All I want for Christmas

Since childhood I have prayed for peace on Earth and goodwill towards men. I wake up each Christmas morning and the world seems the same. People continue to be people. Life remains a violent struggle for survival, superiority, wealth, power, and dominion. The gift of Jesus is to see that a life can be lived without these desires, and when life is lived in this way, we find ourselves following God's desires instead of our own. When we follow the way of Jesus, we respond in peace where others respond with violence, and goodwill when others respond with hate. So as I evolve in my Faith, my prayers are being answered, just not in the way I expected.

Make Straight the Way of the Lord

According to today's lessons and anthem we are exhorted to do the above roadway maintenance. Mary Kat, if made Prioress of the Abbey, would have us be silent for the 24 days of Advent. And you thought Lent was tough! Actually John did a whole lot more exhorting than is recorded and which unfortunately is only alluded to in the lesson. I suspect he would not be invited to many Christmas parties. We are happy that he is present only in the past, because he likely would be exhorting us to stop being silent! In all truth, I agree with Mary Kat that we should spend more time in silent meditation (although she did not say this directly). I cannot listen to God when I am too busy listening to myself. Silencing the thoughts is a challenging and rewarding experience. Give it 20 minutes a day and maybe you will hear God praying for you.

Good Things come in small packages

We have to thank Charlie for his early Christmas present. I am referring to his record setting 11 minute sermon. Maybe he is feeling the pressure of the season. Let us all slow down and appreciate the reason for the season lest in our rush to get through it we lose our focus. (Hopefully, Charlie will not take this as an excuse for a longer sermon).

The Second Coming

On this the first Sunday in Advent, Charlie touched on several themes. Some of these we have heard before (such as the voices of the Prophets coming from left field). He again took a shot at individulism, and I have to fire back. The Episcopal Church is standing on shakey ground if it tries to be the voice of prophesy. It can't point it's finger and say "do this," or "don't do that," until it gets it's act together. Until then, we individuals need to keep thinking, and talking since we are the Church. Will the Episcopal Church expire before me? Will there be a second coming of the Episcopal Church? The end of the world or the Apocalypse may be further in the future, but as an individual, I am facing "the Day of the Lord" or "the second coming" when I anticipate my own time of death. All this serious stuff can make my head spin, and when that happens, it is time to look to Bethlehem, clear my mind and focus on the promise of God's Gift to us. If we all do, maybe then we will use God's Gift as Charlie suggests, to create the promised land ourselves (my words not his).

christian Bloggers?

We were invited to link to this site. I still think we should be using a little "c" as we are all trying to be Christian, and none on earth can lay claim to a capital "C."

Prayers for Intercession

I enjoyed Bobby's sermon on prayer. Jesus' example shows me that you don't really need God to intervene in the affairs of life if you have faith that He is here at all times and in all things. Still, when faced with life's most difficult events, I can't help but hope He changes things to my favor. I need to remember the prayer Jesus never said. If I do, I won't pray for 12 legions of angels, or even a winning lottery ticket, to bail me out of a jam. Instead, I shall be still and cede control over to God, instead of asking him to intercede.

The End Times for Fundamentalists

Woe be to thee, thou fundamentalists and worshippers of the Books of Daniel and Revelation! The End Times are here. Charlie has said the final word for your hopes and dreams of the extermination of life on earth. Since it hasn't happened in 2000 years, "It ain't gonna happen." And that is final, end of lecture, so let's get on with the Lord's work. The epitome of hope for the future is the Baptism of an infant as we saw today. We will, with God's help, guide this child to a life in Christ, with all it's promise for a future, rather than a misguided dream for the end of the world.

New Link

Lowell provides another good service in his Preview of Sunday's Lessons. He gives some questions you may want to ponder (especially if the sermon is ponderous). See the "Links" in the sidebar.

Of Scouts and Widows

Do any of you detect a trend in Mary Kat's sermons? It may be just the coincidence of the Lessons on any particular Sunday that she has to deal with the feminine side of the Bible. Two Lessons with widows! There is a connection with the Boy Scouts that she missed (she probably was not a Boy Scout). I enjoyed the Eagle Scout ceremony today. I am happy for Travis and Sandra and Tim. I wanted to point out that proverbial scout who helped the little old lady across the street. I just have to imagine her as a widow too, and the scout did not ask for her to get him a drink or some bread. The scout would take no payment. Jesus was also a champion of the poor, the outcast, the sick, and the friendless. When scouting is done right, young men are raised with these values in mind and can become champions themselves.

All Souls

At today's service we were blessed with the opportunity to read names of some of our beloved dead. During the sermon Charlie said that no one had ever complained about the length of the list. I regard that as a direct challenge. Don't get me wrong, the reading is an important part of our community, but it was too long. I remember as a child feeling guilty when I restricted my prayers for those killed in Vietnam. Shouldn't I be remembering all who have died? Should I pray for those who died today? Or maybe yesterday, or just in the past year? Of the billions of souls who precede me in death, should any be singled out for special attention? I have never contributed a name to the list read in Church although I continue to pray aloud with the rest of you and silently for those whom I have known personally. I may be the only one who feels this way, and I respect the 99.9% of parishioners who desire a communal prayer for their blessed departed. When I die, don't put me on the list to be read aloud. Consider it my parting gift: a shorter list.

The "E" Word

"E"vangelical that is. I enjoyed Fr. Dunbar's sermon on the basis of Anglican Evangelism. The reactions to the Beaufort revival were similar to our response to "Faith Alive." As with any effort where changing one's spiritual place is the goal, there will be resistance as well as acceptance. We need to be open to the voice of change. We should not have it forced upon us. The true Evangelist speaks with the spirit of Truth and should not need to coerce or to dictate to us how to worship, pray, think, or behave. Today's anthem by Faber "There's a Wideness..." does what the Evangelist should do, giving us thought changing ideas but not demanding change.

"For the love of God is broader than the measures of our mind; and the heart of the Eternal is most wonderfully kind. But we make that love too narrow by the limits of our own; and we magnify God's strictness with a zeal Love will not own.
There is grace enough for thousands of new worlds as great as this; there is room for fresh creations in that endless world of bliss. If our love were but more simple we would trust the living Word; and our lives would fill with gladness in the joy of Christ our Lord."

http://www.answers.com/topic/frederick-william-faber

There is room enough for Evangelism too.

The Naked Pewster

Pardon the graphic imagery, but the reading from Paul's letter (Hebrews 4:12-16) made the point first. Charlie tried to expound upon this one point. I liked the bit about the Word dividing soul and spirit (whatever that means), joints from marrow. God's scalpel! Only God's scalpel could dissect out the real me. I guess that makes God both a master surgeon and psychiatrist, an unheard of Superspecialist to be sure. The type of nakedness mentioned in the reading I believe is not the graphic image of a nudist, but that of a soul late bare. Maybe we should set up a Naked Soul Colony (I did a quick web search and it looks like we would be the first), now who would be our Priest, and do mosquitoes bite naked souls?

Give Away All Your Stuff!

I think I'll start by throwing out the computer. After that, I'll put on my saffron robe and sandals and start out on the road. Of course, if we all did that there would be nobody left to farm, to handle the sewerage, to do all those dirty jobs that give abundant life to everybody else. How do you rationalize away Jesus' message to give away all you own in order to follow him? I think the hardest thing to give away is our sense of self. Any thoughts?

New Feature

To get new Postings (not message board stuff) sent directly to your Yahoo (you do have yahoo don't you?) try the new button, and let me know if you can figure it out. For info go to the following:

http://my.yahoo.com/s/about/rss/index.html

Wednesday's Child

Our fearless reporter failed to give us a critique on the Wednesday Healing Service. A lame excuse was given instead. I heard that Gwen will sometimes let Charlie have it after his sermons. We should always listen to the voices of those around us, the voices of our community who will correct us, lest we be led astray by our inner voice. For if I listen to my inner voice in isolation from the community, I may think I am listening to God when I am just hearing myself.

The "D" word

Charlie had the duty last Sunday when the "D" word came up in the lectionary. Episcopal priests have been heard voicing dread as this lesson comes around. Jesus is very clear in his message. The fact that we fail in the application of the rule is our problem. That there is "a wideness in God's mercy" sounds comforting.

Gandhi's Birthday Message

"Nonviolence succeeds only when we have a real living faith in God. "
"My effort should never be to undermine another's faith but to make him a better follower of his own faith. "
"My faith is brightest in the midst of impenetrable darkness."
Quotations from M. Gandhi

The End of a Winning Streak.

After the immensely controversial Sermon Scoring System was banned from the official Episcopal Church of Our Saviour Web site, sermons have been pretty good. This week I have to bring you the bad news, that there is no way to graphically score the sermon(s) we endured today. I use the plural because I counted at least three separate sermons and ten good stopping places. First we touched on the Lessons, then we traveled to Cange, Haiti, and then we went on to hear about the importance of Baptism with a few anti-football and anti-conservative potshots thrown in. The only good thing to say about this one is that it is over. Ever since this blog was started as a place for comments on the Sunday Sermon, I have been looking for a good way for you the readers to post a score for the sermon. I will use the Tag Board for the score from now on. )-:

God's Child

Mary Kat did a good job reminding me that children in Jesus' time had it rough. Corporal punishment was the rule, as was child labor. Indeed children were pretty low on the pecking order. She brought a whole new perspective on Jesus taking the child and putting it on his lap, demonstrating to his disciples that even the lowest are to be treated as God's most important creatures. And what about the old testament lesson? The Child of God is foretold, as is the scorn of those opposed to him. This highlights one of the problems with radical Islam. Mohammed's fundamental belief is that God cannot have a child, and Jesus can not be His son in a literal sense. To radical Islam, Christianity is therefore heretical and blasphemous. I wish they could see the old testament verses through the eyes of a child. I always thought we were all children of God. Was I wrong?

Bobby lays down the Law

This Sunday's sermon was a lenghty exposition on the laws and commandments. Father Dunbar drew from so many sources that my head is still spinning. This was a real trip around the Bible. It dovetailed nicely with the rest of the service which had many references to placing God first, and when one does, the Christian life will follow. Could we get a copy of this sermon for posting on the blog?

Commisioning Sunday

It is amazing how many people are involved in on way or another with ministries of one form or another. If our Church is representative of the community, then there should be hope for the future. All this without any help from "The Purpose Driven Life. " The link to the Wall Street Journal Article requires a subscription but here is another blog discussing this http://mormanity.blogspot.com/2006/09/apostasy-20-now-purpose-driven.html. I have to agree that the "Driven" part bothers me when it appears to be turning into a business plan for congregations. I think we are doing well with something far less than a megachurch, so let us listen for God's purpose each in our own way. We just might be on the right path after all.

Why Whine about Wine?

So the city of Rock Hill is not up to permit wine sales on Sunday. Elected officials are afraid to speak out like our rector. Charlie is right when he leads us to the message that Sunday being a day of rest and abstinence is more human tradition than God's law. I guess fundamentalists would not dare lift a finger to help their fellow man on God's day of rest ( not man's day of rest by the way). Jesus got in trouble for "working"on the Sabbath. A waitress friend told me of the time she served a Jewish patron at a Saturday breakfast. He apparently had her tear open his "Sweet and Low" because he considered that to be "work". I guess lifting the glass to the lips was not considered work. This kind of law abiding behavior carried to the extreme would result in a "Bizzaro World" like in the Superman comics (where the rescue workers caused accidents and everything was the opposite of our world). Sunday for most of us is another day of work. Maybe Jesus did break the laws of man so that we might glimpse God's law. So when we throw out the laws of man what are we left with? Where do you get your moral and ethical foundation? Existentialism, secular humanism, moral relativism, the U.S. Constitution, religion? Put your dollar down. Mine says "IN GOD WE TRUST."
For another take on our drunken history go to http://anglicans.blogspot.com/2006/09/filled-with-spirit.html

What will they think of next?

We really should question the sanity of our Episcopal Church "leadership." See the following:
http://lobsterhouse.blogspot.com/2006/08/shame-on-you-dean-samuel-t.html

Here is the story from The Church of England Newspaper http://www.churchnewspaper.com/news.php?read=on&number_key=5835&title=Row%20over%20Iran%20visit%20to%20US

The "M" word or Marriage lessons from the Episcopal Church?

Click on the link to shorter sermon on Paul's letter to the Ephesians. http://www.saintjames.org/Sermons/2003/sermon030817.html

Let me begin with Paul, Eph 4:28 "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers."
I hope my communication today will be edifying and not corrupting.

The thing I love about the "M" word is that no matter what you say about it, you are going to get in trouble. This certainly holds true for Paul, Charlie, and me. The lesson was from Paul's letter (including Eph 5:22-....). You know, the part about wives obeying their husbands. The sermon took 23 minutes to explain away Paul. Is it because the Episcopal Church does not have a legitimate voice on the subject of marriage that we cannot be more concise? Also, Charlie is tired of attempts to legislate marriage! Let us then do away with all laws that refer to marriage. Of course in doing so we would leave widowed spouses devoid of social security checks, inheritance would be thrown to the whims of the courts, and "free love" would govern our relationships. Therefore, polygamy, incest, bestiality, transdimensional beings having intercourse with us, and who knows what else could be okay. Paul himself was trying to set down some rules for husbands and wives (traditional marriage). Let us throw him out the window as well because he was writing 2000 years ago, and is therefore irrelevant. And where did Charlie get the notion that nobody in Rock Hill was upset about the Episcopal Church having the current female Presiding Bishop Elect? Has he not been reading Cato's comments?

TravelingMercies on the Sunday Sermon

I too enjoyed hearing from our youth and leaders on their mission trip; "hands on Christianity" is a great phrase, and I found myself pondering when was the last time I was able or willing to do that. I was particularly touched, both in the service and in the coffee hour, with their discussion of "Bill," the person who asked for their help, needed their help, but was neither courteous nor appreciative of it. As one of the sweetest of the young people said, hopefully, "You could tell he was appreciative, he just had a hard time showing it." It's one of the most valuable lessons to learn that the needy cannot always show their appreciation, or may even seem hostile as they accept our assistance. Like our young people, we need to keep working with Christian love, even though the objects of our help don't always respond the way we might like them too!

Sunday Sermon

This Sunday we heard from the youth and their leaders on the recent mission trip to help rebuild homes in Florida. It sounds like they got a lot accomplished in a short time. They also learned about hands on Christianity. Good job!

Islam vs. Shinto

Is there a parallel between the Shinto Religion in Japan and Islam? I ask this because of Charlie's sermon that focused on the world's current conflicts and the importance of how we cultivate young minds. I agree that Islam has become corrupted by hatred and a false philosophy. These fallacies are being taught to young minds all over the world. The result of these teachings is a religion of hate instead of one based on love. What can we learn from history? Look at what happened to Shinto in the decades leading up to WWII. Radical religion and government merged creating a generation of young men willing to die in battle for the Emporer and thus gain eternal life. It took horrible firebombings and atomic bombings of the Japanese people for the Emporer himself to declare that he was not divine, and that the teachings his people had been raised on were false. See the link http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/shinto/history/ to learn more about the Shinto religion and to read an excerpt of Hirohito's writing on the subject. Will the leaders of radical Islam, ever see the evil falsehood of their teachings? With such a decentralized religion could there ever be a military solution? Could even atomic weapons convince them to renounce the power they hold over the youth of Islam? Is there a solution from Christianity? How do we fight for a Gospel of Love?

Flying Primates

In his last comment, Cato posts an article on the possibility of bringing in a flying Bishop (AKA primate) for parishes that have a problem with their bishop. I wonder what constitutes a foreign Bishop? Is Columbia foreign enough for us in Rock Hill to seek a new Bishop? "Flying Primates" sound a bit like the monkeys in The Wizard of Oz. I am not sure I want those buzzing around the Parish, but they might be more frequent visitors at Our Saviour than our current Bishop.

Cato replies to virtueonline link

Cato said...
That article expressed in 10,000 words what I have been saying ever so much more succinctly. The Church was lost 30 years ago. What we are now doing is merely an end game, a tactic meant to delay the ultimate takeover of the Church by the forces of "pagan ignorance" (Landess' phrase). It is a theological and moral guerilla war.

A Church Rent Asunder?

This past Sunday our ECOOS was split in two. This is in keeping with the general theme of the past few months. One half of the congregation went to the annual Church Picnic at the river, while the other half stayed downtown. I guess we decided we just could not see eye to eye. So which service wins this week's prize for the best overall service? Both had unusual aspects to consider. The Church Picnic used both a new translation of the Bible and prayers from the New Zealand liturgy. Plus the music of Ginny Moe and her guitar trio (with one backup singer and the children's choir). Then Mary Kat gave the sermon with the children gathered round her; she sat on a small stool as she explained the Transfiguration. The take home message was to look for the shine in the other person's face and to be a reflection of God's love yourself. Communion bread was a whole loaf appropriately torn into pieces. Following the service a pot luck picnic lunch was had by all (and they reveled). Meanwhile for the downtowners, Bobby in his sermon explained auras, halos, and nimbi. I am not sure what I would do if I were to see a nimbus or halo, but after I got my eyes examined, drug levels tested, and saw my shrink, I might be able to settle back into my comfortable post modern skepticism about miracles. Downtowners had to endure singing with piano accompaniment since the organ was D.O.A. Then there was the near collision of the wine and wafer when Al and Delmar tried to occupy the same space simultaneously.
Okay, this week you be the judge. Which service was best? Can a Church thus rent asunder come back together under one roof?

Cato checks in

Cato asks, Doesn't the APA recommend locking up schizophrenics for their own good?

Pewster replies, They closed the mental hospitals once medications were invented. Until somebody invents a cure for biblical schizophrenia, Cato might want to reopen the asylums.

A Schizophrenic Episcopal Church?

In today's sermon we looked at 2 types of Episcopalians. Those who believe in the God of "power and might," the God who can heal the sick and endow power to the prophets, and those christians (I will use the lower case for the word christian to apply to us earthlings since we don't deserve the big "C" yet) who put actions over words and try to go out and do what Christ taught us to do. Charlie's idea that these different forms of worship can exist together in one Church and in individuals seems to me to be another example of what Muslims have accused christians of being (schizophrenic). This is probably more of a split personality syndrome than schizophrenia, but the point is that our religion has a tendency to present contradictions and inconsistencies that can drive some people nuts. Wouldn't it be easier if God wrote done every rule for us to live by in a concise non-controversial book unlike the Bible or the Koran? Thus far, God has not done so, and we are left with these traditions, texts, and we must work it out for ourselves. How inconvenient! Charlie's point is that we can live with opposing views, and that is consistant with the M.O.R. concept presented in previous posts (Episcopal Morons). The fact that we can come together is either to our credit, or we are being held together by that greater "power."

Mixing Religion and Politics

Mama said, "Never mix religion and politics." Here in the safety of our Blog, we should go ahead and mix it up. So here goes nothin.........
What is a Christian response if you are attacked by rockets fired at random by people who have sworn an oath to your destruction, or how would you respond to attacks from the sky by people with total air supremacy? I think my instinct would be to shake my fists and say, "I'm going to get you for this." This type of response only results in feeding the cycle of violence. Clearly a negative response.
How then to find peace? The wife of one of the kidnapped Israeli soldiers has seen enough bloodshed. Karnit Goldwasser, a newlywed, said there has been enough violence.
"We want the killing to be stopped, both in Israel and in Lebanon."
Did anyone on either side of the Lebanese border listen?
The Buddha tells us " Better than a thousand hollow words is one word that brings peace" and "It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles." I fear the thousands shouting hollow words get all the press. The one word that brings peace does not sell newspapers.
What is the Christian response to violence? When Jesus was betrayed, one of his followers cut off the ear of the servant of the high priest (our typical response). Jesus healed the servant of the high priest, but the story points out that even Jesus' closest followers carried swords, knew how to use them, and did so in reflex response. Jesus is not seen condemning the reflex, he instead performs a miracle. This act is an equivalent to the "word that brings peace."
I don't have the answer to conflict here or in the middle east. Perhaps we should just keep picking up the broken pieces and trying to put them back together again. The only ones we see doing these acts are the rescue workers trying to save the wounded.
Let us give thanks to the workers of the various rescue teams, the Red Crescent, and the Red Cross, who go into harms way with the sole intention of performing healing miracles. These are the Saints of God. "God help me to be one too."

TravellingMercies Checks in

TravellingMercies comments are posted here.

There was a cold void in church this past Sunday, and while some of us thought it was a problem with the airconditioning, we now know it was caused by Pewster's absence. We are so glad to see him back that we will not even ask to see what we are sure is a stamped and notarized excuse from person or persons of great importance.Charlie preached an excellent sermon centering mainly on the theme of reconciliation, the position of our Diocese on the General Convention, and Bishop Henderson's comments and contributions. It was not unlike Pewster's "middle of the road" post; Charlie reminded us that could have differing views on various church matters and still remain supportive of and members of the Anglican community. He also reminded us of the Convention's view that we should be giving .07% of our tithings to reducing hunger in Third World countries. This seemed to me to be one of Charlie's best, delivered with eloquence and deep feeling...a time when the congregation could understand what the term "priesthood" is all about.Having said that, please add the filler that you "threatened," Pewster.....we enjoy your posts!

Sunday Sermon

The Pewster had an excused absence and is open for comments on Sunday's Sermon. If none are forthcoming, be prepared for something as a filler.

Eulogy for The Episcopal Church of Our Saviour Message Board

Sadly, The Episcopal Church of Our Saviour Message board will have it’s plug pulled at the end of this month. I am posting this eulogy in hopes of inspiring our readers and members.

I come today not to bury the Message Board, but to praise it. I remember the birth of the board, it was a day of hope and promise. The newborn Our Saviour Message Board was to be a place for folks to continue their Sunday discussions and increase fellowship through the use of computer communications. In the course of it’s short life, the Message Board introduced us to some delightful and some not so delightful on-line personas that we would have never been able to experience in the Lord’s house itself. Who will forget the memorable postings of TravellingMercies, C2G, Artie Anglican, Cato, CindyJT, DonJT, CampfieldL, Episcopalbychoice, JohnHolder, Mturner, Random visitor (most revealing), Sahcssof, LelGreeley, Lindsay, and (modestly) yours truly.
The Board became a House unto itself, a virtual Sunday School for those few brave souls who ventured on-line and into the web of Church life via the internet. The message the board brought was one of human relationships; how they are precious and so delicate. The Board showed us how we might be open and free in our speech and opinions. Perhaps this is the way God wants us to be with each other. Some, who believe in a strict imposing God who wants us to be quiet and follow the rules will disagree. I think the Board’s message is to pray before you type, be open and free, then pray after you type, and love the consequences. For rule benders like me, this is the way of the Board. Thank you Board, Honor and Praise to your Message!

Episcopal Moron

I was reading a post on another Blog today which suggests there can be no middle of the road in contemporary Church issues. We in the middle are actually the strength of the Church. We play the role of peace advocates between the warring factions. We are pushed around because we do not like the strong polarizing opinion makers shouting at us, and not caring to partake in their arguments is considered either a sign of weakness or a lack of moral commitment.
Years ago there was a comedy song played on Dr. Demento's radio program that bashed "middle of the road" music. The singer used the acronym MOR for middle of the road, and when sung it was pronounced "more." The song went something like this, "I just can't bare with Zepplin or Arrowsmith, Purple and Kiss make me bored...I remember when it was all Tony Bennet, and Tennessee Ernie Ford...Please put some "mor"e on because I am a moron..."(Refrain repeats at the end).
The middle of the road is where most of us morons lie, some more to the right and some more to the left. What seems moronic to me are those who claim that there can be no middle ground. They have been watching too much T.V. (Network news and programming being skewed to the left and FOX being skewed to the right) and buying into what the networks want us to believe is the best way to look at issues and that is through polarizing arguments.
Rush Limbaugh will scoff and scorn me when I stand firmly on the line in the middle (he does not believe in "moderates") and shout " Let our weak and ineffectual arguments be heard!" We argue that we should follow Christ and focus on caring for the sick, the friendless, and the needy, love one another as we have been commanded. Vitriole and venom shall be hushed by peace. Remember the psalmist "Behold, how good and pleasant it is for breathren to dwell together in unity." Psalm 133 verse1.

Rev. Mary Catherine Enockson at the Episcopal Church of Our Saviour

Today's sermon was delivered by Rev. Mary Catherine Enockson. She is our new "Curate" as today's bulletin described her duties. Actually, I think this is the first time an ordained woman employed by us has given the sermon. We have had other ordained women in the pulpit, but his is more special. Since this was her first opportunity to speak with us, I was hoping she would do a good job. She did. They gave her the responsibility of talking about the calling of prophesy (as today's lessons demanded). She mixed in a few personal notes, she skillfully avoided Paul's letter concerning the person who had been to the "3rd Heaven" (I guess indirectly she was true to Paul by not tooting her own horn), and kept us interested. She should get good marks on the message board. It left me thinking about my own life's work thus far. We all have our callings, let us prayerfully slow down and ask ourselves, is our calling God's will or our own?

New Clergy at the Episcopal Church of Our Saviour

Yesterday we welcomed the Rev. Mary Catherine Enockson into the fold of Our Saviour. She is bravely moving here from Minnestota in this the hottest time of the year. We pulled out all the stops (except for incense), pomp and circumstance to break her in. At least they didn't ask her to give a sermon (for more on the Rector's sermon see the link to our message board). I remember when the most controversial issue facing the Episcopal Church was the ordination of women. That was predicted to bring down the Church. Doomsayers might look back and say "I told you so," but I think the Church's current issues will be resolved as long as we agree to seek the truth together.

Episcopal Church should Stop the Presses

Click on the words above to see how we are being portrayed in the press.

It seems like the press is doing a vulture's watch over anything Anglican. Today you can surf the web and it sounds like the vultures are already picking at the bones of our carcass. I find it interesting that the so called Diocese of South Carolina (see what their leader had to say at http://www.dioceseofsc.org/mt/archives/000191.html ) is not properly defined. It makes it sound like the whole state is in rebellion again! The Boston Globe is painting the wrong picture of us. We are members of the Diocese of Upper South Carolina and our Bishop posted his thoughtful comments at http://www.edusc.org/GeneralConvention2006/BishopsResponsePB.shtml

What did I say earlier about the War of Northern Aggression?

Fie on you Boston Globe.

Link to our message board

Thanks to our moderator, the message board will be open at this link. This Blog may be a useful backup.

Schism and the War of Northern Aggression

Will the Church split? It seems that some want to split, but I suspect the great "Silent Majority" wants to stay together. A person may not like the President, but very few leave the U.S. over political differences. Our great Southern states tried this a while ago with disastrous results. Years ago I read a short book entitled "If the South had Won the Civil War" (1961 Kantor, Mackinlay) http://www.biblio.com/books/95345.html
In this little book, the end result of the Confederate states conquering Washington DC and taking Lincoln prisoner was a period of alternative history during which America evolved to eventually do away with slavery and come back together. I read this back in '72 for a laugh, but I really enjoyed it.
What parallels can we find between the Church rent asunder and the War of Northern Aggression? I am with Lincoln on this one (preserve the union) except I would not go to war over the issue. Time will likely bring all together in some new balance. Issues of women and gays in the Church will just follow the splitters wherever they go, and if we all focus on Truth, we will come together eventually.

The new Presiding Bishop and the Sunday Sermon

Fr. Dunbar did a good job this past week. We were made aware that news of a new Presiding Bishop would be forthcoming. Fr. Dunbar indicated the need for leadership to come to the forefront. Once again, our unique American Church knows how to make headlines with its selection of Katharine Jefferts Schori. Bishop of Nevada? Isn't that where Las Vegas is located?
I wonder....is the cathedral in Nevada at the Bellagio?