morgan: district36@ohr.state.oh.us; (614) 644-8051
Representative Sayre: district96@ohr.state.oh.us; (614) 466-8035
Vice Chair Rep Sears: district46@ohr.state.oh.us; (614) 466-1731
Representative Skindell: district13@ohr.state.oh.us; (614) 466-5921
Representative Slesnick: district52@ohr.state.oh.us; (614) 466-8030
Chair Rep Sykes: district44@ohr.state.oh.us; (614) 466-3100
Representative Szollosi: district49@ohr.state.oh.us; (614) 466-1418
Representative Ujvagi: district47@ohr.state.oh.us; (614) 644-6017
Representative Yates: district33@ohr.state.oh.us; (614) 466-1308

You're own Ohio house of representative member: (http://www.house.state.oh.us/) or senator (http://www.senate.state.oh.us/)
Governor Strictland (http://www.governor.ohio.gov/Assistance/ContacttheGovernor/tabid/150/Default.aspx)ArticlesTime for straight talk on the state budget (Jon Honeck)http://www.ohio.com/editorial/commentary/49669772.html
Our View: Time to rethink the proposed budgethttp://www.wnewsj.com/main.asp?SectionID=42&SubSectionID=201&ArticleID=177926&TM=51162.35
Poorest aren't getting enough aidhttp://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/12467827584880.xml&coll=2Ready for examination: At the Statehouse, they emphasize spending cuts. Why, then, the reluctance to look closely at 'tax expenditures'?http://www.ohio.com/editorial/opinions/49962777.html
Will Ohio burn as its leaders fiddle?http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/politics/hershey-will-ohio-burn-as-its-leaders-fiddle-190367.html
No room for error if plan backfires, critics sayhttp://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2009/07/05/redflags.ART_ART_07-05-09_A1_K7ECMOO.html?sid=101
Wonder how Ohio got into this mess? Here's how: A record number are on food stamps and tax revenues have plummetedhttp://www.daytondailynews.com/news/politics/wonder-how-ohio-got-into-this-mess-heres-how-190276.html
Massive cuts weigh on governorhttp://www.dispatch.com/live/content/editorials/stories/2009/07/05/halcol05.ART_ART_07-05-09_G5_5REC6FO.html?sid=101
Budget cuts make job tough for Ohio governorhttp://www.daytondailynews.com/news/politics/budget-cuts-make-job-tough-for-ohio-governor-190296.html
State legislators will determine how much Ohio cares about its elderlyhttp://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090704/COLUMNIST24/907040305
Would money from slot machines all go to Ohio schools?http://www.cleveland.com/opinion/index.ssf/2009/07/would_money_from_slot_machines.html
Latest plan would slash total funding to schools: Many districts to lose 1% first year, 2% nexthttp://www.ohio.com/news/49962832.html

***Previous issues of HungerNetOhio, including an introduction to this Email Network, are available along with background information on the issues discussed.If you know of other persons who might be interested in receiving these emailings, please provide them with our email address and encourage them to contact us directly.If you prefer not to be included on this email list, simply press"Reply" and tell us to remove your name.

Thank you.
Bob Erickson,
DirectorHunger Network in Ohio
82 East 16th AvenueColumbus, Ohio 43201
614.424.6203 (Phone)
www.hungernetohio.org (Website)
HungerNetOhio@aol.com (email)

The Bishop's Daughter

2008-03-05T02:54:00.004-05:00

There has been much to-do about the release of the biography of The Rt Rev Paul Moore by his daughter, Honor. And in fact, its revelations do present a conundrum of issues.

Having come out over forty years ago (in the pre-Stonewall, Mattachine era as Jim Guthrie reminded me), I can emphatize with the bishop's reticence to 'come out'. And let's face it -- had he come out, the world would have destroyed him. . . no question about it.

And we all know that even today there are several 'closeted' bishops. We all know who they are but respect their need to stay hidden.

Would the church be better off if they would come out of the closet? Would there be less pressure on Gene Robinson if they would publicly stand with him, rather than giving him a 'wink-wink-nod-nod'? Would those who nail Gene on the cross feel differently if it was their bishop, or dean, or priest?

Does all the great work that Paul did make up for the damage he did to those who were the closest to him by living in an 'open secret'? I have my own opinion on that, but I did not walk in his shoes.

With the persmission of The Rev Elizabeth Kaeton, I am including her column Telling Secrets. She more elequantly says what many of us in the LGBTQ community feel. Blessings to her for letting me share this.

The Bishop's Daughter: Telling Secrets with Honor

Honor Moore, the daughter of Bishop Paul Moore, Jr., has written a book in which she struggles to make sense of her life and her father's legacy. The book is due out in May, but there is an excerpt of the book's Prologue in the March 3rd issue of The New Yorker. You can find it here.

You can pre-order the book here.

There is also a poignant, powerful, wonderful interview with Honor Moore here on New Yorker Online in which she talks about the 'open secret' of her father's sexuality as she struggles to make sense of her own sexual journey.

There will be rending of garments and much wailing and moaning and gnashing of teeth on both sides of the aisle about this book and her revelation.

Some will cry that many LGBT people could have been helped and the church's journey to greater social justice advanced years sooner "if only he had told the truth."

Others will cry that the church and his legacy is soiled by this truth that should have remained secret - that nothing good can come of any of this.

There will be those who will laugh and scorn the Body of Christ in its incarnation as The Episcopal Church and say this is but one more piece of evidence of its 'internal decay' which provides them with one more reason to leave 'this apostate church.'Still others will say, "I told you so!" and smirk, "See, Gene Robinson is not the first gay bishop. He's the first honestly gay bishop."

Is it dishonest not to answer a question if it is never openly asked? Is it a lie to keep a secret when no one has asked you to tell the truth, or when someone assumes the truth about you?

To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven. The time wasn't right for Paul Moore. The time is right - and, behold has now come - for Gene Robinson. And, me. And, you.

Then, it wasn't. Now it is. But, only you can determine that for yourself. It is still a very dangerous thing to do - depending on where you live and who you tell and the nature of your personal or vocational aspirations. No one can come out for you. You have to do that work yourself.

Now is the time for the part of Paul Moore that had to remain secret to be told. Now is the time for Gene Robinson to tell the truth of his own story. The time for the healing of the secret shame of Paul Moore has come. The time for the end of the shame of what it means to be created an LGBT person has come.

My grandmother used to always say, "Live your life as if everyone will know every detail because, eventually, everyone will." I found some solace in that statement in the darkest hours of my own journey, when I cried out and none but Jesus heard me, and none but God and my beloved loved me.

Honor Moore has lived up to the name given to her by her parents. There is much honor - and much to honor - here in the story of this bishop's daughter. She brings honor to her father, to the church he loved and served, to the God who wonderfully made and even more wonderfully restored his and the full humanity of all LGBT people and, ultimately to herself.

Of this I am quite certain: there is great rejoicing in heaven. All the choirs of angels and archangels are singing. For, as Jesus himself told us, what is bound on earth is bound in heaven and what is loosed on earth is loosed in heaven.

I'm willing to bet that even Paul himself is smiling. The man who was always 'larger than life' finally is.

Who Me??????

2008-02-18T08:08:00.034-05:00

This sermon was delivered at the Procter Conference Center, Diocese of Southern Ohio, as part of my ordination exams on 6 January 2008

Based on Matthew 9:35-10:8

O Lord, we pray, speak in this place, in the calming of our minds and in the longing of our hearts, by the words of my mouth and in the thoughts we form. Speak, O Lord, for your servants listen. Amen.

Today’s scripture can be called ‘The Great Commissioning’. From Matthew 10, we heard the following:

Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness. These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon, also known as Peter, and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him. These twelve Jesus sent out.

Jesus had been traveling through the cities and villages, teaching in the synagogues, healing with compassion and proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom. He was healing with compassion people he saw as harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

He knew there was much work to be done than He could accomplish by himself – that He would need help. So he began to select his apostles.

The world ‘apostle’ in Greek may be translated as ‘sent ones’. These apostles he selected followed Him, watched him preach and teach, heard his parables and became prepared to help Jesus with his work – sort of a ‘disciple school’. (They were now prepared to cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the leapers and cast out demons. More importantly they were to proclaim the good news, just as Jesus had done.)

It is important to notice that Jesus called all sorts of people – you don’t have to be pure as the driven snow. Saint Matthew was a tax collector, one of the most hated people of the times. But Jesus went right into his office, grabbed him by the collar and called him to be an apostle. Simon Peter and his brother Andrew were common fisherman, probably with little or no education. And Simon the Zealot, an assassin, was one of those people that nobody wanted to meet in a dark alley.

None of these men were born leaders, highly schooled, well-positioned in the church. And although Matthew does not tell us this, we also know from other scriptures that Jesus called women to be disciples. None of his followers had training to heal or preach before they met Jesus; none would be considered persons worthy of martyrdom. But they dropped their nets, left their jobs and families and followed Jesus as apostles. What a motley crew they were. I am sure that they didn’t even get along with each other; there was all kind of jockeying to be Jesus’ favorite.

But, as C. S. Lewis once said,

“Dogs and cats should always be brought together – it broadens their minds so”.

The apostles were told to gather the ‘lost sheep’ into the fold. Sheep without a shepherd are a foolish lot; they will wander off and not be able to find their way home. There is absolutely nothing more pitiful than a group of sheep with no one to lead them. Jesus commissions the apostles to bring these sheep back to the fold. Jesus clearly gave them the power to do so. In Matthew 10:19-20 Jesus told them:

“do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you at that time”

This unusual and diverse group of people clearly gained through His example and teaching and power, the skills to do the work Jesus commissioned them to do.

It seems Jesus purposely called people from all walks of life to follow and serve Him. Jesus could see the possibilities that people found disgusting or repugnant. But He sees into the heart and knows their worth.

Christ wants all to be saved, to be a part of the Kingdom of God. So He sends apostles, prophets, evangelists, priests, deacons and teachers to go and preach the gospel of salvation.

And YES, he even sends YOU!!!!

Each and every one of us is called to be disciples for Christ. The word disciple comes from the Greek word meaning ‘learner’. We are called to be disciples when those three handfuls of water are poured over our heads in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. You can’t escape that calling from the baptismal covenant. As members of the Body of Christ, we are called to proclaim the Gospel.

As Christians, we have a special responsibility to not let the church become complacent and forget its commitment to God and God’s purpose. We are asked to build a community where it does not exist or reinforce a community that is fractured. We are challenged to bring calmness to the chaos of individual’s souls.

Just as the apostles were directed, we must reach out to bring lost souls to the grace and salvation of Christ. As members of His body, it is up to us to do His work. And just as the apostles were varied and an unusual lot of people, so are we. Just as Jesus looked into their hearts and knew what they were capable of, so does he look into our hearts and knows us far better than we know ourselves.
Now, I know some of you think that you can’t be shepherds to lost sheep, that you are not called to do the work of Jesus. We all have hundreds of excuses why we can’t be disciples for Christ:

I don’t know what to do;
There are too many;
There are professionals to do this;
It’s not my job;
I don’t know what to say to people;
I’m not a good enough Christian to witness to others.

So I ask you, how did YOU get to know the love and grace and salvation of God through Jesus???????

Didn’t someone gather you in like a lost sheep? Didn’t someone show you the grace of God and welcome you into the fold, regardless of who or what you are?

Was it a religious professional?
A friend who listened to you in a time of need?
A stranger who helped you when you dropped a heavy load?
A co-worker who helped you finish an impossible task?
An acquaintance who brought you food when you were sick?
Someone who loved you when you thought you were unlovable?
A child who smiled at you when you were sad?
Someone who gave you forgiveness when you couldn’t forgive yourself?

Are not these lost sheep just as precious as you were then? The love of Jesus comes to us through the eyes, hands and hearts of everyday people, just like you and me. We are all called to be shepherds, to love and guide each other in the path of Jesus.

A voice from the fourteenth century, Saint Teresa of Avila, reminds us:

God has no hands but our hands, to do his work today;
God has no feet but our feet to lead others in his way;
God has no voice but our voice to tell others how he died;
And, God has no help but our help to lead them to this side.

You say you do not know what to do. God has equipped us all with the tools necessary:

Prayer!!

Go with prayer.
Pray for God to strengthen and nourish those that are lost . . . and those already found
Pray for the ability of others to hear and receive the Word
Pray for opportunities to be disciples
Pray for open hearts, ready to hear the hope in God’s love
Pray for the strength and courage to share that hope with others
Pray for the Holy Spirit to work his power in the hearts of others.

The best evangelist is one who reaches those around them. Perhaps first learn to talk about your faith to fellow church members through study groups and witnessing. Through this you may then learn to talk about your faith to the disenfranchised and strangers. Most of all, be an example of the gospel message and the needs, hurts and fears of the lost sheep will be made known to you.

For example, I know a graduate student, who through a living example of Christ’s love and an open invitation to attend church, has brought a fellow student to know the grace of God. It was a simple act of friendship. Let the Spirit move you and give you the words to say.

We know where lost sheep are – those who have been thrown away or abandoned. In ancient days, if you did not want your newborn, you threw it out or abandoned it in the desert. Lost souls are like these helpless children - left to die in the wilderness, without any word of comfort of God’s love. There is no one to come and help them. Jesus saw these lost sheep and sent his disciples to gather them in. He is sending us!

Do you want to be one of those lost sheep . . .

Or are you willing to be committed to Jesus?

When we see those lost sheep and we do nothing, we are sinning! We are not trusting in God to show us the way! We are being selfish, thinking more of our own comfort than the spiritual welfare of others!

God is loves in this world!

God sent His Son Jesus, to live as a man and die a most painful death as a man to teach us God’s love.

This love is free and undeserved.

This love is complete and total, with no restrictions and no boundaries.

This is the love that we can grow into and learn to give each other,

our friends,
our families,
our fellow church members,
strangers,
criminals,
those who would hurt us,
people we don’t understand,
our enemies,
people who have never seen the love of God as shown through the life of Jesus

This is our great commission: to live this love every day, to show it in every choice we make and to everyone we see.

God will give us the tools,
God will give us the words,
God will give us the strength,
God will teach us

To quote Isaiah 6:8,

Here I am, send me.

From Darkness into Light

2008-02-18T08:08:00.033-05:00

Delivered at The Church of the Good Shepherd and Lindley Assisted Living Center in Athens, OH on 17 February 2008

Based on John 3:1-17

Today’s scripture from John contains probably one of the best known pieces of text in the Bible. You can’t watch a football game on television without seeing at least one sign saying: “John 3:16”. You can find this reference on billboards and marquees, spray-painted as graffiti on walls in tenements and rocks and rooftops.

We, as Christians, know that God sent Jesus so “that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.”

But, as Paul Harvey says, ‘this is the rest of the story’.

This passage of scripture is probably also one of the most misunderstood or misapplied.

Here we have Nicodemus, a very educated Pharisee, who acknowledges Jesus as the Son of God. But he wants to know more; so he secretly goes to Jesus in the night.

Now, why did he go in the night?

In the Jewish tradition, studying of the Torah was reserved for the night time – when things were less bustling and one could concentrate on the Word. Nicodemus was not sneaking to see Jesus so that his fellow Pharisees would not see him, or the set Jesus up for heresy. He truly wanted to learn more – he was seeking.

We might call Nicodemus the Patron Saint of the Seekers. . . he was seeking to find his spiritual soul. He was a truly observant man, but he found himself lacking. If you remember, Jesus’ response to Nicodemus was that physical observances were not enough. No matter how stridently Nicodemus followed the Jewish law, no one could enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and spirit.

This being born of the water and spirit is one of the phrases that is so often translated as ‘born again’. This becomes the core of the fundamentalist belief that anyone who has not been ‘born again’ is doomed for Hell. And, unfortunately, we find in this day and age a lot of people who use this interpretation as a hammer to lessen the worth of anyone who does not agree with their theology.

But let’s look further at this text.

To begin with, the original Greek is actually translated as ‘born from above’. This is not baptism of water, but the descending of the Holy Spirit into our hearts and minds. We as Episcopalians, when we baptize, become members of the fellowship of Jesus and the Kingdom of God.

One who enters the kingdom of God by being born of the Spirit has experienced the reign of God, which cannot be experienced by someone who is simply born of the flesh. This ‘second birth’ involves a complete reorientation of one’s goals, desires, affections, values, and direction of life

-- in other words, a changing of our heart and spirit. . .

and accepting the great love and supreme sacrifice when God sent His Son, Jesus, so that we may have everlasting life.

Everything is oriented toward the kingdom of God as the center from which life is lived out.

Nicodemus, this Pharisee, the patron saint of seekers and the curious, understood this and changed his life dramatically to follow Jesus, not only in his daily religious observances but by accepting the Holy Spirit.

Do you know that this is not the last time that we hear of Nicodemus?

In this scripture, he moves around in the darkness, looking for the Light of the Word. He sees that divine Light in Jesus and leaves his darkness of spirit by being ‘born from above’ into the light.

During the trials of Jesus with the Sanhedrin found in John 7:45-52, who speaks up for Jesus, but good old Nicodemus. He questions the other Pharisees:

“Doth our law judge [any] man, before it hear him, and know what he doeth?”

As a Pharisee, his defense of Jesus was not without risk – after all, he was one of the respected establishment and now he was following this heretic Jesus!

He is willing to put his life on the line to defend his faith and Jesus. What a change from the man who came in the dark seeking to learn how to enter the Kingdom of God. What a transformation when he was ‘born from above’.

And we hear about Nicodemus one more time in John 19:38-42 --- after Jesus’ death on the cross. Everyone ran away. . . afraid. But Nicodemus, along with Joseph of Arimathea, came back to the cross. They came to the cross in the darkness of that Black Friday to remove the broken body of Jesus and lay Him in the tomb. Only these two were there to give Jesus a proper Jewish burial.

Nicodemus wrapped Jesus body in cloth and anointed it with precious myrrh and aloes and spices. He and Joseph lovingly carried Jesus’ body to the tomb. They rolled the stone over the opening and left Jesus in the darkness.

But in three days, the Light of Jesus did shine again! The darkness of the soul and death would not EVER overcome the world again. By the death and resurrection of Jesus, we are all saved and marked for everlasting life.

There is no more darkness!!!

Let us all be seekers like Nicodemus. . . may we be ‘born from above’ and live in the Light of the World. When others reject or ignore Jesus, let us be Nicodemus and defend his words and works and meaning for the world. May “we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen.”

Let us pray:

Nicodemus, Patron Saint of Seekers: May you protect the seeker in each of us from condemnation and condescension. May you guide our steps in the way that leads us to eternal life. May you place us in the company of compassionate teachers whose love defines a new community of hope and grace. May you give us courage to dare to love God with heart, mind, soul and strength.

Amen.

Fishers of Men . . . And Women!

2008-02-18T08:08:00.030-05:00

Delivered at The Church of the Good Shepherd, Athens, OH on 27 January 2008

Based on Matthew 4:18-22

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart by acceptable to you, my Lord and my Redeemer.

Last week we heard John’s version of Jesus calling Andrew and Simon as disciples. Today, we heard the very familiar scripture calling them to be ‘fishers of men’. Last week Jesus asked Andrew and Simon to ‘come and see’; this week his calling is for more active participation by both these men.

There are many stories within the Bible that are known as ‘call stories’. A call story related how someone is invited by God to become something new and unexpected. God calls this person to begin, and not only begin, but persist so that this new thing can take place.

One day Andrew, Simon, James and John got up before the sun came up, walked down to the sea and hurled nets into the water, anticipating a catch of fish. It was a day just like every other day – it was dark and probably cool and the nets were smelly and heavy. They were doing what they did every day. There were, after all, fishermen.

Jesus comes down to the seaside, amid the water and nets and fresh fish, roughly hewn boats of wood, the rhythm of the waves. He stands on the bank watching these men throw out the nets and then haul them back in, loaded with fish. He looks at these men, and in a very commanding voice, announces:

“Follow me and I will make you fish for people”.

I imagine they looked at this man on shore as if you he was a little crazy. Obviously, he knew nothing about fishing – the very idea that they could fish for humans!

Who is the crazy man, this itinerant preacher who calls them to ‘fish for people’? And where did he come from?

They were fishing near Bethsaida, an outpost of Palestine. This area was far removed from the country of Judea, part of Israel.

What was this man doing there? And why had he come all this way from his home in Nazareth?

Jesus had come to the area around Capernaum, which is close to the Gran Trunk Road which led from Damascus to India, Afghanistan and China. Along the coast beside the Mediterranean Sea was the Via Mares, connecting Cairo to Asia Minor. This was the trade crossroads of the existing world. What better place for Jesus to escape to after the arrest of John the Baptist; here he could preach and teach to all sort of people traveling through Galilee.

And why did he chose these men?

We know that Jesus did not read resumes before he calls people to be his disciples. He didn’t care what their history was. And as we now know, sometimes he didn’t always make the best decision on who he calls. Simon, who became known as Peter, denies Jesus three times during his trials. James and John, often called the Sons of Thunder, think this calling is going to enthrone them in glory – quite the opposite of what Jesus taught. But Jesus called them, and in spite of their own personal deficiencies, he still made them his partners. And they left their old life, its security, and even their families – they may have been afraid, but not so afraid that their faith in Jesus does not lead them forward.

And why did they follow Jesus?

When they were called by Jesus, they must have felt the joy of the new world that Jesus was preaching. They were about to see miracles performed and illnesses cured. Jesus was going to show them a wonderful new world, touch everyone who heard him and then make the ultimate sacrifice to bring about the new world.

If Jesus called this group of imperfect humans to be His ‘fishers of men’, then why wouldn’t He call each of us to follow Him? Our discipleship means the same kind of new beginning; each of us are called to go to that edge of safety so we can bring people to Christ. Jesus comes to us and chooses us, and sends us out to do something new.

We Christians are called to be evangelists. . . to look for and bring people to Christ. We are called to say to others ‘Come and See’. But we can’t be fishers of people until we have been ‘caught’ by Jesus. We need to fish for others using our own personal experience as bait.

I remember giving a testimony at a church as part of the stewardship campaign about how the church and God had gotten me through a very rough time when my partner of 27 years was dying of cancer. After the service, a young man came up to me and thanked me for my testimony. It seems that he was so depressed and sure that God hated him that he had been planning to go home and commit suicide.

Imagine how I felt at that moment. I certainly had not given the testimony with the intent of ‘fishing for people’. But with God’s help and direction, my little testimony was the bait that brought a young man back to God and salvation.

We are called to bring others to the kingdom of Christ. . . where we are all one in His love.

This is the last day of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity – a time when Christians around the world pray unceasingly all week to bring about unity. A hundred years ago an American minister, Paul Wattson, began the tradition of praying for Christian unity over the course of eight days, from 18 to 25 January. So as we pray this year, we can find strength not only in the prayers of brothers and sisters across the world who pray with us at this time, but also in the prayers of Christians of all denominations over the past century. With them, we root our yearning in the prayers of Jesus Christ, the source of our unity – Jesus Christ, who, died and prayed among us ‘so that whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him’ This unity is the oneness in Christ that Jesus preached and taught – the thing that he is calling us to.

How do we become a member of the oneness of Christ?

What can we do to facilitate Christian unity?
Within our church?
Within the Christian community?
Within the world?

By praying unceasingly!

Let us pray:

Open our hearts, God, to your vision of peace, where our jealousies vanish because we are whole, and our pride falls away because we are healed. Open our hearts, God, to your vision of peace, and inspire our work as we make it real. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Deep desiring God, in the secret of our hearts you teach us wisdom. Teach us to encourage each other along the road to unity. Show us the changes needed for reconciliation. Amen.

Jesus Christ, Saviour of the world, who was crucified in weakness but lives by the power of God, help us to know our own weaknesses as well as those of others, that together with them we might experience your risen power. Amen.

We are lazy sometimes, God. Sitting comfortably here, it’s easy to ignore the suffering of others, easy to forget the challenge to see your image in friend and stranger, easy to expect others to work for justice. We are lazy sometimes, God, and that diminishes me. Make us uncomfortable, make us alert, make us responsive. Above all, make us love, in your name. Amen.

God, perfect unity, keep our hearts so burning with the desire and hope for unity that we will never stop working for the sake of your gospel. We ask this through Jesus Christ. Amen.

Trinity in unity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, grant us the grace to pray without ceasing for the unity of your Church. May we reflect in your Church the unity in diversity that is yours. Amen.

Are You The One?

2008-02-18T08:08:00.025-05:00

Delivered at The Church of the Good Shepherd, Athens, OH on 16 December 2008

Based on Matthew 11:2-11

Today we enter the third week of Advent – with it the anticipation of the Birth of Christ. In just a little over one week we will be sitting in this sanctuary celebrating Jesus’ birth. . . the Advent of the Messiah.

But today’s scripture is not foretelling the birth of Christ. We are dealing with another advent – the advent of the New World, the New Jerusalem. As we celebrate the birth of the Christ Child, we are in the midst of the preparations for the coming of the Kingdom of God in the end time.

In today’s scripture we find John the Baptist languishing away in prison, put there because he renounced Herod Antipas’ marriage to the wife of his brother. He has been there for over a year and probably getting very cranky – not that he wasn’t before. He hears rumors that the Jesus he had baptized and proclaimed to be the Messiah was traveling the countryside. His hopes high, he was sure that Jesus would ride in on a white horse and rescue him.

But what does he hear?

He hears that Jesus is out there performing miracles, preaching mercy and compassion and love. This is not what he expected of the Messiah!!! Jesus was not proclaiming himself the Messiah King, bringing about the destruction of Rome and overthrowing Herod’s rule. He was not preaching revolution and smiting evildoers! He was proclaiming good news for the poor and destitute, the broken-hearted and downtrodden, the captives and oppressed. He was even saying people who believed in Him would be persecuted.

Even though they were cousins and had known each other since the womb, John was no longer sure that this Jesus was the Messiah.

He sends his disciples to speak with Jesus. After all, John had been prophesying that the Messiah would come with fiery judgment, pitchfork in hand and with an axe. Here was this man, preaching and teaching hope and love and healing, not fomenting revolution. What was going on here?

Imagine you were John and had been extolling the virtues of this Messiah, only to find out that He was not a revolutionary – or at least not in the sense John expected. Jesus was preaching and healing, not riling up the citizens. There was no message of revolt in his stories. He stressed compassion and inclusion of everyone in the Kingdom of God. The Jews had been waiting with expectation for the appearance of the Messiah that would save them from the Roman oppression and restore them to their rightful kingdom. This Jesus was certainly not acting like that Messiah!

John wanted to know if their waiting was over or if there was another Messiah who would be coming.

Had he been wrong about Jesus?

Was he looking like a fool?

I don’t think so.

The scripture goes on to say that Jesus affirms John and his prophecy. Jesus reminded John that he was ‘the voice crying in the wilderness’, in goat skins for clothes, eating locust and honey. He reminded him that his calling was as a preparer - he had called many to the wilderness to be baptized. He was more than a prophet; he was a forerunner and reformer, a way-preparer.

Those times for which John was baptizing people and foretelling had come to pass. Just as Elijah foretold of Jesus’ birth, John was foretelling of Jesus’ life on earth. John’s purpose was to prepare the people for the arrival of Jesus among them.

That prophesy was fulfilled in the person of Jesus:

A Jesus that was a man of words and compassionate actions
Not one of authority and military might.

Jesus sends John’s disciples back, telling them to tell John what they had seen. Tell him about the:

Healing the sick
Casting out demons
Raising the dead
Forgiving sins
Preaching to the poor

We can only hope that when the disciples returned and told John what they had seen, he remembered the prophecies of Isaiah about the marvels that would take place in the wilderness. And he remembered his faith in that man he baptized so long ago. But wouldn’t it have been natural for John to have been a little upset that he was sitting in prison for an itinerant preacher who gave mercy to anyone who asked (even Romans) and would lead his followers into a brutal death. Possibly John sent his disciples to Jesus to try and prod him into the action that he expected from the Messiah.

But Jesus, the Messiah, was not what John the Baptist expected. He was not coming to destroy Rome; they could and did do that without his help. He was here to establish the Kingdom of God.
A Kingdom of God where everyone is welcome, all are loved and mercy and compassion flow like waters.

This is the even that we are waiting for as we continue this Advent Season.

The Kingdom of God!!

It's Almost Here!!!

2008-02-06T07:28:00.000-05:00

Delivered at Lindley Assisted Living Center, Athens, OH 23 on December 2007

Based On Matthew 1:18-25

Here we are, on the Fourth Sunday of Advent. Christmas Eve is tomorrow and we are all waiting wide-eyed for the celebration of the birth of the Christ Child.

We all know the story of the Nativity, with shepherds and angels and Mary and Joseph and the Baby Jesus. And we can all remember the many years of being in or watching a children’s re-enactment of that blessed event:

• how one little angel’s halo was always crooked . . .

• how dashing the shepherds looked in their bathrobes with towels on their heads. . .

• Mary and Joseph kneeling around a manger filled with straw and some little girl’s doll . . .

• Singing of all those old favorite Christmas carols that told the Christmas story.

Today’s scriptures tell the Nativity story from another point of view – from the standpoint of Joseph, the father. But Joseph was not the father of Jesus. We all remember the story of the Angel Gabriel visiting Mary and telling her she would bear the Son of God.

Imagine yourself in Joseph’s place; here he is betrothed to a lovely young maiden, probably making him the envy of Nazareth. And all of the sudden, she is pregnant! Now, he knows he is NOT the father. In those times, when a couple was betrothed, the girl moved into the house of her intended. So it wasn’t as if she was living somewhere else and could have been carrying on with someone behind his back. Joseph intended to quietly dissolve the arrangement and send Mary back to her home.

But God had other plans for him. He may not have been the biological father, but he was being charged with bringing up the Son of God. No pressure there!!!!

The Bible generally does not give us a very good picture of father. Look at Herod, who slaughtered all the newborn male children out of fear; or Herod Antipas, who promised his daughter Salome anything, including the head of John the Baptist on a silver platter.

Joseph could have become one of those fathers. He had every right to be upset, after all, Mary was carrying another man’s child. But he didn’t.

Joseph raised Jesus to fulfill his destiny on earth. He showed him the kind of love that Jesus and God show us. He risked common opinion to do what was right, no matter what the consequences. And he had NO idea of what was going to happen to his little boy. He was the best stepfather he could be. I have a friend who married late in life and had three stepchildren. He swears to this day that Joseph is the patron saint of all stepfathers.

Joseph represents the type of father on earth that God is in Heaven. Jesus teaches us that we are to look to God as our father, redefining the laws of the times. Joseph showed Jesus the kind of love that comes from God. He shows us the kind of love God has for all his people, particularly those who are the least. And he risks everything to make sure that his Son is safe. Joseph was not the earthly father of Jesus, but showed to us the sort of love that God wants us all to show.

May we, like Joseph, know and show the love of God to each other this Christmas and always.

Just Which Advent???

2007-12-17T09:44:00.000-05:00

Delivered at Church of the Good Shepherd, Athens, OH on 16 December 2007

(based on Matthew 11:2-11)

The Season of Advent can be a very confusing time for some people:

· on one hand, we all wait with wide-eyes for the birth of the Christ child
· on the other, we are waiting for the second Coming of Jesus at the end of the world.

Indeed a major part of the Christian faith is the belief that Jesus will return to earth and all believers shall be drawn to him and an eternal life. And in the liturgical year, Christ’s ‘Second Coming’ is celebrated during the Advent Season when we are usually more focused on the birth of Jesus.

Today we enter the third week of Advent – with it the anticipation of the Birth of Christ. In just a little over one week we will be sitting here celebrating Jesus’ birth that nativity story from so long ago. You would expect the readings to center on that blessed event in Bethlehem.

But today’s scripture is not foretelling the birth of Christ.

We are hearing about that other advent – the advent of the New World, the New Jerusalem. The church’s liturgical year is a cyclical reminder of the life of Christ – from birth, to death, to the resurrection and His second coming at the end of the world. So, as we once again celebrate the birth of the Christ Child, we ARE reminded to prepare for the coming of the Kingdom of God when Jesus comes to earth again.

In today’s scripture we find John the Baptist languishing away in prison. John was considered a fanatic and zealot in his own time, so , when Herod Antipas married his brother Phillip’s wife after divorcing his own, john had much to say, about it, far and wide. John, of course, would rail against this; it was his life’s business to prophesy and accuse! In an attempt to silence him, Herod had thrown him in prison. He has been there for over a year and must have felt abandoned and out of the mainstream. He heard rumors that the Jesus he had baptized and proclaimed to be the Messiah was traveling the countryside preaching and prophesying. The time of the Messiah must surely have come. His hopes high, John is sure that Jesus will ‘ride up on a white horse’ and rescue him from prison.

But what was actually happening? What do his messengers tell him about Jesus?

He hears that Jesus is busy performing miracles, preaching mercy and compassion and love. This is not what he expected of the Messiah!!!

Jesus was not proclaiming himself the Messiah King,

. . . not bringing about the destruction of Rome

. . . or overthrowing Herod’s rule.

Instead of preaching revolution and smiting evildoers he is proclaiming good news to the poor and destitute, the broken-hearted and downtrodden, the captives and oppressed. He was even saying people who believed in Him would be persecuted!

Even though they were cousins and had known each other since the womb, John was no longer sure that THIS Jesus was the Messiah he had foretold. He was certainly not doing what he expected Him to do.

So John sent his disciples to speak with Jesus. After all, John had been prophesying that the Messiah would come with fiery judgment, pitchfork and axe in hand. But here was this man, preaching and teaching hope and love and healing, not fomenting revolution.

What was going on here?

Imagine you were John, foretelling the reign of the Messiah, only to find out that He was not the revolutionary you had predicted – or at least not in the sense John expected. Jesus was preaching and healing, not riling up the citizens to revolt. There was no message of revolt in his teachings and stories. He stressed compassion and inclusion of everyone in the Kingdom of God.

The Jews had been waiting a long time for the appearance of the Messiah with the expectation that he would save them from Roman oppression and restore them to their rightful kingdom. This Jesus was certainly not acting like that Messiah! Disappointed, John wanted to know if Jesus was that man . . . or if there was another Messiah coming.

He must have thought:

· Had he been wrong about Jesus?
· Was he looking like a fool?

Some folks may have thought so then, but today we know better . . . that even John didn’t fully realize what the kingdom of god would be, and indeed sometimes, we forget, too.

The scripture goes on to say that Jesus affirmed John and his prophecy. Jesus reminded John that he was ‘the voice crying in the wilderness’, in camel skins, eating locust and honey. He reminded him that his calling was as a preparer - he had called many to the wilderness to be baptized. He was more than a prophet; he was a forerunner, reformer, a preparer of the way.

Those times for which John was baptizing people and foretelling had truly come to pass. Just as Elijah foretold of Jesus’ birth, John was foretelling of Jesus’ life on earth. John’s purpose was to prepare the people for the arrival of Jesus among them.

· That prophesy was fulfilled in the person of Jesus: a Jesus that was a man of words and compassionate actions, not one of authority and military might.
· A man of the spirit, not of the sword

Jesus sends the disciples back to John, telling them to tell him what they had seen. Tell him about:

· Healing the sick
· Casting out demons
· Raising the dead
· Forgiving sins
· Preaching to the poor.

We can only hope that when the disciples returned and told John what they had seen, he remembered the prophecies of Isaiah that we heard about in your reading today about the marvels that would take place in the desert. And he remembered his faith in that man he baptized so long ago.

But wouldn’t it have been natural for John to have been a little upset that he was sitting in prison suffering for an itinerant preacher who gave mercy to anyone who asked (even Romans) and would lead his followers into a brutal death? Possibly John sent his disciples to Jesus to try and prod him into the action that John had expected from the Messiah.

This Jesus - this Messiah - was not what John the Baptist expected. He was not coming to destroy Rome; they could and did do that without his help. He was here to establish the Kingdom of God.

A Kingdom of God where everyone is welcome, all are loved, and mercy and compassion flow like waters.

This is Rose Sunday, or to the Anglican community ‘Stir It Up’ Sunday. In the Collect, we ask God to ‘stir up his power’ in us. And we got our blood flowing when we sang one of my favorite hymns: ‘Sound the Trumpets!! Spread the Message!!!

We need to be prodded and poked to strive for a sinless life. We need to be pushed forward to who is coming. We need to be reminded in this Advent Season that our King and Savior comes not only as a human child, but promises to return again to triumph over death and make that possible for us also. That our Lord comes twice to bring eternal life and peace and in an everlasting Kingdom.

This Kingdom of God is what we are waiting for as we continue this Advent Season. As we anticipate the birth of that little baby in Bethlehem, let us keep our eyes fixed on the real prize:

The Kingdom of God!!

Render Unto Caesar

2007-12-10T15:51:00.000-05:00

Delivered at Procter Center, Anglican Academy for Morning Prayer, 8 December 2007

(based on Matthew 22:15-22)

This is one of the most famous stories about Jesus and, probably, the most misunderstood or misapplied. It has been used as a bludgeon for centuries to justify the separation of things of the Church from the affairs of government.

The Romans now controlled the land God had promised the Israelites and brought with them their pagan ways. Most Israelites saw this as a contamination of the Creation that God had given them. So why would one willingly give taxes to the Roman Empire? After all, withholding taxes was just about the only thing that the Jews could do to express their displeasure with the occupation.

We all know that the Pharisees asked Jesus that question, trying to trap him into either being counter to Jewish law, or a seditionist against the Roman occupation. They felt that no matter how he answered the question, they could ‘get’ him. Either he disobeyed the Jewish Law and said pay the taxes (which would be an affront the YHWH), or said withhold taxes which would be treason to Rome.

But Jesus was too smart for them – he was not the uneducated preacher they thought he was. When he pointed out that the name and likeness of Caesar, not YHWH, were on the coin, there was no way they could trap him. In fact, they had just trapped themselves. Tribute should be paid to Caesar, using Caesar’s money.

But I think this set of scripture has a much deeper meaning for Christians. I think it admonishes us to be good citizens of the world we live in. As Paul often told people in his letters, “God ordains the higher powers” and Christians are subject to its authority. Peter and Paul both stressed that Christians should be law-abiding citizens.

As Deacons, we need to be good citizens. . . and we need to set an example for others.

But how do we do that??

First of all, we must respect the institutions of our communities and country. But that DOES not mean we can’t disagree with what the government/institution is doing, but that we be law-abiding, tax-paying, contributing citizens. If you remember,

· Daniel spent some time with a lot of lions because he disagreed with King
Darius’ notion that everyone should pray to him. .
· Shadrack, Meshak and Abadnego ending up in a furnace for protesting against
King Nebuchadnezzar.
· All of the apostles spent time in prison because they proclaimed their faith
contrary to the policies and wishes of the local government.

Even I, in several non-violent actions, have protested the manner in which churches abuse their LGBT children and can proudly say that I have been arrested and jailed with some of the finest people in the religious community. Civil protest and civil disobedience is a biblical tradition, based on answering a HIGHER calling from God.

The Bible says that we are stewards of the world God created. For us to be good stewards, we need to know what is going on in the community and government and who is doing it. Deacons provide a valuable service, connected those within the church walls with what is going on in the secular world of politics.

How many of you know who your senators and representatives are?

Don’t you think you should know?

And don’t you think you should know what is going on in the legislative sessions?

What bills are in process?

What impact they will have?

Don’t be an ignorant voter, casting your precious vote based on sound bites provided by a less than neutral new source.

Read the Bible and books that will help you solidify your faith and beliefs. Know what you believe and why. Be able to defend your position using principles of God.

And most of all, honor that which should be honored.

The next time you take out a dollar bill or a coin, notice what inscription is on it.

IN GOD WE TRUST

Remember that

And

Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s

And

Unto God what is God’s!

IT HAPPENED!!!!!!

2007-11-05T11:15:00.000-05:00

On 31 October in the 2007th year of Our Lord, I received the support of the Diocese of Southern Ohio's Commission on Ministry, Standing Committee and The Right Reverend Thomas E. Breidenthal and am now officially. . . .

(drum roll)

A candidate for the Sacred Order of the Diaconate

(more drum rolls).

I will answer my questions in December, take my canonicals in January and (God willing - and He has been directing this path from the beginning), will receive the support of the Standing Committee and be ordained as a Vocational Deacon on 14 June 2008.

Praise be the Lord!!!!!!!

Parable of the Pharisee and Tax Collector

2007-11-05T11:11:00.000-05:00

Delivered at Lindely Assisted Living Center, 28 October 2007

(Based on Luke 18:1-14)

This is yet another one of Jesus’ parables which teaches us about the quality of prayer. In several other parables within the Gospel of Luke, Jesus addresses our need to prayer faithfully and unceasingly. This parable addresses whose prayers are welcomed by God and whose fall on deaf ears.

Here we have to people – a Pharisee and a tax collector.

Now, the Pharisee was held up as an example of a godly person within the culture of the day. Here was a man who followed all God’s commandments and religious restrictions and duties --- after all, didn’t he pray daily in the temple, even at times when it was not required? Pharisees were members of the priestly class and highly respected in the community; they fasted twice a week and tithed their income as well as a tenth to alms. They considered themselves righteous and their prayers to God were heard only by God.

Then we have the tax collector, one of the most despised people within the Jewish or Roman community. They were charged by the sovereign government to collect the taxes from the people. But, they were not paid to do this, so in order to support their families, they would collect above what the government required so that they could feed their families. Being a tax collector essentially gave them a license to steal --- and everyone knew that. No matter that this was the only way they could provide for their family.

Both of these men were in the temple praying, not because of an obligation, but because they felt the need to offer prayers to God. But this is where the similarities end.

The Pharisee was standing a distance from where everyone else was praying where everyone could see, holding himself upright and regal. He was sure that he was far better than the poor tax collector and was thanking God that he was not a rogue or thief or adulterer or even the tax collector. He extolled to God his worthiness and virtue: after all he obeyed all the laws.

I can just see him standing there, with his chest puffed up with pride and self-righteousness.

Then we have the tax collector, standing far off from the other people in the temple, particularly the Pharisee. He knew he was despised by people and wanted to be where the Pharisee would not be offended and other people would not look scornfully at him. And he so ashamed that he could not even lift his hands or eyes up to God in his prayers, as was the custom. He felt his own shame and was beating his breast at his unworthiness. He was crying out to God to be merciful to him, an unworthy sinner. You know he had to have seen the Pharisee standing there. Imagine how much more unworthy that must have made him feel.

The tax collector’s prayer was one of humility and repentance for what he had done. He could not look up because the weight of his sins laid heavy on his head. He is prayer is very short:

“God, be merciful to me, a sinner”

He may have repeated this prayer again and again, even listing those sins he had committed.

And his prayer was answered by God.

If we pray like the Pharisee, because it is our duty or to be seen as righteous, our prayers fall on deaf ears. As happened in the Book of Job, proud men who praise themselves for their godliness and righteousness will be brought low by God. They will be rejected because they lack the humbleness to realize they need the mercy of God more than those they despise.

When we confess our sins with a completely open heart, God hears these and is reconciled to us. God favors those who ask for mercy rather than those who expect is because they have ‘earned’ it. He accepts those seeking mercy and forgiveness into communion with Him, as part of this kingdom. The greater the sin, the greater the repentance and the greater the mercy.

When we come before God in prayer, remember we are there to ask for mercy and forgiveness, not praise God that we are so righteous and deserving. Rely on that mercy of God and our prayers will be answered.

The Parable of the Persistent Widow

2007-10-22T12:12:00.000-04:00

(Delivered at The Church of The Good Shepherd, Athens, OH on 21 October 2007)

The Gospel According to Luke, 18:1-8

Welcome once again to the Parable Parade.

In Year C of the Episcopal Liturgical Calendar, we read a lot of scripture from Luke. And Luke LOVED to relate Jesus’ parables. For those of you who are tired of trying to figure out the real meaning, you will be happy to know that we are almost out of Year C.

In this parable Jesus, as he is oft to do, disturbs the comfortable and comforts the disturbed. As we listen to the parable, we go ‘Aha – I know where He is going with this’. In this and other parables, he seems to point to a logical conclusion only to suddenly add a twist that gives us an unexpected ending. All the sudden we are somewhere we didn’t expect.

The parable in today’s Gospel is often called the Parable of the Persistent Widow or the Parable of the Unjust Judge. It is one of the few parables that states the point at the very beginning: Pray and do not lose heart.

But there is another theme in this parable: the desire for change.

According to the customs of the day, a marriage contract stated a husband's obligations to his wife, and on his death she had a right to be supported out of his estate as specified in the contract. The widow had no legal right to inherit. Normally a husband's estate would take care of a widow's needs. But the normal condition was by no means universal. Many widows and their children were left destitute. So common was this state of affairs that "widow" came to mean not simply a woman whose husband was dead but also one who had no means of financial support and thus needed special protection.

The poor widow in this parable wants retribution for a wrong done her so that she can improve her own life. She represents poverty and vulnerability – a victim of exploitation and the abuse of power. However, instead of being paralyzed by the injustice, this widow cries out long and hard with hope. I am sure she figured if she became such a thorn in the judge’s side, he would eventually relent . . . just as he did. Not because:

· it was the right thing to do,

· not because he took pity on her,

· not because her cause was just,

· but simply because he got tired of her harping.

The widow, by constantly haranguing the judge, eventually gets her retribution. Not because the judge saw that it was the right thing to do, but rather to just get her to be quiet and stop bothering him. He readily admitted that he was not a godly man or even had much use for people; he just wanted her to shut up! He didn’t even consider the merits of her case.

Sometimes people feel that God is just a little too much like the judge; not really caring enough to respond right away, but needing to be irritated by constant prayers before answering. If we feel this way, we create an image of God that is aloof and cold. That in order to get his attention, we think we need to pray unceasingly until He perhaps gets tired of hearing from us and decides to answer the prayer so we will shut up.

But is God really like the unjust judge?

Or, perhaps, are we the unjust judge?

Are we not dominated by our own egos?

Are we just looking for what is in it for us?

We neither fear God nor respect other people. Just like the widow, we want what is due us, no matter whether it might be wrong or unjust. The widow not only wanted a righteous judgment, but she wanted revenge. She was shouting ‘I have been wronged and I deserve better than this!’ She wanted to be heard for who and what she was, a person wronged. She did not simply want justice done, she wanted to be avenged.

But if there is vengeance to be given, it will be given by the Lord, not by humans. We may want to have the final say, but that belongs to God in God’s time.

I believe the judge in our parable represents the world, which has no sense of justice or place before God. It is that world that ensures ‘Life is not Fair’. In many ways, I think the widow represents Christianity; Jesus associated with the poor, the outcast, those with disease. The widow represents all three – widows are often homeless, therefore beggars, attacked by thieves, ignored by a disdainful public. Ejected from Jewish synagogues as heretics and hated by the pagan population as Jews disloyal to the Roman Empire, Christians also were alone, poor and outcasts.

We, as Christians, are called to be there with those in pain; to be in touch with the struggles, poverty and all things that make people cry out in our world. But we also must live into the affirmation that God cares, even though the answering of the prayers may not come speedily. We need to build sustaining communities where people can be supported in their crying out and not lose heart, communities where we do not tune one another out, but live in hope and the faith that our prayers WILL be answered by God. We need communities where we do not need to shoulder the burden alone, where we have others who will help us see a glint of hope in the situation. Even in the most corrupt environment, there is the possibility of hope and faith if we just band together to support each other.

In truth, I believe that God is persistent in his love for us. He is like that widow who eventually wears us down by constantly pursuing us. Eventually we yield and let God enter our lives and guide us to do the right thing. Prayer is the means for God to enter our lives and challenge us to change our self-destructive behavior. By praying, we invite God into our spirit; He then begins his work and our transformation. When we pray in a difficult situation, after a failure or during illness, God provides the answer in most unexpected ways: it may be

in a sermon . . .
or a book . . .
in the joy of a student learning in your class . . .
or a movie . . .
or a child in the park . . .
or perhaps in the widow in today’s parable.

God does not force us to accept His gift. We have the choice of whether to be open, ready, alert and listening to the demands God may be making on us.

Let me tell you a story about the power of prayer. Four years ago I finally answered a lifelong call to ordained ministry. I came back from the 2003 General Convention, where resolutions were passed welcoming all people into the church, particularly God’s LGBT children. It was as if God had thumped me on the head and said, ‘alright girl, it is time’. So I began the discernment process. Within a period of six weeks, I had completed the discernment process with my committee, presented my report and case to my home parish and received the vestry and rector’s blessing. I made an appointment with the bishop for postulancy.

But alas, it was not to be. You see, I am a lesbian in a long-term committed relationship. Now the Episcopal Church says that I am welcome and deserve everything by rights of my baptismal covenant, but our prior bishop did not see it that way. So after much waiting, I found out that I would not be granted postulancy. The only course of action seemed to be to wait until he had retired and try again.

The only thing that got me through this rough period was prayer and the support of those around me. I know God must have gotten tired of hearing me cry ‘How long, O God, How Long?’. But my prayers were answered in an off-handed way. For reasons still not completely clear to me, I was contacted by the interim dean of the Anglican Academy to start school without my postulancy. I saw this as a sign from God that it was finally time.

One year passed and the 2006 General Convention passed B033 which, among other things, put a moratorium on consecration of non-celibate gay bishops – and some dioceses chose to filter that down to all gays. Then, we didn’t have a diocesan bishop so no one would grant me postulancy. SO, I had to wait another year for postulancy. Again, although my head understood the issues, my heart was torn and I again was crying to God ‘How Long, O God, How Long?’. But finally, in God’s time and with the blessing of this diocese, this spring I received postulancy. And now y’all have me.

It has become increasingly clear that if I had not been delayed, I would never have been here. Father Carroll would not have been your rector, and I would not have been compelled to ask to serve at Good Shepherd.

And as a result,

. . .all the things I am learning here

. . . and the wonderful people I have met

. . . and will cherish forever . . .

would not have happened.

It wasn’t until the end of last spring (the end of my second year of a three-year program) that I realized that the reason God did not answer my prayers to soften people’s hearts earlier was for a more divine reason.

Because I was delayed by one year, I entered a class of twenty-one, including two other gays. The three of us are very diverse and have given the class an experience which would not have happened had I started school when I originally applied. Because we are sure in our belief that God has called us to the ministry, the other class members have gotten to know us and the pain that each of us has gone through to get this far. One of us is a defrocked protestant deacon and the other signed a pledge of celibacy in order to start school; two of us are partnered in long-term, committed relationships. Because we have all been open and honest about our faith and struggles, the diocese has become more open to gay clergy and laity. I believe that is why God did not answer my prayers sooner.

But he DID answer my prayers. . . just as he answers the prayers of all who pray to him. It may not be on our time schedule, but he loves us enough to answer when it is right for us – even when we can’t see that.

Constantly praying for God’s will builds up not only faith, but hope and charity for all his creatures. Praising and thanking a benevolent God strengthens trust, which in turn gives hope. Interceding on another’s behalf deepens the bonds of friendship and love. Prayer naturally increase faith, hope and love. They empower us to obey God’s commands.

Jesus says in this parable that we are ‘to pray always’. That does not mean that we have to pray every single minute of the day. If we did that, those prayers would be dead prayers; we would never have time to do the work required to answer the prayer.

‘Always’ means we should be faithful to our regular times of prayer. And we should pray in the good and bad times. But Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:7 that ‘long prayers and useless repetition will not make God hear us better’. He already knows our needs.

We need to include in our prayers, not only prayers for help but more importantly prayers of thanksgiving. Think about how many times God has answered a prayer or provided a blessing --- have you thanked Him for those?

Do you pray for God’s will or for your own desires?

Is your faith strong enough to trust God with an unknown future?

“Always” also means that we should always be ready to pray – praying whenever a crisis hits or a need arises. Even the saints found that sometimes their minds wandered, causing them to think about everything else except what they were praying for. In a recent biography of Mother Teresa, she admitted that she always felt distant from God and never was quite sure that He heard her when she prayed. Good prayer habits show our dedication to God and strengthen our relationship with him.

But God is God,

not the arrogant, nonchalant judge of today’s parable.

And He will hear and He will answer

– in his time

- and as you need.

So pray continually and never lose heart.

For surely God will answer your prayers as he has answered mine.

Curing of the Lepers (Or Curing of Nine and Healing of One)

2007-10-22T12:08:00.000-04:00

(Delivered at Lindley Assisted Living Center, 14 October 2007)

The Gospel According to Luke, 17:11-19

In this Gospel, we see Jesus traveling between Samaria and Galilee. This was frontier-land and could be dangerous; lots of unsavory characters roamed the roads and waylaid the travelers. Jesus deliberately went this way to seek out the lepers, as the scripture says ‘for he found those that sight him not.’

Leprosy was considered an unclean disease, and those suffering from it knew enough to keep themselves away for other people. They were the most outcast of the outcast. So when they saw Jesus approach, they remained at a distant but cried out to Jesus ‘Master, have mercy on us’. They did not ask to be cured, but only to have Jesus show mercy on them. They had heard stories of Jesus and thought he might help them.

Jesus told them to go to the priest responsible for inspecting the lepers. Now, they all knew they had leprosy and I am sure that some of them thought this was a useless journey. But the all followed Jesus’ instructions and presented themselves to the priest. As they traveled to the priest, they became cured of the leprosy.

But one of the lepers, having realized where his cure had come from, turned back the way he had come to meet Jesus. He knew where the cure had come from and wanted to thank Jesus and glorify God’s name. You see, this man was a Samaritan – someone who was by birth an outcast among the outcasts. The Jews thought the Samaritans were the lowest of all people and would not have normally associated with them.

Eventually the lepers saw the priest and were declared clean. They were cured of the leprosy, but not healed of their dis-ease.

Often times, we are shown mercy by God and don’t think to praise him for his goodness. We often find it is the least expected that appreciate the saving grace; those who may not be raised in the church and Jesus’ teachings.

The Samaritan, but going back and thanking Jesus was made whole again. . . in other words healed, not just cured of the disease. He had the faith in this man Jesus and his faith made him whole. Not only did the Samaritan receive the blessing of a cure of his leprosy, but was doubly blessed because he saw Jesus and knew that he was the Son of God. Jesus’ mercy was two-fold: one in the curing of the disease and again when the Samaritan praised God.

Do we remember to praise God for the little miracles that happen to us everyday?

Or do we just note them and go on about our daily lives?

Are we the cured Jews or a whole Samaritan?

Liturgical Angels

2007-10-12T12:17:00.000-04:00

Daily Reading for October 12
From Episcopal Cafe

The range and variety of intermediary functions of the deacon have been emphasized in recent studies of diakonia. Ormonde Plater, for example, notes that in the liturgy the deacon “embodies two symbols, servant and angel” and recalls from the New Testament the image of the four living creatures guarding the altar of heavenly liturgy, as seen in Revelation 4. Thus the deacon, Plater tells us, is not only a liturgical table waiter but a liturgical angel—a guard and messenger, one who manages and conducts transactions with the outside.

In one of the earliest patristic references to deacons, Ignatius of Antioch, in his letter to the Philadelphians, indicates that one of the deacon’s functions is to serve as a messenger outside the liturgy, traveling between the churches of distant cities:

News has reached me that the church at Antioch in Syria is at peace. Consequently, it would be a nice thing for you, as a church of God, to elect a deacon to go there on a mission, as God’s representative, and at a formal service to congratulate them and glorify the Name. (Philadelphians 10)

Bishop Richard Grein has recently generalized the go-between status of the deacon in this way:

I like to think of deacons as people on the boundary, that is, on the boundary where the church and the world interface. On this boundary they sometimes face the world to speak the message of the Gospel. Other times they face the church to speak on behalf of the world. In this their task is to keep the boundary open to exchanges between church and world.

The media of those exchanges are matter/energy (for example, bread and wine) and information (money, words, pictures). Whenever the church is in transaction with the world, there is diakonia and there should be its deacons.

From “Serving Intermediary” by Frederick Erickson, in Diaconal Ministry: Past, Present and Future, edited by Peyton Craighill (North American Association for the Diaconate, 1994).

The seven preachers?

2007-10-12T12:14:00.000-04:00

Daily Reading for October 11
From Episcopal Cafe •

Philip, Deacon and Evangelist

Deacons have constantly been inspired by the story of the seven Greek men who were presented to the apostles who, in turn, ‘prayed and laid their hands on them’ (Acts 6:6). Tradition has seen in these men, and in particular the most famous of them, Stephen, the forerunners and prototype of the church’s deacons. Ancient authority and nineteenth-century scholarship give to the idea of an original seven deacons the look and feel of authenticity. And yet Lightfoot himself was aware that the idea of deacons so early in the church’s life—and in this passage in particular—had been ‘much disputed’. A prominent contemporary voice here would be that of James Monroe Barnett, a long-standing champion of the diaconate, who closes his pages on the subject with the plain statement, ‘we must conclude that the Seven were not deacons’. This too has been the view which my own study of Acts 6 has demanded. . . .

Luke does not use a diakon-word again until Acts 6:1, where he refers to ‘the daily ministry/diakonia’ (which we have already met in the phrase of the modern translation, ‘daily distribution [of food]’). Then, in the same part of the story, the Twelve rededicate themselves to their original commission of ‘the ministry/diakonia of the word’ (6:4). Luke then closes the scene of the Seven with the tell-tale phrase, ‘the word of God continued to spread’ (6:7).

With these touches Luke keeps us in mind of his major theme as he moves into the great preaching event in the brief career of Stephen, one of the Seven (7:2-53). With Stephen’s death immediately following, the theme of the progress of the Word re-emerges in the account of another member of the Seven, Philip, engaging in a mission to Samaria; Samaria is the first station outside Jerusalem and Judea according to the stages of the Lord’s programme outlined by Luke (1:8). This mission leaves Philip poised at Caesarea, the port leading to Rome (8:4-14, 26-40), which is Luke’s ultimate objective in the trajectory of the Word. . . .

What does this make of the Seven? It makes of the Seven a new group of preachers, directed at first to the needs of the Hellenists—note how happily the story ends at 6:7: ‘the word of God continued to spread; the number of disciples increased greatly in Jerusalem. . . ’ —and then, after the death of Stephen in Jerusalem, to the wide worlds beyond, as begun in Philip’s mission (8:5). Indeed the only other time we hear of Philip he is called simply ‘the evangelist, one of the seven’ (21:8).

From Deacons and the Church: Making Connections between Old and New by John N. Collins. Copyright © 2002. Used by permission of Morehouse Publishing, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. www.morehousepublishing.com

Provide a Place

2007-10-10T13:49:00.000-04:00

Particularly relevant in this day and age when there are still presbyters and bishops who do not see the need for deacons as a full and equal order:

Daily Reading for October 10
From Episcopal Cafe

You bishops, gather the faithful with much patience, and with doctrine and exhortation, as ministers of the kingdom everlasting. Hold your assemblies with all decent order, and appoint the places for the brethren with care and gravity.

And for the presbyters let there be assigned a place in the eastern part of the house; and let the bishop’s throne be set in their midst, and let the presbyters sit with him.

But of the deacons let one stand always by the oblations of the Eucharist; and let another stand without by the door and observe them that come in; and afterwards, when you offer, let them minister together in the church.

And if any one be found sitting out of his place, let the deacon who is within reprove him and make him rise up and sit in a place that is meet for him. And let the deacon also see that no one whispers, or falls asleep, or laughs, or makes signs.

For so it should be, that with decency and decorum they watch in the church, with ears attentive to the word of the Lord. But if, while young men or women sit, an older man or woman should rise and give up their place, do thou, O deacon, scan those who sit, and see which man or woman of them is younger than the rest, and make them stand up, and cause him to sit who had risen and given up his place; and him whom thou hast caused to stand up, lead away and make him to stand behind his neighbours: that others also may be trained and learn to give place to those more honourable than themselves.

But if a poor man or woman should come, especially if they are stricken in years, and there be no place for such, do thou, O bishop, with all thy heart provide a place for them, even if thou have to set upon the ground; that thou be not as one who respects the persons of men, but that thy ministry may be acceptable with God.

From the Didascalia Apostolorum, quoted in Deacons and the Church: Making Connections between Old and New by John N. Collins. Copyright © 2002. Used by permission of Morehouse Publishing, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. www.morehousepublishing.com

An Open Letter to the LGBT Community from Bishop Gene Robinson

2007-10-09T10:41:00.000-04:00

Received this morning from the Bishop of New Hampshire:
============

An Open Letter to the LGBT Community
from Bishop Gene Robinson
October 9, 2007

Now that the Church has had some time to absorb and consider the recent meeting of the House of Bishops in New Orleans and its response to the Anglican Communion, I’d like to share with you what I experienced at the recent House of Bishops meeting, and where I think we are as a result.

There is NO “mind of the House” nor a “mind of the Episcopal Church.” In fact, we are a House and a Church of many different minds. We are in transition from the Church we have been called to be in the past, to the Church we are called to be now and in the future. We are not there yet.

I value highly the thoughts and needs of my brother and sister conservative bishops, who have no intention of leading their flocks out of the Episcopal Church, but come out of dioceses which, for the most part, find the Episcopal Church’s actions of the last four years troublesome and alarming. I listened to them when they voiced the fears of their people that changing our views on homosexuality is a precursor to moving on to denying important tenets of our orthodox faith, from the Trinity to the Resurrection. We worked for a statement which would reflect the diversity we recognize and value as a strength of our Episcopal communion. It was our goal to describe the Church as it currently is: NOT of one mind, but struggling to be of one heart.

My own goal – and that of many bishops – was to do NOTHING at this meeting. That is, our goal, in response to the Primates, was simply to state where we are as an Episcopal Church, not to move us forward or backward. Sometimes, “progress” is to be found in holding the ground we’ve already achieved, when “moving forward” is either untimely or not politically possible. And, doing nothing substantive respects the rightful reminder to us from many in the Senior House that the House of Bishops cannot speak for the whole Church, but rather must wait until all orders of ministry are gathered for its joint deliberations at General Convention.

While many of us worked hard to block B033 and voted against it at General Convention, it IS the most recent declaration of all orders of ministry gathered as a Church. The Bishops merely restated what is, as of the last General Convention.

Yes, we did identify gay and lesbian people as among the group included in those who ‘present a challenge” to the Communion. That comes as a surprise to no one. It is a statement of who we are at the moment. Sad, but true.

Many bishops spoke on behalf of their lgbt members and worked hard to prevent our movement backwards. We fought hard over certain words, certain language. We sidelined some things that truly would have represented a movement backwards.

I want to tell you what I said to the Archbishop of Canterbury. In the course of his comments, it seemed to me that the Archbishop was drawing a line between fidelity to our gay and lesbian members, and fidelity to the “process of common discernment,” which he had offered as a prime function of a bishop. I heard him saying that gay and lesbian members of our Church would simply have to wait until there was a consensus in the Communion. When we were invited to respond, I said something like, “Your Grace, I have always respected you as a person and your office, and I always will. But I want you to know and hear, that to me, a gay man and faithful member of this Church, this is one of the most dehumanizing things I’ve heard in a long time, and I will not be party to it. It reminds me of Jesus question ‘Is the Sabbath made for man, or man for the Sabbath?’ Choosing a process over the lives of human beings and faithful members of this Church is simply unacceptable and unscriptural.” The next morning, the Archbishop tried to assure us that he meant both/and rather than either/or. I tried to speak my truth to him.

On the issue of same sex unions, I argued that our statement be reflective of what is true right now in the Episcopal Church: that while same sex blessings are not officially permitted in most dioceses, they are going on and will continue to go on as an appropriate pastoral response to our gay and lesbian members and their relationships. Earlier versions of our response contained both sides of this truth. I argued to keep both sides of that truth in the final version, providing the clarity asked for by the Primates.

Others made the argument that to state that “a majority of Bishops do not sanction such blessings” implied that a minority do in fact sanction such blessings, and many more take no actions to prevent them. All this without coming right out and saying so. That argument won the day. I think it was a mistake.

Another issue to which I spoke was this notion of “public” versus “private” rites. I pointed out on the floor that our very theology of marriage is based on the communal nature of such a rite. Presumably, the couple has already made commitments to one another privately, or else they would not be seeking Holy Matrimony. What happens in a wedding is that the COMMUNITY is drawn into the relationship – the vows are taken in the presence of that community and the community pledges itself to support the couple in the keeping of their vows. It is, by its very nature, a “public” event – no matter how many or how few people are in attendance. The same goes for our solemn commitments to one another as lgbt couples.

I suspect that these efforts to keep such rites “private” is just another version of “don’t ask, don’t tell.” If avoidance of further conflict is the goal, then I can understand it. But if speaking the truth in love is the standard by which we engage in our relationships with the Communion, then no.

Let me also state strongly that I believe that the Joint Standing Committee of the ACC and Primates MISunderstood us when they stated that they understood that the HOB in fact “declared a ‘moratorium on all such public Rites.’” Neither in our discussions nor in our statement did we agree to or declare such a moratorium on permitting such rites to take place. That may be true in many or most dioceses, but that is certainly not the case in my own diocese and many others. The General Convention has stated that such rites are indeed to be considered within the bounds of the pastoral ministry of this Church to its gay and lesbian members, and that remains the policy of The Episcopal Church.

Lastly, let me respond to the very real pain in the knowledge that the change we long for takes time. This movement forward is going to take a long time. That doesn’t make it right. It certainly does not make it easy. Dr. King rightly said that “justice delayed is justice denied,” but that didn’t stop him from accepting and applauding incremental advances along the way.

We have every right to be impatient. We MUST keep pushing the Church to do the right thing. We must never let anyone believe that we will be satisfied with anything less than the full affirmation of us and our relationships as children of God.

BUT, I will continue to try to remain realistic in my approach. I work hard, and pray hard, to find the patience to stay at the table as long as it takes. And I hope we can refrain from attacking our ALLIES for not doing enough, soon enough. The bridges we are burning today may turn out to be the bridges we want to cross in the future. Let’s not destroy them.

We need to be in this for the long haul. For us to get overly discouraged when we don’t get all that we want, as fast as we want, seems counterproductive to me. We should never capitulate to less than all God wants for us, but to lose heart when we don’t move fast enough, and to attack the Church we are trying to help redeem, seems counterproductive.

The two days of listening to the Archbishop of Canterbury and some members of the ACC were the two hardest days I’ve had since my consecration. (It was a constant and holy reminder to me of the pain all of YOU continue to experience every day at the hands of a Church which is not yet what it is called to be. Ours is a difficult and transforming task: to continue serving a church that seems to love us less than we love it!) I was comforted by the support I DID receive from those straight bishops who spoke up for us, and especially by many of the Bishops of color, who implicitly “got” what I was trying to say and defied the majority with their support of me and of us. I was even encouraged by many conservative bishops’ willingness to work together to craft a statement we, liberal and conservative alike, could all live with.

I believe with my whole heart that the Spirit is alive and well and living in our Church – even in the House of Bishops. I believe Jesus when he told his disciples, on the night before he died for us, that they were not ready to hear and understand all that he had to teach them – and that he would send the Holy Spirit to lead them into all truth. I believe that now is such a moment, when the Church, in its plodding and all-too-slow a way, is being guided into truth about its gay and lesbian members. It took ME 39 years to acknowledge who I was as a gay man and to affirm that I too am considered precious by God. Of course, the very next day after telling my parents, I expected them immediately to catch up to what had taken me 39 years to come to. Mercifully, it has not taken them the same 39 years to do so. The Church family is no different. It is going to take TIME.

I voted “yes” to the HOB statement. I believe it was the best we could do at this time. I am far less committed to being ideologically and unrelentingly pure, and far more interested in the “art of the possible.” Am I totally pleased with our statement? Of course not. Do I wish we could have done more? Absolutely. Can I live with it? Yes, I can. For right now. Until General Convention, which is the appropriate time for us to take up these issues again as a Church, with all orders of ministry present. I am taking to heart the old 60’s slogan, “Don’t whine, organize!”

I am always caught between the vision I believe God has for God’s Church, and the call to stay at the table, in communion with those who disagree with me about that vision – or, as is the case for most bishops, who disagree about the appropriate “timing” for reaching that vision of full inclusion. In this painful meantime, please pray for me as I seek to serve the people of my diocese and you, the community of which I am so honored to be a part.

Your brother in Christ,

+Gene

Truth in Advertising

2007-09-30T19:13:00.000-04:00

Compliments of Louie Crew

2007-09-29T06:32:00.001-04:00

Integrity Responds to the HOB Statement

620 Park Avenue #311 Rochester, NY 14607-2943
800-462-9498
info@integrityusa.org
www.integrityusa.org

September 25, 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NEW ORLEANS—The members of Integrity have prayed unceasingly for their bishops as they met this week to consider a response to the primates' communiqué. The bishops were pressured by the Archbishop of Canterbury and other international guests to comply with the primate's demands. The bishops struggled mightily amongst themselves to achieve a clear consensus on how to respond. Integrity is gratified that the final response from the House of Bishop declined to succumb to the pressure to go backwards, but rather took some significant steps forward.

We are encouraged by their strong language against the incursions of uninvited bishops into this province, their commendation of the Anglican Listening Process, their unequivocal support that the Bishop of New Hampshire should receive an invitation to the Lambeth Conference, and their affirmation of safety and civil rights for LGBT persons.

Integrity President Susan Russell said, "In response to requests for 'clarity' the House of Bishops made it clear today that the Episcopal Church is moving forward in faith. I believe today’s response will be received as a sign of great hope that we are committed to working through the hard ground of our differences. I look forward to taking the support of the House of Bishops for the Listening Process with me when I and other Integrity representatives meet with Anglican colleagues in London next month to prepare for our witness at the Lambeth Conference."

"Integrity is confident that The Episcopal Church will continue to move forward," concluded Russell. "Integrity expects General Convention 2009 to be a tipping point for equality. We will be working hard in the months ahead to repeal B033 and to authorize development of a rite for blessing same-sex relationships as steps toward the goal of the full inclusion of all the baptized into the Body of Christ."

PRESS CONTACTS

The Rev. Susan Russell, President
revsusanrussell@hotmail.com
714-356-5718 (mobile)

Mr. John Gibson, Director of Communications
jhngb@aol.com
917-518-1120 (mobile)

The House of Bishops Responds To The Primates

2007-09-29T06:32:00.000-04:00

The House of Bishops Responds To The Primates

House of Bishops of The Episcopal Church
New Orleans, Louisiana
September 25, 2007

A Response to Questions and Concerns Raised by our Anglican Communion Partners

In accordance with Our Lord's high prienstly prayer that we be one, and in the spirit of Resolution A159 of the 75th General Convention, and in obedience to his Great Commission to go into the world and make disciples, and in gratitude for the gift of the Anglican Communion as a sign of the Holy Spirit's ongoing work of reconciliation throughout the world, we offer the following to the Episcopal Church, the Primates, the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC), and the larger Communion, with the hope of "mending the tear in the fabric" of our common life in Christ.

"I do it all for the sake of the Gospel so that I might share in its blessings." 1 Corinthians 9:23

Introduction
The House of Bishops expresses sincere and heartfelt thanks to the Archbishop of Canterbury and members of the Joint Standing Committee of the Anglican Consultative Council and the Primates for accepting our invitation to join us in New Orleans. By their presence they have both honored us and assisted us in our discernment. Their presence was a living reminder of the unity that is Christ's promised gift in teh power of the Holy Spirit.

Much of our meeting time was spent in continuing discernment of our relationships within the Anglican Communion. We engaged in careful listening and straightforward dialogue with our guests. We expressed our passionate desire to remain in communion. It is our conviction that The Episcopal Church needs the Anglican Communion, and we heard from our guests that the Anglican Communion needs The Episcopal Church.

The House of Bishops offers the following responses to our Anglican Communion partners. We believe they provide clarity and point toward next steps in an ongoing process of dialogue. Within The Episcopal Church the common discernment of God's call is a lively partnership among laypersons, bishops, priests, and deacons, and therefore necessarily includes the Presiding Bishop, the Executive Council, and the General Convention.

Summary
* We reconfirm that resolution B033 of General Convention 2006 (The Election of Bishops) calls upon bishops with jurisdiction and Standing Committees "to exercise restraint by not consenting to the consecration of any candidate to the episcopate whose manner of life presents a challenge to the wider church and will lead to further strains on communion."

* We pledge as a body not to authorize public rites for the blessing of same-sex unions.

* We commend our Presiding Bishop's plan for episcopal visitors.

* We deplore incursions into our jurisdictions by uninvited bishops and call for them to end.

* We support the Presiding Bishop in seeking communion-wide consultation in a manner that is in accord with our Constitution and Canons.

* We call for increasing implementation of the listening process across the Communion and for a report on its progress to Lambeth 2008.

* We support the Archbishop of Canterbury in his expressed desire to explore ways for the Bishop of New Hampshire to participate in the Lambeth Conference.

* We call for unequivocal and active commitment to the civil rights, safety, and dignity of gay and lesbian persons.

Discussion
Resolution B033 of the 2006 General Convention
The House of Bishops concurs with Resolution EC011 of the Executive Council. This Resolution commends the Report of the Communion Sub-Group of the Joint Standing Committee of the Anglican Consultative Council and the Primates of the Anglican Communion as an accurate evaluation of Resolution B033 of the 2006 General Convention, calling upon bishops with jurisdiction and Standing Committees "to exercise restraint by not consenting to the consecration of any candidate to the episcopate whose manner of life presents a challenge to the wider church and will lead to further strains on communion." The House acknowledges that non-celibate gay and lesbian persons are included among those to whom B033 pertains.

Blessing of Same-Sex Unions
We, the members of the House of Bishops, pledge not to authorize for use in our dioceses any public rites of blessing of same-sex unions until a broader consensus emerges in the Communion, or until General Convention takes further action. In the near future we hope to be able to draw upon the benefits of the Communion-wide listening process. In the meantime, it is important to note that no rite of blessing for persons living in same-sex unions has been adopted or approved by our General Convention. In addition to not having authorized liturgies the majority of bishops do not make allowance for the blessing of same-sex unions. We do note that in May 2003 the Primates said we have a pastoral duty "to respond with love and understanding to people of all sexual orientations." They further stated, "...[I]t is necessary to maintain a breadth of private response to situations of individual pastoral care."

Episcopal Visitors
We affirm the Presiding Bishop's plan to appoint episcopal visitors for dioceses that request alternative oversight. Such oversight would be provided by bishops who are a part of and subject to the communal life of this province. We believe this plan is consistent with and analogous to Delegated Episcopal Pastoral Oversight (DEPO) as affirmed by the Windsor Report (paragraph 152). We thank those bishops who have generously offered themselves for this ministry. We hope that dioceses will make use of this plan and that the Presiding Bishop will continue conversation with those dioceses that may feel the need for such ministries. We appreciate and need to hear all voices in The Episcopal Church.

Incursions by Uninvited Bishops
We call for an immediate end to diocesan incursions by uninvited bishops in accordance with the Windsor Report and consistent with the statements of past Lambeth Conferences and the Ecumenical Councils of the Church. Such incursions imperil common prayer and long-established ecclesial principles of our Communion. These principles include respect for local jurisdiction and recognition of the geographical boundaries of dioceses and provinces. As we continue to commit ourselves to honor both the spirit and the content of the Windsor Report, we call upon those provinces and bishops engaging in such insurvions likewise to honor the Windsor Report by ending them. We offer assurance that delegated episcopal pastoral care is being provided for those who seek it.

Communion-wide Consultation
In their communique of February 2007, the Primates proposed a "pastoral scheme." At our meeting in March 2007, we expressed our deep concern that this scheme would compromise the authority of our own primate and place the autonomy of The Episcopal Church at risk. The Executive Council reiterate our concerns and declined to participate. Nevertheless we recognize a useful role for communion-wide consultation with respect to the pastoral needs of those seeking alternative oversight, as well as the pastoral needs of gay and lesbian persons in this and other provinces. We encourage our Presiding Bishop to continue to explore such consultation in a manner that is in accord with our Constitution and Canons.

The Listening Process
The 1998 Lambeth Conference called all the provinces of the Anglican Communion to engage in a "listening process" designed to bring gay and lesbian Anglicans fully into the church's conversation about sexuality. We look forward to receiving initial reports about this process at the 2008 Lambeth Conference, and to participating with others in this crucial enterprise. We are aware that in some cultural contexts, conversation concerning homosexuality is difficult. We see an important role for the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) in this listening process, since it represents both the lay and ordained members of our constituent churches and so is well placed to engage every part of the body in this conversation. We encourage the ACC to identify the variety of resources needed to accomplish these conversations.

The Lambeth Conference
Invitations to the Lambeth Conference are extended by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Those among us who have received an invitation to attend the 2008 Lambeth Conference look forward to that gathering with hope and expectation. Many of us are engaged in mission partnerships with bishops and dioceses around the world and cherish these relationships. Lambeth offers a wonderful opportunity to build on such partnerships.

We are mindful that the Bishop of New Hampshire has not yet received an invitation to the conference. We also note that the Archbishop of Canterbury has expressed a desire to explore a way for him to participate. We share the Archbishop's desire and encourage our Presiding Bishop to offer our assistance as bishops in this endeavor. It is our fervent hope that a way can be found for his full participation.

Are We They?

2007-09-24T09:43:00.000-04:00

(Delivered at The Church of the Good Shepherd, Athens, Ohio on 23 September 2007)

Amos 8:4-7, 8-12

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable to you, my Lord and my Redeemer.

We are taught in Deacons School that we are to always preach on the Gospel reading for a given Sunday, since one of those things exclusively reserved for Deacons is the proclaiming of the Gospel. And I DID indeed have a sermon prepared on today’s Gospel of Luke. However, the more I read the Old Testament reading of Amos, in fact the more I read all of Amos, the more I felt compelled to preach on that instead.

So, I won’t tell. . . if you don’t tell.

Amos has always been a prophetic man and generally he was a real pain to the Israelites. I have a mental picture of him standing on the rooftops railing away to the Israelites about the things they were doing - and forecasting their gloom and doom. It reminds me of a street preacher who used to stand on the corner of Broad and High in Columbus every day, standing on a soap box and proclaiming the world was going to end in the next couple of hours. He hasn’t been there for a while, and I sometimes wonder what happened to him. He was, most of all, very amusing.

It was interesting to watch people’s reactions to his sermonizing:

· some would literally cross the street to avoid him
· some would lower their heads as they walked by,
· and there were a few brave souls who would take him on.

I can tell you, that he could out shout anyone

. . . except maybe Amos.

In these passages Amos is, once again, admonishing the Israelites. Actually, Amos might be considered the first voice of a social conscience in the world; he preached social justice before we even knew what social justice was.

This time he is shaming the Israelites for the way they were treating the poor. I find these passages are especially relevant today since last Friday was Yom Kippur, the holiest of holy days in the Jewish tradition.

Yom Kippur is a ‘day of atonement’ on which you confess, before the Book of Life is closed, all those things you have done in the last year that are sinful or you consider to be failings. And, in the Jewish tradition, you then can start with a clean slate for the new year.

Sounds like a good idea to me.

On Yom Kippur, even the least observant Jew acknowledged the occasion and all markets and industry were closed. That means, of course, for the money changers and the merchants, this is a day when they are not making any money. . .

not a shekel!

Since most of the merchants were of the noble class, Amos is particularly hard on them

. . .and they are not too happy to have the straggly-bearded, bombastic old man once again slandering them.

They would just as soon he would fall in a hole somewhere and disappear forever. I imagine this is probably like the feeling many folks in Columbus had about that street preacher.

In the time of Amos’ prophesying, money and wealth were considered rewards from God for living a righteous life. This is not unlike the 'Prosperity ministry' a number of modern-day preachers are extolling today (and getting very rich themselves doing so!) "The more you have, the more God loves you" is their common mantra. "If you are doing well, it shows God’s approval. . . God wants you to have a big house and fancy car and pleasure yacht!"

But Amos seems determined to tear down that cultural norm.

Just as in the Parable of the Unjust Steward in the Gospel this morning, there are acceptable ways to accumulate wealth

. . . and there are other ways . .

What Amos is ranting about is the accumulation of wealth at the expense of:

the poor,
the homeless,
the hungry,
the ill,
the elderly ….

all of those who are without a voice, a protector, a way to provide for themselves.

I can imagine the merchants and nobles sitting around grousing because they could not open their shops, beating their breasts about the money they were losing, and plotting how to make up for it.

Aha, someone said,

"Let’s make the ephah small and the shekel great".

In other words, they were going to buy things with a light weight (the ephah was used as the weight when buying things and the shekel was used when selling things)and sell it with a heavy weight. In no time they would recover their losses from the holiday.

What a great idea!

Just like selling products more cheaply today…

products that are shoddy and easily fall apart,
and are made by someone on a poverty wage in a foreign country . . .

a practice that is also taking away the jobs of some of our neighbors
. . . causing them to need cheaper and cheaper products;
. . .an endless cycle demeaning honest work.

In addition, they were going to "buy the poor for silver" -- because the poor were so needy, they were going to be "righteous" and hire them for just enough money to keep them indebted. This brings to mind the old company houses that used to exist in coal mine towns or on large plantations during Reconstruction and even in Detroit in the early years of the auto industry.

It is what the World Bank is doing to many third world nations today, enabling them to only payback their interest and never any of the principle.

Were . . . and are . . . these people looking out for their neighbors . . .
or just lining their own pockets?

“And they bought the needy for the price of a pair of sandals”. . .

Think how distraught and desperate someone would have to be in order to be bought for such little money in order to have a pair of shoes to wear.

Even today the roads of the Holy Land are dusty and rocky and the weather is hot;
one must have sandals. In Biblical times, it was even more difficult to navigate those roads and paths, so sandals were an essential part of life.

How arrogant and cruel to indenture another human being for such a small thing as sandals.

Or today,

for food stamps . . .
or a used winter coat . . .
or a ramshackled tenement to live in.

But, isn’t that what we, as a society, are doing today when we hook people on welfare – giving them just enough to subsist but not enough to make a better life.

Even our soldiers risking their lives in the Middle East are only getting an average of $1500 a month in wages, forcing their wife and children to depend on their families for help just to exist.

Should Amos be railing at us about this situation?

I think he would be standing on the top of the Capitol Dome in Washington yelling his lungs out!!

Amos warns that if the Israelites don’t change their ways, there is going to be rumblings of the earth and upheavals like the flooding of the Nile. Maybe he meant

that the oppressed would rise up,
there would be much dissention and moving about in the streets,
and people would be protesting against unjust conditions.

Does any of that sound familiar?

Been watching TV lately?

God remembers the sins of the mighty against his lowly. And there will be retribution. Amos warns that all this ill-gotten gain is going to naught; it will be no more.

And they will be left monetarily poor and their souls will be bankrupt.

The righteous can always look to God for assurance, but those with no souls have no source of succor.

Individual sins and national sins will be atoned by God. And there will be retribution.

And there shall be great mourning among those who forsake righteousness for their own greed. The famine will be a famine of the soul; many times they had the opportunity to listen to the prophets calling them short, but now they are past the time of grace. Theirs will be a life of sorrow and the Kingdom of God will be taken from them.

In verse 12, Amos foretold: “They shall wander from sea to sea, from north to east; they shall run to and fro, seeking the world of the Lord, but they shall not find it.

I want you to take a minute and consider what is going on in the Middle East right now. . . who are the greedy?

Who is trampling down the poor and needy?

Who is profiting while the majority of the people are going without water and electricity and health care?

Who is sitting in Saudi palaces or coastal mansions and sprawling ranches while their brothers and sisters are living amidst violence, disease, misery, and chaos of their making?

Have we become those to Amos’ prophecy? are we they?

Do we sit here, fat, dumb and happy, because our economy is growing due to the wealth generated by big business as it wages war? Because our earthly stock is going up?

Mark 16:9 says “lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal”.

Do we do nothing because we think we are only one person and can do nothing to affect world problems?

Do we shrug and say “it is out of our hands”?

A renown 19th century clergy, Reverend Everett Hale, said it so well:

I am only one,
But still I am one.
I cannot do everything,
But still I can do something;
And because I cannot do everything
I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.

Parable of the Lost Sheep and Lost Coin

2007-09-17T15:29:00.000-04:00

(delivered at Lindley Assisted Living Center, 16 September 2007)

The Gospel According to Luke, 15:1-10

You will have noticed that we have been hearing a lot of parables in the last couple months. We are currently reading from The Gospel According to Luke, and parables are one of Jesus' favorite means of teaching.

Today, we again have a parable that is really two parables, but concentrate on the same teachings.

In the first part of this parable, a shepherd finds that one of his 100 sheep has wandered off. We need to remember that a herd of only 100 sheep was pretty small and indicated that the shepherd was not of moderate means; each and every one of those sheep provided a livelihood for himself and food and clothing for his family.

So the shepherd goes off to find that one lost sheep. When he finds him he lifts him to his shoulders and rejoices that the lost has been found. He calls all his friends together to celebrate finding the lost sheep.

We all can remember those pictures we have seen since childhood of the shepherd with the sheep on his shoulder.

What a happy sight!

In the second part of this parable, a silver coin is lost. This coin was the equivalent to a day’s wages. That is a significant amount of money, even now. After turning the house upside down, turning over beds, and sweeping all the dust bunnies out of the corners, the woman finds the coin and rejoices. She too calls her neighbors together to celebrate that the lost has been found.

In each of these parables something of value is lost or misplaced.

Don’t you think that we are as valuable to God as the coin and sheep were to their owners?

We find throughout the Bible that Jesus is always associating with sinners: remember when he ate with the tax collectors and talked to women of ill repute.

Those were the people to whom Jesus brought the good news of God’s love and the path to salvation; these were the lost that would be celebrated when found. Even the angels celebrate when a sinner is found. God is far happier when one lost soul is found those nine-nine good souls.

We need to remember that God is diligently looking for sinners. We never escape his eyes. And he has sent disciples to show us the way. We meet them every day; they show us the way to repentance and salvation. God continues to sweep in every corners, round up the dust bunnies and turn over every stone to find those of us who have lost our way.

So, no matter how ‘lost’ we may feel, we can be assured that someone will come and ‘find’ us and show us the way. And when we repent, there is great rejoicing in Heaven,

Even the angels are dancing!

Services at Lindley

2007-09-04T15:19:00.001-04:00

Every other week members of the congregation of The Church of the Good Shepherd in Athens goes to the Lindley Inn Assisted Living Center for a service and hymn sing. We have an average of 10-20 people each time and they really seem to enjoy the service and hymns.

Most of these residents are Methodists and Presbyterians so we do an 'Episcopal Light' service with opening collect, a psalm, the Gospel reading and Eucharist. Lots of hymns are interspersed before we close with a hymn sing. It has given me a chance to sing all those oldy-moldy hymns that are not considered 'vogue' today. The first time I did the service, when we started singing, everyone stopped, cocked their heads and listened to me sing. Singing unprepared solos was not exactly what I had in mind --- guess I will have to go back to voice lessons. Now they are accustomed to my singing and we all sing together.

It is at the discretion of the person officiating as to whether they will deliver a homily or not; since I am supposed to be learning to preach, I have begun preparing a 'sermon-ette' based on one or all of the readings that makes a single point that they might then think about the rest of the week (I would hope).

I really think I get more out of the service than they do. And I have acquired a couple of 'gentlemen' friends who wouldn't miss the service for anything!
The average age of the communicants is probably at least 80, but they seem to enjoy the fellowship and certainly enjoy the hymn sing.

This ministry has become an integral part of my diaconal training and will be something that I carry with me for the rest of my life. In my dreams, I have envisioned being a chaplain at the assisted living center and this biweekly event has only reinforced how much I like to bring the love of God to older people. Hmmmm - is there a calling there?

If you check my blog on a regular basis, you will find those full-length sermons I do monthly as well as these little 'sermon-ettes' that I do at Lindley.

Blessings

The Parable of the Great Feast

2007-09-04T09:55:00.000-04:00

(delivered on 2 September 2007 at Lindley Inn Assisted Living Center, Athens, OH 2 Sep 2007)

The Gospel According to Luke (14, 1, 7-14)

In this Gospel reading, we again find Jesus teaching through a parable – but this time we get two for the price of one. But they both deal with the issue of hospitality.

Jesus is invited to Sabbath dinner at the home of a Pharisee; there are lots of important people there and they are all watching Jesus to see what he will do. These Pharisees were gathering information that will later be used in Jesus’ trial in Jerusalem.

At these feasts, the tables were usually arranged in three levels so that the most important people were at the elevated tables where they could see and be seen. When Jesus noticed that the invited guests were jockeying for the ‘best’ seats, he used a parable to speak of the quality of humility.

The people trying to get the best seats felt they deserved it because of their position/reputation. Or those people who wanted to be seen as important even if they weren’t . . . sort of guilt by association. This was the time before place cards, so there was a free-for-all as people arrived – each one trying to get the most visible and honored seat.

Jesus’ warning to them was to consider the embarrassment if the host had intended those seats for others and asked them to move.

Can you imagine how you would feel if you were seated where everyone could see you and then had to move to a lesser table?

Your ego would be deflated and you would certainly lose face in the eyes of the other guests.

But those who chose to sit in a lesser seat would not have to move -- or may even be invited by the host to sit at the higher table.

This parable speaks to the humility of God’s children. In ancient times, those seated at the lower tables were considered servants to the upper tables. So, those who chose to sit at the lower tables recognized that although they may have gifts and talents that warranted their sitting in a special place, they were humble enough to realize that these gifts and talents brought them no special treatment. They knew that service, especially service to God, was far more important than prestige.

In the second lesson, Jesus gives a warning to the host that he should not invite only his friends or people who would be obligated to return the favor, but ask those who did not have the means to invite him back in return. As is the custom today, when someone invites you to dinner, you have to reciprocate with an invitation. This is a social obligation which most people do not violate. So it becomes a tit-for-tat. If you want to be seen with prestigious people, invite them to a feast and then they will have to invite you.

But by including those who were poor, crippled, lame and blind, the host would be fulfilling Jesus’ reminder that ‘what you do for the least of these, you do to me’. There would be no expected return from the invitation.

From these parables, we are reminded that we should give back to God with those talents He has given us and we should care for those less fortunate than ourselves.

This is the way to Heaven.

Is That Door Really ‘Narrow’?

2007-08-29T19:46:00.001-04:00

delivered on 26 August 2007 at Church of the Good Shepherd, Athens, OH

The Gospel According to Luke (13:20-33)

The readings for today suggest that not everyone is going to be saved or go to Heaven. In Isaiah, people are told that even though they thought they had their immortality guaranteed, God was going to have His will. Making deals with the Devil was not going to save them; God would rise up and to smite down those who denied him.

This is not a new story – how many time did the Israelites get too big for their own good and end up on the wrong side of God?

Let’s see:

• I remember that they wandered around for forty years because they couldn’t take directions. . .

• and I seem to remember an exile in Egypt. . .

• and one in the land north of Samaria.

Seems like they never quite learned the lesson; when things got tough, they turned away from God to something that seemed to offer more security.

In Hebrews, we are reminded that through Jesus, God has become loving God, rather than the threatening and vengeful God of the Old Testament. Through Jesus we are welcomed into the heavenly Jerusalem. This Heavenly Jerusalem is best depicted in Revelation 21 as a place where God lives with his people, where he ‘wipes away every tear’ from our eyes, there is no death, no pain or suffering, no sorrow or crying. This new city of Jerusalem is a vision that defies our imagination. This jeweled city is without a temple because God is everywhere; the Holy Spirit is always with us, and we are with other believers. And this new Jerusalem will be all that is standing when the world crumbles. Anything built on the foundation of the teachings of Jesus and God’s love will remain while all else falls. All we have to do is follow Jesus to get in; nothing else can save us.

So, according to the readings so far, we are all sitting pretty. . .

We are Christians who love Jesus and try to follow his teachings. That means we are going to be saved and live in the New Jerusalem.

Right?

Well, Not exactly!

In the Gospel, we find Jesus traveling toward the worldly Jerusalem – the place where he will suffer and be crucified. . a far cry from the picture of the New Jerusalem in Hebrews and Revelation.

Although he knew where he was headed and what was going to happen, he continued on the road, preaching whenever a group of people gathered. Here was a man walking to his own death, but assuring throngs of others that God’s love was immeasurable and eternal if they would only follow Him.

I think, had that been me, I would have been inclined to run as fast as I could in the other way. And I think most other people would have too.

But not Jesus! He trudged on down that dusty road!

As Jesus was teaching, someone wanted to know who would be saved. If you remember the Parable of the Good Samaritan, the lawyer wanted to know how to be saved. Although we have learned that salvation is for everyone, our own human foibles cause us to question our own worthiness. So this was a question that Jesus got on a regular basis. Last time, in the Good Samaritan, Jesus asked who was our neighbor. This time he gets a little more specific about who will and won’t be saved.

We can all picture that narrow door, just wide enough for some to pass through but not for others. Jesus says the door to salvation is like that. But the ‘narrow’ is not whether you are fat or skinny; the ‘narrow’ is the focus of your belief and your desire to know and follow Jesus.

We all know some very prominent ‘Christians’ who wear their faith on their sleeve like a badge of honor – who say, ‘Look at me, I am the perfect Christian’. But in their private or non-public lives they live for their own selves and gathering of riches and fame. They may be outwardly ‘godly’ but are inwardly morally corrupt.

Do you think they are going to be in Heaven?

What did Jesus say about them in the Scriptures?

We can only be saved by the grace of God through his son, Jesus. Even the most lowly can enter the door if they have a true desire to follow Jesus; no amount of wealth or influence can buy our way into God’s love. Only through acknowledging our sinfulness and accepting God’s forgiveness can we enter that door. Listening to the words of Jesus or admiring his teachings are not enough

Let’s talk a minute about the ‘narrow’ door.

The narrowness of the door refers to the commitment in our own lives to turn away from sin and walk ‘the straight and narrow’. We all slip from this path from time to time, but all is not lost. Repenting and receiving God’s forgiveness gets us back through that narrow door. As many times as we sin, are we forgiven more than that.

Jesus says that there are many who expect to be in Heaven, who will not make it and there will be some you would not expect to be there.

The reference in the Gospel of east and west, north and south suggests that no one will be excluded who believes in God.

A common interpretation of this piece of scripture by renowned theologians suggests that even those who do not know Jesus, or have acknowledged him as a great rabbi but rejected him as the Messiah will still be saved. The people of the New Jerusalem will be the true people of Israel – those who are the people of God.

One of the most often quoted Scriptures is the last of this reading: ‘the last will be first and the first will be last’.

There are going to be surprises in God’s kingdom. People who are despised on earth will be greatly honored;

• might we find that smelly, homeless man
OR
• the person with a mental illness that makes us so uncomfortable that
we cross the street to avoid them?

Some individuals highly-respected on earth will be left standing outside the door. Those with wealth, influence and materials means may find themselves outside looking in;

• how about the pastor of a large megachurch who embezzled funds because
he felt he deserved it?

Only a person’s commitment to Christ gets you through the door. And only God knows what is really in our hearts.

So, the narrow door does not bar those who are too fat to fit through, but those who are not focusing their lives on following Jesus. By narrowing our eyes to Jesus, we are given the wideness of God’s mercy as we are reminded in the old hymn, There’s A Wideness in God’s Mercy:

There's a wideness in God's mercy
like the wideness of the sea;
there's a kindness in his justice,
which is more than liberty.
There is welcome for the sinner,
and more graces for the good;
there is mercy with the Savior;
there is healing in his blood.

How strong is your commitment to following Jesus?

Will you be standing outside the gate wailing or inside eating in the kingdom of God?

Each one of us needs to search our hearts and figure out where we will be standing. We never know when the time will come. . . it may be today or tomorrow.

Let us pray:

Dear Lord, please give us the strength to admit our faults and the forgiveness of thy loving mercy to enter into thy holy kingdom.

Amen

What Kind of Samaritan Are You?

2007-07-15T13:16:00.000-04:00

This was my first sermon at The Church of the Good Shepherd. Bill Carroll was on vacation and we couldn't get a supply priest so I officiated at a Rite II Morning Prayer.

The Gospel According to Luke (10:25-37)

Before I start, let me do a little introduction of the role of the Deacon in preaching.

For those of you who were here least Sunday, Rev David McCoy did a good job of embarrassing me, and setting some expectations that I hope I can meet. At the Anglican Academy, we preach as part of the diaconal training, but only to other diaconal students. I really would like your feedback on my sermons. This diocese has established a thing called a ‘deacon sermon’ which we are to preach. It differs from the priest’s sermon – we are supposed to make you feel a little (or lot) uncomfortable and challenge you to take action to make a difference in the world.

So, here we go!

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer.

Today’s Gospel of the Parable of the Good Samaritan is one of the best known of all Jesus’ parables. There probably isn’t anyone who ever attended Sunday School who can’t repeat this parable.

On the surface, this parable seems to address Jesus’ teachings that we are our brother’s keeper; we are to take care of others whenever they need help.

But there is much more in this little story than appears at first glance.

Let’s look at each of the characters:

The lawyer asks Jesus how he could have eternal life. Being a lawyer, he wanted a concrete list of "do's" that would guarantee he gets to Heaven. Jesus asks what the Jewish law says. Being a lawyer and a learned man, he recites the law:

• love the Lord with all your heart and all your soul and all your strength and all your mind;

• love your neighbor as yourself.

This fundamental law can be recited by most Christians and exists in similar form in almost all religions. It is the primary requirement for our relationship with God.

But, is being able to recite the law enough to get to Heaven?

The thieves saw an easy mark in the man on the road. They beat him, stripped him of his belongings and left him for dead. Maybe they were loving their neighbor as themselves, but I don’t think that is exactly what the law meant. Do you?

Along came a priest, someone who should be have been a living example of the law. Did he help the poor man? NO!! - he crossed the road so he would not have to see him. Whether he didn’t want to get his hands dirty or perceived he had something more important to do, he crossed to the other side of the road so he wouldn’t have to "see" him.

Enter the Levite – a member of one of the original tribes of Israel – the tribe who was responsible for religious functions. Now, wouldn’t you think that he would come to the aid of the man? After all, a Levite’s primary purpose in the community was to judge actions against the Jewish law and remind people of their obligations to God.

So, did he? NO!! – he crossed to the other side of the road so he would not have to deal with him. (Like being out of sight was out of mind – and therefore he had no responsibility).

The innkeeper saw the injured man, not as his neighbor, but as a source of revenue. Had the man appeared at this door without the Samaritan, he would have been turned away. The innkeeper had better things to do than care for a battered, bloody man who obviously had no money or means of payment. And this poor mangled man hanging around the inn would give his inn a bad name! This kind of trouble he did not need.

Then a Samaritan came along. Samaritans were the lowliest of all people to the Jews – they evolved from the intermarriage of the Jews with idol worshippers when they were exiled in the north. They were a reminder the Jews would prefer not to remember. They were so hated by the Jews that most would not even say their name.

(Did you notice that the lawyer could not bring himself to say ‘the Samaritan’ when asked by Jesus who was a neighbor)?

Samaritans were considered unclean and were to be avoided at all cost. Think about the story of Jesus and the woman at the well; remember the kind of grief he took from the disciples because he took water from her? We may not call them Samaritans today, but there are plenty of people who are outcast and marginalized that most people would cross the road to avoid. (Think about the homeless, mentally ill, non-Christians).

But are they not our neighbors?

The Samaritan, not caring that the man under any other circumstances would recoil from his touch, bandaged his wounds. Then he put him on his animal and took him to a nearby inn. . . a place where the Samaritan would probably not have been welcome, or would have had to enter through the back door (doesn't that sound familiar?) He tended the man until he had to leave; he gave the innkeeper money to see to his needs. He trusted that the innkeeper would do the right thing while he was gone; he promised to pay any additional expenses when he returned.

He was his brother’s keeper!

Where do we see ourselves in this parable?

Are we the priest or the Levite – so assured in our holiness . . . or too absorbed in our own lives?

Are we the lawyer – wanting a cookie cutter guide to Heaven, not willing to give up our own prejudices?

Or are we the Samaritan – someone who goes out on a limb, inconveniencing ourselves so that someone who has greater needs is ministered to?

Do we consider that all people are our neighbors?

Not just those who live in Athens or Columbus as I do. . . or Athens county and surrounds?

Or those who are Episcopalian . . . or Christian?

Jesus told us "the greatest of these is love" and showed us that love by his death on the cross . . . for his neighbors . . for all mankind.

There is no secret answer (even though the lawyer really wanted one). To the Samaritan, the man on the road was worth being cared for and loved.

Just as Jesus let us know by his death that all of us are worthy of dying for.

Amen.

A Message to the Church

2007-07-12T04:37:00.000-04:00

Edited version of a speech first given at the Claiming the Blessing
Conference, St. Louis, Missouri, November 8, 2002*

We are absolutely committed to this Church and we are absolutely committed to the Continuance of as broad a diversity—including theological—as is possible for us to maintain together. This commitment is, in part, a commitment to continued messiness and frustration … Liberals and conservatives, progressives and traditionalists, must learn to live together in this Church or there will be no Church in which for us to live. But learning to live together must mean “mutual deference” not moratoriums or some insistence that we all convert to being “moderates.”

My second message to the church at large is that we are not going anywhere. Gay and lesbian Christians make up a significant portion of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. We will continue to do so after General Convention 2003 no matter what happens. We will not attempt to get our way by threatening to leave. I ask those on all sides of this debate to make this commitment as well.

Now three comments especially for our conservative brothers and sisters.

First, we do not desire for you to go away. Yes, some sympathizers with our movement have said from time to time that it would be just as well if you did. Of course, some of yours have said the same about us. Let us together commit ourselves to finding every way possible to move forward with our debate without threatening either schism or purge. It is simply not necessary for us to do so.

Second, we do not desire to force same-sex blessings on you or anyone. We do desire to enable them in those places where the church is ready to receive them as a blessing but is not able to because of an understandable desire for some level of national recognition. Of course we will continue to work towards local communities desiring to bless same-sex unions. Of course you will work to keep them from doing so. We ought to be able to live with each other’s efforts on that level. Third, we do challenge you to stop scapegoating lesbian and gay Christians for every contemporary ill in the Church, particularly for our current state of disunity or the potential for the unraveling of the Anglican Communion.

You know as well as we do that the issues are far deeper than human sexuality. They are issues of scriptural interpretation and authority, including the very different polities that exist in different provinces of the Communion and whether or not local autonomy is a defining characteristic of Anglicanism. Issues of human sexuality are just one tip of that very large iceberg and if sexuality went completely away tomorrow, the iceberg would still be there.

This movement is not about getting our way or else. This movement is a means to further the healthy debate within the Church, to deepen it on a theological level, to begin to articulate how we see the blessing of same-sex unions as a part of the Church’s moving forward in mission rather than hindering mission. We believe that it is time for the church to claim the blessing found in the lives of its faithful lesbian and gay members and to further empower them for the mission of the Church. We are trying to find a way forward in this endeavor that holds as much of this church we love together as possible. We ask all our fellow-Episcopalians to join us even if they disagree with us.

The Reverend Michael Hopkins
Past-president of Integrity USA
Rector of St. Luke and St. Simon Cyrene, Rochester NY

* Thanks to Rev Susan Russell for making this available.

Questions and Answers with Davis Mac-Iyalla

2007-07-10T07:43:00.001-04:00

My partner, Karen, and I were fortunate enough to host Davis and Josh when they were at The Church of the Good Shepherd in Athens and St. Stephen's in Columbus. It was a wonderful experience and drove home the point that no matter how bad we feel we have it in the Episcopal Church, there are others whose lives are literally in danger for being an openly gay Christian.

Let us all pray for those who could lose their lives for having the courage to be open about how God created them.

The link below is for a question and answer session with Davis at St. Thomas' Episcopal Parish on the Fourth of July.

Link

We Are Part of the Seventy

2007-07-09T19:04:00.001-04:00

Mini-sermon delivered at Lindley Assisted Living Center - Athens, OH on 8 July 2007

Based on Luke 10:1-12, 16-20.

Our Gospel today can be considered part of the ‘Great Commission'.

Now we all know about the twelve disciples and Jesus’ instructions for them to go out and preach the gospel. But those twelve men were not going to be able to do it all. So Jesus appointed seventy other men to go out and preach the good news of Jesus’ resurrection and our salvation.

He told those seventy to leave their homes with nothing. . . no purse, no bags and no shoes. Can you imagine walking all over Israel and Judea and the Middle East with no shoes on??

Jesus instructed them to enter a village and greet whomever they met, giving them the peace. If the people responded back, they were to stay there and preach the Gospel. If the village was not friendly, shake the dirt off their feet, leave the village with a curse warning them they would suffer more than Sodom and Gomorrah.

And we all know what happened to Sodom.

So this group of seventy men went forth and preached the good news. When they returned to Jesus, they were so proud of the things that they had accomplished. But Jesus admonished them not to take personal glory in their work, but to remember that they did it for Jesus and for God.

Just as Jesus sent out the seventy, so we are part of those seventy --- it is our job to preach the Gospel and teach the good news. To those we love, and those we know, and those we will meet in the future.

We are a part of those seventy.

Amen.

What Is It and Is It Worth It?

2007-07-04T21:02:00.000-04:00

This reflection was written for a May assignment as part of my diaconal studies.

Britannica defines ‘communion’ as “an act or instance of sharing” or “intimate fellowship or rapport”. It also references “a body of Christians having a common faith and discipline (i.e., the Anglican communion). The key is ‘sharing and fellowship’. But we don’t see a lot of fellowship or sharing in the Anglican Communion at the moment.

The motto of the Anglican Communion, Hάλήθεια έλευθερώσει ΰμãς ("The truth will set you free"), is a quotation from John 8:32. Until recent events, the communion was held together by a shared history expressed in its ecclesiology, polity, and ethos, and by participation in international consultative bodies. Unlike the Roman Catholic Church, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Anglican Communion’s titular head, has no real power to define or restrict the activities of a constituent member. Unlike the pope, he cannot discipline; all he can do is try to influence each member.

Recent events in The Episcopal Church and Anglican Church of Canada have strained that relationship. Consecration of a gay bishop, full inclusion of gays and lesbians and the blessing of same-sex committed relationships have caused some members of the Anglican Communion to determine that TEC and the Anglican Church of Canada are ‘out of communion’ with the Anglican Communion.

The Windsor Report was an attempt to define how members of the communion could co-exist, each with some individuality but also with some commonality. The TEC and Canadian response to the Windsor Report did not satisfy the most conservative members of the Communion. Demands have been made by members of the Southern Cone and the Convocation of Anglicans in North America (CANA) during the latest primate’s meeting at Dar es Salaam have given TEC a timeline for ‘repenting’ and changing decisions made by the General Convention, House of Deputies and House of Bishops.

Not waiting for TEC to ‘come around’, the Archbishops of Nigeria, Rwanda and Southern Cone have established missionary parishes in the United States "to provide a safe place for those who wish to remain faithful Anglicans but can no longer do so within the Episcopal Church as it is currently being led." And the consecration of Martyn Minns as bishop of CANA certainly does nothing constructive in trying to maintain a sense of communion.

But what is this really all about? It is the age-old issue of the power of patriarchy. Inclusion of previously marginalized children of God has CANA and the Southern Cone worried. Using biblical verses, these two major conservative members of the Anglican Communion are beating up anyone who does not agree totally with them and march to their drummer. There is nothing inclusive about the beliefs of these groups. Agreeably, the church in Nigeria has a serious threat from the Muslims which compromise the largest religious group in Nigeria. But one does not shore up their foundation by excluding any group of people from the fellowship. For the most part, these Biblical-based Anglicans espouse the Old Testament and do not follow the teaching of Jesus.

So why do we want to remain within the Anglican Communion? That is a really good question. There are many within TEC who have reached the point that they no longer see the need for being a member of a communion (‘organization of shared interests and beliefs’) where one or two groups are trying to dictate the actions of the entire organization. Our Presiding Bishop is walking a fine line between honoring the polity of TEC (particularly our baptismal covenant) and trying to maintain conversation with the rest of the Anglican Communion. She knows we cannot reach any type of common ground if we are not at the table talking and listening.

But when Archbishop Akinola deems that the Archbishop of Canterbury is ‘out of communion’, what chance is there that there will ever be any consensus while the current parties are involved. Suspicions are that Akinola wants to be named Archbishop of the ‘true Anglican Communion’; and he is working hard at consecrating bishops to give him more numbers at the 2008 Lambeth Conference. He well knows there is power in numbers (sometimes).

Although given until the end of September to fall in line, the House of Bishops has definitively declined two of the demands made by the primates. Interestingly, there have been some primates who acknowledged that the demands are not embraced by all members of the Anglican Communion.

Does TEC want to stay in the Anglican Communion? The opposition does not have the power to expel us and we are not going to walk away. Much of the funding that TEC gives to lesser countries has been done through the Anglican Communion in the past. Plans are underway by church officials to deliver the same amount of aid directly to the needy. That was my one concern with possibly not being a member of the Anglican Communion.

So, is it worth the tumult and rhetoric to stay in the Anglican Communion? I am not one to quit and we really can’t be kicked out, but at some point the decision makers of TEC are going to have to answer that question.

Post reflection: Now there are additional bishops and suffragan Bishops representing Rwanda and Uganda. My guess is that there will be several more before September.

The Executive Committee has refused to knuckle into the demands of the Primates (God bless them all!). We will have to see what happens when the House of Bishops meet with the Archbishop of Canterbury in September. Maybe then we will know the answer.

Garrison Keillor on Episcopalians

2007-07-02T12:36:00.000-04:00

(Adapted from an essay by Garrison Keillor)

We make fun of Episcopalians for their blandness, their excessive calm, their fear of giving offense, their lack of speed and also for their secret fondness for macaroni and cheese. But nobody sings like them. If you were to ask an audience in Des Moines, a relatively Episcopalianless place, to sing along on the chorus of "Michael Row the Boat Ashore," they will look daggers at you as if you had asked them to strip to their underwear. But if you do this among Episcopalians, they'd smile and row that boat ashore and up on the beach! ....And down the road!

Many Episcopalians are bred from childhood to sing in four-part harmony, a talent that comes from sitting on the lap of someone singing alto or tenor or bass and hearing the harmonic intervals by putting your little head against that person's rib cage. It's natural for Episcopalians to sing in harmony. We are too modest to be soloists, too worldly to sing in unison.

When you're singing in the key of C and you slide into the A7th and D7th chords, all two hundred of you, it's an emotionally fulfilling moment. By our joining in harmony, we somehow promise that we will not forsake each other.

I do believe this, people: Episcopalians, who love to sing in four-part harmony, are the sort of people you could call up when you're in deep distress. If you are dying, they will comfort you. If you are lonely, they'll talk to you. And if you are hungry, they'll give you tuna salad!

Episcopalians believe in prayer, but would practically die if asked to pray out loud. Episcopalians like to sing, except when confronted with a new hymn or a hymn with more than four stanzas.

Episcopalians believe their rectors will visit them in the hospital, even if they don't notify them that they are there.

Episcopalians usually follow the official liturgy and will feel it is their way of suffering for their sins.

Episcopalians believe in miracles and even expect miracles, especially during their stewardship visitation programs or when passing the plate.

Episcopalians feel that applauding for their children's choirs will not make the kids too proud and conceited.

Episcopalians think that the Bible forbids them from crossing the aisle while passing the peace.

Episcopalians drink coffee as if it were the Third Sacrament.

Episcopalians feel guilty for not staying to clean up after their own wedding reception in the Fellowship Hall.

Episcopalians are willing to pay up to one dollar for a meal at church.

Episcopalians still serve Jell-O in the proper liturgical color of the season and Episcopalians believe that it is OK to poke fun at themselves and never take themselves too seriously.

And finally, you know you are a Episcopalian when:

It's 100 degrees, with 90% humidity, and you still have coffee after the service.

You hear something really funny during the sermon and smile as loudly as you can.

Donuts are a line item in the church budget, just like coffee.

When you watch a Star Wars movie and they say, "May the Force be with you," and you respond, "and also with you."

And lastly, it takes ten minutes to say good-bye . . . .

Deacons told to explore new opportunities for ministry

2007-06-27T08:56:00.000-04:00

Presiding Bishop offers keynote address at biennial conference of U.S. and Canadian deacons
By Kim Forman, June 26, 2007

[Episcopal News Service] Deacons are called to be the "nags of the church," Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori told the biennial Conference of the North American Association for the Diaconate (NAAD) on June 22 at their meeting in Seattle. Reflecting the Conference theme, "Being There, Mission for a New Millennium," she encouraged the assembled deacons to explore new opportunities for ministry.

The three-day Conference opened June 21 with an evening address by Bishop Vincent Warner of the host Diocese of Olympia, and included seven workshops on topics such as the deacon in the liturgy, prison ministry, health ministry, community organizing, the Millennium Development Goals, and the practice of wellness. There were also a number of opportunities for corporate worship, including a Eucharist at St. Mark's Cathedral with Olympia Bishop Suffragan Nedi Rivera as celebrant.

Jefferts Schori's keynote address to the biennial conference drew a capacity crowd of local guests and some 220 deacons from across the United States and Canada to the campus of Seattle University.

In introducing the Presiding Bishop, Deacon Susanne Watson Epting, executive director of NAAD, noted that Jefferts Schori, before her election, had said that if people wanted to think about new church starts, they should talk to deacons because "deacons know where the church is needed."

Commenting on the theme of "Being There," Epting noted that "when we put the emphasis on 'there,' it's often where deacons are: in places of need; in places outside the church's walls; in places where others forget that people should be defined not only by their needs, but by their gifts."

"As we look toward a third-millennium church and a renewed sense of mission," Jefferts Schori said, "I want to ask you deacons, and the rest of the church, about new ways in which deacons could be sent out."

Reminding them of their ordination vows, she said deacons are called to serve the poor, weak, sick, the lonely and those who have no other helpers and to interpret the needs and hopes of the world to the church.

The ministry of deacons, she explained, is one of urgency about the starving and homeless and also about "the full humanity and dignity of those in all sorts of prisons, whether legal ones, nursing homes or hospices, as well as the prisons we build through prejudice about race, gender, physical and mental ability, sexual orientation, national origin and so many others."

Jefferts Schori asked the deacons to think about service to people "captive to a consumerist society" or "caught up in the rat race of jobs or shopping or keeping up with the neighbors" and about "forming communities of faith and transformation among co-workers or fellow commuters or soccer parents."

"Where is the good news going unheard?" she asked. "Who are the hungry in spirit? Whose needs and concerns and hopes are not being addressed?"

The church is recovering the ancient ministry of deacons focused on service connected to the ministry of a bishop "despite the fact that some dioceses have not yet or not fully embraced the ministry of deacons," she said. "But I want to push us to see those ministries as far more interconnected than we have tended to see them in the past."

The church in this millennium will be less tied to buildings than in the past, she predicted, because young people hunger for a spirituality of practice rather than a spirituality of place.

Deacons may have to convert the rest of the church to recognize the need for recruiting, training and assigning younger deacons to work with the younger generation, she said. "We need to begin to see those gifts in teen-agers. You know the kinds of gifts necessary and I challenge you to start looking among the youngsters you meet."

"Deacons should not only be middle-aged, silver-haired, retired or independently wealthy," she told a room filled with many of those traits, drawing laughter and applause.

The Presiding Bishop offered the deacons a five-point model of mission developed by the Anglican Consultative Council, the Anglican Communion's main legislative body. That model, she said, has been "around for about 20 years, but [is] little known in the Episcopal Church."

It includes: (1) To proclaim the good news of the kingdom; (2) To teach, baptize and nurture new believers; (3) To respond to human need by loving service; (4) To seek to transform unjust structures of society; and (5) To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth."

Calling them "the elements of God's mission in which we participate," Jefferts Schori offered examples of each. Some deacons are working on environmental issues, she said "nudging and prodding and nagging the rest of the world to wake up to the suffering implicit in our lack of care for creation, but there is abundant opportunity for more ministry there."

Concluding 45 minutes of formal remarks, Jefferts Schori asked "Now what do you want to talk about?" which sparked an animated conversation with the deacons.

The first question was about her reference to deacons nagging and how that could be done on the local "grass roots level."

"If half of the dioceses of the church are represented here, as I am told," she said, "you represent a critical mass and person-by-person you can make a difference, you can change things."

Walking around the room with a hand-held microphone for more than an hour, Jefferts Schori responded to more than 30 other questions and comments on church canons, education standards, scholarships, networking, pensions and conflict.

"Despite the headlines you read," she said, only about 45 churches out of 7,600 have left the Episcopal Church for alternate jurisdictions within the Anglican Communion.

"Yes, we have conflict," she said. "Yes we have always had conflict in the church."
She listed past disputes between Gentiles and Jews in the early church and over slavery, native Americans and other minorities, over the place of women and children in the church, "but we have much more in common and we need to reach out to each other and build on that."

When a delegate asked how deacons could work with priests or bishops who don't recognize and use their skills and gifts, Jefferts Schori quipped, "Sometimes it's much easier to ask forgiveness than permission."

Several delegates thanked the Presiding Bishop for attending their conference and voiced appreciation for her insights and support.

Kent McCall of Kansas City said Jefferts Schori "appreciates deacons and what we do, and there are lots of people who don't. She is very intellectual, wise and charismatic. Now we know why she was elected."

Emily Morales, a priest from Puerto Rico, said, "I was very impressed with her wisdom in dealing with the issues" and for Jefferts Schori's support of a school opening there in August with 11 deacon candidates.

Three deacons ordained last December in Los Angeles -- Margaret McCauley, Walter Johnson and Christine Nevarez -- talked about the Presiding Bishop's encouragement "to go beyond our comfort zone and work for change" for ethnic minorities and youth.

"I especially liked what she said about always being hopeful and filled with unlimited possibility if we can think outside the box," Johnson said.

An important feature of the Conference was the June 22 presentation of the awards for the "Recognition of Diaconal Ministry in the Tradition of St. Stephen." Begun in 1995, these awards are given to no more than one deacon from any diocese, who must be endorsed by the diocesan bishop. A total of 25 deacons received this prestigious award in 2007.

At the same ceremony, the Bishop George Clinton Harris Award for outstanding service was presented posthumously to Northern Michigan Bishop Jim Kelsey, and was accepted by Deacon Tina Maki of the diocese, who was also a Stephen Award recipient. Begun in 2001, Kelsey was the fourth recipient of this award. Kelsey, bishop representative on the NAAD Board, died in an auto accident June 3 while returning from a parish visitation. The Bishop George Clinton Harris Award had been planned before his death.

At the NAAD Business meeting, elections to the board, completed earlier by mail ballot, were confirmed by the membership. Deacon Barbara Bishop from the Diocese of Chicago, NAAD's vice president/president elect for the past two years, was elected president. Tina Campbell of Northern California and Pam Nesbitt of Pennsylvania were elected as new members of the NAAD board. Bishop J. Michael Garrison of the Diocese of Western New York, was elected to fill the bishop slot on the board. The Ven. Jim Upton, a former board member and former Archdeacon of the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas, died on June 17 at his home in Newton, Kansas, following his re-election to the board. He was the third significant NAAD leader to die in recent months.

Br. Justus Van Houten SSF, who was president of NAAD from 1995-97, died suddenly in Papua New Guinea last year.

Dutton Morehouse, editor of the NAAD quarterly "Diakoneo," said attendance at this conference was 100 more than any in recent memory. The next conference will be held in 2010 but no location has been selected.

-- The Rev. Kim Forman is a retired Episcopal priest and freelance journalist in the Diocese of Olympia.
Copyright © 2007 Episcopal Life Online

My Note: This is similar to what Bishop Thomas Breidenthal told us at our Deacons' Retreat -- we were to be subversive and a thorn in the side of the parishes where we serve as well as the diocese. Our calling is to let neither become complacent.

This is Jesus...We Gotta Talk About This Christian Soldier Thing

2007-06-27T08:49:00.000-04:00

In this day when we are all consumed with sex, there are things going on in the world that we should be concentrating on. . .

June 27, 2007 at 07:07:24
This is Jesus... We Gotta Talk About This Christian Soldier Thing.
by Dennis Diehl
http://www.opednews.com

Ok, this is Jesus, we gotta talk!

"ONITSHA, Nigeria (Reuters) - Christian youths burned the corpses of Muslims on Thursday on the streets of Onitsha in southeastern Nigeria, the city worst hit by religious riots that have killed at least 146 people across the country in five days.
Christian mobs, seeking revenge for the killings of Christians in the north, attacked Muslims with machetes, set fire to them, destroyed their houses and torched mosques in two days of violence in Onitsha, where 93 people died.

"We are very happy that this thing is happening so that the north will learn their lesson," said Anthony Umai, a motorcycle taxi rider, standing close to where Christian youths had piled up the corpses of 10 Muslims and were burning them."

Guys! Guys! This Christian soldier thing has to stop before everyone gets killed in Jesus name amen! There is no such thing as a Christian Soldier. It's a bad song and it should never have been written. I don't want Christians marching onward anymore. They are giving me a very bad name and creeping everyone on the planet out! Please, you gotta stop "Marching as to war", and no where, even in that hymn does any Christian get to pile up the dead and burn them! It's just an analogy.

Please, put down the "with the cross of Jesus" and let's rethink some of the great stuff I wrote that somewhat goes against what you seem to be up to. Put the Cross down and let's march ahead with say...oh, food! Yes, let's bring people food! Or how about "with the hugs of Jesus, going on before?" That works great. Let's change the words.

"Onward all us nice guys, walking not like thugs With some food from Jesus, and a bunch of hugs. Jesus, he just loves you, wants you to be free. Forward with the fooooooood, here's a hug for thee.

Onward Christian nice guys, making not a fuss With some food from Jesus and some hugs from us.

Onward then you nice guys, boy we like you too Here, how can we help you, do what you can do? We are here to love you, help you all we can. Let's just build some pla-ay ground, someone bring some sand.

Onward Christian nice guys, here's some food for you Gosh we're just so haaaappy, thanks for all you do."

Something like that. Anything but what you're singin!
Hey remember when I said, "Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy?" Can we just wallow in that one for a bit before you go out again tonight?
Please, I'm not the royal Master marching against my foes. I don't do foes anymore! Put the damn cross thing down now! Wow, am I having a bad day up here reading about you guys! My Father is just looking at me like "do something," but you guys have to do it on your own or you won't learn anything from me. They are not the foe! No one is the foe! Foe St. Pete sake, stop!!!

Please, do not "like a mighty army, moves the Church of God anymore either. You're giving us all a really bad name. Atheist's and agnostics are having a field day with this stuff. It's ok if you don't "tread where the saints of trod." They did way too much treading where I never wanted them to tread and way too many people got squished when I never intended that!

Oh and please stop with the "we are not divided, all one body weeeeeeeeeeee" stuff. You haven't agreed on one thing since the day started singing that song. You're killing me along with anyone that evidently that gets in your Christian way. You're all divided an you know it. Satan hightailed it up here real fast and has been laughing his ass off at me all day over this stuff. You're not "one in hope and doctrine" and for God's sake, sorry Dad, you're certainly not "one in chariteeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee." I wish you were. You're not a happy throng. You're a crazy one! I don't want anyone to blend their voices with yours in any triumph song. We're not trying to win anything here. I don't need you to win for me. I'm not playing!

So please guys, let's stop marching as to war and like a mighty armying! They are just people...PEOPLE. They have families, they want to feel safe, they need a place to live and a job to keep them going. You're all the same! Jeeeeeeeez, don't worry I can take my own name in vain if I want to, this is really bad stuff!
Rodney! Where is Rodney King? Rodney you tell 'em. "Can't we all just get along? Excellent Rodney! That's the whole point of what I was getting at! Gabriel, put what Rodney just said into the next Sermon on the Mount update. And be sure to give him full credit!

Oh I'm so upset. Satan, bring me a beer, I gotta catch my breath. Cancel my calls for the day. Gosh, save me from my own followers.

In Me...Your Friend,
Jesus-Prince of Peace

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dennis_Diehl

Dennis Diehl is a former pastor of 26 years, who outgrew the Literalism of Fundamentalism. He writes about Pastoral and Church abuse and is available to speak on such topics or be helpful to any church suffering under abusive religion or pastors.

_______________________________________
Copyright © OpEdNews, 2002-2007

2007-06-26T22:41:00.000-04:00

June Graduations Beg The Question: What Is Our Future?
by Joan Chittister

It’s happening everywhere, I know. But I learned last week not to take it for granted. In fact, it may well be our major problem and it is hiding in plain sight.With a measure of curiosity short of nostalgia but greater than personal interest, I found myself watching a series of local high school graduations on the public service channel last week. Why I paused — and stayed — on that particular channel, I’ll never know. But I’m glad it happened.

It was, in fact, a veritable “taste of America” moment that I haven’t seen too often since I left the scholastic world years ago. The graduates were combed, washed, heeled and proper. No goon show kids here. They wore their mortarboards flat and undecorated. Their gowns were pressed and glowing. Their smiles were broad, proud, satisfied.

One group of these graduates was from a collegiate prep school; the other from a local comprehensive high school that stresses technical proficiency and professional skills. Both groups were attentive, well mannered and, as teachers love to say, “a credit to their schools.” If such a display of achievement and conduct has any meaning to it at all, it must indicate that our schools are putting out young adults who will fit into this society well, who will surely succeed in life as we have shaped it for them.

But that is exactly what made the whole scene so uncomfortable, even troubling.

According to researcher Christopher Swanson using data collected in 2003 and released June 6 by the national daily, USA Today, this country graduates only 69.6 percent of the four million students admitted to its high schools yearly.

What’s worse, he points out, the largest school districts in the United States graduate even less than that of every potential graduation class every year. Three of them — Detroit, Baltimore and New York City — graduate fewer than 40 percent of the pupils they enroll in ninth grade. Eleven other urban school districts, the same research reports, have on-time graduation rates lower than 50 percent; they include Milwaukee, Cleveland, Los Angeles, Miami, Dallas, Denver and Houston.

There are those who dispute the figures, of course. Lawrence Mishel of the Economic Policy Institute argues that Swanson’s numbers fail to take into account the number of students held back in order to complete state exit exams or to take advanced work. Whether they actually ever do that or not he does not report, but he does insist that U.S. high schools graduate at least 80 percent of a four year student body. On the other hand, the New York Post reported May 22 that Mayor Bloomberg was ecstatic to be able to announce that New York City graduation rates had reached 60 percent this year.

Whatever the precise national figures, the question this year’s graduation videos raised in me remains: Where are the rest of the graduates? Where are the one million students we lose every year who do not get diplomas, who do not graduate, who are not prepared for any kind of higher education or professional advancement? What do they look like? What do they read? How do they vote? What issues concern them? What are they going to do in life? And what does that have to do with the rest of us?

There are lots of things to worry about in this world. If you have any kind of insight at all you know that the Middle East can blow sky high at any moment. “The first battle of World War III,” some called the invasion of Iraq and who would deny that tag with any degree of confidence now.

And the war in Iraq gets worse by the day. Did we really “liberate” these people or did we simply unleash the factors within that country that had been held in check by Saddam Hussein for years and that are free now to destabilize the entire Middle East?

Is war the only way forward in this tinder-box world? And if not, who is there who will develop a better way?

The immigration situation is no small issue now, as well. Is the question of undocumented aliens only a new kind of indentured servitude? Are illegal workers simply one more population of people held hostage to an economic system that pays them little for their service and keeps them hidden in a system that uses them but refuses to recognize them.

The loss of the middle class, the increasing number of families falling below the poverty line, the lack of universal health insurance, the outsourcing of U.S. jobs to other countries are all domestic matters that signal a change in the quality of life in the United States. What will life look like in a few short years for those who are not the mega rich?

And most of all, in what way will the 7,000 students who drop out of school in the major cities of the United States every day of the school year influence any of those answers?

Maybe instead of spending more money on weapons, more money on walls designed to seal our borders, more money on high tech spying and technological Big Brother houses, we should spend more money on teachers, more money on schools, more money on day care and Head Start programs, more money on tutors, more money on organized inner city youth programs, more money on adult training centers, more money on subsidized higher education.

Then, maybe we wouldn’t have to worry so much about our borders. Then maybe we wouldn’t have to complain so much that we have to struggle to understand our computer technicians because they’re all in India now. Then maybe U.S. culture would become as desirable to the rest of the world as U.S. money is. Then maybe we’d really have a culture worth sharing with the rest of the world instead of the daily reruns of “Dallas” and the menu of masochistic murder stories that are our hallmark around the world now.

It looks to me as if our enemies are not so much from outside of us as from within. What we have ignored for the sake of military superiority — the education of a population capable of bettering the rest of the world as well as ourselves — is costing us dearly now.

From where I stand it seems as if history may indeed repeat itself. Especially when we’re not looking. Ask the Romans.

A Benedictine Sister of Erie, Joan Chittister is a best-selling author and well-known international lecturer on topics of justice, peace, human rights, women’s issues, and contemporary spirituality in the Church and in society. She presently serves as the co-chair of the Global Peace Initiative of Women, a partner organization of the United Nations, facilitating a worldwide network of women peace builders, especially in the Middle East.

Published on Tuesday, June 26, 2007 by The National Catholic Reporter
© 2007 The National Catholic Reporter

And Who Wins?

2007-06-25T13:33:00.000-04:00

Compliments of www.cartoonchurch.com

2007-06-25T12:43:00.000-04:00

Deacons as mission scouts

This comes from the blog That We All May Be One, by Bishop Christopher Epting, TEC's ecumenical officer:

Deacons, Mission, and New Church Starts

It’s a joy for me to be an observer at the annual conference of the North American Association for the Diaconate meeting at the beautiful Seattle University here in the Pacific Northwest. A couple of hundred participants were addressed this morning by Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori on the topic of mission.

Those who persist in believing that the Presiding Bishop (or the Episcopal Church) now defines the mission of the Church exclusively in terms of the Millennium Development Goals will be pleased to know that her framework for today’s presentation were the Five Marks of Mission defined by the Anglican Consultative Council. (Google “Five Marks of Mission” to see them listed).

I think I was most struck by the PB’s challenge to the deacons (and the Church) to be about the mission of this 3rd Millennium Church in new ways. For example, rather than deciding on “new church starts” by demographic analyses, income predictions, even ethnicity, how about having deacons (and others) tell us where the gospel most needs to be heard and establish new communities of faith there!

Young people, she correctly pointed out, are less concerned about a “spirituality of place” and more interested in a “spirituality of practice.” New church starts and indeed the Church of the future may be less concerned with buildings and more concerned with incarnating God’s mission.

I’ve been following the so-called “emergent church” movement lately and that certainly seems to be among the distinctive characteristics of these young people. In any case, as a longtime supporter of the diaconate, I was energized by the thought of these devoted deacons — who are in their ordination vows pledged to “interpret the needs of the world to the Church” — providing much-needed guidance to bishops and dioceses seriously interested in planting new churches which can actually be communities engaged in “restoring all people to unity with God and each other in Christ.

Posted by deniray mueller 25 June 2007