STORY OF THE DAY

Fits into a really tight suit to
keep his blood from rushing
to his feet where it just
makes him want to get up & go

Change that "his" to "her" and you have moi.

From StoryPeople.

DIOCESE OF LOUISIANA RESOLUTION: HONEST, HEARTFELT CONVERSATIONS WITH GAYS AND LESBIANS

From Walking With Integrity:

Integrity USA applauds the Diocese of Louisiana for it's passage of Resolution R-3 this past weekend. The resolution calls for "honest, heartfelt conversations" to take place across the diocese. Respectful conversations and the sharing of each other's stories are a first step toward bringing folks together and changing the hearts and minds of those in the moveable middle or even those who say thay are opposed to support equality and inclusion for all.

2001 Resolution R-3

Purpose: A Resolution for Unity and Honest, Heartfelt Conversation within our Diversity

Resolved, that the 174th Convention encourage each ecclesiastical unit to honor our Baptismal Covenant and sustain our unity in light of the diversity of our opinions by engaging in honest, heartfelt conversations in order to listen to the experiences of gay and lesbian Christians as God works to change us all into holy people.

The resolution was introduced by the Rev. Canon William Barnwell (Trinity, New Orleans)

Read the full text of Canon Barnwell's statement, titled A Resolution for Unity and Honest, Heartfelt Conversation within our Diversity here. The statement is excellent and a very welcome step forward to inclusion and equality for all in the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana.

Thanks to Ann Fontaine for the link.

FEAST DAY OF MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR

From The Reverend King's "I've Been to the Mountaintop" speech on April 3, 1968:

It's all right to talk about "long white robes over yonder," in all of its symbolism. But ultimately people want some suits and dresses and shoes to wear down here. It's all right to talk about "streets flowing with milk and honey," but God has commanded us to be concerned about the slums down here, and his children who can't eat three square meals a day. It's all right to talk about the new Jerusalem, but one day, God's preachers must talk about the New York, the new Atlanta, the new Philadelphia, the new Los Angeles, the new Memphis, Tennessee. This is what we have to do.
....

Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't matter with me now. Because I've been to the mountaintop. And I don't mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land. And I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.

King was assassinated the following day. The speech in its entirety is here.

PRAYER:

Almighty God, by the hand of Moses your servant you led your people out of slavery, and made them free at last: Grant that your Church, following the example of your prophet Martin Luther King, may resist oppression in the name of your love, and may secure for all your children the blessed liberty of the Gospel of Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Readings:

Psalm 77:11-20
Genesis 37:17b-20
Ephesians 6:10-20
Luke 6:27-36

Repost from the feast day in 2008.

A PRE-SCHOOL TEST FOR YOU

Which way is the bus below traveling? To the left or to the right?




Can't make up your mind? Look carefully at the picture again. Still don't know?


---------------------------------


Pre-schoolers all over the United States were shown this picture and asked the same question. 90% of the pre-schoolers gave this answer. "The bus is traveling to the left."


--------------------------------


When asked, "Why do you think the bus is traveling to the left?"

They answered: "Because you can't see the door to get on the bus."


--------------------------------


How do you feel now ???

"Stupid!" was my answer to Ann Fontaine, who sent me the test.

And why not visit Ann's blog, What the Tide Brings In, and read her notes for a sermon for Lent 4 and see the drawing and quote from one of my favorite books?

STORY OF THE DAY - JOY OF SPRING

The birds brought seed & flowers & bits
of brightly colored string & placed them
in her hair while she slept so that she
would remember the wild joy of spring
when she finally awoke.

From StoryPeople.

LIGHT BLOGGING OR NONE...

My brother-in-law, Frank, will be visiting for a few days, so blogging may be light to non-existent. Frank's trying to beat the heat down heah, and I think he may just do it.

HELP KIRSTIN RAISE FUNDS FOR ACS RELAY FOR LIFE

From Kirstin at Barefoot and Laughing:

I'm doing the American Cancer Society Relay for Life in Sacramento on April 16. I signed up two weeks ago, and finally tonight got it together and finished my fundraising page. (I'm still feeling the sleeplessness from a four-week course of steroids that went with radiation.) I'd been thinking about it since I was first in treatment, while I was still in seminary. I went to their website more recently, clicked the "Survivors" tab, and started crying. I also know that if I'm going to do this sort of thing, it needs to be now. I'm capable, mentally and physically competent, and in the lightest course of treatment (oral chemo only) that I've ever had.

Please don't feel pressured to contribute. Your love is enough. But please do feel welcome to. Money raised doesn't go to me; it goes to the American Cancer Society. You're helping to fund research, and support patients in any number of ways.

You are also welcome (very welcome) to walk the survivors' lap with me. The event begins at 10am at the Scottish Rite Masonic Center, 6151 H Street, Sacramento.

Thank you. Love to all.

TWO QUICK ONES

I dialed a number and got the following recording:

"I am not available right now, but thank you for caring enough to call. I am making some changes in my life.

Please leave a message after the beep. If I do not return your call, you are one of the changes."

Cruel!

A woman asks man who is traveling with six children, "Are all these kids yours?"

The man replies, "No, I work in a condom factory and these are customer complaints".

These two were culled from a group of nine jokes for which you can blame or thank Doug.

ZURBARÁN PATRIARCHS WILL STAY IN AUCKLAND CASTLE

From the The Spectator:

‘It’s the pearl of great price,’ says Jonathan Ruffer. Like the merchant in the Gospel, he is selling all that he hath. With the proceeds, he is buying the 12 Zurbarán paintings of Jacob and his Brothers at Auckland Castle, the palace of the Bishop of Durham. And when he has bought them from the Church of England, he will give them back, keeping them in the castle, thus bestowing them upon the people of the north-east in perpetuity. The price is £15 million. He believes in the Big Society and is taking a big punt on it.
....

Last November, he heard that the Church, burdened by the expense of keeping Auckland Castle, wanted to sell the Zurburáns. He was horrified, and ‘shouted at’ the Church about it, but he suddenly realised that ‘I was the only person in a position to do anything about it. I happened to have £15 million [the price stated]. I wanted to do something for the north-east, where I come from. And I collect such paintings. Four years ago, I bought a Gainsborough copy of one of those Zurburáns of a cowled saint. My first thought had been a commercial one – that I could buy them for myself – but then I realised that there was something much more important to do.’

I've never seen the Zurbaráns, but I was excited and well pleased when I read the story at The Lead. My friend Cathy and I went to visit Durham Cathedral, but we did not visit Auckland Castle, because we were in a bit of a rush. When I heard the Church of England had decided to sell the paintings, I wanted to cry. The paintings belong together, and they belong in Auckland Castle, where they've been since 1756. Now the paintings will remain there, thanks to Ruffer, who purchased them sight unseen. Ruffer grew up in the village of Stokesley in North Yorkshire, and his heart is in the Northeast.

‘People underestimate the symbolic power of art,’ he says, ‘Look at the Angel of the North… These paintings are quite monumental.’

You can see photos of the paintings of Jacob and the patriarchs here. The painting of Jacob is pictured above.

But Ruffer is certainly enjoying himself. He sets out the Ruffer theory of money: ‘There are only three things you can do with it – spend it, save it or give it away. For the rich, saving is much more dangerous than spending, because you can see how empty spending is, but it’s harder to see that saving also is. What a lot of money does is poison you. It’s like the digestive system. It’s meant to flow through you, not to stop flowing.’

Now if only all the millionaires and billionaires in the world had Ruffer's attitude toward their money.

H/T to Nicholas Knisely at The Lead.

An article in the Northern Echo gives more information on the history of the Zurbarán patriarch paintings and their purchase by Bishop Richard Trevor of Durham in 1756. Benjamin is missing from Auckland Castle and hangs in Grimsthorpe Castle in Lincolnshire.

ST. ANDREW'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH, ALBANY, NY, SAYS "NO" TO THE COVENANT

From Openly Episcopal in Albany:

As mentioned in a previous post, the national church has invited each diocese and parish of The Episcopal Church to comment on the proposed Angican Covenant, which will be considered at the next General Convention in 2012. The parish of St. Andrew's in Albany formed a six-week workshop beginning in January to study the covenant. After much prayerful consideration, discussion and friendly debate, it was determined that the group would present a resolution to the vestry for possible submission to the national church.
....

Resolution of the Vestry
St. Andrew's Episcopal Church
Albany, New York

In response to the invitation extended to all parishes in The Episcopal Church to study and comment upon the proposed Anglican Communion Covenant, this parish of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Albany, New York recommends that the General Convention of The Episcopal Church not endorse the Covenant. These are our reasons:

* The Lambeth Quadrilateral of 1888 provides a sufficient base for the unity of The Anglican Communion.
* The discipline that would be imposed by the Covenant is contrary to the traditional autonomy of the provinces of the Anglican Communion [Covenant § 3.2.2] and, in particular, of The Episcopal Church.
* The Covenant would change the balance of Scripture, reason, and tradition by minimizing the role of reason.
* We are concerned that the Covenant would establish an ultimate teaching authority that would impair freedom of conscience by dictating which beliefs and norms are permitted to Anglicans.
* We believe The Episcopal Church should continue to be free to respond to its discernment of God's will.

Bear with me (or not) for a long post as I place the vote by St. Andrew's vestry in context with a look back to the diocesan convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Albany, June 11-13th, 2010.

Before the diocesan convention, Bishop William Love stated the following, as reported in the Albany Episcopalian (pdf.):

“The Anglican Communion Covenant is not designed nor intended to divide or punish, but rather provide a framework in which the members of the Anglican Communion can live and work together to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ, building up the Kingdom of God, while resolving issues that could divide us”

“As your Bishop I endorse the Anglican Communion Covenant and I encourage you to do the same.”

Pardon me, but Section 4 of the text of the Anglican Covenant with its references to "consequences" is designed to "divide and punish". Further, I see little to nothing in the Anglican Covenant which will serve to build up the Kingdom of God. I see much in the covenant which may serve to build up the Kingdom of Canterbury and the Primates of the Anglican Communion. As to trickle-down power-sharing with the laity, or even with un-mitred clergy, well, you can forget about that.

Present at the convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Albany was:

"The Most Reverend Drexel Gomez, the recently retired Archbishop and Primate of the Province of the West Indies and Bishop of the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands and his wife Carroll. Archbishop Gomez was involved in the writing and publication of the Windsor Report in 2004, and later, appointed as the Chair of the Covenant Design Group which produced the Anglican Communion Covenant."

The invitation to the Chair of the Covenant Design Group to attend the convention was a sure sign that Bishop Love was confident that the vote to endorse the covenant would pass by an overwhelming majority.

On Bishop Love's address to the convention:

Nearing the end of his address, Bishop Love turned to the topic that everyone waited anxiously to hear. He said, “Like many of you, I remain deeply frustrated and grieved by the growing division within The Episcopal Church and the wider Anglican Communion. The recent election and consecration of an individual living in a homosexual relationship with another person, as Bishop Suffragan of Los Angeles, has only added more fuel to the fire. I know there are some well intentioned people in this room who support the Los Angeles election, while most, to include myself, do not. Regardless of where one stands on the appropriateness or inappropriateness of homosexual relationships (or any sexual relationship for that matter outside of marriage between a man and a women), once again The Episcopal Church has taken an action that the vast majority of the world wide Anglican Communion asked them not to do, showing disregard not only for the wishes of the rest of the Communion, but for the damage and harm the Los Angeles election is causing for many of our brothers and sisters in Christ throughout the Communion, especially those living in Islamic countries.”

“Some of the questions that have come up during the recent discussions around the Diocese on the Anglican Covenant, is “Why now? The Anglican Communion has existed all these many years without a Covenant, why do we need one now? If we treat one another with dignity and respect, why do we need a Covenant? Won’t it just cause more division by punishing certain members of the Communion and forcing them out? “

“In response to these questions, I would suggest that we have only to look at the recent Los Angles (sic) election to see why an Anglican Covenant is now needed. Common beliefs and values that we once shared have come under attack and can no longer be taken for granted. The bonds of affection and respect that once existed throughout the Anglican Communion have been shredded. The Anglican Communion Covenant is not designed nor intended to divide or punish, but rather provide a framework in which the members of the Anglican Communion can live and work together to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ, building up the Kingdom of God, while resolving issues that could divide us. The Anglican Covenant reminds us of that which we hold in common and cautions us for the sake of the Communion, not to act unilaterally in areas that would be seen as divisive. While not demanding that every member respond in exactly the same way to the various issues before us, it does remind us that our actions do have consequences and we need to be accountable to one another.”

The delegates to the convention did, indeed, vote to endorse the adoption of the Anglican Covenant by an overwhelming majority:

Saturday morning, the long awaited Resolution on the Anglican Covenant was brought before the Convention for action. As expected, a debate ensued. Speakers for and against the Resolution rose to microphones to present their arguments. By the debate’s end, the Resolution passed by an overwhelming 80% (314 to 76) and read as follows:

RESOLVED, that the Episcopal Diocese of Albany endorses the Anglican Communion Covenant (final text, approved for distribution December 18, 2009) and recommends its adoption by all the Provinces of the Anglican Communion.

What the significance is of a diocesan convention vote to endorse the covenant, I have no idea. Whatever its significance, the vestry of St. Andrew's Church chose to disassociate the parish from the vote at diocesan convention.

UPDATE: From the comments:

1) Bp. Love and the DoA Standing Committee endorsed the Covenant before the ink was on the final version, much less dry.

2) At the DoA's 2010 convention, support for the covenant came from three bishops: +Love, ++Gomez, and +++Williams. The last appeared on video just before the vote. (No pressure, of course!)

3) Not all of the "nay" votes at the convention came from progressives. Several very conservative folks opposed the covenant because it's too soft on TEC.

Robert T. Dodd

And I say, “Curiouser and curiouser!”