BISHOP KATHARINE'S FREEDOM SERMON IN AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND

On June 27 Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori preached at Holy Trinity Cathedral, Auckland, in the morning, and at evensong at St. Michael and All Angels in Christchurch.

The readings for the day were: 2 Kings 2: 1-2, 6-14; Psalm 77: 1-2, 11-20; Galatians 5:1, 13-25 and Luke 9: 51-62.

From Bishop Katharine's sermon:

All the hoopla around the World Cup brings to mind another athletic celebration. In 1968 two American athletes stood on the podium in Mexico City and raised their fists. They wanted to make a statement about freedom and their lack of it, for they were black.

Even though the law insists that all people are equal, people of color continue to suffer injustice, in my homeland and, I think, in yours. Their salute got them thrown out of the summer Olympic Games, but it raised the consciousness of a lot of people, and helped the cause of freedom for many, many others.

In one of the biblical languages, the word for prayer means opening a clenched fist. That black power salute began another petition in a continuing prayer across the world, that all people might be free. The crucifixion is a cosmic version of that same prayer – Jesus’ arms and hands open so wide they take in the whole world, indeed, the whole creation.
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‘For freedom Christ has set us free. So stand up and stop being a slave,’ Paul says (Gal 5:1). But freedom isn’t only freedom from ; it’s freedom for – for loving self and others. We have been set free in order that we might become that same sort of liberating love in the world, setting others free.
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The freedom we have received in Christ is meant to give us larger hearts and wider-seeing eyes that don’t focus so much on our own fears. That sort of freedom gives us the ability to look for the larger good, rather than only our own.
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Will we see those self-centered responses that Paul calls works of the flesh: “strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, envy” – or together can we encourage works of the spirit: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control”? Even the simple act of attending, paying attention to the suffering of others, begins to unclench the fist.
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There’s something about the freedom we know in Jesus that cures our paralyzing fear of those on the margins. You know how that sort of clenching goes: “there but for the grace of God go I. Don’t let that happen to me – keep me far away from any hint of the possibility of homelessness or disability or disaster. Thank God I wasn’t born to that culture.” May the unclenching prayer in us be more like, “dear God, I see this suffering. Help me see you in my neighbor.”
....

The freedom we have is to choose for those on the margins, to be in solidarity with the friendless and forgotten, the despised and the demonized. Exercising that freedom is almost always challenging – it annoys people who don’t see any need to change the status quo, it offends those in power, it challenges the ways of the world that say, “me first.”

Crossing those boundaries sent God into human flesh. Crossing those boundaries is the heart of God’s mission. It’s not for the faint of heart, but we find courage from our elder brother who has already opened his hands and arms wide enough for the whole world. We find strength in his body gathered here, and through all time and space. May we claim the freedom that is ours. May our fists open for all!

Read the entire sermon. It's all good. Sadly, there are those within our own Episcopal Church who label Bishop Katharine a heretic - those who will not even allow that she is a Christian. I think, "How can this be?" Her sermon gets to the heart of Jesus' message and Paul's message that we are set free, not to turn inward, but to look outward to serve our neighbors and build the Kingdom of God here on earth.

And who is my neighbor?

BANG!

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.

(Declaration of Independence)


HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!

ANOTHER PRAYER CALL

From David@Montreal:

Before anything else I'd wish a blessed Independence Day to my American siblings in prayer and practice.
Such sad and complicated times we live in
but I truly believe we are living on a transformative cusp
and as a certain beloved Giant has reminded me more than once we are a people of hope.

I'd ask for travelling mercies for my cherished Mam for Sunday July 4
On Friday,. Mam had a fall while visiting her sister in Hamilton Ontario with my sister and her husband
two breaks on her lower left arm- one of them irregular so an operation and two plates will be required.
Waiting time at Hamilton General for this surgery would be until Thurs or Friday of next week, so Cathy and Yves will be driving Mam back tomorrow- stopping every hour to get out of the car and walk about to avoid bloodclots. Normally a six hour trip it will end up much longer, and Mam is to be admitted directly to hospital here in Quebec- thankfully it will be the hospital where one of my nieces is in charge of emergency medicine.

I'd beg your prayers for Kirstin, undergoing aggressive treatment for her second bout with cancer- a rough one with multiple sites. But hey I've got the Giants on the case!
Prayers for John, whose esophagial cancer appears to be out of control again.
For Rosemary, one of the most determined people battling cancer I've seen in some time. She tells me she's doing it for her husband and two young sons, but I think it's her Armenian genes!
For Frank & Carol.
For Dorian.
For Juan Manuel and his incredible parents M. & J.
For those who are walking the path of discernment at this time
and for those working, aching, dreaming or studying to bring about a better way of doing things in our suffering world, particularly this evening I'd ask for those who are laboring or fighting to better the lives of women- most particularly in the developing world.

For the minds and hearts of those responsible for healing the Gulf, that they will be moved to the courage, vision and resolve the situation requires.
For those who armor their fear with hatred- wether it's the people of Arizona, those who rush to follow their ugly example, certain cowardly bishops, or wall-building individual and nations. 'Emotional midgets trying to throw a giants shadow.'

with my love, gratitude for each of you Giants, and my prayers for those on your hearts

love always- always Love

David@Montreal

Lord, hear our prayers.

THE TOMATO GARDEN

An old Italian lived alone in New Jersey . He wanted to plant his annual tomato garden, but it was very difficult work, as the ground was hard. His only son, Vincent, who used to help him, was in prison. The old man wrote a letter to his son and described his predicament:

"Dear Vincent,
I am feeling pretty sad, because it looks like I won't be able to plant my tomato garden this year. I'm just getting too old to be digging up a garden plot. I know if you were here my troubles would be over. I know you would be happy to dig the plot for me, like in the old days.
Love,
Papa"

A few days later he received a letter from his son.

"Dear Pop,
Don't dig up that garden. That's where the bodies are buried.
Love,
Vinnie"

At 4 a.m. the next morning, FBI agents and local police arrived and dug up the entire area without finding any bodies. They apologized to the old man and left.

That same day the old man received another letter from his son.

"Dear Pop,
Go ahead and plant the tomatoes now. That's the best I could do under the circumstances.
Love you,
Vinnie"

Don't blame me. Blame Doug.

FOR KIRSTIN

Kirstin is presently undergoing chemotherapy for melanoma.

Heavenly Father, giver of life and health: Comfort and relieve your sick servant Kirstin, and give your power of healing to those who minister to her needs, that she may be strengthened in her weakness and have confidence in your loving care; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

(Book of Common Prayer, p. 459)

Please leave comments at Kirstin's blog, Barefoot and Laughing.

Thanks to Caminante for the burning candle image.

"NO MAN'S LAND" - AGAIN

And the wars continue, and the dying continues on, and on, and on.

Well, the suffering, the sorrow, the glory, the shame
The killing, the dying, it was all done in vain,
For Willie McBride, it all happened again,
And again, and again, and again, and again.

Reposted from last year.

IS MY FRIEND GEORGIANNE A MEDIA FELON?

It is now a felony to take more photos of birds like this, wading through oil that broken booms have trapped in rookeries (Photo by Georgianne Nienaber)

See Georgianne Nienaber's piece at The Huffington Post.

The United States Coast Guard considers me a felon now, because I "willfully" want to obtain more photos like these to show you the utter devastation occurring in Barataria Bay, Louisiana as a result of the BP oil catastrophe. If the Coast Guard has its way, all media, not just independent writers and photographers like myself and Jerry Moran, will be fined $40,000 and receive Class D felony convictions for providing the truth about oiled birds and dolphins, in addition to broken, filthy, unmanned boom material that is trapping oil in the marshlands and estuaries. We don't have $40,000 to spare, and have had to scrape the bottoms of our checkbooks as is to hire boats to take us to the devastation the Coast Guard, under the direction of BP, does not want you to see.

Georgianne's post includes heartbreaking photos besides the pelican at the head of my post. She and Jerry, the photographer, risked what I was not willing to try during our visit to Grand Isle. The US Coast Guard seems to be taking orders from BP. BP should have control ONLY of stopping the oil from gushing. The clean-up should be under the authority of the government with the bills going to BP. Why won't the Obama administration wrench control of the clean-up from BP?

Today from our local paper, The Daily Comet:

COCODRIE — Crews made slow progress Friday cleaning up patches of oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill that has reached the waters of Terrebonne Parish.
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An oil sheen described as light to moderate in density has been working its way through the passes of Terrebonne’s barrier islands. Weather difficulties made a new estimate of just how much oil is floating on inside waters sketchy at best, officials said.
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Oil was also visible in and around the passes and beaches of Lafourche Parish, where officials said some marsh areas near Fourchon Beach took on some oil.

“There was oil, and due to the surge from Hurricane Alex, the water was pushed beyond the barriers of the beach,” said Lafourche Parish government spokesman Brennan Matherne. “That storm really showed us how bad things could get if a storm gets any closer. This was hundreds of miles away, and the tide came up anywhere from three to four feet; that’s the significant part of this.”

All of Fourchon Beach is now covered with oil because the tide came up to its dunes and a protective levee nearby.

Kerry St. Pe, director of the Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program, who has been closely watching the spill’s local effects, said it appears Lafourche got the biggest local hit.

He confirmed that there has been a large slick on the upper part of Lake Pelto in Terrebonne Parish, just south of Cocodrie.

“What that means is they have a toxic substance that has moved into our estuary and it is probably killing marine organisms like juvenile shrimp, crabs, speckled trout,” St. Pe said.
....

St. Pe said he expects to start seeing more birds turning up with oil on them in the Terrebonne and Lafourche waterways.

Terrebonne Parish is due south of us here in Thibodaux, in north Lafourche Parish. Grandpère and my son fish in the area of Cocodrie and Lake Pelto. Over 30 plus years of fishing, GP has seen the marshes disappear because of coastal erosion. Marsh islands which once had large trees growing on them are gone, and only the top half of the dead trees can be seen now sticking up out of the water. And now this assault on the marshes and God's creatures who inhabit the wetlands.

I've probably gone beyond fair use in quoting from my local paper. I try to follow the rules, but I hope that the powers at the newspaper are forgiving in the name of getting the word out as to what is happening locally. Ultimately, the powers are the New York Times, who owns the two local papers.



Map showing the position of Thibodaux in relation to the areas affected.



A closer view of the area affected

From the Lectionary today:

Romans 8:18-25

I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labour pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

Maps from Google Map.

"CARRY ON MAYOR"

From the Guardian:

The newly elected lord mayor of Leicester was forced to apologise today after suffering a wardrobe malfunction which onlookers described as "something out of a Carry On film".

As he stood up in front of a room full of schoolchildren to thank the organisers of an educational summer show, Colin Hall felt an unfamiliar draft as his trousers came loose and slipped down around his ankles.

Hall, 46, suffered the embarrassing mishap on a visit to Southfields library in Leicester yesterday morning.
....

One said: "It was like watching something out of a Carry On film. You half expected him to be wearing a big pair of comedy bloomers but as soon as he realised what had happened he pulled his back trousers up."

Did I ever tell you...? No, really. One day, some years ago, I drove to New Orleans for a Jane Austen Society luncheon. As I was riding along, I unbuttoned my skirt, because it felt tight. When I arrived at the Upperline Restaurant, I got out of the car, and before I knew what had happened, my skirt was around my ankles. The only person around was an elderly black man whose eyes widened when he saw me, and then he quickly looked away. Oh dear!

After I pulled up my skirt, I had a good laugh at myself, and I went into the restaurant with a wardrobe malfunction story to tell at lunch.

A MAYBE FOR A WHALE

(Photo by Al Covey, VDOT)

From the Advocate in Baton Rouge:

A whale of a skimmer arrived Thursday in Louisiana, but the massive ship won’t be allowed to scoop oil out of the Gulf of Mexico until it first proves to the government and BP that it can actually do the job.

The 10-story tall, 373-yard long ship, named A Whale, just finished a retrofit at a Lisbon, Portugal, shipyard where it was transformed from a supertanker to a super skimmer, said Chris Coulon, a spokeswoman for the Unified Command.

But A Whale, owned by Taiwan Maritime Transport Co., has never been tested and only just finished its retrofit June 15, Coulon said.

“This is the largest ship of its kind,” Coulon said. “Now we just have to see whether it can do what it’s supposed to do.”

TMT, a Taiwanese company, claims the 12 vents cut into the massive ship’s bow should allow it to scoop as much as 15 million gallons of oily water a day out of the Gulf, Coulon said.

If the vessel works as it should, it will be a great asset. The enterprising owners did not wait for a contract but moved A Whale to the Gulf. Had the giant sat at home and waited for the bureaucratic red tape to clear before moving to the scene, one wonders if either BP or the federal agencies would have taken note. However, A Whale in full view is difficult to ignore.



Thanks to Doug.

A CELL PHONE FOR SENIORS

At Last, a Cell Phone for Seniors!

You REALLY have to be old enough to appreciate THIS joke.

Thanks to Ann.