GAY PASSION OF CHRIST CONTINUES...

11.Jesus Before the Soldiers (from The Passion of Christ: A Gay Vision) by Douglas Blanchard

“Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus… and they stripped him.” -- Matthew 27:27-28 (RSV)

The Gay Passion of Christ series, up to No. 11, is posted at the Jesus in Love Blog. The combination of Doug Blanchard's paintings and Kittredge Cherry's words, along with passages from Scripture is powerful, indeed. The series will run daily throughout the Lenten season. See for yourself.

Doug's painting shown above is powerful, indeed, as are KittKatt's words.

The magistrate’s soldiers pulled off Jesus’ clothes and mocked him with contempt. They made ethnic jokes about him for being Jewish, and taunted him as a “king” because he taught that God’s kingdom of unconditional love is here and now. They could have used “queer” or a “faggot” or “lezzy” or any other slur.

STORY OF THE DAY - BELIEVING MY FATHER

I used to believe my father about
everything but then I had children
myself & now I see how much stuff you
make up just to keep yourself from going
crazy.

From StoryPeople.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Hmmm...thinking that I don't much like having the Passion narrative read on Palm Sunday.

I know. Folks can't or don't get to church on Good Friday, and, for them, if the Passion narrative is not included in the Palm Sunday liturgy, the story in church leaps from Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem to the triumph of the Resurrection, with nary a nod to the Crucifixion. Still....

"GOING HOME"

It’s finally happening. We’re going home. Cristy’s blood test results this past week were stellar – better than they’ve been at any time in her life. The doctor gives her a success prognosis of 90-95%. This is great news – obviously.

Read the rest at From Here to Istanbul.

Details of Cristy's illnesses and treatment and why she is in Istanbul are at the blog.

O Lord, your compassions never fail and your mercies are new every morning: We give you thanks for giving our sister Cristy both relief from pain and hope of health renewed. Continue in her we pray, the good work you have begun; that she, daily increasing in bodily strength, and rejoicing in your goodness, may so order her life and conduct that she may always think and do those things that please you; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

EXTRA! EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT!

Read Mark Harris' explanation of his pie-chart and his prognostications on the outcome of the Anglican Covenant Crapshoot at his blog Preludium.

LATEST WEASELWORDS FOR CHILD ABUSE

From the Telegraph:

Roger Vangheluwe, 74, the former bishop of Bruges, said the abuse he committed was only "superficial".

"I don't have the impression at all that I am a paedophile. It was really just a small relationship. I did not have the feeling that my nephew was against it, quite the contrary," he said.
....

Vangheluwe admitted abusing one of his nephews over a 13-year period, until the boy was 18, and a second nephew for a period of 12 months. (Huff Post says 2 years below.)

More from The Huffington Post:

A former bishop's televised admission that he sexually abused two of his nephews caused an uproar in Belgium on Friday, with the prime minister, senior clergy and a prosecutor expressing shock at the way the ex-prelate made light of his offenses.

In an interview that aired Thursday Roger Vangheluwe, the former bishop of Bruges, spoke of his sexual abuse as "a little game," that involved fondling, but no "rough sex."

"I was never naked" and the abuse was never about "real sexuality," said Vangheluwe, 74.
....

Bruges Prosecutor Jean-Marie Berkvens said Friday the abuse of the second nephew lasted for two years. The victim was younger than 8 at the time.
....

The interview took place in a wooded Catholic retreat in Ferte-Imbault in central France, where Vangheluwe has been sent by the Vatican.

Throughout the interview, he sat relaxed, sometimes smiling and at times shrugging his shoulders as if to signal that the events he spoke of were not very serious.

Oh well. The abuse was only "superficial", only "a little game", with no "rough sex", and "never about real sexuality". And the one nephew did not object. Move along. Nothing to see here.

One of the tragedies of this story is that Vangheluwe is probably not lying. Very likely, he saw what he was doing exactly as he describes it. And the nephews whom he abused? What do they say? How were they affected by the "superficial" abuse? Ah, we don't know, but, from the stories of others who were abused, we can surmise that they were harmed, probably seriously, by abuse from the adult relative whom they trusted.

So. Vanghelhuwe has been sent to a French monastery, while the Vatican decides what to do with him.

The abuse started when the nephews were 5 years old and 8 years old and continued for years. I thought I could not be surprised further with stories about child abuse and denial, but it seems I can. The old mind is boggled.

Thanks to Lapin and Ann V for the links.

ALL THAT JAZZ - NEW ORLEANS EPISCOPAL CHURCHES

Palm Sunday procession in 2010 to St Anna's Episcopal Church in New Orleans







I dunno. Is all that jazz enough? Some might say no. ;-)

Click on the images for the larger view.

From EDoLA, the Newsletter of the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana.

MANAWA O TE WHEKE DIOCESAN SYNOD REJECTS ANGLICAN COVENANT

From Christopher Douglas-Huriwai at No Anglican Covenant on Facebook:

The motion rejecting the Anglican Covenant has just passed unanimously at the Manawa o te Wheke Diocesan Synod, the first Diocese in the province of Aotearoa- New Zealand and Polynesia to do so.

Unanimously! Let's hope this is the first of a series of dioceses in New Zealand and Polynesia to reject the covenant.

Wording: That Te Hui Amorangi o Te Manawa o te Wheke, for the purpose of providing feedback to te Hinota Whanui/General Synod, states it's opposition to the Anglican Covenant for the following reasons:

-After much consideration this Amorangi feels that the Anglican Covenant will threaten the rangatiratanga (self determination) of the Tangata Whenua (local people).

-We believe the Anglican Covenant does not reflect our understanding of being Anglican in these islands.

-We would like this church to focus on the restoration of justice to te Tiriti o Waitangi/Treaty of Waitangi which tangata whenua signed and currently do not have what they signed for.

I can't help rejoicing, because I believe that the adoption of the covenant will not be a good thing for the Anglican Communion. It's worse than a daft idea, because the covenant was conceived for the purpose of discipline and punishment. The covenant "will threaten the rangatiratanga (self determination) of the Tangata Whenua (local people)," and it "does not reflect our understanding of being Anglican" in the islands, nor in other dioceses and provinces. (My emphases)

UPDATE: From Janet M in Canada:

Thanks for the heads up from NZ on the Anglican Covenant. I have spent 6 weeks in NZ each of the last 3 winters(their summer), so have a little understanding of the church polity there. In NZ there are 3 parallel churches-pakaha (white) Maori, and Polynesian (mostly Samoan ).

The diocese that has just voted no to the covenant is a Maori one in the central part of the north island based out of Rotorua. This is the most densely Maori region of NZ. In Rotorua is the incredibly beautiful Maori church, St Faith, which features a glass etching of Christ wearing a Maori chief's cloak, and appearing to be walking on Lake Rotorua, seen in the background of the window.The Maori are by and large fairly conservative, but they have a very strong self identity. The most internationally famous Maori Anglican is Jenny Te Paa.

Below is a photo of the lovely glass etching of Christ in St Faith's Anglican Church.



Photo by Galen Frysinger.

UPDATE: A more detailed picture of the glass etching of Christ may be found here.

LOL! THE JOKE'S ON RICK

From Jim Burroway at Box Turtle Bulletin:

Former Sen. Rick “Man on dog” Santorum hosted a town hall meeting where he unveiled his campaign slogan, “Fighting to make America America again.” Turns out, the pithy phrase didn’t come from Santorum’s creative genius. It’s from a pro-union, pro-racial justice, and pro-immigrant poem by that famous Harlem Renaissance gay poet Langston Hughes. The poem, “Let American Be America Again,” goes like this:

Who said the free? Not me?
Surely not me? The millions on relief today?
The millions shot down when we strike?
The millions who have nothing for our pay?
For all the dreams we’ve dreamed
And all the songs we’ve sung
And all the hopes we’ve held
And all the flags we’ve hung,
The millions who have nothing for our pay–
Except the dream that’s almost dead today.

O, let America be America again–
The land that never has been yet–
And yet must be–the land where every man is free.
The land that’s mine–the poor man’s, Indian’s, Negro’s, ME–

I stole nearly the entire post. I hope Jim forgives me. I couldn't resist.

You can't make this stuff up.

R. I. P. LINDA LAHME - WE LOVE YOU

Linda, our missionary who worked in Zambia, passed away yesterday afternoon in her beloved Zambia. We received the news last night at a meeting at church.

When Linda left to return to Zambia she said:

“I’m going back because I can’t get any medical care here,” she said Friday.
....

But last week, she said she had run out of options. Medicaid had found out about a bank account she set up in Africa to pay for Kunda’s [Linda's adopted daughter] education and said the asset made her ineligible for the program, Lahme said. Lahme refused to tap into the account, opting to return to Zambia and limited medical care rather than compromise Kunda’s future.

“To qualify for Medicaid, I would have to spend all the money I set aside for my daughter’s education,” Lahme said.

There's our health care system for you.

Into your hands, O merciful Savior, we commend your servant Linda. Acknowledge, we humbly beseech you, a sheep of your own fold, a lamb of your own flock, a sinner of your own redeeming. Receive her into the arms of your mercy, into the blessed rest of everlasting peace, and into the glorious company of the saints in light. Amen.

May her soul and the souls of all the departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

My earlier posts on Linda are here and here.