Not Another Episcopal Church Blog

Who Has the Authority Anyway?

2012-01-29T14:32:00.000-05:00

Today's Gospel reading was all about Jesus' authority,

"They went to Capernaum; and when the sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and taught. They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, and he cried out, ‘What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.’ But Jesus rebuked him, saying, ‘Be silent, and come out of him!’ And the unclean spirit, throwing him into convulsions and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, ‘What is this? A new teaching—with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.’ At once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee." Mark 1:21-28

As Fr. Diggs pointed out in his sermon, this authority that came into the world was and is badly needed to teach and heal those who are most in need of healing, the broken, the sick, or in other words, us. These words may not have sat well with some of the pewsitters, and may not have roused the sleepy ones, but Fr. Diggs spoke strongly, as one with authority for, as he put it, "the Gospel of Jesus the Christ," and he should be commended for his attempt to get us to do likewise.

One thing the story of the casting out of the unclean spirit pointed out to me is that in the present day, while we give a lot of lip-service to being "spiritual" (which I might take to mean that we desire and work to create in ourselves a clean spirit, or try to "tune in" to the spiritual world), and we would like to think of our spirits as being pure, and only in need of a little fine tuning, we wind up discounting the whole notion of unclean or evil spirits. If there are no unclean spirits, then our spirits are not in danger and have no need to be purified or redeemed. This leads to the inevitable conclusion that there is no need for a redeemer, no need for a teacher, no need for one with authority.

Perhaps our innermost desire is to do the work of the Holy Spirit for ourselves, to cleanse our spirits, but in so doing, we set ourselves up as our own authoritative ones.

"I am the centre of the world; where the horizon is depends on where I stand... Education may make my self-centredness less disastrous by widening my horizon of interest; so far it is like climbing a tower, which widens the horizon for physical vision, while leaving me still the centre and standard of reference." William Temple on original sin. Christianity and Social Order, 1942 pp36-37. (From "Basic Christianity" by John Stott 1958)

Living as my own center of reference leaves me with an image of living in a very cold and hollow house, one of my own creation.

From naked stones of agonyI will build a house for me;
As a mason all aloneI will raise it, stone by stone,
And every stone where I have bled
Will show a sign of dusky red.
I have not gone the way in vain,
For I have good of all my pain;
My spirit's quiet house will be
Built of naked stones I trodOn
roads where I lost sight of God.
(Spirit's House By Sara Teasdale )[American (Missouri & New York) poet, 1884-1933.]

Especially now, in this day and age when we believe that we can build our own shelter from life's pain and suffering but not from those unclean spirits that the ancients believed in, we need an external authority, an annoited one who can take away the bloodied stones of our house, tearing down the walls that we have put up. Walls which may be unintentionally keeping our Saviour out.

Pearls From Mere Anglicanism 2012

2012-01-25T00:00:00.000-05:00

January's "Mere Anglicanism 2012" provided an excellent opportunity for clergy and laity from all over the world to meet, greet, and learn a bit about "The Once and Future Church."

For a lay person, there are always pearls to take home from such a conference. Papers are presented, things that are not commonly discussed such as Anglican history are given ample time and detail, and being in a prayerful community makes one eager to learn more in order to move forward in our walk with Christ.

Of course, anytime you can visit Charleston you'll have a good time.

(In the courtyard of the Doubletree)

Okay, here are a few pearls, and I don't mean the kind found at the "Noisy Oyster" (please note, my shorthand notes might lead to a misquote here and there):

1) From the Bishop of London, Richard Chartres:
The new things that affected the early Church were dealt with by connections between the churches and a foundation built on the study of Jesus' words and scripture as a whole (from his sermon during evensong).

2) Bishop Chartres (lecture on Bishop Henry Compton):
"The Prayer Book is at the heart of our unity."
"The Prayer Book is countercultural... a sure if not flashy way to heaven and beyond."
"We need to recover engagement with the whole of scripture... not just those parts that are most appealing and engaging."
"...put ourselves under the judgement of scripture, don't tyrannize over the text... the lectionary keeps us from doing the latter."
"'You have your truth, I have mine' is the death of civilizations."
"Pessimism is the luxury of the comfortably off."

3) John McCardell on the Beaufort revival of 1831:
Never pass up a chance to hear about something you know nothing about (U.P.)

4) Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali:
"Christ's uniqueness and his universality go hand in hand."

5) Bishop Mark Lawrence:
"Our focus is on 'Making Biblical Anglicans for a Global Age.'"
"Some storms are unavoidable... TEc charted its course into the storm... nine years later, no port is in sight."
"Who can claim to be Anglican?" (on all the varieties of Anglican churches in his area).
"The Episcopal church's actions are expressions of pure autonomy..." (on the tension between the local and universal Church).
"Veer from the pathway of the Church Catholic... and this affects the whole Communion."

6) The Very Rev'd Dr. Justyn Terry Dean of Trinity School for Ministry:
Joke: A preacher is giving a very boring sermon which so upsets a man in the congregation that the man hurls a hymnal at the preacher, but the hymnal hits instead the back of the head of a woman on the front row. The woman stands up, turns around, and says, "What the... Do it again... I can still hear him."

"We try to reorder ourselves to a distorted creation"
"Walk by Faith and not by sight."
"... to live rightside up in an upside down world" (All on the story of the upside down mice)

"...millions more have died from secular ideologies than Christian ones..."
"The average age of conversion in the U.S. is sixteen."

On the Church's need for $$$, "We want to be fed from silos, God wants to feed us by hand."

7) Archbishop Benjamin Kwashi:
"I know you are praying for us in Nigeria;we are praying for you in America."
"Only the Gospel can teach you to be honest."
"Lead children to Jesus and strong faith..."

If I ever need to convert an atheist, a Muslim, or an unchurched person, I'm going to call Archbishop Kwashi!

8) The Very Rev'd Robert Munday (not a speaker but caught on break when talking about the great weather in Charleston this year:
"And I have to get on a plane to Nashotah today..."

Our Saviour Calling

2012-01-22T15:38:00.002-05:00

The Gospel reading from Mark was the focus for our Deacon's sermon today.

Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.’ As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake—for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, ‘Follow me and I will make you fish for people.’And immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets. Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him. Mark 1:14-20

The subject of "the call," as presented in these verses, really does feel like a call from God. Imagine minding your own business, mending your nets, and up and leaving to follow some guy walking down the shoreline. That guy must be God...right?

Our Deacon presented various speculations as to whether or not Simon, Andrew, James and John already knew Jesus before He passed by, and I always worry when such speculations are presented in a sermon. Mark's version of the call does not seem to indicate a gradual decision on the part of the Disciples to follow Jesus or one that was made after a period of discernment, or after listening to Jesus preach, teach and perhaps even seeing him heal the sick. No, this call seems to be one of those slap in the head kind of things.

Is it so hard for us to believe that these things happened then?

Can they happen now?

Interestingly enough, on this day we were presented with an introductory letter from our future Priest-in-Charge who has accepted a call from the vestry to serve here for the next 2-3 years or longer (sort of a try before you buy deal). I was disappointed in the language of the letter which gave more emphasis on the call of family ties and pilgrimage than a "Sea of Galilee moment."

Maybe those types of calls don't happen anymore.

A Theology of the Occupy Movement

2012-01-18T00:00:00.001-05:00

Photo/REUTERS/Andrew Burton (on ENS)

I don't get the "Occupy (OWS) Movement." I was waiting to see if they might develop a concrete political agenda or a unifying philosophy, but I never expected that they would develop a "theology." Recently the NYC branch tried to occupy property owned by Trinity (Episcopal Church) Wall Street. The protestors, including a retired Episcopal bishop (pictured above), were arrested after the refusal by those in charge of the church as well as the Presiding Bishop of TEc of the OWS' request for a peaceful occupation of the church grounds. One of those arrested, Tim Beaudoin, posted a report at "America: The Catholic Church Weekly" which contained these strange statements:

"Occupy is appealing to Trinity, a very wealthy church, to share its resources (prime Manhattan real estate, currently empty but presently leased on a short-term basis to a tenant) with the Occupy movement whose social goals are ostensibly the same as Trinity’s – a more just world for more people – and many of whose participants explicitly dedicate themselves to the cause for reasons of religion or spirituality. Some in Occupy use religious language of 'sanctuary' for Occupy in their appeal to Trinity, because we were forcibly evicted from Zuccotti and have been hounded out of other public places since then. A religious organization like Trinity, many argue, ought to appreciate a basic point from the theological tradition: ongoing material space that is artistically curated, ritually inhabited, and safely overseen is essential for an ongoing witness to a more deeply flourishing reality...

...I think we have a very important theological matter before us when Occupy, through its religious-leader allies, is saying to Trinity Wall Street: We in Occupy -- as a multifaith, interreligious, spiritually pluralistic movement that is also and equally a nonreligious, secular movement -- can better meet your mission as a Christian church in this particular time, and this particular place, with negligible negative financial impact (Trinity is a very wealthy community)..."

I don't think the Occupy people get it either, I am unaware of the "theological tradition" behind "...material space that is artistically curated, ritually inhabited...", since that description might fit a number of non-Christian spaces as well as quite a few Episcopal churches.

And might "safely overseen" be properly interpreted to mean, "squatters will be evicted"?

If, as many in the Episcopal church see it, the mission of the Church is to promote various liberal political and social causes, then the author may have a valid argument about OWS being better able to meet the Episcopal church's mission. After all, OWS doesn't have all those pesky trappings of religion as well as the cost of suing dissenting members to slow it down.

But, if OWS thinks the mission of the church is to sue other Christians, then there is no way OWS can do better than David Booth Beers and the TEc legal team.

I have to admit that Tim Beaudoin's "a multifaith, interreligious, spiritually pluralistic movement that is also and equally a nonreligious, secular movement" is a pretty good description of the Episcopal church of 2012.

Perhaps the OWS folks do need a philosophy, but they should forget about the theology.

Let us pray that they look to God who is our rock and salvation for sanctuary from whatever it is that is persecuting them.

Shhhh... Don't Talk About What We Should Shhhh...un

2012-01-15T14:00:00.000-05:00

This Sunday we were presented with an interesting combination of Bible readings:

a) Psalm 139:1-5,12-17

b) 1 Samuel 3:1-10(11-20)

c) 1 Corinthians 6:12-20

d) John 1:43-51.

I would challenge you to guess which one of these would be the most likely scriptural passage to not be expounded upon in a Sunday sermon?

(Insert theme music from "Final Jeopardy" here)

Got it yet?

Okay,

Drum roll...

Answer (c) is correct.

Let's read 1 Corinthians 6:12-20 and try to figure out why we might not hear a teaching from the pulpit on the subjects of this passage.

‘All things are lawful for me’, but not all things are beneficial. ‘All things are lawful for me’, but I will not be dominated by anything. ‘Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food’, and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is meant not for fornication but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. And God raised the Lord and will also raise us by his power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Should I therefore take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! Do you not know that whoever is united to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For it is said, ‘The two shall be one flesh.’ But anyone united to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. Shun fornication! Every sin that a person commits is outside the body; but the fornicator sins against the body itself. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body.

Yikes! I am amazed that one even got in the Sunday Lectionary. I would have guessed it would have been shortened to,

‘All things are lawful for me’, but not all things are beneficial. ‘All things are lawful for me’, but I will not be dominated by anything. ‘Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food’, and God will destroy both one and the other. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body.

I heard a couple of comments from the sheep that the reading was all about sex, and that Paul was obesessed with sex. Such comments are clearly meant to diminish the power and importance of Paul's words and say more about us than they do about the apostle. My reply to those individuals was that 1) Paul was right, and 2) It wasn't that Paul was obsessed with sex, but the Corinthians were the ones with the problem (read Chapters 5-7 of 1 Corinthians again).

Another way you can diminish the power and authority of Paul's words is to not refer to them at all during the sermon.

Dead Minds Graffiti Attack

2012-01-12T10:35:00.000-05:00

Our church building sits in downtown Rock Hill and is surrounded by other churches. We are on the corner of what might be called Episcopal, Presbyterian (ARP), and Methodist. Our next door neighbor was Baptist but currently is non-denominational. One or another of our church walls have been marked with graffiti over the years. This past week, the graffiti got personal. "Dead Minds" was spray painted on one of the walls. The police are investigating this and other graffiti hits this week as reported in our local paper, The Herald.

"Dead Minds" sounds like an appropriate name for a graffiti "artist," but a quick Google search could not pinpoint a local using that moniker.

I found a band in N.J.' s Facebook page. I wonder if there are any fans in Rock Hill?

I found another band called "Thrice" that had a song called "A Living Dance Upon Dead Minds" a few years back from their appropriately titled "The Illusion of Safety" album. The lyrics are a bit strange, but the "dead minds" quotation comes from this stanza,

"love everywhere,
exploding, maims and blinds,
a living dance upon dead minds,
love everywhere,
exploding, maims and blinds,
a living dance upon dead minds"
Thrice - A Living Dance Upon Dead Minds

I don't remember them touring Rock Hill lately, but maybe a deranged fan is at large in our fair city.

Turn on the Bat-Signal Commissioner Gordon! Or in the case of Rock Hill, Commish Glen the Frog!

I can't help but wonder if this was just another random act of graffiti, or was it a premeditated attack with a hidden message for those of us seeking the sanctuary of our overactive minds?

If Your Bishop Preaches This, RUN

2012-01-11T00:00:00.001-05:00

h/t American Anglican CouncilAn Episcopal church in Ohio broke away and Ohio's Bishop Mark Hollingsworth is totally clueless. (Source: Cleveland.com)

"When they talk about Jesus, it's not the same Jesus I talk about," said the Rev. Gene Sherman, pastor of the 250-member breakaway congregation from St. Barnabas.

"They say Jesus is a way to salvation. I say Jesus is the way to salvation."

In response, Ohio Episcopal Bishop Mark Hollingsworth said in a prepared statement that Episcopalians believe Jesus is the way to salvation, but he added that "there is a range of understanding as to whether Jesus is the only way to salvation."

"In our belief that God is generous . . . many of us suspect that in striving for intimacy with all human beings, God can achieve it through varying faith experiences and traditions," he said.

Pure pluralistic unchristian garbage.

After such a demonstration of theological genius, what will this clueless bishop do with an empty church building?

...Before the exodus, the congregation had changed the name to St. Barnabas Anglican Church. The diocese has changed the name back to its original St. Barnabas Episcopal Church, which was established in 1950.

Its interim pastor is the Rev. Alan James, a member of Bishop Hollingsworth's staff.

"We're looking for a person skilled at growing churches," said James.

A person with church growth skills? In the Episcopal church there ain't no such animal.Let's see, in the past 10 years the Diocese of Ohio has lost 10,000 members.

ASA has dropped from about 12,000 to 8,000.

If they have not been able to find anybody who can grow the poisonous Episcopal seed in the past 10 years, what are Bishop Hollingsworth's chances of finding the guy/gal/transgendered person now?

Did Your S.C. Parish Put the Stand Up For Life Insert in Today's Bulletin?

2012-01-08T14:30:00.000-05:00

If you parish is anything at all like my parish, I bet they didn't.

Here what should have happened (from their Facebook pages):

Four ways to promote the January 14, 2012, Stand Up for Life March and Rally in your church by SC Citizens for Life (SCCL)
Download and make two-sided copies of the Church Bulletin Insert. (It copies nicely in black and white.) Place them in the bulletins on Sunday January 8.
Put the BULLETIN ANNOUNCEMENT in your bulletin on JANUARY 8.

The annual Stand Up for Life March and Rally featuring former abortion clinic worker Abby Johnson will be Saturday, January 14, 2012, at the State House in Columbia S.C. March lines up at 11 a.m. at the USC Russell House, Greene Street. Rally begins at noon at the State House. For more information see www.sclife.org or call 803-252-433 or 803-730-1095 or e-mail sccl@sclife.org.

Post the rally flyer on bulletin boards and other prominent places around the church.
Announce the Stand Up for Life March and Rally from the pulpit on January 8.
CLICK HERE to get all printable materials
If you would like South Carolina Citizens for Life to send you rally flyers in color, please call the SCCL office at 803-730-1095 or 803-252-5433 or e-mail Holly Gatling at sccl@sclife.org.

So, I guess it is a good and acceptable thing for your Episcopal church to always give support to the "Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice," but don't let them dare give even one word in support of life.

And to think that today's O.T. reading came from the very beginning of the Book of Genesis.

Let us be thankful for the gift of forgiveness. Lord forgive us.

More Syncretism in DUSC?

2012-01-04T00:00:00.000-05:00

I held back on printing this so as to not spoil Advent and Christmas, but strange things keep on coming from the Diocese of Upper South Carolina and its church that brought us "Birthing the Christ Within" (posted here on 12/07/2011).

The latest evidence is this curiously worded healing ministry:

Healing Sanctuary presented by the St. Timothy's Center for Spirituality and Healing. Starting on Monday, December 12 , 6:00-8:00 pm we will be holding a healing sanctuary every second Monday of the month at St. Timothy's, 900 Calhoun St., Columbia. This will be a time when different people will volunteer their time to provide different energy healing modalities to people who would like healing. There will be no charge for these services and they are open to the public. Anyone may attend, however you MUST call the church office at 765-1519 to schedule a time as space is limited. Healing Sanctuary will be at St. Timothy's, 900 Calhoun St., Columbia. You may call Rev. Henson for more information.

I suspect they were looking at those "singing bowls" referenced in that earlier post and came up with this creative use for their investment.

For your information, we are healed through one "energy healing modality" and one alone, and that is through Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour.

Annual Spiritual Check Up from the C.S. Lewis Institute

2012-01-01T14:30:00.000-05:00

The following e-mail came to me the other day and I think it might be something to use as a New Year's Resolution.

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the law and the prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:37-40

Each year many of us will go through a physical check-up, perhaps do a financial check up at year’s end or at tax time, and perhaps do a performance review at our workplace.   But how often do we take time to review our spiritual life?
Those who are saved by grace are called to grow in grace (2 Pet. 3.18). As disciples of Jesus, we are to live a life of love – love for God and love for our neighbor, in the power of the Holy Spirit. Too often, in the busyness of our day-to-day lives, we let other priorities crowd out the two highest priorities Jesus gave us.   The following questions are designed to help you examine your spiritual life over the past year and to prayerfully seek God’s help in areas where you desire to grow in the New Year.
Loving God with all your heart, soul and mind.1.   How is my personal relationship with God?
Do I have a growing desire to spend more time with God?
Am I spending appropriate time praying, reading and meditating
on the word?
Am I growing in my desire to obey and please God?
Do I obey out of gratitude for God’s love? Or from guilt or fear?
Have I fully surrendered to the Holy Spirit? Do I ask God to
fill me each day with the Holy Spirit?
Are there areas I am holding back from God?
Which ones? Why?
Am I more aware of the sins in my life? Do I repent on a
daily basis and receive forgiveness and cleansing from God.
Have I fully, truthfully repented of all past and current sins?

2.   Am I actively serving God in some way?
Volunteering at church?
Praying regularly for the pastor, staff, missionaries
and volunteers?
Am I seeking to make others feel welcome in my church?

3.   Am I growing in my desire and actions to give sacrificially to God’s work in the church and other ministries? Am I teaching my children about sacrificial giving and putting God before materialistic desires?
4.   Am I living in humility before God, my family, friends and co-workers?
5.   Is there evidence of grace growing in my life? Do I thank God every day for his love, grace and mercy and saving me from what I deserve? Am I learning to see others through the mind of Christ? Am I treating others with the same grace God has shown me?

Loving Your Neighbor6.   Am I loving my family as I should?
Husbands, are you loving your wives? How, specifically?
Wives, are you respecting your husbands? How, specifically?
Parents – are we teaching our children the Bible, how to pray,
and how to please God?
Am I managing my time in a way that reflects God’s
priorities and honors my family relationships?
What specific changes are needed?
Are there any outside influences that are harming my family
relationships? If so, what will I do about them?

7.   Am I forgiving others? Is there anyone among my family, friends, neighbors or co-workers that I refuse to forgive? Do I fully trust that God has forgiven my sins?
8.   Am I growing in fellowship with other believers?
Am I part of a small group? Is it making a difference in the
lives of participants?
Do I have a Godly mentor to help me grow in my walk with
Christ?
Am I mentoring/discipling a newer believer?

9.   Have I personally witnessed to anyone in the past year? In my neighborhood? In my workplace? Am I prepared to share my testimony? To share the Gospel?
Am I fervently praying for and planning opportunities to witness
in this coming year?
Am I being salt and light in my neighborhood, workplace
and social groups? How, specifically?

10.   Am I focusing part of my time and money to help the poor and disadvantaged? Am I teaching my children about the importance of helping the poor? How?
Jesus says that if we love him, we will obey him (Jn. 14.15), and he calls us to grow in grace and love. Do you have a plan for growing in your love for God and love for your neighbor for this next year? Will you prayerfully prepare one before the end of the year? To help you grow in these areas, you’ll find a variety of resources on our website (www.cslewisinstitute.org).

In Case You Missed Them: 10 Blog Posts From 2011 (This Blog)

2011-12-31T00:00:00.000-05:00

Blogger has been generating counts of page views and comments for who knows what reason, and since this is a non-profit blog, the data is of no particular use to me, but for fun I have listed the top ten posts from 2011 (just in case you missed them). Page view count rank appears to be affected more by keywords in the title (which explains #1) or images with the exception of #2 "We Need to Talk, You Must Listen" which was linked at the popular "StandFirm in Faith" site.

Comment counts are affected by comment moderation (currently turned on), my comments, follow ups, and if the post has been cross posted elsewhere in which case comments might appear at the other site.

If I were to rank my personal top posts, I would go for things that I had the most fun with, and in that case "We Need to Talk, You Must Listen" would be #1.

FWIW here is what Blogger came up with:

Top 10 for page views

1. The Rapture Predicted For May 21, 2011
2. We Need to Talk, You Must Listen
3. Canon to the Left of Me
4. The Road to Sainthood
5. Why My Mother Would Have Cancelled My Subscription to the Episcopal Church Publishing Catalog
6. Now This is How You Settle a Church Dispute
7. Your Pledge Dollars at Work: The Episcopal Church Socialist League
8. First Theological Council For Upper SC
9. Theological Principles? on Liturgies for Blessing Same Sex Couples
10. Solstice Liturgies, Chasing away Dragons, Werewolves, Dragons, and Christians

Top 10 for comments:

1. Reflections from the First Theological Council of Upper SC
2. Why My Mother Would Have Cancelled My Subscription to the Episcopal Church Publishing Catalog
3. What Would the Resurrection Be Without the Ascension
4. The Road to Sainthood
5. First Theological Council For Upper SC
6. More Druids In Upper SC
7. Kanuga Gives Me the Kreeps
8. We Need to Talk, You Must Listen
9. Canon to the Left of Me
10. (Tie) The Rapture Predicted For May 21, 2011
SCLM: You Get What You Voted For

Don't Throw Out That Old Computer, Make a Roboband!

2011-12-28T00:00:00.000-05:00

Many of you may have gotten a new computer or some other form of electronic gizmo for Christmas. If you are like me, you have a collection of old computers, printers, cables, hard drives, floppy disks, and assorted computer parts laying around somewhere. In researching last week's post "Solstice Liturgies, Chasing away Dragons, Werewolves, Darkness, and Christians," I was checking out YouTube versions of "The House of the Rising Sun." and came across this unique version which shows just what you can do with all that old equipment.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T00:01:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas everyone!

Reverend Fun - Stable Win

Christmas Shopping: A Journey Through the Amazon (.com that is)

2011-12-24T00:00:00.000-05:00

After our Thanksgiving travel debacle, I resolved to reduce my driving during this the holiday season.
This year I entered the electronic jungle instead of going to the mega-mall in search of the perfect gift.

As it turned out, I discovered that online shopping is a trip in itself.

You would be surprised at what is out there. Here are some examples of the high quality items I was exposed to (warning, not all of these are suitable for children or liberal Democrats):

How about the perfect morning pick me up?

.

Toilet Mug (and that is not a description of anyone's visage)

Yodelling Pickle (Are you sick and tired of trying to teach your pickles to yodel? Pickles can be so stubborn)

Canned Unicorn Meat (Excellent source of sparkles!)

Bill Clinton Corkscrew (Pop your cork with Bill Clinton's generous talent)

Senility Prayer Stoneware Plaque Ornament (Grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked.)

Sippie Wine Glass (A great gift for ageing wine drinkers)

The Hillary Nutcracker (The perfect partner for the Bill Clinton Corkscrew)

Genuine Squirrel Underpants (Squirrel Briefs For squirrely lawyers?)

Girl Squirrel Underpants (We don't discriminate when it comes to squirrels)

Runny Nose Soap Shower Gel Dispenser (Ugh)

And last but not least,

Nunzilla (Say your prayers, Catholic school survivors!)

Now get back to your lessons or I will sic Nunzilla on you!

Solstice Liturgies, Chasing away Dragons, Werewolves, Darkness, and Christians

2011-12-21T00:00:00.001-05:00

"Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years.

I am afraid of you,

lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain." Galatians 4:10-11 (KJV).

St. Paul's words to the Galatians might come to mind, silently echoing in your head as you read today's post.

It is becoming quite fashionable for churches to host or to sponsor celebrations of the various equinoxes and solstices, and in spite of the ancient warnings, these "liturgies" appear to be spreading. I had been trying to forget the spring equinox service and the summer solstice worship held at an Episcopal church in Columbia earlier this year, but a friend recently sent an e-mail about the winter solstice goings on in their diocese. Intrigued, I did a quick search and turned up a number of these services of which I give to you as a sampler.

First we have, Chasing Away the Dragons of Darkness from: St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, Casper (Wyoming)by: The Rev. Canon Tristan English

St. Stephen's announces plans for Annual Chasing Away the Draghons of Darkness liturgy.St. Stephens Episcopal church, along with St. Matthew's Episcopal Church in Fairbanks, Alaska, will hold it's annual Service to Chase Away the Dragons of Darkness on Dec. 21st at 7 p.m.

The service will include a short liturgy and then we will go outside to bang pots and pans, ring bells, and toot horns to chase away the darkness of winter. Dec. 21st is the winter solstice and is the longest night of the year. A reception of warm beverages and treats will follow. St. Stephen's is located at 4700 S. Poplar St. in Casper.

Banging pots and pans is supposed to scare away bears, not the darkness. The only banging you might hear if you read further is the sound of my head banging against the wall. For a "thinking church" that might object to the very idea of a God capable of stopping the day to think that banging metallic kitchen utensils can cause the sun to change its course is a little amusing. If only banging pots and pans could change the direction the church is taking.

Next we find Saint Anne's Episcopal Church (MN),

Winter Solstice CelebrationWednesday, December 21, 7:00 pm

Honoring the darkness, welcoming the lightA service of readings, singing, silence and lots of candlesFollowed by a bonfire and walking the labyrinth.

Honor the darkness???? Is this a Christian church?

And you can't forget the grandaddy of them all, The Cathedral of Saint John the Divine NYC Dec 15, 16, 17 2011

The first time I played in the Cathedral, it was empty and dark.I had come to New York that evening in 1979 to try the acoustics of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. Playing to myself, I listened as each note resounded through the 7-second reverberation of this vast and cavernous space. It was like playing in heaven.A year later the Cathedral hosted our first winter solstice. Over these 30 years, the event has evolved into a theatrical celebration that inhabits the entirety of this great space. Of all the places I’ve played in America, only two could host a concert on this scale: the Grand Canyon, and this Cathedral.

This year, our 32nd annual show, will feature a special program by the dynamic Forces of Nature Dancers, as well as other special guest musicians. For me this solstice celebration is an ever-renewing thrill — whether watching the sun gong ascend 12 stories with its player to the vault of the Cathedral; or hearing the “tree of sounds” as it slowly turns, reflecting a myriad of lights from its hundreds of bells, gongs and chimes.

Please join us as we celebrate the return of the sun.We celebrate not only the rebirth of the sun, but the community of life on earth.

Talk about the house of the rising sun! Bow down before the Sun Gong, New Yorkers!

Not to be left out, here in South Carolina, the druids are busy at work once again for the "Winter Solstice Service" Thursday, December 22, 20115:30pmOutdoor Chapel St. Michael and All Angels'Episcopal Church Columbia SC

And don't forget the kiddies, they must be initiated into these sacred rites. Leave it to the Diocese of Mississippi Grace Church-Canton to rename the Christmas season,

Winter Solstice 8 days from now December 27, 2011 5:00 pm until January 1, 2012 12:00 pm Camp Bratton Green, 1530 Way Rd., Canton, MS 39046 Come enjoy camp in the winter! Winter Solstice is open to Senior High youth (grades 9-12). This is a camp week in mid-winter with songs, play and a big New Year’s Eve Dance to celebrate the New Year. This camp provides a safe place for youth on New Year’s Eve. Campers arrive on December 27th and depart on New Year’s Day.

This last one may not be part of the solstice celebration but still takes the prize. This comes to you from St. Alban's Episcopal Church - Albany, CA

Sunday, January 29, 2012, 7:00 pm St. Alban’s Episcopal Church 1501 Washington Ave., Albany

Lycanthropos: The Werewolf in Story and Song
Tim Rayborn presents an eerie look into the enduring fear of werewolves, a belief which induced terror on moonlit nights from the Middle East to the Balkans, from Italy to Ireland. In music and story, he will perform tales of shape-shifters from Greek and Roman sources, the Lai of Bisclaveret by Marie de France (late 12th c.), the Icelandic Volsunga Saga, the frightening true stories of Peter Stumpf (16th-c. Germany), the Beast of Le Gevaudan (18th-c. France), and more

Just shoot me with a silver bullet will ya.

And for fun, check out what the Unitarians are up to,

Wednesday, December 21, 7 pm A Solstice Spiral Meditation in our Parish Hall (Join us at 6 pm if you’d like to help build the spiral – bring some greens if you have them) In a circle of 25 to 40 people, we will each meditatively walk the spiral with an unlit candle while savoring and perhaps letting go the year’s experiences, light the candle from the chalice, and lay it somewhere along the spiral as we return to welcome the coming year.Unitarian Universalist Society of Fairhaven Unitarian Memorial Church102 Green Street, Fairhaven, MA.

I respect the honest uncertainty of the Unitarians; they are just not sure where along the spiral to lay those candles.

I might worry more if they were as certain as the above mentioned Episcopal churches appear to be of the power of labyrinths and solstices.

How easily we are led astray by these false teachers who gamble with our souls.

"If I had listened to what mama said,
I'd be at home today,
but being so young and foolish poor girl,
let a gambler lead me astray..." House of Rising Sun (1937) - Georgia Turner

How Not to Prepare the Way

2011-12-18T14:00:00.000-05:00

I thought Advent was about preparing the way for Christ to enter the world, and today in church we did read about the Annunciation in Luke 1:26-38.

One important Standing Commission of the Episcopal church however, believes Advent is about preparing for same sex blessings. This is what they wrote,

"In this season of Advent when we are to be preparing for Christ’s coming, we invite you to reflect upon your own experience of 'being prepared.' How were you prepared for a marriage or for a blessing? What preparation or counseling did you receive? What do you remember, whether it was 1 month ago or 25 years ago – what sticks with you? Or if you are someone who prepares couples, what is most important to you? What works or does not work, so to speak?
Later this spring the full SCLM report will be published for General Convention and the recommended resources will be part of that report. However, we invite you to engage now with your own experiences preparing for either same- or different-gender life-long relationships."

Over at T-19, the following picture was shown and reported as having made the rounds in TEc circles (although not to this corner of the circle) ,

This is sick folks. A plague has come upon this house.

"And he that owneth the house shall come and tell the priest, saying, It seemeth to me there is as it were a plague in the house:" Leviticus 14:35

The priest will come and judge this house. If the signs of plague have not gone away, this house shall be torn down and its blocks scattered.

‘Why have you not built me a house of cedar?’ 2 Samuel 7:7

We are building a house with walls of flesh upon a foundation of human desire. Such a house makes us feel good, but such a house cannot stand.

Post Thanksgiving Travelling Blues, Or Why I'll Be Home For Christmas

2011-12-14T00:00:00.000-05:00

This year we made the trek over the mountain to grandma's house for Thanksgiving. I hate travelling during holidays for the simple reason that everybody else who hates travelling during holidays is... you guessed it, travelling. This results in lengthy traffic jams packed with not so cheerful holiday travellers. The combination of loads of vehicles loaded with battling adults and children, or as I witnessed, couples attempting public displays of affection while driving, leads to the inevitable accident.

Due to two separate incidents both of which closed the interstate system completely (in both directions), our usual post Thanksgiving 4.5 hour trip home took a record 7.5 hours this year. I (for one) remained peaceful and calm throughout the time parked on the highway, and I took time to pray for the accident victims, their families, and the brave helicopter pilot who had to land close to a steep downhill grade in order to save the victim in accident #2. I also gave thanks to God for protecting us and for bringing us safely home. The long delay wasn't all that bad; we were even able to stop for dinner at our favorite BBQ place in Gaffney, SC which I would not have done if we had not been so delayed.

Incident 1: Note the absence of traffic in the opposite side of the interstate.

Incident 2: At the Green River Gorge on I-26. The sign wasn't kidding.

I have vowed to stay home for Christmas, and next Thanksgiving too.

Recommended Advent Message From +Dan Martins

2011-12-11T13:41:00.000-05:00

One thing that helped me to recover from last week's pain from the "Birthing the Christ Within" was the Advent message from Fr. Dan, who is now +Dan Martins the 11th Bishop of Springfield. Here is a taste:

...To accept limitless diversity in what we say about God is tantamount to accepting belief in many gods. It is latter-day polytheism.

...The God whom Christians worship is Triune: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is a far cry from the generic God that our culture approves of. We would never have invented a God like this; we only know Him because He has chosen to reveal Himself to us.

One of my sad observations about the Church in these times is that we have a tendency to reduce Christian faith to the lowest common denominator. For many people I meet—and I’m not talking about people off the street, but people I met in my role as a priest, and even now as a bishop—their religion can be summarized as “believe in God and be good.” That’s not enough! That’s settling for way less than the fullness of Christian truth. We have become disconnected from our own tradition, our own inheritance.

Read it all at Confessions of a Carioca.

“Believe in God and be good,” now isn't that something that you have heard before? Yes, that can be the first step to believing in many gods.

How many are afraid to say, "Jesus is Lord!"?

I am glad to see an Episcopal bishop call that out.

Birthing the Christ Within: An Opportunity to Awaken the Seven Charism Centers Within You

2011-12-07T00:00:00.001-05:00

I understand that there are a number of different ways to pray, as well as a variety of aids to prayer. Where do we look to discover those things that might help make us a more prayerful people? I would think that we should turn to scripture for clues. Jesus would go off alone, or to a mountain, or would commend us to gather together as two or three to pray to our Father. Singing hymns or songs, or praising God with music might be another example that we can have confidence in, but we have to be very careful when examining novel prayer practices to ensure that they are Christ centered and do not contain elements that might tempt ourselves or lead others to follow a false teaching.Most of the time, you can easily spot the danger before you test the practice, but what if the practice is endorsed by the Church?

The following announcement came in our recent Diocesan e-mail newsletter, and be forewarned, you can't make this stuff up.

An advent reflection through sacred sound and Silence

Sunday, December 11, 2011
1:00- 4:00 pm
St. Timothy”s Episcopal Church
900 Calhoun Street, Columbia
Please call to register: 765-1519

Pamila Lorentz MSW, RN, LMBT, an ordained peace minister of The Beloved Community and Sound Healing Therapist, will facilitate a three hour advent workshop inspired by Isaiah 43:1 “I have called You by Name…You are mine” . This workshop will guide you in learning sound healing techniques to respond to God’s call to each of us, for the preparation and re-birthing of the Christ Consciousness within.

Through enhanced listening to the harmonic tones of traditional tibetan and crystal singing bowls; you will have an opportunity to open the seven charism centers contained within your physical and spiritual body. Each center, or chakra, reveals a gift that will deepen your understanding and relationship with Soul.

In this workshop you will learn:

How to Create a Heart Resonant Field
How to Awaken the Gifts of Soul You Were Born With
How to Claim the 7 Charisms Contained Within You

Rev. Tula Henson RN, BSN, BHA, MDiv. will lead a guided meditation for “Birthing the Christ Within”. This will be followed by a period of silence when you will be invited to visit the sanctuary, journal or create a soul collage to take home with you.

In order to experience the full vibration of the singing bowls, it is recommended that you dress comfortably for lying on the floor. You may want to bring a sweater or shawl to wrap yourself in, and a towel, blanket, or yoga mat to lie on, with a small towel or scarf to cover your eyes with. Please bring a journal or notebook for notes. Water, tea and coffee will be provided.

Your gift of a donation is welcomed.

Singing bowls?

Chakras?

Midwives in the nativity scene?

Endorsed by the Diocese?

Would someone please provide me with a scriptural reference.

This sounds like somebody trying to put a Christian cover on a non-christian practice, and if you are willing to buy it, I have a genuine Ralex watch I would like to sell you.

(I saw this outside a market in Turkey)

If you are still not convinced, don't go, because you can skip the class at St. Timothy's, and get your heart into resonance with the crystal bowls by listening to the video below,

(WARNING: According to the narration, this may open up a resonant center near your unmentionable areas.)

Could someone please forward this to the person who is supposed to be shepherding their priests?

The Absence of Fear in Lectionary Readings

2011-12-04T14:00:00.000-05:00

In studying the lectionary edits, this lowly pewster has noticed a tendency for the editors to cut verses from the psalms that teach us about God's judgement, wrath, or anger, and instead teach us about God's love for his people. I have concluded that a steady diet of this is not healthy for the average pewsitter whose only exposure to the Psalms is what he/she hears a couple of Sundays a month.

Today's readings contain a perfect example of the kind of verse that gets left on the cutting room floor.

Today's Psalm was Psalm 85:1-2,8-13. Read it and consider its effect as edited.

1 Lord, you were favourable to your land; you restored the fortunes of Jacob.
2 You forgave the iniquity of your people;
you pardoned all their sin. Selah

8 Let me hear what God the Lord will speak,
for he will speak peace to his people,
to his faithful, to those who turn to him in their hearts.
9 Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear him,
that his glory may dwell in our land.

10 Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet;
righteousness and peace will kiss each other.
11 Faithfulness will spring up from the ground,
and righteousness will look down from the sky.

12 The Lord will give what is good,
and our land will yield its increase.
13 Righteousness will go before him,
and will make a path for his steps.

I am left with a warm and fuzzy feeling except for the problematic verse 9,

"Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear him,".

Why should I fear Him? Certainly nothing in the selected verses would give me any cause to fear God.The psalmist knew better; read the full text of Psalm 85 (I have highlighted the missing verses).

1 Lord, you were favourable to your land;
you restored the fortunes of Jacob.
2 You forgave the iniquity of your people;
you pardoned all their sin. Selah

3 You withdrew all your wrath;
you turned from your hot anger.
4 Restore us again, O God of our salvation,
and put away your indignation towards us.

5 Will you be angry with us for ever?
Will you prolong your anger to all generations?
6 Will you not revive us again,
so that your people may rejoice in you?
7 Show us your steadfast love, O Lord,
and grant us your salvation.

8 Let me hear what God the Lord will speak,
for he will speak peace to his people,
to his faithful, to those who turn to him in their hearts.
9 Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear him,
that his glory may dwell in our land.

10 Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet;
righteousness and peace will kiss each other.
11 Faithfulness will spring up from the ground,
and righteousness will look down from the sky.

12 The Lord will give what is good,
and our land will yield its increase.
13 Righteousness will go before him,
and will make a path for his steps.

I wonder if the subliminal message being conveyed to the typical Sunday morning pewsitter, "We have no need to fear the Lord," is contributing to the decline of churches that use these Lectionary selections? After all, what is the beginning of wisdom?

Stumped? Try,

Psalm 111:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.

Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Proverbs 9:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.

Proverbs 15:33 The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom; and before honour is humility.

(h/t Topical-Bible-Studies.org)

Funny how, on a Sunday where we hear about John the Baptist's cry for repentance, we are left to wonder why we should repent in the first place.

How You Were Diverted

2011-11-29T23:59:00.000-05:00

It was 10 years ago today that George Harrison passed away. I am afraid that his spiritual quest led him away from Christ, although he may have believed otherwise. In fact, I suspect that Mr. Harrison may have believed that Jesus was but one of many avatars that come to us throughout the ages as an incarnation of the deity.

The following is the opinion of Jesus-is savior.com,

George Harrison clearly believed in a New Age god, i.e., that all gods are one. In sharp contrast, the Word of God states that the Godhead was manifest in the flesh of the man, Jesus Christ (1st Timothy 3:16). Colossians 2:9 states... "For in him [Jesus Christ] dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily." Biblically, Jesus Christ is the Son of God (John 3:16). Islamic Muslims, who worship Allah, openly DENY that Jesus is the Son of God. Clearly all gods cannot be one as Mr. Harrison states.

Harrison, as do other New Agers, believed that each soul has the potential to become divine through such practices as yoga and chanting. Harrison believed that "god perception" (what he termed "Krishna consciousness") was possibly only through personal meditation, and chanting "Hare Krishna" repeatedly.

Tragically, George Harrison rejected the Word of God and Jesus Christ. Harrison's 1971 song MY SWEET LORD, is a song of praise to the Hindu god, Krishna. In fact, Harrison admits that he did that to trick people. In his 1982 interview with the Hare Krishna organization he stated...

"I wanted to show that Hallelujah and Hare Krishna are quite the same thing. I did the voices singing 'Hallelujah' and then the change to 'Hare Krishna' so that people would be chanting the maha-mantra-before they knew what was going on! I had been chanting Hare Krishna for a long time, and this song was a simple idea of how to do a Western pop equivalent of a mantra which repeats over and over again the holy names. I don't feel guilty or bad about it; in fact it saved many a heroin addict's life."

Poor George. I once made up a term, inclusive exclusivism, to leave the opportunity for each soul to encounter Christ at the time of judgement, and to be given one last chance to accept Him as Saviour.
I don't really know if that is a possibility or not.

Do all notes lead to the same chord?

For lots of reasons, my piano gently weeps.

Portents and Percentages

2011-11-27T14:00:00.000-05:00

One problem with raising political questions from the pulpit is that it causes the mind to wander away from the mystery of God's saving grace and raise questions in the mind such as, "Where did he come up with that?"

Such was the case today as our preacher began to expound on Mark 13:24-37.

24 ‘But in those days, after that suffering,
the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, 25 and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.
26 Then they will see “the Son of Man coming in clouds” with great power and glory. 27Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.

28 ‘From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. 29 So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. 30 Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

32 ‘But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. 34 It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. 35 Therefore, keep awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, 36 or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. 37 And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.’

I know that there will always be people who try to interpret the signs in the heavens as signs of the time of the second coming, and those who are unemployed in our current economic downturn might be more inclined to look to these soothsayers and place their trust in someone other than the Almighty, but do people really have more confidence in a communist form of government than they have in our Unitrd States Congress? At least that's what we heard today in the sermon.

I guess that if people do not have faith in God's plan, then they will seek out or create false idols such as communism to solve their problems.

But communism over Congress? Really?

Distracted, I turn to Google.

I found a possible source for our preacher's statistics at the Lebanon Daily News where we read,

"You know you've fallen pretty far when the number of Americans who approve of your performance is less than the number of Americans who would like to see the country become communist.
On the floor of the Senate a few days ago, Colorado Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet revealed only 9 percent of Americans polled approved of Congress' performance; 11 percent want to see the country adopt a communist form of government.
On a chart he presented to accompany this revelation, Bennet showed how Congress' approval rating has dropped through the years. The chart looked like a rendering of a mountain precipitously flowing down into a sea."

11% of Americans want to see the country adopt a communist form of government? I don't buy it, but it might be a portent in the heavens.

With Congress' approval rating at 9%, can you trust a Congressman to present accurate numbers on such a question?

Maybe he meant 11% of his constituency.

The Oneness Stole

2011-11-23T00:00:00.001-05:00

I thought I had seen everything, but the "Oneness Stole" proves the old adage that the universe is stranger than we can imagine. You can see it by clicking here. On it are the following symbols:

The Christian Cross
Star of David - Judaism
Triple Treasure - Buddhism
Yin/Yang - Taoism
Star/Crescent - Islam
Om - Hinduism
The Oneness Symbol

Dad always said, "No tool designed for multiple functions can preform as well as a single tool designed for a specific job."

Needless to say, his workshop had a whole lot of single use tools.

I guess this "onenes stole" would be the perfect gift for a minister who is trying to cover all the bases, or one concerned with the unique claims of the faiths symbolized in this "all in one" accessory? Instead of illustrating that all religions point to a universal truth (which is what I think the stole is trying to do), doesn't it it make a mockery of their individual beliefs by forcing them into a false unity?

There really is only one tool designed for oneness that we must have in our workshop.

"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (John 14:6).

And if you don't want to shell out $177.75 for the stole, you can get the oneness car magnet for $4.00.

May the stole be with you.

How Not to Determine What is Morally Good

2011-11-20T13:00:00.000-05:00

I was considering that question when today's Gospel reading from Matthew 25:31-46 came up and the answer seemed clear, at least to me.

³¹ ‘When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory.³²All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats,³³and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left.³⁴Then the king will say to those at his right hand, “Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world;³⁵for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me,³⁶I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.”

^{God is the ultimate judge of righteousness. He alone determines who is to be one of the sheep at the right hand and who will be the goats on the left. He holds what is morally good, but when I encounter moral questions in this life, where should I look for the answers?}

^{I know the following quotation is taken out of context, but can you speculate as to the source of the following conclusion?}

"...what is morally good -- that is something that must instead be determined by the community's wider values."*

I would guess a moral relativist, or a maybe a secular humanist, or perhaps an atheist. It could not have come from a Christian...right?

Wrong.

I was shocked when I considered the source, and the fact that this was posted on the Episcopal News Service.

I must have been under the mistaken impression that I should be looking to Christ to help point the way to Goodness, to Truth.

I guess I was wrong.

In the future, when confronted with a moral question, I will conduct a poll, or maybe I will hold a convention and vote on a resolution of the community. Isn't that how the Epsicopal church determines the will of God?

After all, no community has ever opted for immorality before, have they?

*Ask for the Rt. Rev. Mark S. Sisk bishop of the Diocese of New York.

h/t T19

Forgiveness and the Pederast: A Flaw in the Theology of Forgiveness?

2011-11-16T00:00:00.000-05:00

Last week, the sports world was rocked by the story of allegations of sexual abuse made against a Penn State assistant football coach that resulted in the firing of that coach's superior, Head Coach Joe Paterno.

Public opinion seems to be pretty much unanimous about the inappropriateness of pederasty in this case.

The public still seems divided over the question of how one should deal with a coworker or close friend when such behavior is suspected. Some think that the Head Coach should have called the police when he first heard of the accusations, and others feel that it was sufficient that he reported the accusations up the chain of command.

When it comes to sexual acts with children, the secular world is full of talk about judgement, protection of others, and punishment.
The Church however, tends to view the individual through the lens of forgiveness, and this is where the Church's vision gets blurry.

It was the scandals involving the Roman Catholic Church that most recently raised public awareness of the question of reporting, the problem of passing the buck, and the problem of allowing the pederast to persist in their chosen "ministry."
From reading the Epistles, it seems that sexual immorality has always been a problem in the Church. Ever wonder why, in two thousand years, the problem has not been solved (except perhaps by redefining what is "immoral")?

Take the Episcopal church for example. Fr. Bede Parry was a Catholic monk and was removed from his monastery because of multiple acts of sexual misconduct. Score one point for judgement to the Catholic Church. But were those accusations passed on to the police? Fr. Parry applies for work in the Episcopal church and is accepted by the then Bishop of Nevada, +Katherine Jefferts Schori. It is widely believed that Fr. Parry's sordid past and proclivities were known since after his acceptance into the church, he was supposed to be placed away from temptation in his new position in TEc, but that word seemed to have been forgotten somewhere along the way. Fortunately, we have no further accusations against Fr. Parry from his time ministering in TEc. The case in a nutshell can be found at the Anglican Curmudgeon's blog.

Was the acceptance and placement of a potentially dangerous priest into the Episcopal fold an act of Christian forgiveness? Or was it an act of stupidity?

Another factor in the equation is a fear of rendering "judgement" among modern day Christians. We can all agree about judging the pederast as a danger, but when we fail to act appropriately upon that judgement we put others at risk. Of course, there is risk involved when speaking up and trying to act against threats to the congregation. I remember what happened to Beverly Moore back in 2005. She was placed among the excommunicated for reporting her concerns about a sexual predator in the church (my comments and links here).

Maybe there is a also broken theology of Christian judgement, but I suspect a flawed theology of forgiveness is at work in the passing along of problematic priests to unsuspecting congregations.

Here is how it works:
Priest A (a female) has a problem, let's say a dalliance with a parishioner.
Bishop A hears about it and calls Priest A in to talk about it.
Priest A confesses and pledges to never do it again.
Bishop A sends Priest A to a shrink and appoints a spiritual counsellor.
Bishop A gets reports from the shrink that Priest A might do it again.
Priest A does well for a few years and applies for a position in another diocese under Bishop B.
Bishop A reports to Bishop B the earlier issue with Priest A.
Bishop B sits down with Priest A and is convinced of Priest A's repentance.
The flawed theology of forgiveness then enters into the equation and Bishop B hires Priest A.
Priest A has a problem, another dalliance with a parishioner...
Another parish wrecked,
And the cycle repeats...

A flawed theology of forgiveness assumes that the loving response to the individual sinner is to accept them as truly repentant and restored. The flaw may stem from a belief in the inherent goodness of people, a rejection of the Doctrine of the Fall. This leads to a reluctance to pass judgement and to speak the sentence, "You're fired.," or, in the case of Fr. Parry, "We cannot hire you." A person who recognizes their fallen state should be able to accept such a sentence, but many will take it as a sign of rejection and lose faith. Such a time is a spiritual hinge point that must be handled properly. The easy way is to hire the offender with provisions, the harder way is the "tough love" approach.

A proper theology of forgiveness must include the need to protect others from the risk of the individual falling back into sin as well as the restoration of the individual to Christ. I feel that, under a proper theology (although I am not the one to work out the details), certain individuals will not be permitted to participate in active ministry. Is that denying them their rights?

The Church's unwillingness to protect the body of Christ and society as a whole leaves the responsibility of protection be acted upon by somebody else. Since the Church can't act, the task has been passed to the civil authority, and as a result of passing along this responsibility, the authority of the Church is weakened further.

+Katherine Jefferts Schori should have refused to accept Fr. Bede Parry into ordained ministry in the Episcopal church. That would have been consistent with the existing Canons of the Episcopal church (see the Anglican Curmudgeon's most recent analysis here). The fact that she did not follow the Canons of the church and put innocent children in peril is inexcusable. There are procedures in place for dealing with clergy who violate the Canons of the Episcopal church. Will Bishop Henderson give her a pass, or will he act?

My bet is that the flawed theology of forgiveness will be invoked, and Bishop Henderson will then probably just ask her to write a report for him on 1 Corinthians Chapter 5.

Bishop Fitz Allison (DSC ret.) Takes on Apostasy and the Current Bunch of Heretics

2011-11-13T18:30:00.000-05:00

At today's church service we were blessed with the presence of retired Bishop Duvall who gave a very good sermon touching on the message of God's wrath contained in today's scripture readings, and the salvation we may find at the time of trial when as Bishop Duvall puts it, "As I stand there with my head hung low facing the judgement seat of God, ready for my sentence, I feel an arm around my shoulders, the arm of Jesus, who says 'This one's with me.'"

Such sermons are rarely spoken these days in the Episcopal church. We are more often treated to vague interpretations and extra-scriptural speculations some of which can be traced back to heresies that have infiltrated many Episcopal seminaries and minds of unsuspecting Christians in formation.

I once incurred the wrath of the rector when I protested against a planned "Faith Formation" series based on a book by Marcus Borg. When I called Borg a heretic, I pushed one of the rector's buttons. Fortunately, I was not alone in that protest, and that "Faith Formation" event was never held.

Nor am I alone in my belief that modern "theologians" like Borg are the purveyors of false and heretical teachings.

An excellent article from the retired Bishop of the Diocese of South Carolina puts it far better than I can. Read it all here.

+Fitz takes on the modern heretics, Crossen, Borg, Spong, and the current Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal church. Here are some excerpts:

"Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan are two remarkably popular theologians who teach a version of Christianity that reduces the Christian faith to contemporary secular assumptions. For Crossan, Jesus was an illiterate Jewish cynic. No Incarnation no Resurrection. The Easter story is 'fictional mythology' (p. 161,Jesus a Revolutionary Biography). Borg claims that Jesus was only divine in the sense that Martin Luther King and Gandhi were divine. Borg dismisses the creeds (p.10, Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time) Jesus was a 'spirit person,' 'a mediator of the sacred,' 'a shaman,' one of those persons like Abraham, Moses, Buddha, Mohammed, et al. (p. 32)"

The teachings of Borg and Crossen have been insanely popular in the Episcopal church for a number of years. It is obvious that their beliefs have infected much of the leadership of the church as Bishop Allison points out.

"Christian faith, but not secular faith, now effectively banned from schools, colleges, and universities, has been relegated to the private and subjective arena. The result is the growing popularity of any who eliminate from Christian faith all that secular trust finds incompatible: miracles, the radical nature of sin and the consequent radical nature of grace, transcendence, holiness, and our human desperate need for God’s initiative action in Jesus.
The consequence of this secular replacement of Christianity over the years is that otherwise educated people can be bereft of any substantial grasp of scripture. One glaring example is Presiding Bishop Katherine Jefferts Schori who tells us that Marcus Borg 'opened the Bible to me.' (Acknowledgements A Wing and a Prayer). The Christian creed’s affirmation, to which she has repeatedly sworn, (but Borg negates) is that Jesus Christ is:
'the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of his Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father; by whom all things were made . . .'”

"Borg has not opened the scripture for Bishop Jefferts Schori but closed its revelation of Jesus’ divinity."

How did we get to this sad state of affairs? What makes false teachers so attractive? Is it because their supposed wisdom lets us off the hook and relieves us of the responsibility of checking their assertions against scripture? Off the top of my head I can rattle off a dozen or so other causes, but I think it ultimately boils down to what scripture teaches us about our fallen state. We are a stiff necked and stubborn people. We are too quick to wander off the path, and we are too quick to worship whatever new false idea or idol someone cooks up. If all this sounds a bit like historical doctrine, well, yes it does, and the fact of the matter is that today the historical doctrines are ignored, or reduced to a muddled mess by endless pages of theological argument, and the end result is a church with no foundation, a church that is fertile ground for heresy.

"One must ask how such apostasy has come about in the Episcopal Church. One answer is given by the new bishop of Connecticut, Ian Douglas. He accurately claims, 'The Episcopal Church does not readily think in terms of doctrine.' As one thinks carefully about this statement the spiritual pathology of TEC becomes apparent."

+Douglas has it partially right. The Episcopal church readily thinks in terms of doctrine but usually comes up with an answer that a doctrine can be interpreted in many different ways by different individuals at different times. Or, as Bishop Allison points out:

"The Episcopal Church does indeed think in terms of doctrine: doctrines of litigation, abortion, divorce, sexual behavior outside of marriage and all kinds of current politically correct doctrines, as well as teachings that Jesus is reduced from the Son of God to a 'subversive sage.' (p. 119, Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time)
The Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church personifies this sad reduction, this shrunken Jesus, this betrayal of Christian faith. Her claim that 'salvation is attained by many ways – Jesus Christ is a way, and God has many other ways as well. . .'(italics provided) (Interview, Time Magazine, July 10, 2006) is a violation of her ordination and consecration vows regarding the church’s creed (p. 519, Book of Common Prayer, , 1979). It is also sadly bereft of the Good News that salvation is never attained but freely given to those who believe. As to her belief in eternal life, she is unsure it exists and she contends that Jesus was more concerned with heavenly existence in this life. (Arkansas Democratic Gazette, Jan. 7, 2007)"

As we read these strong words of warning from +Fitz Allison, one has to wonder why the Borgs and the Schoris of the Episcopal church have not themselves been accused of "Abandonment" and referred to the disciplinary team (headed up by our former Bishop of Upper SC, +Henderson).

Oh, I forgot, Bishop Henderson is too busy investigating the charge of "Abandonment" leveled against someone who is the antithesis of the heretics cited above. Heretics run rampant while those who protest are charged with abandoning the church. This church has demonstrated in prior times of trial that it cannot effectively charge anyone with heresy. In fact, such a charge would seem to be a positive feature on one's resume and could quite possibly lead to election to a high position in the church (to say nothing of the money generated through the sale of books and from being out on the speaker's circuit). Unable to fight heresy, heresy reigns, and heretics and apostates reign terror on those who oppose them.

Bishop Duvall remains on the speaker's circuit, but his generation is fading away. Who will be available to preach to future generations of Episcopalians?

I am afraid the future of TEc belongs to the Borg collective.

Captain Picard, where are you?

The Flower Fadeth

2011-11-09T00:00:00.001-05:00

We have been blessed with a warm sunny November thus far. Under clear Carolina blue skies and temperatures in the upper 60's and low 70's even the azaleas have been fooled as evidenced by this pink ruffle in the yard.

Sorry for the blurry picture, but there was a large unruly animal tethered to my other arm as I tried to steady the cell phone camera.

The leaves on the surrounding trees are turning red, gold, Volunteer orange, and those leaves will be falling soon to become my annual Black Friday lawn chore (although this year the last of the leaves might wait to be cleaned up on Christmas Day). The azalea in the yard shows that life and beauty pushes despite what we know to be the approaching signs of winter.

"The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever." Isaiah 40:8

For All the Saints

2011-11-06T18:00:00.000-05:00

We celebrated All Saints' Sunday today and a couple a lines from a very short sermon got me to thinking about the process of sanctification. Our guest preacher concluded his sermon by saying, "all saints are sinners and all sinners are saints." Perhaps he should have said "all saints were sinners" which might have kept me from wondering.

I understand that sanctification comes not through the works of the saints, but from a gift of a merciful and loving God. As baptised Christians, all of us can partake in the process of sanctification, but most of us fight it. I mean that we seem to take one step forward and two back, but even so, we are still being changed into something new. Will that something new be that which others recognize as saintly? Judging by the numbers of acknowledged saints (subtracting some of those in the Episcopal book of "Holy Men and Holy Women") and dividing that by the total number of baptised Christians who have come and gone over the centuries leaves each of us with an impossibly low probability of becoming that kind of saint. Perhaps the bulk of us can pray that God will keep helping us to see the need to die to sin, and He will see Christ growing in us and transforming us.

On this Sunday we recite a long list of the dearly departed. Names are submitted by the congregation and printed in the bulletin. I do not contribute to this list because I don't want to add any stumbling blocks to the impatient. My list this year includes ten names. If we average 100-120 people in attendance on Sunday, and each has ten people in mind, then the list to be read aloud would include 1000-1200 names. I will print my list here just by the first letter of their first names: L, O, M, D, L, E, MJ, M, J, and B.

That said, many of us have been blessed to be in the presence of some of those unacknowledged saints whose faith in Jesus was such that the evidence of their faith shone through and spread to others. All of these that I have known have also humbly acknowledged their sinfulness and were ever so thankful for everything that God has given them, both the good and the bad.

"They lived not only in ages past;
there are hundreds of thousands still.
The world is bright with the joyous saints
who love to do Jesus' will.
You can meet them in school, on the street, in the store,
in church, by the sea, in the house next door;
they are saints of God, whether rich or poor,
and I mean to be one too."
("I Sing a Song of the Saints of God"-Lesbia Scott)

Diocese of Minnesota Resolves to Defeat Marriage Amendment

2011-11-02T21:54:00.000-04:00

My excuse for covering all things Minnesota this week is that my grandmother was from Minnesota, and I still have some great aunts and other assorted nuts living there (and nuts don't fall too far from the tree).

From the Star Tribune comes this story.

"Members of the Episcopal Church in Minnesota, which held its annual convention over the weekend in Minneapolis, passed a resolution opposing the marriage amendment to the state constitution banning same-sex marriage.

The church is joining other denominations and non-profit organizations in signing the 'Resolution against the Constitutional Amendment to Ban Marriage for Same-Sex Couples' as prepared and presented by Minnesotans United for All Families.

That group is trying to defeat the amendment set for a vote on the November 2012 ballot, which would define marriage as a union between a man and a woman."

“'The Episcopal Church in Minnesota has always stood with the marginalized,' said Bishop Brian N. Prior, IX Bishop of Minnesota, said in a released statement. 'Regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, gender orientation or immigrant status, Episcopalians in Minnesota have always embraced both the Gospel mandate of love of neighbor and the Baptismal Covenant imperative to respect the dignity of every human being.'”

Bishop Prior obviously thinks that to hold true to the Biblical standard of marriage is unloving and disrespectful.

I think that he is not holding true to the Apostolic faith, and in so doing, he is unloving and disrespectful.

Do not forget that our Bishop Waldo fell from the Diocese of Minnesota tree, and wait till you hear who has taken over his last church.

Your Pledge Dollars at Work: The Episcopal Church Socialist League

2011-10-31T22:29:00.001-04:00

From the Diocese of Minnesota, where they had to get their fireplaces going early this week, comes this interesting use for church buildings:
The "Episcopal Church Socialist League" will meet on Nov. 7, 2011 at St. Paul's Episcopal Church on-the-Hill. An Episcopal Socialist League? What will they come up with next?

The announcement states,

"This group has grown organically at St. Paul's out of a deep desire to ground the transformation of society both in the liturgical life of the church and her rich history in this area.
Our next meeting will be on Monday, November 7th at 7:15pm at St Paul's Episcopal Church on-the-Hill. All are welcome to come bring their ideas on what action they would like to see the ECSL engage in this upcoming year"

I could not find this event on the on-line church calendar for St. Paul's church on-the-Hill, but after a perusal of their web page, I would not doubt that the Episcopal Socialist League will meet and will be welcome because the church's home page advertises (among other things) "Radical Hospitality," and

"We relish a good debate and a great vegan meal, or a BBQ in the summer. We engage in mission with our sister congregation El Santo Niño Jesus. We are learning still, after better than ten years, what that means to be brothers and sisters in Christ. Come learn with us.

The people of St. Paul's have a strong tradition involvement in peace and social justice issues rooted in our heritage as an progressive Anglo-catholic parish in The Episcopal Diocese of Minnesota(see Justice).

We also are a people who believes in excellence in worship (see Worship). We know from our tradition that there are many ways to worship and so we offer Solemn High liturgies with chanting, incense, and full choir as well as simiple contemplative liturgies in a wide range of styles. Festive receptions often follow our liturgies as a place to meet and greet.

Our vision as a Christian community is rooted in four areas:

+ Radical Hospitality+

+Inspiring Worship+

+Spiritual Formation+

+Passionate Advocacy+

These areas are the tap roots of our life in Christ. Because life is a process, we are learning what this mission means one day at a time. Want to know more? Come and see!"

Blessings & Peace,The Rev. Mark Thompson, Vicar

The web site has links to recent blog posts which include "Read up on "homosexuality and the Bible" - Fr. Neil" which left me rolling my eyes when I read,

"Finally: Romans 1:24-27 gets inordinate attention in all discussions of "the Bible and homosexuality," and almost always is read as Paul's theological diagnosis of the homosexual "condition." I think that reading is fundamentally wrong. I've discussed the passage in two books (Liberating Paul [1994; 2006], pp. 192-94, and The Arrogance of Nations: Reading Romans in the Shadow of Empire [2008], 75-83), and in summary form in this 2003 column on "The Apostle Paul and sexuality" at The Witness online (click here).

What do other scholars think about that argument? One attempt at rebuttal, from Robert A. Gagnon, is here (to which I will respond in another post). Since the publication of The Arrogance of Nations, I've heard from other scholars (okay, a total of three so far) who find the argument "completely convincing": "it convinced our whole graduate seminar on Romans"; "it blew my socks off." That argument was the hook for the brief mention of my book in Lisa Miller's cover story on gay marriage, "Our Mutual Joy," in Newsweek, Dec. 15, 2008. But of course being mentioned in Newsweek only guarantees that I'll be vilified by a wider circle of conservative Christians--not that I'm right.

Grace and peace,

Fr. Neil" (2009)

I would bet dollars to donuts that Robert Gagnon would destroy this guy in a debate, but the "occupy St. Paul's on-the-hill" crowd would probably not let that happen.

I do not doubt that St. Paul's on-the-Hill is full of loving people who are unaware that they have been occupied by not only socialists but by Biblical revisionists.

I hope the Socialists will confine their activities to polite debate on the scriptural basis of socialism and not say a single word that might suggest that the church on-the-Hill endorses a political party or candidate. After all, that might jeopardize the tax exempt status of the church.

Good luck with the stewardship campaign St. Paul's-St. Paul, Mn! From the stats it looks like you are going to need it!

After 3 blog posts in 2 days, the socialist in me tells me that I shouldn't put in any more hours of work on this blog this week.

Yes Virginia, There Really is a Boogerman

2011-10-31T00:25:00.000-04:00

"People travel to wonder at the height of the mountains, at the huge waves of the seas, at the long course of the rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motion of the stars, and yet they pass by themselves without wondering."-St. Augustine.

Teacher: "What do you want to be when you grow up Robbie?"

Robbie: "I want to be the Boogerman!"

Classmates: "Guess who has a new nickname?"

That was the case for Robert Palmer who would carry that nickname throughout his lifetime and beyond.

It was my intention a few years ago to hike the Boogerman Trail in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park. I just couldn't resist the name.

Marti Davis at m.knoxnews.com had this to say about the area of the trail,

"This area is named for one of the first hardy families to populate the rich but remote Cataloochee Valley. According to Ken Wise, author of the irreplaceable 'Hiking Trails of the Great Smoky Mountains,' a Confederate deserter-turned-Union renegade raider entered the valley near the end of the Civil War, seeking out suspected Confederate sympathizers Levi Shelton and Ellsworth Caldwell. Kirk's marauders proceeded up Caldwell Fork and whipped the women, who nevertheless remained silent. Undaunted, the Union renegades waited until dark, then followed the women to the lair of their mates and executed them. They were later buried on a hillside overlooking Caldwell Fork Trail.

The story behind the Boogerman Trail's name is a far less grisly story that begins on the first day of school for a local boy, painfully shy Robert Palmer. When the teacher asked his name, the tongue-tied Palmer finally blurted out 'Boogerman,' and the name stuck and he was christened 'Booger' Palmer. He later left the crowded farmland of the Cataloochee Valley to seek a lonelier home place along the trail that now bears his name."

Back in '96 we camped at Cataloochee the night before hiking the Boogerman. The forecast was typical for a Smokey Mountains camping trip, so we were prepared for wet weather. Intermittent drizzle did not slow us down as we hiked to Boogerman's place. We did take shelter briefly in a tree. I did not take any pictures because of the rain, but others have photographed that tree, and here is one I found at flickr,

Part of the trail from the campground was also a horse trail so our boots took on a pleasant natural "flavor" as we tried to dodge the barn apples before angling off onto Mr. Palmer's trail.

We never found the Boogerman, but we did spot a fragment of a cast iron pot in one of the creeks and imagined this as being one of Boogerman's very own cooking pots. Just what did he like to cook, little boys and girls, or maybe possum stew?

We also found a crawfish by the creek. I wonder if Booger ate those?

Here are my original notes from back in 1996:

This trip to the Boogerman trail looked like a complete rainout from the forecast, but I hoped we would be lucky and only get rain at night.
We left Rock Hill at 4:30 p.m. We took exit 20 from I-40 and had to turn right not 200 yards off the interstate toward Cataloochee campground. It was getting dark by this time and the road turned into a gravel one that snaked up the mountain for what seemed like an eternity but eventually emerged on a ridge where there was a paved 2 lane road. A few more miles and we were relieved to find the campground after entering the park. It was after 7:30 when we arrived and we had to set up our tents and make some hot chocolate. This time we set up a canopy over the tents to keep out the rain which was a good idea since it rained pretty hard that night. One side of the canopy pulled loose but we stayed dry. Every time I woke and heard rain, I had to make sure that it really was rain hitting the side of the tent since one of the kids had been known to obey the call of nature standing inside the tent.

The next morning, the rain had stopped. After a breakfast of bacon and pancakes, we hiked 0.8 miles down Caldwell Fork trail to the junction with the 3.8 mile Boogerman trail. Passing through a rhododendron thicket we noticed several good walking sticks. We passed several downed trees which appeared to show the face of the Boogerman formed by “natural” processes smiling at us. We found his farm land and an old cast iron pot. There were several crawfish burrowing in the path near here. As we left this bottom land we stopped at an old split rail fence to eat lunch and take some pictures. We then set off on our homeward leg, and it started to rain hard after we found a large stone wall.

It rained the rest of the way back to camp. When we joined Caldwell Fork trail again we had 2.8 miles downhill to go on a horse trail that had numerous mud holes and at least 12 footlog creek crossings. We learned what a Fraser magnolia was and what “barn apples” were. We found that a poncho will keep your upper half dry only if you wear the hood. Even though one kid walked straight through every puddle, my boots were just as soaked as his when we got back to camp. The hike was 7.4 miles, took 5 and a half hours, and the F.i.L. commented that not once did the children complain. They seemed to enjoy it all the more because of the circumstances. After the hike the F.i.L. took a nap while we got dry, and hid out in my tent because it was still raining and getting colder. We practiced our knots while before starting a pot of soup when the rain slowed down. The rain stopped before sundown, and we decided to try to build a fire. Anyone can start a fire with dry wood, but it takes a real scout to start one with wet wood. Not even the F.i.L. could not get it going until N1S pointed out the “fat wood” that he had brought along. This helped immensely, and allowed us to dry wood over the new fire. We toasted marshmallows, and warmed up by the fire before going to bed. We all slept well that night.

09-29-96
We got up at 7:30 a.m. and ate a good stack of pancakes before driving home. We had quite a mess of wet camping equipment, boots, and clothes to dry out once we got home.

Pride and The Lectionary Editor

2011-10-30T18:45:00.000-04:00

Today's supply priest gave a very good sermon on the subject of "Pride" based on Matthew 23:1-12.

I was thinking about how our pride shapes how we read the Bible. We tend to ignore the parts that we don't like and focus on the parts that please us.

Many times the lectionary does this for us by presenting us with the expurgated Bible as has been pointed out on this blog as well as over at the Churchmouse blog.

Today's lectionary provided another cleaned up Psalm for the Sunday masses. This time, Psalm 107 felt the chopping block. The result was a "psalmette" that left me feeling warm and fuzzy, and I don't do warm and fuzzy. This is what we read:

1 O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures for ever.
2 Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,
those he redeemed from trouble
3 and gathered in from the lands,
from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.
4 Some wandered in desert wastes,
finding no way to an inhabited town;
5 hungry and thirsty,
their soul fainted within them.
6 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress;
7 he led them by a straight way,
until they reached an inhabited town.
33 He turns rivers into a desert,
springs of water into thirsty ground,
34 a fruitful land into a salty waste,
because of the wickedness of its inhabitants.
35 He turns a desert into pools of water,
a parched land into springs of water.
36 And there he lets the hungry live,
and they establish a town to live in;
37 they sow fields, and plant vineyards,
and get a fruitful yield.

Lots of good vibes in that one, but I was left wondering about verses 8-32 and why they got left out. After all, they contained the following,

8 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wonderful works to humankind.

9 For he satisfies the thirsty,
and the hungry he fills with good things.
10 Some sat in darkness and in gloom,
prisoners in misery and in irons,
11 for they had rebelled against the words of God,
and spurned the counsel of the Most High.
12 Their hearts were bowed down with hard labour;
they fell down, with no one to help.
13 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he saved them from their distress;
14 he brought them out of darkness and gloom,
and broke their bonds asunder.
15 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wonderful works to humankind.
16 For he shatters the doors of bronze,
and cuts in two the bars of iron.

17 Some were sick through their sinful ways,
and because of their iniquities endured affliction;
18 they loathed any kind of food,
and they drew near to the gates of death.
19 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he saved them from their distress;
20 he sent out his word and healed them,
and delivered them from destruction.

21 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wonderful works to humankind.
22 And let them offer thanksgiving sacrifices,
and tell of his deeds with songs of joy.
23 Some went down to the sea in ships,
doing business on the mighty waters;
24 they saw the deeds of the Lord,
his wondrous works in the deep.

25 For he commanded and raised the stormy wind,
which lifted up the waves of the sea.
26 They mounted up to heaven, they went down to the depths;
their courage melted away in their calamity;
27 they reeled and staggered like drunkards,
and were at their wits’ end.
28 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he brought them out from their distress;
29 he made the storm be still,
and the waves of the sea were hushed.
30 Then they were glad because they had quiet,
and he brought them to their desired haven.

31 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wonderful works to humankind.
32 Let them extol him in the congregation of the people,
and praise him in the assembly of the elders.

Granted, Psalm 107 might seem a tad bit too long for a Sunday morning service, but it looks like the part that was cut is the part containing lots more great reasons why we should be so thankful to the Lord.

Verses 9-16 give us a recitation of the reasons for the distress of the people: Thirst, hunger, imprisonment, hard labour. Bless the Lord who relieves all who so suffer.

Verses 17-20 describe the sickness the people suffer as a result of sin. This would be an obvious choice for the lectionary committee to cut because it is not at all in keeping with the modern world view. I like it, and think we are sick with sin, and therefore I see no problem with presenting this subject to the Sunday morning crowd.

Verses 23-30 give us a wonderful premonition of Jesus calming the stormy sea. I really think that should have been heard.

Verses 31-32 conclude that because of God's great deeds of saving grace we are to shout about it in the congregation, not cut it out and leave it to some lowly blogger to dredge up in a half forgotten part of the web.

To be fair, Psalm 107 goes on for five more verses at the end, but the only objectional lines are the "negative" things God does to princes and wickedness.

38 By his blessing they multiply greatly,
and he does not let their cattle decrease.
39 When they are diminished and brought low
through oppression, trouble, and sorrow,
40 he pours contempt on princes
and makes them wander in trackless wastes;
41 but he raises up the needy out of distress,
and makes their families like flocks.
42 The upright see it and are glad;
and all wickedness stops its mouth.
43 Let those who are wise give heed to these things,
and consider the steadfast love of the Lord.

At the risk of repeating myself, when we cut and paste the scripture to either make worship more pleasurable or in order to direct the message rather than let the message direct us, we are guilty of the cardinal sin of pride, and we are giving people a watered down version of Christianity which does them no favors.

Would Glasses or a Hearing Aid Help?

2011-10-26T00:00:00.000-04:00

This past Sunday, at about minute 15 of the announcements, I lost all sense of being in church and in the presence of the Lord.I forced myself to close my eyes and ears in order to shut out all the thoughts of the places I had to go and the things I had to do that day. It worked, but I had to keep coming back to these old tried and true methods of quieting the mind in order to get through the rest of the service.Today's Gospel reading, Matthew 13:10-17, is helping me get back in focus.

Then the disciples came and asked him, ‘Why do you speak to them in parables?’ He answered, ‘To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For to those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. The reason I speak to them in parables is that “seeing they do not perceive, and hearing they do not listen, nor do they understand.” With them indeed is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah that says:“You will indeed listen, but never understand, and you will indeed look, but never perceive. For this people’s heart has grown dull, and their ears are hard of hearing, and they have shut their eyes; so that they might not look with their eyes, and listen with their ears,and understand with their heart and turn— and I would heal them.” But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. Truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.

The disciples were blessed to be in His presence, but not everyone who met Jesus saw or heard Him at the time. How do we obtain those blessed eyes and ears of which Jesus speaks? We like to think that one of the problems with modernity that keeps us from hearing God's call is the incessant noise of the information age. Even to those of us who do not have ADHD, work and the distractions of the ever increasing sources of entertainment available to please us can effectively drown out the voice of God. No, glasses or a hearing aid would just amplify the noise.

Should we blame the computer, the television, or the bloggers for our walk apart from the Lord?

What if we follow John Prine's advice?

"Turn off the T.V. Throw away your paper.Move to the country.Build you a home.Plant a little garden.Eat a lot of peaches.Try an find Jesus on your own." - "Spanish Pipedream" John Prine 1971

I am not sure if that would work either, but it might be a good start.Maybe it isn't the noise from the world that is the problem, maybe it is us, and we shouldn't blame the world because we don't connect with God. Maybe the problem lies between our ears. But just in case, would somebody please pass me the peaches?

Who is DUSC's Neighbor?

2011-10-23T00:34:00.001-04:00

Yesterday we witnessed the annual Convention of the Diocese of Upper South Carolina put forth a resolution suggesting an alternative means of reconcilation between our Presiding Bishop and Bishop Mark Lawrence of the Diocese of South Carolina (yes there is another Episcopal diocese in South Carolina). (Update: the resolution is now posted at StandFirm in Faith)An impassioned Bishop Andrew Waldo of Upper South Carolina argued before the Convention for the benefits of a Christian manner of handling a difference of opinion (as opposed to the use of disciplinary canons). By an odd Godincidence, the Gospel reading for today begs the question, "Who is your neighbor?" Matthew 22:34-46

When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?’ He said to him, ‘ “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’ Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them this question: ‘What do you think of the Messiah?* Whose son is he?’ They said to him, ‘The son of David.’ He said to them, ‘How is it then that David by the Spirit* calls him Lord, saying, “The Lord said to my Lord,‘Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet’ ”? If David thus calls him Lord, how can he be his son?’ No one was able to give him an answer, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.

Yesterday the people of Upper South Carolina let it be known just who is their neighbor.Will former Bishop of DUSC, Dorsey Henderson, who is in charge of the disciplinary committee judging +Mark Lawrence of DSC, be able to give our Lord an answer to the question, "Who is your neighbor?"

Healthy Doubt vs Unhealthy Doubt

2011-10-19T00:00:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, StandFirminFaith pointed out a support group for non-believing clergy,

"The Clergy Project is a confidential online community for active and former clergy who do not hold the supernatural beliefs of their religious traditions. The Clergy Project launched on March 21st, 2011.
Currently, the community's nearly 100 members use it to network and discuss what it's like being an unbelieving leader in a religious community. The Clergy Project’s goal is to support members as they move beyond faith."

I am not sure what "moving beyond faith" means to the leaders of the support group, but it does not sound like a direction in which clerics should be supported.

Let's face it, we all have our doubts. We all have our own ways of dealing with those doubts. There are some ways which are healthy and some which are unhealthy. The difficulty comes in telling when you are following the path to health because the unhealthy path often appears to offer the most tempting message and the tastiest meal. In fact, skepticism has such a following that it has become a great vehicle for making a name for oneself, landing an academic appointment, or getting a book published. There is even an emerging name for the phenomenon, "Emergent Skepticism," although it is sometimes referred to as "liberal skepticism." From what I can tell, emergent skepticism leads to unhealthy doubt.

From Fors Clavigera (H/T Treading Grain),

"But there is also an important difference between emergent skeptics and catholic doubters: The new kind of skeptics want the faith to be cut down to the size of their doubt, to conform to their suspicions. Doubt is taken to be sufficient warrant for jettisoning what occasions our disbelief and discomfort, cutting a scandalizing God down to the size of our believing. For the new doubters, if I can't believe it, it can't be true. If orthodoxy is unbelievable, then let's come up with a rendition we can believe in."

I am not sure that the emergent skeptics really know what they want, but in the long run, their "unhealthy doubt" has a corrosive effect on that person's relationship with God, and if promoted publicly in Sunday school classes or from the pulpit, such "unhealthy belief" has a corrosive effect on the faith and practice of the Church as a whole.

“The prayer of the doubter is not, ‘Lord I believe, conform to the measure of my unbelief,’ but rather: ‘Lord I believe, help thou my unbelief.’” (Mark 9:24 and also Fors Clavigera)

Unhealthy doubt definitely seems to lead to the first form of prayer. Healthy doubt, if there is such a thing, leads us to the latter prayer.

It does seem (in so far as the Episcopal church is concerned) that emergent skepticism and unhealthy doubt has the upper hand. Simply watch revisionist clerics discuss the meaning of "pornea," and you will know what I mean. For the person in the pew, unhealthy doubt expressed by their spiritual leaders can be a stumbling block and a cause of confusion. It is unwise to set a foundation on the shifting sands of doubt. The end result for a church enamored with liberal skepticism is the well deserved numerical decline of the denomination (witness The Raw Numerical Truth about the Episcopal Church).

What is it about emergent skepticism that draws people in and holds them?

From my experience, most who are bound up in emergent skepticism will vigorously defend, and recklessly promote, their philosophy. A vigorous defense seems difficult to imagine. After all, how can a true skeptic believe in anything, especially if the thing they are defending is sometimes disbelief itself? For persons to develop such strong convictions, they must get some positive reinforcement either from friends, family, associates, heterodox authors, or, I am sorry to say, from their church.

How can people break the chains of unhealthy doubt?

Once again, I shall speak from personal experience. Emergent skepticism tempted me many years ago. I found it led to a spiritual dead end. I found that I was being tempted to doubt first the scriptural revelation of God, and ultimately the very existence of God. I was being supported in this line of reasoning by many who, on the surface, appeared to be "good Episcopalians." I encountered no resistance from the church as I traveled this path, and in fact I saw that the church, in its affirmations or its silence was nuturing such teachings. Doubts piled onto doubts. Nothing was certain, and certainly not the Word of God. I thank God for the correction I needed. Perhaps it was Him who led me to confront my own skepticism. This involved getting back to the Word of God through daily personal study, the help of fellow Christians, striving to live a prayerful life, and a lot of hard work. That may be a clue as to why people do not escape the bonds of emergent skepticism. The hard work part I mean.

"Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." Matthew 7:13-14 KJV

That is not what people want to hear.

It might seem easier to doubt than to fall down and be humbled by those words.

We would rather listen to "a rendition we can believe in."

"Our Rendition" replaces "Our Father" when we follow the path of unhealthy doubt.

These Are A Few of My Favorite Things

2011-10-16T14:30:00.000-04:00

Today's Gospel reading was Matthew 22:15-22. This is often considered as "The Question about Paying Taxes."

"Then the Pharisees went and plotted to entrap him in what he said. So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, ‘Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality. Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?’ But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, ‘Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin used for the tax.’ And they brought him a denarius. Then he said to them, ‘Whose head is this, and whose title?’ They answered, ‘The emperor’s.’ Then he said to them, ‘Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’ When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away. "

All too often when I read this story, my focus is on the skillful way Jesus thwarts the Pharisee's plan to entrap him, and I miss the really difficult part.

Give "to God the things that are God's."

The past month or so I have been struggling as an older 2nd year piano student to play a version of that Rogers and Hammerstein favorite, "My Favorite Things." My playing does not exactly sound like a God given thing at the moment, and sometimes I feel so bad that I would like to wrap that song up in a brown paper package, tie it with string, and kick it straight to an eternal home.

I don't think that's the kind of thing that Jesus was talking about.

What are those things?

My life.

My love.

My heart.

My soul.

My mind.

My body.

My, my, I do believe that I possess a lot of His things, and they are a few of my favorites.

I am reminded of an old joke, and after studying Jesus' tough message and seeing how difficult it is to follow, I wonder if maybe I could ask to look at that ~~IRS 1040 form~~ Roman coin again.

schnitzel with noodles

"Truth Does Not Need Any Propaganda"

2011-10-12T00:00:00.001-04:00

Who said it and in what context was it said?

"Truth does not need any propaganda;

...it holds its own. The characteristic mark of truth is that it is the correct representation of reality, i.e., of a state of affairs that is and works whether or not anybody recognizes it. The recognition and pronouncement of truth is as such a condemnation of everything that is untrue. It carries on by the mere fact of being true.

Therefore let the false prophets go on. Do not try to imitate their policies. Do not try as they do to silence and to outlaw dissenters. The liars must be afraid of truth and are therefore driven to suppress its pronouncement. But the advocates of truth put their hopes upon their own rightness. Veracity does not fear the liars. It can stand their competition. The propagandists may continue to spread their fables and to indoctrinate youth. They will fail lamentably."

Not sure? One hint, it is not written concerning the current state of the Church (although I could not help but see the parallels).

Okay, here is the context,

"The main propaganda trick of the supporters of the allegedly 'progressive' policy of government control is to blame capitalism for all that is unsatisfactory in present-day conditions and to extol the blessings which socialism has in store for mankind. They have never attempted to prove their fallacious dogmas or still less to refute the objections raised by the economists. All they did was to call their adversaries names and to cast suspicion upon their motives. And, unfortunately, the average citizen cannot see through these stratagems. Consider, for instance, the problem of mass unemployment prolonged year after year. The 'progressive' interprets it as an evil inherent in capitalism. The naive public is ready to swallow this explanation. People do not realize that in an unhampered labor market, manipulated neither by labor-union pressure nor by government-fixed minimum wage rates, unemployment affects only small groups for a short time. Under free capitalism unemployment is a comparatively unimportant temporary phenomenon; there prevails a permanent tendency for unemployment to disappear. Economic changes may bring about new unemployment. But at the wage rates established in a free labor market everyone eager to earn wages finally gets a job. Unemployment as a mass phenomenon is the outcome of allegedly 'pro-labor' policies of the governments and of labor union pressure and compulsion."

Still stumped?

Could this be someone writing against those people doing the "Occupy Wall Street" thing?

Nope.

Maybe it is someone writing in response to the Democrat party for this:

In an email sent Monday morning, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Director Robby Mook appealed for signatures to an online petition in support of those who want "to let billionaires, big oil and big bankers know that we're not going to let the richest 1% force draconian economic policies and massive cuts to crucial programs on Main Street Americans." Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/10/10/lawmakers-pick-sides-as-wall-street-protests-mount/#ixzz1aP8YDyjQ

Nope.It came from "Bureaucracy," Chapter VII, 1944 by Ludwig von Mises.

You've got to read on to the conclusion:

"The champions of socialism call themselves progressives, but they recommend a system which is characterized by rigid observance of routine and by a resistance to every kind of improvement. They call themselves liberals, but they are intent upon abolishing liberty. They call themselves democrats, but they yearn for dictatorship. They call themselves revolutionaries, but they want to make the government omnipotent. They promise the blessings of the Garden of Eden, but they plan to transform the world into a gigantic post office. Every man but one a subordinate clerk in a bureau. What an alluring utopia! What a noble cause to fight!"

A tip of the tam to Martial Artist.

This Was Not in the Job Description: The Bishop's (Waldo's) Suit

2011-10-09T13:24:00.000-04:00

Interestingly, today's Epistle was from Phillipians and reads like a prayer for the healing of a dispute involving women,Philippians 4:1-9

Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved. I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. Yes, and I ask you also, my loyal companion, help these women, for they have struggled beside me in the work of the gospel, together with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life.Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.

Interesting because we see that conflicts within the Church have always been a problem. I don't know if Paul's methods helped Euodia and Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord, but at least he didn't advise them to take each other to court.

Interesting because buried amongst all the disturbing news from the Episcoverse this week was a story reported in "The State" about a lawsuit against Bishop Waldo of the Episcopal Diocese of Upper South Carolina that appears to stem from events surrounding the removal of the Dean of Trinity Cathedral last year. My report on that earlier problem can be found here.

The "State" reports the allegation:

"'Bishop Waldo callously and blatantly defamed and humiliated Ellen Linder before the entire congregation of the church and the public at large by falsely accusing her, with absolutely no justification or investigation into Ellen’s side of the story, of conspiring with her husband to break the laws of the church that she devoted her life to,' the 56-page complaint alleges." (Read it all at "The State,")

This does not seem to have much merit, but I don't know all the details. It is however, a reflection of our litigious culture in which it has become almost impossible to fire someone without having to worry about the threat of a civil suit or facing the employment commission. I offer the same prayer for Bishop Waldo that I offered for Bishop Lawrence of the DSC who was informed by our very own former Bishop Dorsey Henderson of "serious" charges against +Lawrence this week. I offered the following portion of Psalm 119 that we read on the day both these problems went public.

145 With my whole heart I cry; answer me, O Lord. I will keep your statutes. 146 I cry to you; save me, that I may observe your decrees. 147 I rise before dawn and cry for help; I put my hope in your words. 148 My eyes are awake before each watch of the night, that I may meditate on your promise. 149 In your steadfast love hear my voice; O Lord, in your justice preserve my life. 150 Those who persecute me with evil purpose draw near; they are far from your law. 151 Yet you are near, O Lord, and all your commandments are true. 152 Long ago I learned from your decrees that you have established them for ever. 153 Look on my misery and rescue me, for I do not forget your law. 154 Plead my cause and redeem me; give me life according to your promise. 155 Salvation is far from the wicked, for they do not seek your statutes. 156 Great is your mercy, O Lord; give me life according to your justice. 157 Many are my persecutors and my adversaries, yet I do not swerve from your decrees. 158 I look at the faithless with disgust, because they do not keep your commands. 159 Consider how I love your precepts; preserve my life according to your steadfast love. 160 The sum of your word is truth; and every one of your righteous ordinances endures for ever. 161 Princes persecute me without cause, but my heart stands in awe of your words. 162 I rejoice at your word like one who finds great spoil. 163 I hate and abhor falsehood, but I love your law. 164 Seven times a day I praise you for your righteous ordinances. 165 Great peace have those who love your law; nothing can make them stumble. 166 I hope for your salvation, O Lord, and I fulfil your commandments. 167 My soul keeps your decrees; I love them exceedingly. 168 I keep your precepts and decrees, for all my ways are before you. (Psalm 119)

St. Philip's, Charleston, SC, site of "Mere Anglicanism 2012"

The House Call

2011-10-05T00:00:00.000-04:00

I have often heard it argued that since Jesus was "radically inclusive" and gave us the example of "radical hospitality," that we should therefore be welcoming of non-celibate homosexuals into ordained ministry and accepting of same sex unions as a blessed event. These are combined into the more general term, "inclusiveness." Not considering the logical basis of this conclusion, most discussions either end at this point or devolve into name calling, personal attacks, and the inevitable proof of Godwin's law.

Matthew 9:10 (today's Gospel reading is Matthew 9:9-17) is frequently referred to in these arguments. Read it again,

9 As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth; and he said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And he got up and followed him.10 And as he sat at dinner in the house, many tax-collectors and sinners came and were sitting with him and his disciples. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, ‘Why does your teacher eat with tax-collectors and sinners?’ 12 But when he heard this, he said, ‘Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 Go and learn what this means, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.’

Jesus' words in verses 12 and 13 are usually conveniently left out of any discussion of "inclusiveness."

We can all be thankful that the Great Physician deigns to dine with the likes of us. He even makes house calls! What a surprise to come to a banquet only to told by the guest of honor that you are "sick." What should be my response as His patient? Should I deny that an illness exists in me? Dare I tell the Physican that he is wrong and demand He explain to the world that there was no sickness in me to begin with? After all, it is the world that has the problem, not me. I am a good tax collector. Everyone else is a taxcollectorophobe.

The risk of being "radically included" by Jesus is the risk of being called out to be healed of your sickness and sin. This is the main risk to those who use the argument of "radicaI hospitality" to further their agenda: they may be given a prescription that involves a change in themselves rather than the change in others that they seek.

I see nothing here to suggest that the result of Jesus' house call is the redefinition of "sin" to mean "blessing."

We are the ones who want to see sin redefined.

Life would be so much easier if only God would do as I desire.

Please e-mail the Iranian Embassy at once.

2011-10-03T13:09:00.000-04:00

I have been following this story with a heavy heart. Now, Christian Solidarity Worldwide is helping us to show our support for Iran's Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani who has been sentenced to death for his refusal to renounce Jesus. Go to their web pages to send an e-mail to the Iranian Embassy. According to their site, over 27,000 (or should I say "only 27,000") e-mails have been sent thus far. We can do better than that.

Social Media, Old Style

2011-10-02T13:30:00.000-04:00

As the dog and I walked back from picking up the morning newspaper, I started to read an article about "social media" and how people were spending "x" number of hours a day glued to their electronic devices.

Then the first cool breeze of Fall brushed my face. I lifted my eyes to watch the leaves and branches swaying in the arms of the wind. I dropped the old style social media to which I had been glued, laughed, and enjoyed a moment in which to listen, see, smell, and live again in God's creation.

The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night declares knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard; yet their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. - Psalm 19:1-4

My Patron Saint's Day

2011-09-30T00:05:00.000-04:00

After taking the quiz in the sidebar of this blog, I found my patron saint and today is his day.

September 30
St. Jerome (345-420)from AmericanCatholic.org

Most of the saints are remembered for some outstanding virtue or devotion which they practiced, but Jerome is frequently remembered for his bad temper! It is true that he had a very bad temper and could use a vitriolic pen, but his love for God and his Son Jesus Christ was extraordinarily intense; anyone who taught error was an enemy of God and truth, and St. Jerome went after him or her with his mighty and sometimes sarcastic pen.
He was above all a Scripture scholar, translating most of the Old Testament from the Hebrew. He also wrote commentaries which are a great source of scriptural inspiration for us today. He was an avid student, a thorough scholar, a prodigious letter-writer and a consultant to monk, bishop and pope. St. Augustine said of him, "What Jerome is ignorant of, no mortal has ever known."

St. Jerome is particularly important for having made a translation of the Bible which came to be called the Vulgate. It is not the most critical edition of the Bible, but its acceptance by the Church was fortunate. As a modern scholar says, "No man before Jerome or among his contemporaries and very few men for many centuries afterwards were so well qualified to do the work." The Council of Trent called for a new and corrected edition of the Vulgate, and declared it the authentic text to be used in the Church.

In order to be able to do such work, Jerome prepared himself well. He was a master of Latin, Greek, Hebrew and Chaldaic. He began his studies at his birthplace, Stridon in Dalmatia (in the former Yugoslavia). After his preliminary education he went to Rome, the center of learning at that time, and thence to Trier, Germany, where the scholar was very much in evidence. He spent several years in each place, always trying to find the very best teachers.

After these preparatory studies he traveled extensively in Palestine, marking each spot of Christ's life with an outpouring of devotion. Mystic that he was, he spent five years in the desert of Chalcis so that he might give himself up to prayer, penance and study. Finally he settled in Bethlehem, where he lived in the cave believed to have been the birthplace of Christ. On September 30 in the year 420, Jerome died in Bethlehem. The remains of his body now lie buried in the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome.

Comment:

Jerome was a strong, outspoken man. He had the virtues and the unpleasant fruits of being a fearless critic and all the usual moral problems of a man. He was, as someone has said, no admirer of moderation whether in virtue or against evil. He was swift to anger, but also swift to feel remorse, even more severe on his own shortcomings than on those of others. A pope is said to have remarked, on seeing a picture of Jerome striking his breast with a stone, "You do well to carry that stone, for without it the Church would never have canonized you" (Butler's Lives of the Saints).

Quote:

"In the remotest part of a wild and stony desert, burnt up with the heat of the scorching sun so that it frightens even the monks that inhabit it, I seemed to myself to be in the midst of the delights and crowds of Rome. In this exile and prison to which for the fear of hell I had voluntarily condemned myself, I many times imagined myself witnessing the dancing of the Roman maidens as if I had been in the midst of them: In my cold body and in my parched-up flesh, which seemed dead before its death, passion was able to live. Alone with this enemy, I threw myself in spirit at the feet of Jesus, watering them with my tears, and I tamed my flesh by fasting whole weeks. I am not ashamed to disclose my temptations, but I grieve that I am not now what I then was" ("Letter to St. Eustochium").

Patron Saint of:

Undergroundpewsters

"We shall never get re-union with them."

2011-09-28T00:21:00.003-04:00

Today's Gospel reading reminded me of the following comment by C.S. Lewis,

"The world of dogmatic Christianity is a place in which thousands of people of quite different types keep on saying the same thing, and the world of 'broad-mindedness' and watered-down 'religion' is a world where a small number of people (all of the same type) say totally different things and change their minds every few minutes. We shall never get re-union with them." C.S. Lewis in "God in the Dock", 1970 Erdmans Publishing p. 60.

"What was the Gospel reading," you ask?

‘Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it. ‘Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will know them by their fruits. ‘Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord”, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only one who does the will of my Father in heaven. Matthew 7:13-21

The "broad minded and watered down" Christian path is a wide road that is so tempting to follow. It is a superhighway full of attractive pipers playing new tunes and their happy followers who seldom miss a chance to belittle those on the path of dogmatic Christianity. The pipers are the proverbial wolves in sheep's clothing, but their disguise is so good, and the path so easy, that those who do not pay attention to dogma are quick to follow them and to accept their false teachings. While they are always welcome to step off the superhighway of death and destruction, forget trying to re-unite with them. Superhighways and footpaths don't work well together. The intersections are deadly.

You can't change a wide and constantly changing gate into a narrow, steadfast one either.

(From ReverendFun)

Lectionary Psalter Slasher Strikes Again

2011-09-25T17:16:00.000-04:00

Most folks I talk to are glad that the readings from the Psalter that we are given each Sunday are shortened. I, on the other hand, am a fan of the Psalms and hate to see them changed in any way. The lectionary frequently edits the psalms in addition to the other readings, and I have often questioned the rationale behind such edits. Today, I would rather focus on the effect on the casual churchgoer of what might initially seem to be meaningless changes to Psalm 78 (today's chosen psalm).

First, read and digest the appointed verses:

1 Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth
2 I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of old,
3 things that we have heard and known, that our ancestors have told us.
4 We will not hide them from their children; we will tell to the coming generationthe glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders that he has done.

(You may have noted that verses 5-11 were missing from today's psalm.)

12 In the sight of their ancestors he worked marvels in the land of Egypt, in the fields of Zoan.
13 He divided the sea and let them pass through it, and made the waters stand like a heap.
14 In the daytime he led them with a cloud, and all night long with a fiery light.
15 He split rocks open in the wilderness, and gave them drink abundantly as from the deep.
16 He made streams come out of the rock, and caused waters to flow down like rivers.

Taken on its own, this psalm fragment points to a glorious God, who worked wonders, delivered and provided for the Israelites in the time of Exodus. God is great. People are...well, there ain't a whole lot about people in that version. Maybe they left that part out. Now, where might they have put it? Maybe in those missing verses?

5 He established a decree in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel,which he commanded our ancestors to teach to their children;
6 that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn,and rise up and tell them to their children,
7 so that they should set their hope in God,and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments;
8 and that they should not be like their ancestors, a stubborn and rebellious generation,a generation whose heart was not steadfast, whose spirit was not faithful to God.

9 The Ephraimites, armed with the bow, turned back on the day of battle.
10 They did not keep God’s covenant, but refused to walk according to his law.
11 They forgot what he had done, and the miracles that he had shown them.

As far as lectionary edits go, this one might seem rather minor, and it does leave us with a nice uplifting message, but think about the cumulative effect of hearing only the positives. If one does not hear about how we still resist and offend such a wondrous God, won't we get to feeling a bit too good about ourselves. Doesn't anybody think that there could be lasting harm in this?

I hesitate to speculate again that the goal of the lectionary editors might be to make people feel good about themselves so that folks not leave church feeling guilty, but that does seem to me to be an recurring theme.

The church that tries to teach only positive things will inevitably find itself face to face with people doing negative things. What is such a church to do? How can it turn to scriptures for help if those scriptures have had the wonderful examples of our ancestors' negative behaviors expunged?

And what were they thinking when they make this cut right after verses 2-4 in which we heard that we will not hide these things from future generations?

The net effect is a quiet ruling, "We need to hide that from the coming generation!"

I am afraid that the leaders who guide us with Sunday worship resources are in danger of acting "like those forgotten ancestors, a stubborn and rebellious generation,a generation whose heart was not steadfast, whose spirit was not faithful to God. "

The Secret of Christian Sanctity

2011-09-21T00:05:00.000-04:00

Today's Gospel reading leaves us hanging with a call to perfection in Matthew 5:38-48

‘You have heard that it was said, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you. ‘You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.” But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax-collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

A lot of tough rules for life in that one. As a youngster, that last line always bothered me most. How in the world could I be perfect? One look in the mirror would be a strong argument for the impossible nature of carrying out that order. Not once during my school years did I receive an evaluation that said "Perfect," "Nearly Perfect," or even "Making an effort to be Perfect."

I also remember singing that classic hymn, "I Sing a Song of the Saints of God" with the last lines that go, "God helping, to be one too", "why I shouldn't be one too", and "I mean to be one too."

It took a while to understand how totally incapable I am to sanctify myself. It is a common stumbling block, and was commented upon by the late John Stott,

"(Archbishop) William Temple used to illustrate the point in this way. It is no good giving me a play like Hamlet or King Lear, and telling me to write a play like that. Shakespeare could do it; I can't. And it is no good showing me a life like the life of Jesus and telling me to live a live like that. Jesus could do it; I can't. But if the genius of Shakespeare could come and live in me, then I could write plays like that. And if the Spirit of Jesus could come and live in me, then I could live a life like that. This is the secret of Christian sanctity. It is not that we should strive to live like Jesus, but that he by his Spirit should come and live in us. To have him as our example is not enough; we need him as our Savior." John Stott "Basic Christianity," 1958 (p 128 second ed. IVP Books, ISBN 978-0-8308-3403-7)

Self actualization classes will continue to sell, books and television programs aimed at living a happier life through exercise, diet, money making, or political activism will keep seducing millions, but the real secret to happiness has been given to us freely, it is not of our creation, and is not a secret at all.

"And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you." John 14:16-17 (KJV)

That's Not Fair!

2011-09-18T19:01:00.000-04:00

Ever say/hear that one?No? Then you must have thought it at least once.Today's readings give two good examples of how the Lord deals with that underapprecited minority, the complainers.

First, Exodus 16:2-15 presented us with God's gift of manna,

The whole congregation of the Israelites complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness.The Israelites said to them, ‘If only we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate our fill of bread; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.’
Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘I am going to rain bread from heaven for you, and each day the people shall go out and gather enough for that day. In that way I will test them, whether they will follow my instruction or not.On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather on other days.’ So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, ‘In the evening you shall know that it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt,and in the morning you shall see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your complaining against the Lord. For what are we, that you complain against us?’And Moses said, ‘When the Lord gives you meat to eat in the evening and your fill of bread in the morning, because the Lord has heard the complaining that you utter against him—what are we? Your complaining is not against us but against the Lord.’

and Matthew 20:1-16 contained the story of the last being first and those upset first workers,

Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received the usual daily wage.And when they received it, they grumbled against the landowner,saying, “These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.”

Thankfully, the Lord listened to the Israelites and fed them in the wilderness.Mercifully, he paid the early bird workers, gave them a good explanation (not what they wanted, but what they needed), and didn't toss them out for their complaint. I know that it is "nice" to not complain, but we have a Lord who listens to our complaint. I am not using that as a justification for all of my complaining, but it might provide some solace to you squeaky wheels out there as you squeak against forces beyond your control.

PB Airlines: A Higher Pluralistic Plane

2011-09-14T00:08:00.000-04:00

I had a low key 9/11, and intended to keep it that way, but from the head honcho of the Episcopal organization comes this from her 9/11 sermon (h/t T19) just in time to rile me up:

" ...Pray for those who perpetrated the violence of September 11th. Picture their mothers holding them as babes, filled with hope for their future. Pray for those who have sought vengeance for the terror of September 11th or earlier terrors, and pray for all the torturers and terrorists among us. Imagine them sitting in a vineyard, feasting in the late afternoon sun, laughing and making music with former foes, in a land where no one is afraid any more. Pray for families and friends of those who died ten years ago, and envision them as living memorials, bringing greater life and healing in this world, building peace among strangers. Can we recognize the hopes that all parents have for their children? Are we willing to look for the reflection of those infants on the faces of our enemies? Can we recognize the common desire of all the world’s faithful peoples for peace in their own day? Will we claim the same human yearning in our own hearts? Those are all choices we can make – they are not accidents. When we can love our enemies enough to see a different possibility, our own hearts have indeed begun to heal – and God’s kingdom is coming. Amen. So be it. May our hearts be turned toward our enemies. Shalom, salaam, may your peaceful kingdom come, O Lord, in our hearts and in this world.

Inshallah.* God does will it, for this is the only road to peace."

The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, Presiding Bishop, and Primate The Episcopal Church

As much as it might upset us, yesterday's reading from 1 Kings 21 shows that the Lord will have mercy even upon those who do great evil... provided they repent.

"I will bring disaster on you; I will consume you, and will cut off from Ahab every male, bond or free, in Israel; and I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha son of Ahijah, because you have provoked me to anger and have caused Israel to sin. Also concerning Jezebel the Lord said, “The dogs shall eat Jezebel within the bounds of Jezreel.” Anyone belonging to Ahab who dies in the city the dogs shall eat; and anyone of his who dies in the open country the birds of the air shall eat.’(Indeed, there was no one like Ahab, who sold himself to do what was evil in the sight of the Lord, urged on by his wife Jezebel. He acted most abominably in going after idols, as the Amorites had done, whom the Lord drove out before the Israelites.)When Ahab heard those words, he tore his clothes and put sackcloth over his bare flesh; he fasted, lay in the sackcloth, and went about dejectedly. Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite: ‘Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself before me, I will not bring the disaster in his days; but in his son’s days I will bring the disaster on his house.’"

I know that God can heal all wounds, but I am having a hard time imagining sitting down with a unrepentant Mohamed Atta in God's vineyard, listening to the Hallelujah chorus, and downing a cool one while chatting over the good old days.Katherine Jefferts Schori wants me to imagine it. She knows I can do it on my own, just by recognizing our common hopes and dreams of peace.

Maybe the P.B. is on a higher spiritual plane than I, but I need some help here, and more than she is capable of providing.

While her sermons are pathetic panderings to pluralism, in this case the furtherance of the mission of Allah's followers, we continue to pay her salary. Well, at least she speaks a mean Arabic (although she may not be fully up to speed in the vernacular).

* Inshallah (from Grapeshisha)

"You must have heard it once in your life if not multiple times daily. Inshallah literally means 'If Allah wills it', or generalized to 'God-willing', but really it is a term of fatalism, which you can't really express in English, and it will be used to express an event in the future. This means that you could hear it peppered throughout conversations on a daily basis, since the future could mean in few minutes as well as tomorrow as well as next year. Let me give you an example: 'I will see you tomorrow, Inshallah'. Or 'We will work together, Inshallah'.However, be aware, the term is not always used in this way, and in many instances when there is not a hope in hell of something happening, it is thrown in for good measure. 'We will sign the contract tomorrow, Inshallah' or 'Inshallah, you will get a pay rise', implying that Allah does not want it so you don't get it. It can even cover uncertainty - 'Inshallah, the engineer will come tomorrow between 4 and 6'. That means you do not know if he will come before 4, after 6, at the allocated time or even at all! And if there is a pause between the end of the sentence and the Inshallah, it means either that the person is not so sure any more or really can't be bothered. Bukhra means tomorrow - combine it with Inshallah, and you have 'Inshallah, Bukhra' the severe form of Spanish termed 'manana effect'. It ain't gonna happen."

Sitting under the grapevines someday with Mohamed Atta, getting down to the celestial vibes of the heavenly orchestra? Inshallah, Bukhra!

Message From the Front Lines

2011-09-11T12:59:00.000-04:00

Prophetic words from an old soldier:

"The enemy has not yet thought it worth his while to fling his whole weight against us. But he soon will. This happens in the history of every Christian movement, beginning with the Ministry of Christ Himself. At first it is welcome to all who have no special reason for opposing it: at this stage he who is not against it is for it. What men notice is its difference from those aspects of the World which they already dislike. But later on, as the real meaning of the Christian claim becomes apparent, its demand for total surrender, the sheer chasm between Nature and Supernature, men are increasingly 'offended'. Dislike, terror, and finally hatred succeed: none who will not give it what it asks (and it asks all) can endure it: all who are not with it are against it...

...I think - but how should I know? - that all is going reasonably well. But it is early days. Neither our armour nor our enemies' is fully engaged. Combatants always tend to imagine that the war is further on than it really is."

C.S. Lewis on "The Decline of Religion," in "God in the Dock", 1970 Erdmans Publishing pp 222-3.

I love his long term perspective on things, yet, for the foot-soldier, there are battles to be fought, burdens to be shouldered, and miles to be marched, but to what end? Is the end even within the capabilities of our vision?

This war is likely to be a lot longer than we can possibly imagine.

The Deep Church = Mere Christians = Those Supernaturalists?

2011-09-07T00:30:00.000-04:00

One buzzword that the modern church likes to use is "relationship." Very often the meaning of the word tends to reflect human interaction and neglects the unique relationship of Christ and the individual. When misused, "relationship" is employed to obscure the particular issue of the day over which we might have a serious disagreement with our fellow churchgoers. Today's readings from Philippians 2:1-11 and a little C.S. Lewis help me to see more clearly the things that bind us together.

"If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness.And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death— even death on a cross." Philippians 2:1-8

That which separates us from the present World should be this faith that God became man for us. This is not something that children will be taught in the secular classroom, nor is it something that we will hear in our day to day work or activities. How un-scientific an idea, "being born in human likeness." Who could possibly believe that? Yet, large numbers of otherwise reasonable modern people still identify themselves as "Christian." Doesn't this indicate that there is a deeply held view of the supernatural as something that is "real" and not the stuff of the imagination? In other words, in spite of all of its efforts, modernity has yet to extinguish the belief in things that it would label "supernatural" or "unbelievable." C.S. Lewis recognized this separateness not just from the modern worldview, but from what he calls the "non-miraculous version" of Christianity that continues to plague our minds, our pulpits, and our seminaries (as evidenced by the recent announcement that the Episcopal Divinity School is having John Shelby Spong, Episcopal Bishop of Newark (retired) as the 2011 lecturer for their annual Fall meeting of the Saint John’s Society).

"To a layman, it seems obvious that what unites the Evangelical and the Anglo-Catholic against the 'Liberal' or 'Modernist' is something very clear and momentous, namely, the fact that both are thoroughgoing supernaturalists, who believe in the Creation, the Fall, the Resurrection, the Second Coming, and the Four Last Things. This unites them not only with one another, but with the Christian relgion as understood ubique et ab omnibus.
The point of view from which this agreement seems less important than their divisions, or than the gulf which separates both from any non-miraculous version of Christianity, is to me unintelligible. Perhaps the trouble is that as supernaturalists, whether 'Low' or 'High' Church, thus taken together, they lack a name. May I suggest 'Deep Church'; or, if that fails in humility, Baxter's 'mere Christians'?" -C.S. Lewis "God in the Dock", 1970 Erdmans Publishing p 336.

The attempts to further a non-miraculous version of Christianity will continue to be something that we shall have to deal with, but I have confidence that as long as people of faith turn to the Gospel, as well as prayer and humility before God, then Christians, empowered by their Creator, will reject the false teachings of the Spongs of the present and the voices of his disciples who are to come.

If the Armour of Light Fits...

2011-09-04T12:45:00.008-04:00

Today's reading from Roman's 13:8-14 contained the following in vs 11-14,

"Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armour of light; let us live honourably as in the day, not in revelling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarrelling and jealousy. Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires."

I was reminded of how before we put on the "armour of light", we have to let Jesus into our lives in the first place. In addition, the idea that "the day is near" brought to mind the following picture.

Holman Hunt - The Light of the World 1853 Keble College, Oxford and St. Paul's Cathedral.

The image has been thought to have been inspired by “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me”. – Revelation 3:20

After reflecting on the image as well as Romans 13, I conjure up thoughts of the time when I peeked out from behind the garden door.

My door was covered with ivy. I had kept it closed for a long time. It had no outer handle for strangers to force it open.

Who was this person outside in the dark?

Why did he want to come in?

He wants me to do what!?

Put on THAT!?

ME?

I've Got My Wood Cut Out For Me

2011-08-31T00:06:00.031-04:00

Moreover, the fleet of Hiram, which carried gold from Ophir, brought from Ophir a great quantity of almug wood and precious stones. From the almug wood the king made supports for the house of the Lord, and for the king’s house, lyres also and harps for the singers; no such almug wood has come or been seen to this day. - 1 Kings 10:11-12

I didn't have any almug trees cut down this year, but did have a couple of oaks taken down.

As summer winds down, and it starts to become almost bearable to work outdoors, we have been busy adding to the woodpile. Unfortunately for me, the bugs have been doing their best to slow my progress. Work was temporarily halted after a very hungry caterpillar got under my shirt and expressed his dislike for his new home.

Now I know how Solomon's workers must have felt.

I took this picture about a third of the way through the job.

It needs to cool off another 10-20 degrees or more for the bugs to get less aggressive so I can start splitting wood.

I recall that Solomon had plenty of hewers of wood available.

"And Solomon had threescore and ten thousand that bare burdens, and fourscore thousand hewers in the mountains;" 1 Kings 5:15(KJV)

Oh, how I wish I had a wood splitter.

“Compulsion is repugnant to God.”

2011-08-28T13:14:00.001-04:00

Today's readings were Exodus 3:1-15, parts of Psalm 105, Romans 12:9-21, and Matthew 16:21-28.

The reading from Matthew contained the line: "you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things."

I thought about that last night as we watched endless news reporting on the latest hurricane, Irene, when one news station posed the question, "Does anyone remember the storm of 1938?" I kept thinking about all the storms and natural disasters that seem to fade all too quickly from memory.

With the anniversary of 9/11/2001 coming up, I thought to myself, "How long will it be before that also becomes a distant memory much like Pearl Harbor day, or Armistice Day, or August 24, 1814?"

Yet we still remember an event, little noticed at the time, that occured 2000 years ago. What makes that piece of history so endearing to us that it is burned into our hearts and minds so strongly that even our natural tendency to forget is defeated?

Are we being forced to remember? Are we compelled to come to God, and what holds us together with Him once we have accepted Him?

As a teenager, I grew to dread Sunday mornings and being made to get up and go to church. Like many others, I was one of those who had to be persuaded to step away from my world and to give up all those thoughts of self in order to open my heart and soul to the saving power of Jesus.

It just so happened that the following sermon popped up on my reading list today,

..."In a sense, God presents the sight of the burning bush in order to persuade Moses to agree to this task. When dealing with human beings, even God – our Creator – works by persuasion and not by compulsion.

Consider the so-called 'Mandatory Evacuations' that have been in place over the last few days along the east coast. They are called 'mandatory' but I’ll bet that you’ve seen folks interviewed who have decided to stay put in some coastal town. Thankfully, it seems that our government authorities are not able to force people to live. And that is as it should be.

St. Clement of Alexandria is reputed to have written this axiom of deep truth: 'Compulsion is repugnant to God.' It is repugnant to God and it is also repugnant to human beings!"...

Read the rest over at the Father Ferrell Post.

Goodnight Irene by Leadbelly

2011-08-28T00:01:00.019-04:00

I have been through a lot of hurricanes in my time, and the lessons I learned in childhood still hold true even in these days of more accurate tracking and forecasting. Lesson #1: never trust a hurricane. Fortunately, we are sufficiently inland that we only got a pleasant breeze yesterday from hurricane Irene. Sadly, others lost their lives, and others are suffering from this slow moving storm.

Lesson #2: If you have a hurricane party, don't have it at your beach house.

Leadbelly's lyrics are unique, listen to it all. I challenge you to understand all the words.

As one commenter said, Leadbelly invents rap in this one.

Lesson #3: Lay down a lot of Leadbelly at your hurricane party.

Sexual Orientation Questions Appear on College Application

2011-08-26T09:56:00.000-04:00

I heard this on the radio this morning,

(CNN) -- Elmhurst College, a private liberal arts school in suburban Chicago affiliated with the United Church of Christ, has become the first college in the country to ask an optional question about a student's sexual orientation and gender identity on an undergraduate admission form, according to the school and a gay rights advocacy group.

"Would you consider yourself a member of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) community?" the new application asks prospective enrollees.

Students can answer "Yes," "No," or "Prefer not to say."

That optional demographic question is among others about religious affiliation, language spoken at home and whether they have worked with a community-based organization, according to the college and the advocacy group.

The sexual orientation question is designed to help the college advance diversity and connect prospective students with school resources such as scholarships and campus organizations.

Read it all at CNN.

No surprises that this school is affiliated with the U.C.C.

The radio announcer said that this might also move LGBTs up on the admissions list, but I could not find support for that elsewhere.

I found the scholarship idea also quoted at the Chicago Sun-Times,

Those who answer “yes” may be eligible for a scholarship worth up to one-third of tuition, not unusual because about 60 percent of incoming students receive some type of scholarship aid, Rold said. More importantly, he said, knowing students’ sexual orientation will help officials direct incoming students toward services or groups that might help them make an easier transition to college life.

What would keep a straight person from identifying themselves as potentially bisexual on the admissions application in order to get a reduced tuition?

How might the admissions committee verify the sexual orientation claim of the applicant?

And is there any affirmative action going on behind the scenes with the deliberations of the admissions committee?

The Coast Guard Forgot About the Wine Skin Problem (Good Story For a Sermon on Luke 5:36-38)

2011-08-24T00:04:00.018-04:00

I come from a long line of Coast Guard servicemen, and when this article crossed my computer screen, I had to read it. As I did, I had a sense of déjà vu.

"In the early 2000s, the Coast Guard awarded a contract to Bollinger Shipyards Inc. to convert its 110-foot patrol boats to 123-foot vessels. Starting with eight ships, the contractor attached new steel to extend the hulls of the ships by 13 feet. The results were disastrous.

'What we found out was when you put new steel on old steel, it flexes,' Papp said. 'Those patrol boats were unusable afterward and there was a chance of a catastrophic failure.'
He told them this parable: “No one tears a piece out of a new garment to patch an old one. Otherwise, they will have torn the new garment, and the patch from the new will not match the old. And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins. Luke 5:36-38(NIV)
Last month the Justice Department sued Bollinger Shipyards, accusing the Lockport, La., company of 'making material false statements to the Coast Guard' about the hull strength of the converted ships...

...The upgrades in question cost about $95 million and the eight boats had to be decommissioned." By ALICIA A. CALDWELL - Associated Press
Read it all here

They should have read their Luke!

I need to remember this the next time I am asked about remodeling the house.

On 27 March 2004 the MATAGORDA the first 123-foot cutter conversion

What Does Jesus Want?

2011-08-21T17:51:00.000-04:00

Today's sermon focused on the Matthew 16:13-20.

Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’ And Jesus answered him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.’ Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.

Peter got it that time, but two verses later (not mentioned in the sermon) he rebukes Christ.

Typical Petros.

How typical of us as well. Most of the time when we try to figure out what Jesus means, we guess wrong, and when we do get it, the next minute we screw up.

And what does Jesus say when Peter screws up? Not, "There, there, don't fret. Everything is going to be all right." No, instead of soothing words, Peter, and we, hear:

“Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”

Yikes!

The other day I was watching Mother Angelica's Greatest Hits, and she said something about confession and how it is not something to be done every ten years. She said that once a week was doing good. I think that Peter's example shows the need for confession to be a bit more frequent because no sooner than we walk out of church on any given Sunday we are going to screw up, and when we do, like Peter, we become an obstacle to Him.

It is hard for us to see ourselves as God does. When we do get a glimpse, and we get it, it is a very humbling moment, and it makes me want to confess right on the spot.

Scroll to 15:19-17:03 and then to 41:00-42:20 of the Mother Angelica video below.

Give thanks to God that He wants to save us from ourselves.

Now, go treat yourself to a chocholate sundae!

Harvesting the Figs

2011-08-17T00:01:00.025-04:00

"Now in the morning, when He returned to the city, He became hungry. And seeing a lone fig tree by the road, He came to it, and found nothing on it except leaves only; and He said to it, 'No longer shall there ever be any fruit from you.' And at once the fig tree withered." Matt. 21:18-19

Unlike the lone fig tree in Matthew 21, I have been blessed with a large fig tree and some surrounding smaller fig trees. I wonder if the fig variety in the Bible story was one that needed cross pollination? If that were the case, you might look at the story with a somewhat different perspective. Maybe there is a message that we can't be fruitful if we try to go it alone.

At our house, with our small family of trees, each year's harvest of figs is different. Some years, I am out of town and the birds get them, but other years the neighbors (one of whom we call "Big Bird") or passers by sneak in while my back is turned and reduce the harvest.

This year I was watchful, delayed my vacation, and we harvested a bumper crop.

The problem with having so many figs come in all at once is that no one can eat them all.

Give him credit for trying.

With such a mighty surplus, the kitchen was turned into a cannery, and forty-five jars of preserves were made by the helpful kitchen gnomes. Most of those jars will be given away except for the few set aside for the chief cook and bottle washer.

Bless the Lord for this fruitful harvest!

Pluralistic Creep: Keeping an eye on those lectionary edits

2011-08-14T14:00:00.041-04:00

Today's reading from Romans 11:1-2, 29-32
leaves out a lengthy explanation of how Paul comes to his final conclusion. Here is how the lectionary plays it,

I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel? (Skip to verse 29)

...for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. Just as you were once disobedient to God but have now received mercy because of their disobedience, so they have now been disobedient in order that, by the mercy shown to you, they too may now receive mercy. For God has imprisoned all in disobedience so that he may be merciful to all.

Paul's words "so they have now been disobedient in order that, by the mercy shown to you, they too may now receive mercy" might be difficult to understand without having heard the lengthy arguments in verses 3-28.

I realize that many Sunday morning pewsitters might have a hard time following all of Romans 11 in one sitting, but the inclusion of a few more lines (such as 11-16 for instance) might have sufficed to help us figure out what Paul was trying to communicate,
Romans 11:11-16

"So I ask, have they stumbled so as to fall? By no means! But through their stumbling* (Gk transgression) salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel* (Gk them) jealous. Now if their stumbling* means riches for the world, and if their defeat means riches for Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean!
Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I glorify my ministry in order to make my own people* (my flesh) jealous, and thus save some of them. For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead! If the part of the dough offered as first fruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; and if the root is holy, then the branches also are holy."

Okay, for me, that helps, but when I read the missing lines, I get the message that Paul hopes to see some of them saved, because not all will accept the Gospel. Whereas, when I read the shortened lectionary selection, I am left with the impression that all Israel will be saved whether they accept Christ or not.

Is that also why verse 28 is omitted?

As regards the gospel they are enemies of God* (Gk lacks of God) for your sake; but as regards election they are beloved, for the sake of their ancestors;

Note: this translation has added "of God" following enemies.

Maybe "they are enemies" crosses a line the church does not want to go over on a Sunday morning?

I think Paul is being very inclusive in this Chapter, but the edits in today's lectionary might be letting a little hint of post-modern pluralism creep into the message.

Sorry Sancho, there I go tilting at windmills again.

When "How do I live" is the most pressing spiritual question

2011-08-10T00:01:00.016-04:00

From the Washington Post "On Faith" pages,

"...Believers ask me: What gives you comfort? What gives you hope? What explains suffering? What explains love?

But I don’t have answers; that’s the point. I cannot explain, I do not know; and therefore I have wonder. I have awe. And given all that I do not know, all I cannot answer or explain, the most pressing spiritual question becomes not What do I believe? but How do I live?

What do I choose, how do I act, here and now, in this crush of seven billion bodies, on this spinning sphere? What can I give?

Last week, I sat in my Twelve Step meeting and watched as the heavy green sky lifted and late-day light poured into the room. I thought of what Martin Luther wrote: that the only necessary prayer was ‘thank you.’ So I prayed.

And how is it that both calm and violent things,

Like star and storm, know you so well? —Because I praise.

Marya Hornbacher is the author of the Pulitzer Prize-nominated national bestseller Wasted: A Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia. Her new book, WAITING: A Nonbelievers Higher Power was just published. Marya is an award-winning journalist, who lectures nationally on writing and mental health and lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota."

Read it all here.

Contrast this with St. Paul who in the course of his letter to the Romans (which was Sunday's epistle reading) takes the "What do I believe" side of the argument.

Moses writes concerning the righteousness that comes from the law, that ‘the person who does these things will live by them.’ But the righteousness that comes from faith says, ‘Do not say in your heart, “Who will ascend into heaven?” ’ (that is, to bring Christ down) ‘or “Who will descend into the abyss?” ’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say?
‘The word is near you,
on your lips and in your heart’
(that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. The scripture says, ‘No one who believes in him will be put to shame.’ For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. For, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

But how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him? And how are they to proclaim him unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’ Romans 10:5-15

"How do I live" is no longer a pressing spiritual question once you accept and believe in your heart that Jesus is Lord and savior. The answer has been given to us, freely in His life and sacrifice. The spiritual problem is listening to that answer.

Following Him

2011-08-07T14:19:00.008-04:00

Today's Gospel reading was Matthew 14:22-33, and this was one of those stories that I just could not believe when I was younger.

Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. And early in the morning he came walking towards them on the lake. But when the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified, saying, ‘It is a ghost!’ And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, ‘Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.’

Peter answered him, ‘Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.’ He said, ‘Come.’ So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came towards Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’ Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, ‘You of little faith, why did you doubt?’ When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshipped him, saying, ‘Truly you are the Son of God.’

When we were kids, we sometimes would try to walk across the water of my best friend's swimming pool. We never got very far. At first we assumed it was due to our lack of faith, but as we got older, we began to believe that the whole idea of people walking on water had been proven impossible by our personal experience and by what we had learned by studying the laws of physics and chemistry. Its a good thing the second temptation of Christ was handled the way it was in Matthew 4:5-6 or else kids might be tempted to try to jump off of tall buildings.

My denial of Christ in denying this miracle occured before I re-discovered that simple faith of childhood. The faith that returns in a glimpse, or in a lightning bolt, a faith that grows with the understanding of the revelation that for someone who can rise from the grave, nothing is impossible. Indeed, to say that Jesus could not walk on the water would be to deny Him, and that is something I can no longer do.

Now, wherever He goes, there isn't an ocean too deep, I will follow Him.

Yeah, I know this was used in "Sister Act," but it just so happens that the oldies station was playing this version as I was working on this post.

There Are Smiles That Fill Our Lives With Sunshine

2011-08-03T00:04:00.002-04:00

Remember the old song, "Smile?"

"If you just stop to think, here's a lesson for you
What a word or a smile can convey
With a word you can make someone happy or blue
With a smile you can make them sad or gay

So be careful what you say
And be careful how you smile
It's so easy for us to make
Someone's life worthwhile

There are smiles, that make us happy
There are smiles, that make us blue
There are smiles, that steal away the teardrops
Like the Sunbeams steal away the dew

There are smiles, that have a tender meaning
That the eyes of love alone can see
But the smiles, that fill my life with sunshine
Are the smiles that you gave to...

But the smiles, that fill my life with sunshine
Are the smiles that you gave to me!"

Smile (1954) lyrics by John Turner and Geoffrey Parsons

That song came to mind the moment I watched this these images of the Sun,

:)

The Four B's of the Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes

2011-07-31T13:15:00.001-04:00

In today's sermon our supply priest, Fr. Diggs, discussed the feeding of the five thousand and broke it, and our relationship to Christ, down into four B's.

1. Bringing

2. Blessing

3. Breaking

4. Bestowing

Briefly (sorry for the fifth B), We bring our meager gifts to Jesus. They don't look like much I know, nonetheless, He gives thanks and blesses them when most of us would complain about the paltry offering. He breaks bread, and in this way His disciples know Him to be the Lord. He bestows not only the bread, but also the responsibility for sharing it with others to His disciples.

In the musical prelude and offertory we heard variations on the theme of "Simple Gifts."

We have so much to be thankful for, the least of which is the fact that the Lord accepts our simple and unworthy offerings in the first place, blesses us in spite of them, and in so doing breaks and humbles us. Lastly He bestows upon us an awesome responsibility to share His Word with "the five thousand."

(From ReverendFun.com)

Alright, Fr. Diggs did leave out the fifth "B"...

Blog about it!

How Hot Has It Been?

2011-07-27T00:08:00.038-04:00

So hot that I saw Screwtape standing in line at the lemonade stand.

It has been a bit warm lately. People have been sending me a lot of "It was so hot that..." jokes, and some were quite good, but I'm afraid not printable on these pages.

We have seen hotter, dryer summers here in Upper South Carolina. I can distinctly remember one summer when the temperatures topped 100 degrees every day for a week. That was the summer I helped to dig a trench for a sprinkler system. The earth was like concrete, shovels just bounced off of the dirt. Yeech...

This summer has blessed us with some late afternoon thundershowers which cool things off a bit, and for that I am thankful.

Still, it has been hot. It was so hot that...

...I dove into a heated discussion of East Tennessee forest management (in the middle of Norris Lake).

Thank God for our reservoirs!

Please note, we used personal flotation devices, and so should you!

Where Do You Find The Kingdom?

2011-07-24T14:52:00.000-04:00

Today's Gospel readings, Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52, restored the parables of the mustard seed and the yeast by splicing them into the parables of treasure in the field, a pearl of great price, and the haul of good and bad fish.

Our preacher, Fr. Diggs gave a nice sermon on the subject, but when he referred to Thomas Merton, it was clear that he would tempt us to wander from a strict interpretation of the text.

"Tell us about the Kingdom of God," is something we hear from Jesus' disciples, and it is something many of us often wonder about. Merton tended to think about it in the here and now rather than as something that is to come. The following is from his journals,

"I remarked on the strange and marvelous fact of this apparently easy and natural communication between a monk in a strictly guarded Trappist monastery and a suspect poet (Pasternak) behind the iron curtain. I am in closer contact with Pasternak than I am with people in Louisville or Bardstown or even in my own monastery-and have more in common with him.
And all this while our two countries, deeply hostile to one another, have nothing to communicate between themselves-and yet spend millions trying to communicate with the moon.
The simple and human dialogue with Pasternak and a few others like him is to me worth thousands of sermons and radio speeches. It is to me the true Kingdom of God, which is still so clearly, and evidently, 'in the midst of us.'"

Thomas Merton October 18,1958 III.224 ("A Year With Thomas Merton: daily meditations from his journals" p. 288)

This takes us back to Luke 17, and I wish Fr. Diggs had made that point to lend a little more weight to his argument.

"And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:

Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

And he said unto the disciples, The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it.
And they shall say to you, See here; or, see there: go not after them, nor follow them.
For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day.
But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation."

Luke 17:20-25 KJV

My reading of Luke gives me two images: one is of the Kingdom as already having come in the form of Jesus, who could be touched, and the Holy Spirit which we have been blessed with of whom we often times are unaware, and a second image of Christ's return at which time his presence will be as obvious as lightning in the sky.

So are we left with a little bit of the Kingdom of God in the here and now and a little bit of it to come?

Some like to think that the Kingdom of God is something that can be brought into the here and now if we work harder at it. Some think that by enacting laws to create their vision of a more just world, or perhaps by "voting for change" they can bring about the Kingdom of God on Earth. This is a type of progressive theology which I am not convinced that Jesus was trying to get across when he also told us about wheat and the tares and the haul of the keeper fish and the throwbacks.

Before I buy into the argument that the Kingdom is all around us, a nearly completed, done deal, because we have been baptised, etc, and that all we have to do is open our eyes and see it, I will have to somehow forget what our Lord told us when he taught us how to pray, "...Thy Kingdom come."

Surprising Take on One of TEc's Holy Women

2011-07-20T00:01:00.025-04:00

The lectionary pages have been working the new "Holy Men and Holy Women" into the calendar, and the comments found there are usually favorable to the recently elected,but today we find a qualified summary for Elizabeth Stanton.

ELIZABETH CADY STANTON (26 Oct 1902) by James Kiefer

"Mrs. Stanton was born in 1815 and reared in the Presbyterian Church. She found the Calvinist doctrine of predestination dismaying, and rebelled against it. She denounced the clergy of her day for not upholding women's rights, but as she travelled giving speeches on the subject, she found no lack of pulpits available to her. She undertook to write what she called a Women's Bible. It never got beyond a series of notes on selected Biblical passages. For example, she quotes the passage in Genesis where we are told that Noah's Ark had only one window, and remarks that if a woman had been consulted, the Ark would have been better designed.

Reading Mrs. Stanton's life and works, I have an uncomfortable feeling that she was interested in 'religion' only as a potential ally or opponent in her campaign for women's political equality. I once spent some time in a congregation where the preacher never mentioned God or Christ except when they could be quoted in support of the preacher's political agenda. It was not a good experience. For me, reading about Mrs Stanton moves me, not to say, 'Lord, give me the grace to follow you, as you did to Mrs. Stanton,' but rather, 'Lord do I do that? Do I think of you as there to carry out my agenda? If so, then help me to recognize it and to stop it.'

Meanwhile, if we think that the abolition of slavery and the recognition of women's right to own property are in accordance with justice, and are accordingly good things, then we can thank God for accomplishing good through Mrs Stanton and others. 'It is enough to be sure of the deed. Our courteous Lord will deign to redeem the motive.' (Julian of Norwich)

We probably should take a deeper look into her attempt at Biblical revision in "The Woman's Bible" where in the Introduction she wrote,

"Bible historians claim special inspiration for the Old and New Testaments containing most contradictory records of the same events, of miracles opposed to all known laws, of customs that degrade the female sex of all human and animal life, stated in most questionable language that could not be read in a promiscuous assembly, and call all this 'The Word of God.'"

"The only points in which I differ from all ecclesiastical teaching is that I do not believe that any man ever saw or talked with God, I do not believe that God inspired the Mosaic code, or told the historians what they say he did about woman, for all the religions on the face of the earth degrade her, and so long as woman accepts the position that they assign her, her emancipation is impossible. Whatever the Bible may be made to do in Hebrew or Greek, in plain English it does not exalt and dignify woman. My standpoint for criticism is the revised edition of 1888. I will so far honor the revising committee of wise men who have given us the best exegesis they can according to their ability, although Disraeli said the last one before he died, contained 150,000 blunders in the Hebrew, and 7,000 in the Greek."

I also wonder if the powers that be who came up with the new list of Episcopal "Holy Men, Holy Women" knew what Elizabeth Cady Stanton had to say about one of the Episcopal church's most sacred cows?

"When we consider that woman are treated as property, it is degrading to women that we should treat our children as property to be disposed of as we see fit." Letter to Julia Ward Howe, October 16, 1873, recorded in Howe's diary at Harvard University Library

She classified abortion as a form of "infanticide." The Revolution, 1(5):1, February 5, 1868

Also from Stanton:

"Dr. Oaks made the remark that, according to the best estimate he could make, there were four hundred murders annually produced by abortion in this county alone....There must be a remedy to such a crying evil as this. But where should it be found, at least begin, if not in the complete enfranchisement and elevation of women?" - The Revolution 1(10) 146-147 March 12, 1868

h/t Clinic Quotes

Or perhaps her review on the lectionary pages was less than favorable because of these views?

Episcopal Mission Closing: Read Again the Parables of the Sower, the Seeds, and the Yeast

2011-07-17T14:10:00.004-04:00

This week we learned of the closing of St. Matthias Episcopal Church in Rock Hill, SC. St. Matthias has been a mission church for quite a few years now and never really seemed to grow despite being located in an area of rapid population growth. Here is a snapshot of their stats,

The rather precipitous fall in plate and pledge following 2003 and 2004 is something that has been noted in other churches and in part may be due to the effects of TEc's move in 2003 to make Gene Robinson a bishop despite the fact that he was previously divorced and openly living in a homosexual relationship.

But, other factors were at work in this mission's story, and those factors have to do with why churches are planted, where they are planted (St. Matthias was only 4.6 miles from Our Saviour), and why they grow.

Gone are the days when a centralized authority can look at a map and the demographics of an area and say, "Let's put one of our churches here."

Gone are the days when a Diocese can accept some donated property and decide that as long as the land is available, "Let's put one of our churches here."

Now is the time to look at new ways of bringing the Gospel to people (see "The End of Church Planting" over at Anglicans United). I still think that success might be assumed if the Gospel message you are sowing is the Gospel of Christ and not some "New Thang."

In a recent article at The Living Church Foundation by Russel J. Levenson Jr. we find,

"Let us confess what we have become: a deeply divided, distracted, dying church. There are clearly bright spots and some places where churches are growing magnificently, but that is the exception, not the rule. Let us quit making excuses. Yes, culture is against us, but no more than ancient Rome was against the early Christians. Yes, our members are dying, but we must be about the business of replacing them. We are too committed to gospels other than the one at the center of Christianity: a relationship with Jesus Christ, and making disciples in his name."

"To confess is to admit not only our faulty ways but also our need for restoration and new life. Some would argue that we should divide even more. This argument, again, comes from the extremes of the church. The far left, committed to revising and modernizing our ancient faith, is happy to see the far right leave (battling fervently for property and assets along the way). The far right, caught in the throes of impatient and uncharitable judgment, allows a root of bitterness to take hold, and departs in a dust storm of triumphant rebellion. Meanwhile, the broad middle waits for the next General Convention, the next leadership crisis and the next massive exodus."

"But if we are willing to admit the possibility that our trails forged since the mid-1970s are fraught with faulty assumptions about the nature of the gospel and its mission, we might also be able to consider reform and new birth."

(h/t Kendall Harmon at T19, and the SC Anglican Communion Network)

We have been reading Matthew's Gospel the past few Sunday's, and last week we read the parables of the sowers of the seeds. Knowing that most small congregations are made up of basically nice folks that you would find to be kind, generous, and friendly, I am beginning to think such the crop failures in TEc are not due to stoney ground, choking weeds, or birds stealing the seed, but rather due to the particular hybrid that is being planted. Like a farmer that is not paying a whole lot of attention, the TEc sower reorders the same hybrid seed that underproduced the previous season rather than going back to the proven non-hybridized version that fed his family for generations.

If there are any doubts as to what type of seed is being shipped, please read this post about the contents of the Episcopal church Publishing Company Catalog.
Let's pause and reflect on today's Gospel.

The Sunday lectionary readings from Matthew continue to be altered by removing certain passages for the third week in a row, and I still think we need to keep the full kernel in place to enjoy the fruits of the Gospel. This week we were presented with Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 which left out two parables. I have re-inserted them in the highlighted text below.

The Parable of Weeds among the Wheat
He put before them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, “Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?” He answered, “An enemy has done this.” The slaves said to him, “Then do you want us to go and gather them?” But he replied, “No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.” ’

The Parable of the Mustard Seed

He put before them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.’

The Parable of the Yeast

He told them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.’
Jesus told the crowds all these things in parables; without a parable he told them nothing. This was to fulfil what had been spoken through the prophet:
‘I will open my mouth to speak in parables;
I will proclaim what has been hidden from the foundation of the world.’

Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples approached him, saying, ‘Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.’ He answered, ‘The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen!

I suspect the omissions of the Parable of the Mustard Seed and the Parable of the Yeast were done to make the job of the preacher a little easier. It is a shame though to leave them out for they speak of the power of God's Word to grow and develop without the need for humankind's attempts at intervention. After all, doesn't it seem that when we try to shape God's kingdom to grow in
the way that we desire that we wind up with stunted plants and unrisen bread?

When considering TEc plants and why they may not grow, it is time for the sowers to look into their bag of seed and realize that this hybrized gospel created through Biblical revisionism is not what the sower of "good" seed was using. It is more like the yeast of the Pharisees in its end result.

It is sad to think in this way of a modern parable of good soil wasted by bad seed, but results are what they are.

I have faith that God will guide the good people of St. Matthias to a new church home.

"You tell me there's an angel in your tree
Did he say he'd come to call on me
For things are getting desperate in our home
Living in the parish of the restless folks I know

Everybody now bring your family down to the riverside
Look to the east to see where the fat stock hide
Behind four walls of stone the rich man sleeps
It's time we put the flame torch to their keep

Burn down the mission
If we're gonna stay alive
Watch the black smoke fly to heaven
See the red flame light the sky
Burn down the mission
Burn it down to stay alive
It's our only chance of living
Take all you need to live inside

Deep in the woods the squirrels are out today
My wife cried when they came to take me away
But what more could I do just to keep her warm
Than burn, burn, burn, burn down the mission walls

Now everybody now bring your family down to the riverside
Look to the east to see where the fat stock hide
Behind four walls of stone the rich man sleeps
It's time we put the flame torch to their keep"

From "Tumbleweed Connection"
Music: Elton John

Lyrics: Bernie Taupin

Do As I Say, Not As I Do

2011-07-13T00:01:00.010-04:00

Most of us have seen the following slogan which is used by a certain fast food chain:

I saw the slogan on the side of a vehicle the other day.

It was parked outside a local eatery.

I sat across from the occupants of said vehicle and observed their menu selections from the above restaurant with interest.

All I can say is that it is hard to live into your beliefs at all times, especially when you are hungry.

The Purpose of the Parables Kinda Got Left Out

2011-07-10T16:49:00.000-04:00

Today's lectionary reading from Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23 contained, or should I say did not contain, yet another one of those curious lectionary edits that left me scratching my head. I include the omitted verses in the bold text below.

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the lake. Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: ‘Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Let anyone with ears listen!’

Then the disciples came and asked him, ‘Why do you speak to them in parables?’ He answered, ‘To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For to those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. The reason I speak to them in parables is that “seeing they do not perceive, and hearing they do not listen, nor do they understand.” With them indeed is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah that says:
“You will indeed listen, but never understand,
and you will indeed look, but never perceive.
For this people’s heart has grown dull,
and their ears are hard of hearing,
and they have shut their eyes;
so that they might not look with their eyes,
and listen with their ears,
and understand with their heart and turn—
and I would heal them.”
But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. Truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.

‘Hear then the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.’

Could it be that Jesus' words, "For to those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away" might be considered too exclusivist to the modern pluralist leaning Episcopalian?

Or is it just a coincidence that for two weeks in a row we get a softer, gentler Jesus presented to the Sunday morning crowd than what the full text might suggest, and that crowd never gets to see the sterner reality facing those who reject Him?

Freedom, Liberty, and the Command to "Kill and Eat."

2011-07-06T00:01:00.018-04:00

What did you have to eat on the Fourth of July? Here in South Carolina, it was pork barbeque, coleslaw, potato salad, etc. All kinds of things that are probably not healthy and likely to defile the coronary arteries. Freedom and liberty are two of the reasons why we overindulge as we do on holidays, but all that pork made me think about the O.T. prohibitions about certain foods and how these laws are often dragged out when someone tries to trash Biblical moral codes. The "shellfish argument" is one such track that people take when trying to justify the blessing of same sex marriages.

As far as eating pork or shellfish goes, in today's reading from Acts 10:1-16, Peter is commanded three times to "kill and eat" all manner of things.

About noon the next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. He became hungry and wanted something to eat; and while it was being prepared, he fell into a trance. He saw the heaven opened and something like a large sheet coming down, being lowered to the ground by its four corners. In it were all kinds of four-footed creatures and reptiles and birds of the air. Then he heard a voice saying, ‘Get up, Peter; kill and eat.’ But Peter said, ‘By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is profane or unclean.’ The voice said to him again, a second time, ‘What God has made clean, you must not call profane.’ This happened three times, and the thing was suddenly taken up to heaven.

If we did not have Peter's vision, how would Christians today feel about the liberty to indulge in pork products? Would there be a group of "orthodox" Christians who eat pulled turkey on the Fourth of July and another group of "liberal" Christians who eat barbequed pork and shrimp?

Would the "liberal" pork eaters ask the "orthodox" to bless their meal?

Would the pork eaters pass a resolution at a General Convention of the church to provide for liturgies for the blessing of their dinner?

O Lectionary, Lectionary, Thou that carves up the words of the prophets and the words of the Lord.

2011-07-03T17:06:00.001-04:00

Today's readings from using the Lectionary raise some interesting questions about the rationale behind the lectionary edits that we have noted on numerous occasions on these pages.
Genesis 24:34-38,42-49,58-67 I won't focus on the O.T. edits today, but be sure to read Chapter 24 of Genesis as a whole.
Psalm 45:10-17
Romans 7:15-25
Matthew 11:16-19,25-30 is what our Deacon chose as the focus of his sermon today.

‘But to what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the market-places and calling to one another,
“We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;
we wailed, and you did not mourn.”
For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, “He has a demon”; the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, “Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax-collectors and sinners!” Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.’

(Deleteted verses went here)

At that time Jesus said, ‘I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
‘Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’

You have to give our Deacon credit for mentioning the missing verses, but I have a different take on how they are an integral part of the Gospel.

So, read the Gospel selection again, but this time I have inserted the missing verses,

‘But to what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the market-places and calling to one another,
“We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;
we wailed, and you did not mourn.”
For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, “He has a demon”; the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, “Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax-collectors and sinners!” Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.’

Then he began to reproach the cities in which most of his deeds of power had been done, because they did not repent. ‘Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the deeds of power done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, on the day of judgement it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon than for you. And you, Capernaum,
will you be exalted to heaven?
No, you will be brought down to Hades.
For if the deeds of power done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I tell you that on the day of judgement it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom than for you.’

At that time Jesus said, ‘I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
‘Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’

Our Deacon pointed out that a judgement worse than that delivered onto Sodom awaits those who reject the yoke of Christ.

Does anyone else see the importance of the Jesus' suggestion in the course of his reproach that repentance is needed from those who accept Him? I have heard it said that there are several points that should be made in the course of preaching, and the need for repentance is one. Without these verses, the Sunday morning crowd at church gets another pass. Oh yeah, the yoke is easy when you don't have to repent.

I also see the missing section as a key to why Jesus is thankful in the next part for this revelation. If there is no judgement, who needs to be thankful?

Time after time, we have seen similar edits. I suggest to you that the Lectionary is contributing to the delinquency of Sunday pewsitters. It is a clear pattern, and you have to wonder why the people who wrote the lectionary chose to present a watered down version of the Scriptures to the congregations (who do not read the Bible regularly and whose only exposure to the text is likely to be on Sunday morning). My theory has been that the editors do not want to scare people with all that judgement and wrath business (as if they might not come back next week for more). I am beginning to think that there are deeper theological implications of the lectionary edits. How does the revision affect our thinking about things such as repentance, salvation, atonement, sin, judgement, and the might and power of the Lord?

The long term effects of listening to an expurgated Bible every Sunday cannot be healthy.

Maybe that has something to do with the decline of the church.

"Discernment in Community": Self Fulfilling Prophecy

2011-06-29T00:30:00.091-04:00

(Unidentified Person in Dog Collar)

In response to the recent legalization of gay marriage in New York, Bishop R. William Franklin of the Episcopal Diocese of Western New York is quoted as saying,

"Many Episcopalians believe that in community, we can discern with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, a way in which the letter of Scripture is compatible with a wider inclusion of the life of partner gay and lesbian people in our community. And that would apply, now, to the question of marriage." (From here)

h/t T19

Liberal churchmen continue to have a real problem in justifying same sex marriage. They really want Scripture to say that it is okay to endorse, and create blessings for these marriages, but as hard as they try, Scripture won't change. In the absence of clear direction to move forward, the next step for the revisionist bishop, priest, or layperson is to reinterpret Scripture to fit the desired result. In Episcobabble this is done through the process called "discernment in community."

Ask the right community to discern the Spirit and voila, a spirit will respond with the desired answer. Brilliant!

What happens in the Episcopal church when it gathers in community and tackles theology is not a true discernment process (as evidenced by the First Theological Council of Upper South Carolina, the repeated blunders of the General Convention, and by the continuing election of false teachers as Bishops). In most of these cases, Scripture is thrown under the bus in favor of feelings, personalities, and politics. If it is not ignored in the process, Scripture is reinterpreted until it becomes uninterpretable.

Recent actions by other denominations such as the ELCA and PCUSA are evidence that the misapplication of discernment by the community is not a problem unique to the Episcopal church and may indicate a deeper problem that will show up in any particular group considering any particular issue.

I think the problem may be that the first and most important requirement before "discernment in community" can take place is that there must be a "discerning community." What makes a community a discerning one? I believe it must be one that submits its will to the will of God, and it looks for the will of God not in the experience of loving human relationships, but in the witness of Scripture. From my experience, this submission to God's will, as seen through Biblical witness, is what has been lacking in the actions of the Episcopal church over the past 40+ years.

I honestly do not think that the majority in TEc sees a problem with its current methods of "discernment in community," but until we recognize the foolishness of our present ways of theological discernment, and humble ourselves before the Lord, the Episcopal church will continue its slow downward slide into oblivion.

"I say this so that no one may deceive you by specious arguments.
For even if I am absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing as I observe your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ.
So, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in him,
rooted in him and built upon him and established in the faith as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
See to it that no one captivate you with an empty, seductive philosophy according to human tradition, according to the elemental powers of the world and not according to Christ.
For in him dwells the whole fullness of the deity bodily,
and you share in this fullness in him, who is the head of every principality and power." Colossians 2:4-10 (NAB)

Love For the Father Above All

2011-06-26T14:53:00.001-04:00

'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free
'Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
'Twill be in the valley of love and delight.
When true simplicity is gain'd, To bow and bend we shan't be asham'd,
To turn, turn will be our delight, Till by turning, turning we come 'round right. - Shaker dance.

In the summer months, our church services tend to get simpler. Today's "supply" priest was Fr. Diggs who came out of retirement to preach on this the Second Sunday after Pentecost. The Gospel reading for today was Matthew 10:40-42,

40 ‘Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.
41 Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous;
42 and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple—truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.’

Fr. Diggs pointed out that the Revised Common Lectionary shortened the reading for this day which used to include verses 34-39 as well.

34 ‘Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.
35 For I have come to set a man against his father,
and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
36 and one’s foes will be members of one’s own household.
37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;
38 and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me.
39 Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.

This is a familiar pattern we see with the RCL. Difficult verses often are not read on Sunday mornings.

Fr. Diggs' sermon was based on verses 34-39 which was fine by me as I had posted 34-38 in last week's blog.

Back when Christianity was new, and families were being split apart, Matthew 10 must have sounded quite familiar.

Today, with the media portraying the average person as if they were defined by their romantic relationships and entanglements, elevating those loves to the highest goal for human beings, can people read these verses and possibly understand what it is to love God above all our earthly lovers?

Yes, we can love, and we are instructed to love each other, but to love God more is to be held to a higher standard. We mustn't confuse human romance with our love for God, but I am afraid that is exactly what happens. Even Bishops are prone to this error, but the complicated wording they use may make you think that they are stating things just right.

"Our lifelong commitments, our mundane daily struggles, our most intimate relationships, our triumphs and tragedies, all of it has the potential to reveal the love of God. Gay or straight, single or called to marriage or union, our family life has the capacity to be the “domestic church.” I pray that all of us in this diocese will continue to grow together into the image of the dying and rising Jesus. May we and our faithful relationships be signs of his self-giving love." Jeffrey D. Lee XII Bishop of Chicago, "GUIDELINES AND LITURGY FOR CLERGY AND CONGREGATIONS WISHING TO PERFORM BLESSINGS OF SAME SEX UNIONS IN THE EPISCOPAL DIOCESE OF CHICAGO."

To be simple, to elevate gay marriage into a sign of God's love, when God's Holy word says not to, is something that will certainly set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, and a church against the Christian Church.

It would be so easy to listen to Bishop Lee and others who glorify human love. Unfortunately, simplicity leads away from such worldly desire and towards submission to God's laws,

"When true simplicity is gain'd, To bow and bend we shan't be asham'd."

Father's Day Reflections

2011-06-22T00:06:00.064-04:00

"Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest." Luke 10:2 (KJV)

Father's Day made me reflect on some of the things my father taught me that appear to have little relevance to my day to day adult life. Things like how to shoot snakes in a swamp come to mind.

Other lessons proved to be more useful, or not...

My father was very keen on sharpening knives and tools. To this day, I get frustrated with dull blades. When I was young, and carrying a pocket knife was considered socially acceptable, we were even allowed to have one at school. My father taught me that people would usually cut themselves because they were working with a dull knife, and that was one reason why we kept our pocket knives sharp. The rule about dull blades however did not work for my mother who always seemed to slice her finger when working with one of Dad's freshly sharpened kitchen knives. Mom used to keep a dull knife hidden that she would take out and use for food prep when Dad wasn't looking.

Kids can't carry pocket knives to school these days, nor might they be able to carry a machete or hatchet into class like I was able to do on a couple of occasions in Middle School when as part of the "Service Club" I was assigned the job of gathering greens for Christmas decorations. We were told to provide our own equipment and pack a lunch. I set me sights on Dad's hatchet, but Dad was concerned that I might damage his prized and carefully honed hatchet by striking a stone, or that I would lose it, but he might have been worried about my fingers and toes because he gave me a safety lecture before letting me borrow it and the leather holster that he had made out of some scrap material. The rest of the Service Club showed up equally well armed and we left the school parking lot early one December morning in an old smoking school bus driven by one of the coaches. After a 90 minute drive, Coach let us loose on a patch of woods that he owned, and the five of us flailed and hacked away at anything green with our weapons. Then we had to gather the greenery and load the bus making sure that there was room for us and our gear. Coach didn't appear too concerned about safety because I don't think we saw much of him after we got there. I think he might have had a cool one and took a nap in his cabin while we worked. After lunch, we returned to school (in one piece) in time for final period, and we proudly marched into class properly filthy, weapons in hand.

Today we wouldn't get past the metal detectors or security guards located at the entrance to most schools. Coach would be fired, we would be arrested, psychoanalyzed, expelled, shown on the nightly news, and placed on a watch list.

When I returned home, Dad checked to make sure I had not destroyed the edge of his hatchet, complained a little about the condition of the leather holster, and after another lecture, we carefully dried and oiled the hatchet so that it would not rust before hanging it in its assigned spot in the workshop.

Our heavenly Father lectures us, guides us, and sometimes lets us loose in the wilderness with his most dangerous instrument, his Holy Word. Let us take proper care of the tools He has entrusted into our care. Let us use those tools to gather fresh greenery into His temple, and let us take time to reflect on his love and hope for us.

Father's, Son's, and Holy Spirit's Day

2011-06-19T16:00:00.049-04:00

Today is both Trinity Sunday and Father's Day so I have been thinking about the relationships between the three persons of the Trinity as well as those human relationships that we honor today.

In the Church, the rector is often called "Father___," and I suppose that it is natural that people sometimes develop a sort of child/father relationship with their priest.

Which brings me to note that the turnout for today's Trinity Sunday service paled in comparison to last week's large turnout for our rector's retirement celebration.

I know that our church attendance drops in the summer, but last week proved that people are still willing to come to church on Sunday if they can be motivated to do so.

But what about,

Exodus 20:12 "Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.

Deuteronomy 5:16 "Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the LORD your God is giving you.

Ephesian 6:2 "Honor your father and mother"--which is the first commandment with a promise--

Of all the various reasons why we place human relationships above our relationship with the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, I can't come up with one that justifies our doing so.

I would like to honor both my heavenly father and my earthly one on this day.

While he was still speaking to the crowds, his mother and his brothers appeared outside, wishing to speak with him.
(Someone told him, "Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, asking to speak with you.")
But he said in reply to the one who told him, "Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?"
And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers.
For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, and sister, and mother." Matthew 12:46-50

"Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth. I have come to bring not peace but the sword.
For I have come to set a man 'against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
and one's enemies will be those of his household.'
"Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;
and whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. Matthew 10:34-38

Thank you Lord for Fathers everywhere. They have been a large part of leading us to You, and we honor them when we worship You.

SCLM Animal Rites: Please Tell Me This is a Typo

2011-06-16T11:43:00.000-04:00

From the Executive Offices of the General Convention of the Episcopal church web pages you may find the following Subcommittee listed under the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music.

"SCLM Task Force - Animal Rites Group
(Subcommittee of the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music)"

The only document on-line on that page has an agenda from July 2010 that says nothing about animal rites.

Animal "Rites" is also used on the SCLM page (here).

A comment on the SCLM webblog also references this mandate,

"My 'angst' stems not just from the magnitude of HWHM considerations, but from list of OTHER projects the SCLM is charged to produce: Hymnal Revision, Same-sex rites, and (close to my heart, both theologically and zoologically) animal rites with accompanying theological/pastoral considerations! (Who knows what else? I don’t!)"

What else? How about this,

Has this church gone to the dogs?

More Druids In Upper SC

2011-06-15T08:40:00.000-04:00

As a follow up to their Spring Equinox service, the Druid church in Columbia SC, St. Michael and All Angels, is at it again,

"An observance of the Summer Solstice, June 21

St. Michael and All Angels', Columbia invites you to join us in our outdoor chapel on Tuesday, June 21 at 7pm as we observe the summer
solstice.

This will be a service of prayer and Thanksgiving for the abundance of God's creation. As Christ's Body in our world we are stewards of this
great bounty.

We will gather to pray for the healing of our planet and for the wisdom to care for it.

St. Michael and All Angels' is located at 6408 Bridgewood Rd, Columbia, SC, 29206." (From EDUSC News)

And don't try to convince me that they are trying to convert the Columbian Druids to Christianity.

It Is What It Is, And It Is Sweet.

2011-06-12T20:34:00.000-04:00

Today we celebrated Pentecost and our rector's retirement. It was a day that was blessedly free of controversy with the only surprise coming when the rector, in trying to explain a gender neutral Holy Spirit, stated that not only did conservatives get it wrong in trying to make the Spirit masculine, but the feminists got it wrong in trying to make the Spirit feminine. A jab at feminists from the pulpit! Now that was a first.

Today's readings also support the gender neutral or maybe a non-gender vision of the Holy Spirit since when Christians talk about the Spirit we usually are dealing with the New Testament greek translation which is more in keeping with the Spirit as "It."

1 Corinthians 12:3-13

Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says ‘Let Jesus be cursed!’ and no one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except by the Holy Spirit.

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.
For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

Acts 2:1-21

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.

Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. Amazed and astonished, they asked, ‘Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.’ All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, ‘What does this mean?’ But others sneered and said, ‘They are filled with new wine.’
But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them: ‘Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:
“In the last days it will be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams.
Even upon my slaves, both men and women,
in those days I will pour out my Spirit;
and they shall prophesy.
And I will show portents in the heaven above
and signs on the earth below,
blood, and fire, and smoky mist.
The sun shall be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood,
before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day.
Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

John 20:19-23

When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’

After 14 years, we can agree on something.

Sweet.

Feeling the "Itch of Wanderlust" This Spring?

2011-06-08T00:01:00.004-04:00

Can anyone explain what this bit of hyperbole is doing in our Diocesan Newsletter?

Upcoming retreats at the Snail's Pace

"Journey of the Heroine/Hero
June 24-26th

Sometimes our lives seem utterly chaotic convulsions and our days no more than random collection of dots which do not appear to connect in any meaningful pattern. However, throughout the long march of human history and story, pattern has emerged. Some people call it the Great Story, others the monomyth or voyage of the heroine-hero. Whatever name we may use, there is comfort in knowing that our lives too share meaning and order with the greatest and the least.

During this weekend the participants will first learn the stages of the great journey through an introductory exercise in guided imagery on Friday evening. Throughout the day on Saturday each phase of the journey will be explored in greater depth through readings from contemporary short stories and personal journaling.

Our companions in our travels will become familiar friends like Flannery O'Connor, Frederick Buechner, Annie Dillard, Alice Walker, John Updike and others. On Sunday morning the weekend will conclude with a worship experience in which we explore the spiritual implications of our travels and the deepening of our discipleship. If you are feeling the itch of wanderlust this spring and long to go on pilgrimage, please join us!

Deadline to register is Friday, June 3rd."

Sorry I missed the deadline, but can anybody explain that first paragraph?

Here's my take on it.

"Utterly chaotic convulsions" - the opposite of organized convulsions, or what I experienced while reading our newsletter.

"Monomyth" - something Joseph Campbell came up with, or the rumor that your boyfriend/girlfriend just came down with mononucleosis.

"Random collection of dots" - Our Diocesan Newsletter.

What Would the Resurrection Be Without the Ascension?

2011-06-05T14:37:00.000-04:00

Back in High School Government and Civics class we used to frequently get bogged by hypothetical situations. Worse yet, were the hypothetical questions that seemed to spin off endlessly from the initial hypothetical situation. I think all that time wasted was suppossed to get us to think like little lawmakers who should try to cover as many possibilities as can be imagined when drawing up hypothetical laws, Bills, and Constitutional ammendments.

I hated it, and I spent much of the class drawing cartoons of airstrikes being called in against the campus. If I were to do such a thing today, I would get in all kinds of trouble. As it was, my cartoons became underground hits.

And I think I wound up with a C+ in Government and Civics.

I still don't like "hypotheticals."

In the course of today's sermon, our preacher posed the question which I posted as a title to this blog post: "What would the Resurrection be without the Ascension?" (or WWTRBWTA for short).

His point was to increase people's awareness of the importance of the Ascension and to chastise us for not attending the Thursday 11 a.m. service that celebrated Ascension Day.

I was left wondering about how modern people, many of whom have enough trouble with the bodily resurrection of Jesus, might react to Acts 1:9-11

"When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. While he was going and they were gazing up towards heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. They said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up towards heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.’"

and Luke 24:50-51 both of which which I read on Ascension Day,

"Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and, lifting up his hands, he blessed them. While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven."

How many people today have trouble believing this happened? I don't know the answer to my question, but I do know that you can't discard the Ascension stories. They are integral to the Gospel's witness. Because the Ascension is integral, it might be better to draw cartoons or color in the Sunday kids bulletin than to get caught up in the hypothetical question posed during today's sermon.

Without an Ascension, we would be left with an unanswered question as to what became of Jesus after his post resurrection appearances to the disciples. An endless stream of hypotheticals starts flowing through my mind. Thoughts like, "Where does he sleep?" or, "Will his body show signs of its age?" In either case, you see that I must presume that the non-ascended Jesus would live in His physical body on Earth forever.

I hate hypotheticals.

I disagree with our preacher's answer that without the Ascension, the Resurrection might be considered nothing more than a cheap parlor trick, but I would rather not waste more time on his answer other than to say that in his attempt to make the congregation more aware of the importance of the Ascension, and how naughty we were for not coming to church on Thursday morning, he might have taken another path... hypothetically speaking.

The Power of Words

2011-06-01T00:01:00.012-04:00

Well worth the time (1 min 48 sec) to watch...

Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law. Psalm 119:18

Christ Will Come Again

2011-05-29T16:03:00.002-04:00

The second coming of Christ is something that people are always predicting to occur in this year, that month, or even on such and such a day. Why do we need more predictions than those that are given to us from Jesus and the Apostles?

Today's readings point to the importance of being aware of promise of the day of judgement.

First a commnand for all people to repent in Acts 17:22-31,

While God has overlooked the times of human ignorance, now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will have the world judged in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed, and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.’

Next the words of Jesus promise us the Spirit of truth who will be with us for ever and the promise that Jesus is coming.
John 14:15-21

‘If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you for ever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.
‘I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live. On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.’

Thomas Tallis set it to music so well (using the KJV "Comforter" in place of "Advocate"),

I get the sense that when that Comforter and/or Advocate is really present in one's life, that one tends to not get too obsessive over the coming day of judgement.

Still, for those who remain in the world and have not received Him, the prediction of an impending judgment might make them want them to reconsider their position, in which case maybe a little time spent obsessing over these verses would be time well spent.

Let Them Fall Where They May?

2011-05-25T00:01:00.005-04:00

We planted this Catawba Rhododendron (Rhododendron catawbiense) a few years back in part because we always enjoyed hiking in the mountains when the rhododendrons were in bloom, and in part because we live so close to the Catawba river and the "catawbiense" in the name struck a chord.

For the first few years, we weren't quite sure it would survive, but this year it really showed its colors. I wonder if it was because of the cold winter?

There is a large dead tree nearby that we will have to fell this year, and I hope we can preserve this rhododendron. If it hadn't bloomed, I might have let it get crushed.

Then I thought of a parable told by Jesus,

"Then he told this parable: ‘A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. So he said to the gardener, See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil? He replied, Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig round it and put manure on it. If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.'” -Luke 13:6-9.

Maybe this is its way of saying "Save me!"

If you catch the gardener spreading manure around my feet this year, please remind me of this parable.

Prayers Requested

2011-05-22T15:08:00.000-04:00

This week we learned that our assistant priest has taken a position in N.Y. and will be leaving us in August.

Today, during the announcements in church, our Senior Warden informed us that someone had been caught stealing from the church. Hopefully this puts an end to what was an ongoing problem.

Prayers are requested for our church as it seeks a priest in charge, and as we come to grips with the face of our fallen nature in the knowledge of this reported thievery.

Pray also for the accused.

Muslim call to prayer to ring out at Episcopal Church on "Left Behind Sunday."

2011-05-20T15:00:00.001-04:00

In comments to my last post, R. Sherman pointed to this link about an "interfaith service" at St. John’s Parish in Montclair (Diocese of Newark) to be held the day after the predicted "Rapture Saturday" of May 21, 2011.

"Reverend Andrew Butler, Rector of St. John’s parish since September 1, 2010, decided to have this service in order to demonstrate that both Islam and Christianity stem from Abrahamic roots, as well as to dispell negative stereotypes about the Muslim faith."

"During the interfaith service, verses from the Holy Qur’an will complement readings from the Holy Bible, including during Communion, embracing the traditions of both religions."

"The Reverend went on to say, 'We are trying to find ways to blend our community through religion. It’s hard, but we can accomplish it through this organic event and working together through outreach and other ministries of compassion.'”

This seems oddly appropriate for those who find themselves left behind.

Catawba River Spider Lily Kayak Trip May 2011

2011-05-18T00:01:00.010-04:00

In a post last year, I wrote about the Catawba river spider lilies at South Carolina's Landsford Canal State Park. I said that I would try to kayak to the site this year, and last Sunday, after church, we made the trip. Launching from the park entrance and taking out at the lower parking area you can either head upstream for a half mile and cut over to the main channel before turning south or you can head straight down stream which is a little more difficult because of the depth (or lack thereof) of the river (which is why they built the canal system in the first place). We, as expected, chose the more difficult path. Once again, I advise anyone planning this trip to take your most beat up kayaks because the water is very shallow and you will get hung up on rocks, but it is fun trying to avoid them when the water is flowing well as it was on this day. The whole trip took about an hour and a half. Because of the shallow waters, I was able to step out onto the rocks once we reached the lilies and took these pics.

"My beloved is gone down into his garden, to the beds of spices, to feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies. I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine: he feedeth among the lilies." - Song of Solomon 6:2-3

Thank you Lord for the flowers of spring, the waters that feed them, and the hard plastic bottom of my kayak.

Inconvenient Lectionary Edits

2011-05-16T14:12:00.001-04:00

One of my pet peeves is the habit of the lectionary to cut out certain verses at the strangest times. Today, we had Wisdom 1:16-2:11,2:21-24
as the O.T. reading which left out Wisdom 2:12-20.

I happen to like those verses, and I think they have a prophetic quality that should not go unspoken or unread. These are the words of the mockers,

12 "Let us lie in wait for the righteous man,
because he is inconvenient to us and opposes our actions;
he reproaches us for sins against the law,
and accuses us of sins against our training.
13 He professes to have knowledge of God,
and calls himself a child of the Lord.
14 He became to us a reproof of our thoughts;
15 the very sight of him is a burden to us,
because his manner of life is unlike that of others,
and his ways are strange.
16 We are considered by him as something base,
and he avoids our ways as unclean;
he calls the last end of the righteous happy,
and boasts that God is his father.
17 Let us see if his words are true,
and let us test what will happen at the end of his life;
18 for if the righteous man is God’s child, he will help him,
and will deliver him from the hand of his adversaries.
19 Let us test him with insult and torture,
so that we may find out how gentle he is,
and make trial of his forbearance.
20 Let us condemn him to a shameful death,
for, according to what he says, he will be protected."

Is it because these verses sound more appropriate for Holy Week that they get left on the cutting room floor during the Easter season?

Whatever the reason, they are words that make me shiver. I see how easily we might err and find ourselves condemning the Lord, perhaps not this graphically, but through our disobedience.

There but for the grace of God go I.

The Denomino Theory

2011-05-15T12:30:00.000-04:00

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly." -John 10:10 (From today's readings).

The old Protestant denominations are falling like dominos. I have to conclude that this is one way in which the thief kills and destroys. He picks the weakest denomination first, topples it, and the next ones fall like dominos.

I call this the "Denomino Theory," and it is one reason why it makes no sense to try to run from one denomination to the next.

This week's news that the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has dropped its ordination standards to the level of the secular culture has met with nary a wimper from society as a whole. Here is their announcement from PCUSA.org,

To congregations of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,

May grace, mercy, and peace be yours in abundance (Jude 1:2).

The debate about ordination standards has been a Presbyterian family struggle for much of the last three decades. We have sought to find that place where every congregation and every member, deacon, elder, and minister of the Word and Sacrament can share their gifts in ministry while, at the same time, the integrity of every congregation, member, deacon, elder, and minister is respected.

This year, the conversation has focused on Amendment 10-A that was passed by the 219th General Assembly (2010) and sent to presbyteries for approval. While we wait for official tallies, it appears that 87 presbyteries will approve10-A during the week of May 9, which is the majority required for approval.

If this becomes official, the new language outlining the gifts and requirements for ordained service will say the following:

Standards for ordained service reflect the church’s desire to submit joyfully to the Lordship of Jesus Christ in all aspects of life (G-1.0000). The governing body responsible for ordination and/or installation (G.14.0240; G-14.0450) shall examine each candidate’s calling, gifts, preparation, and suitability for the responsibilities of office. The examination shall include, but not be limited to, a determination of the candidate’s ability and commitment to fulfill all requirements as expressed in the constitutional questions for ordination and installation (W-4.4003). Governing bodies shall be guided by Scripture and the confessions in applying standards to individual candidates.

This decision begins with an unequivocal affirmation that ordained office will continue to be rooted in each deacon, elder, and minister’s “joyful submission to the Lordship of Jesus Christ in all aspects of life.”

This action also has important effects on our life together as a church, namely:
in keeping with our historic principles of church order, each session and presbytery will continue to determine the suitability of individuals seeking ordination within its bounds.
persons in a same-gender relationship may be considered for ordination and/or installation as deacons, elders, and ministers of the Word and Sacrament within the PC(USA); and
all other churchwide standards for ordination remain unchanged.

Reactions to this change will span a wide spectrum. Some will rejoice, while others will weep. Those who rejoice will see the change as an action, long in coming, that makes the PC(USA) an inclusive church that recognizes and receives the gifts for ministry of all those who feel called to ordained office. Those who weep will consider this change one that compromises biblical authority and acquiesces to present culture. The feelings on both sides run deep.

However, as Presbyterians, we believe that the only way we will find God’s will for the church is by seeking it together – worshiping, praying, thinking, and serving alongside one another. We are neighbors and colleagues, friends and family. Most importantly, we are all children of God, saved and taught by Jesus Christ, and filled with the Holy Spirit.

We hold to the strong affirmation that all of us are bound together as the church through Jesus Christ our Lord. “There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all,” Paul wrote to the Ephesians (4:5-6).

It is Jesus Christ who calls individuals to ordained ministries, and all those who are called to ordained office continue to acknowledge Jesus as Lord of all and Head of the church. It is this same Jesus Christ who is the foundation of our faith and to whom we cling.

No doubt, there will be several news stories and other reports about this change in the days ahead. A number of resources, including frequently asked questions and liturgical resources, are available for you at Office of the General Assembly website. In addition, for those who wish to comment on or inquire further about 10-A, please contact ga.amendments@pcusa.org or call (888) 728-7228, x8202.

We invite you to join us in prayer:

Almighty God, we give thanks for a rich heritage of faithful witnesses to the gospel throughout the ages. We offer gratitude not only for those who have gone before us, but for General Assembly commissioners and presbyters across the church who have sought diligently to discern the mind of Christ for the church in every time and place, and especially in this present time.

May your Spirit of peace be present with us in difficult decisions, especially where relationships are strained and the future is unclear. Open our ears and our hearts to listen to and hear those with whom we differ. Most of all, we give thanks for Jesus Christ, our risen Savior and Lord, who called the Church into being and who continues to call us to follow his example of loving our neighbor and working for the reconciliation of the world. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Gradye Parsons
Stated Clerk of the General Assembly

Cynthia Bolbach
Moderator, 219th General Assembly (2010)

Linda Valentine
Executive Director General Assembly Mission Council

Landon Whitsitt
Vice Moderator, 219th General Assembly (2010)

People will probably want to add the U.C.C. Denomino as the first to fall, but I got tired of drawing curved letters, so my illustration is incomplete.

For those interested, the United Church of Christ pages proudly claim to be the lead denomino on their web page:

The PCUSA joins at least 10 other Reformed churches that welcome LGBT clergy, including ancestral churches in the Netherlands, Switzerland and Germany, said Lang in the statement. "But this victory also reminds us that our ultimate goal still lies in the future; a day when all of our churches will welcome everyone, and exclude no one," he said.

The change, which opens the possibility that people in same-sex relationships can be considered for ordination, is expected to take effect July 10. It is the latest move by a Protestant denomination toward the inclusion of gay and lesbian clergy.

In 1972, the UCC ordained the Rev. William R. Johnson as the denomination's first openly gay pastor.

In August 2009, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) voted to eliminate a ban on partnered gay clergy and committed to allow people in same-sex relationships to serve as church leaders. The nation's largest Lutheran denomination had previously permitted openly gay and lesbian clergy as long as they remained celibate.

Last year, the Episcopal Church consecrated its first openly lesbian bishop – the Rev. Mary Glasspool of Los Angeles – in the face of objections from some conservative Anglicans.

When dominos fall, they do not pick themselves up.

When denominations fall, they will not be able to pick themselves up.

A more powerful force from above has to reach down and pick them up, or it will come to sweep the board clean.

In either case, there will be lots of wounded to care for, so don't run from the disaster area. Instead, head straight in, with your Bible in your bag to help treat the survivors.

Strategic Planning and the Church

2011-05-11T00:01:00.036-04:00

I never was very good at this game.

Our church is in the process of finding a new rector. One of the things the Diocese of Upper South Carolina is asking for is a "Strategic Plan." Talk about reinventing the wheel! I think this a ridiculous waste of time. Why make being a Christian more complicated? Are we to be guided by some new strategic plan reluctantly drawn up by volunteers, or should we read the plan written by saints and martyrs that has been around for the past 2000 years?

C.S. Lewis had something to say about that plan.

"May I come back to what I said before? This is the whole of Christianity. There is nothing else. It is so easy to get muddled about that. It is easy to think that the Church has a lot of different objects—education, building, missions, holding services. Just as it is easy to think the State has a lot of different objects—military, political, economic, and what not. But in a way things are much simpler than that. The State exists simply to promote and to protect the ordinary happiness of human beings in this life. A husband and wife chatting over a fire, a couple of friends having a game of darts in a pub, a man reading a book in his own room or digging in his own garden—that is what the State is there for. And unless they are helping to increase and prolong and protect such moments, all the laws, parliaments, armies, courts, police, economics, etc., are simply a waste of time. In the same way the Church exists for nothing else but to draw men into Christ, to make them little Christs. If they are not doing that, all the cathedrals, clergy, missions, sermons, even the Bible itself, are simply a waste of time. God became Man for no other purpose. It is even doubtful, you know, whether the whole universe was created for any other purpose. It says in the Bible that the whole universe was made for Christ and that everything is to be gathered together in Him."

C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (New York: Touchstone), pp 170-171.

Forget your strategic planning sessions, anything you create will just be put on the shelf to collect dust.

As an alternative, send a copy of your well read Bible to the Diocese with a little note attached saying, "I hope this plan meets with your approval."

That's my stratego and I'm stickin with it.

Jesus Incognito

2011-05-08T14:43:00.012-04:00

Today's Gospel reading from Luke 24:13-35 (Cleopas' walk with Jesus on the road to Emmaus) is one of those resurrection appearances of Jesus that once again brings up the question of the authority of witness. Most Christians accept the stories of these encounters with an incognito Jesus, a vanishing Jesus, or a Jesus who can get into a closed room as accurate reports of real events. Sadly, many have let doubt and disbelief cause these stories to be classified as delusions, or hallucinations.

During the course of today's sermon, our preacher related stories of her personal encounters with God. Nice, but where was the link to testing things against scripture?

As I related last week in a post entitled "Things Not Seen",

"Personal experiences and feelings become problems because all too often they can be shown to be contrary to scripture.

This is also how we discern the Holy Spirit; we have to go back and study scripture, and discuss things amongst others who have studied the scriptures.

The study of the Bible and Christian history therefore become vitally important, because ignorance of scripture and the errors that others have made in the past will lead us into the way of error ourselves with the inevitable consequence of a weakening or even the loss of personal and corporate faith."

In the present age when the reliability of witnesses, and the trustworthiness of leaders and governments are usually doubted, and when truth itself is a nebulous thing, can I believe these stories from 2000 years ago? For that matter, can I believe that Osama Bin Laden is really dead?

In a world full of conspiracy theories and mistrust, is it any wonder that people have a hard time accepting the truth that has been passed down to us in the form of Biblical witness?

In a world where authority figures are constantly being exposed as liars, self serving, or otherwise untrustworthy, can people put their faith and trust in a God of authority and power?

Or are people searching for a god more like themselves?

Addendum: 1 John 4:1-6 was in Monday's readings.

Testing the Spirits

"Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus* is not from God. And this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming; and now it is already in the world. Little children, you are from God, and have conquered them; for the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. They are from the world; therefore what they say is from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us, and whoever is not from God does not listen to us. From this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error."

Off Topic and Political to boot: "Organize Against Change"

2011-05-04T00:01:00.006-04:00

After this week's news of the death of OBL, all eyes are watching the President's approval ratings. Now might be the perfect time to test the waters for new campaign slogans for the President since they are already gearing up for the next Presidential election. Who can forget those sound bites from the last election that won the American public's hearts.

Over at Afriprov.org I found this list of some of the common phrases used by a certain current incumbent during his first election campaign.

1. "Yes We Can."
2. “Change” versus “More of the Same.”
3. "Vote for Change."
4. "Change We Can Believe In."
5. "Our Time for Change."
6. "It's about Time. It's about Change."
7. "Stand for Change."
8. "Organize for Change."
9. “We are the change we’ve been looking for. Change can’t happen without you.”
10. "I’m asking you to believe. Not just in my ability to bring about real change in Washington . I'm asking you to believe in yours."
11. "A leader who can deliver change."
12. "Change in America doesn't start from the top down. It starts from the bottom up."

He just can't use those anymore.

Now that he has announced that he will run for re-election, I was wondering if there is any kind of positive spin he can put on the old "Change" line.

As an unofficial, unpaid adviser, I worked up a few sound bites for him to try out while his popularity is on its expected upswing.

How about,

1. "Eventually We Can."
2. “More of the Same” versus “Change.”
3. "Don't Vote for Change."
4. "The Same We Can Believe In."
5. "Our Time for More of the Same."
6. "It's about Time; Just Give Me a Little More of It."
7. "Stand Still For a Change."
8. "Organize Against Change."
9. “We are the change we’d been looking for, but change doesn't happen overnight.”
10. "I’m asking you to believe. Not just in my ability to bring about real change in Washington, but because I never really had that ability."
11. "A leader who won't change."
12. "Change in America doesn't start from the top down. It starts from the bottom up. So go change yourself!"

And finally...

13. We got OBL! How's That For a Change!"

See if you can come up with a few of your own.

Pour l'infamie de son nom!

2011-05-02T14:04:00.001-04:00

Death comes to the famous, the infamous, and the non-famous alike.

Some are honored by the living, others are to be remembered as shark bait.

And the world keeps rollin along.

Someone sent this along today...

"I've never wished a man dead but I have read some obituaries with great pleasure." ...Mark Twain

I am not much into gloating in part because I understand that the death of one bad guy does not make much of a dent in the numbers of bad guys ready to take his place, and in part because I don't think the Lord would look too kindly upon gloating.

I found the comments of Andy at A Mile From the Beach helpful in this respect.

Pay him a visit.
(h/t Musings From the Hinterland)

Things Not Seen

2011-05-01T14:51:00.000-04:00

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."-Hebrews 11:1

Today's readings from Acts, 1 Peter, and John touched on the question of how we can have faith in something that is unseen.

First the evidence of witnesses:

"This Jesus God raised up, and of that all of us are witnesses."-Acts 2:32

Next, the fruits of faith:

"Although you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls."-1 Peter 1:8-9

Then the sign that even for those of us who demand more evidence, the Lord will provide:

"But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, ‘We have seen the Lord.’ But he said to them, ‘Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.’

A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.’ Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.’"-John 20:24-28

In today's sermon, I got the impression that our preacher had never felt the need to pray for a "Thomas moment" from the Lord. I, for one, come from the Thomas school; I am the type that always wants more proof.

How does one get more proof than the witness of the Bible?

This where the problem of personal experiences comes into the picture. Personal experiences and feelings become problems because all too often they can be shown to be contrary to scripture.

This is also how we discern the Holy Spirit; we have to go back and study scripture, and discuss things amongst others who have studied the scriptures.

The study of the Bible and Christian history therefore become vitally important, because ignorance of scripture and the errors that others have made in the past will lead us into the way of error ourselves with the inevitable consequence of a weakening or even the loss of personal and corporate faith.

The Lord has blessed me with many personal experiences, and after reading today's scriptures, I can see a little more clearly that while there are those who are so blessed as to have no need to see, to feel, or to similarly experience the risen Lord in order to gain and maintain a solid faith, there are probably others like Thomas who Jesus might tap on the shoulders every now and then just so that they might have a glimpse of what is not seen. I don't discount such modern witnesses, but like my own personal experiences, I have to test them against the ancient ones.

I have heard the witness of our Bishop and many of his clergy and convention delegates who have said that they have seen the blessings of God in same sex realtionships.

I have studied the scriptures which say that this is not the way to go.

When the witnesses disagree, which witness should I have faith in?

AoC: "...our world turned upside down, joy made possible."

2011-04-27T00:01:00.048-04:00

I don't usually go along with him, but sometimes we can agree, even if it is only on a small bit taken out of context.

From the Archbishop of Canterbury's 2011 Easter Sermon,

"Christian joy, the joy of Easter, is offered to the world not to guarantee a permanently happy society in the sense of a society free from tension, pain or disappointment, but to affirm that whatever happens in the unpredictable world – sometimes wonderfully, sometimes horribly unpredictable – there is a deeper level of reality, a world within the world, where love and reconciliation are ceaselessly at work, a world with which contact can be made so that we are able to live honestly and courageously with the challenges constantly thrown at us. And on the first Easter morning, it is as if ‘the fountains of the great deep’ are broken open, and we are allowed to see, like Peter and John at the empty tomb, into the darkness for a moment – and find our world turned upside down, joy made possible."

(I might like to see his "can be made" changed to "has been made")

When I experience people radiating with that joy from God even during their times of challenge and pain, I think I see the world turned upside down too.

Sometimes the world is turned upside down when other improbable events occur, such as my agreement with the AoC.