Waiting For Rowan

In the event that readers here have missed Fr. Jakes parody, please check it out. I can't wait for the performance.

The Feast Of The Annunciation

The Annunciation by Simone Martini


Although many churches celebrated the feast yesterday, today is the feast day of the Annunciation, according to the Lectionary.

Either in a book or in a museum, I once saw a painting of the Annumciation in which Mary looked to be recoiling from the angel. She was kneeling with her hands in the air and leaning backwards, as though saying, "Oh, no!" This would seem to me to be the natural initial reaction of a young virgin girl to Gabriel's news. I have never been able to find a reproduction of that painting. I believe it was Flemish or Italian. Mary is on the right of the painting and the angel is hovering in the air to the left. Mary has on a blue dress.

The nearest I could come is the image above by Simone Martini.

From the Carmina Gadelica version of the "Hail Mary!":

HAIL TO THEE, MARY
Hail to thee, Mary, Mother !
Thou art full of loving grace,
The Lord God is always with thee,
Blessed art thou Mary among women,
Blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus,
Blessed art thou, Queen of grace;
Thou holy Mary, thou Mother of Jesus,
Plead for me a miserable sinner,
Now and at the hour of death,
Now and at the hour of death !

Thanks be to God that the young girl named Mary gave her, "Yes!", and thanks be to God for the glorious Magnificat:

My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,
for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
His mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
and lifted up the lowly;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.

Clinchers 1, 2, 3

Nina, at Dancing Through Doorways has this post on the debate taking place at Fr. Jake's between Dan (ToujoursDan) and Matt Kennedy. As I said to Nina, it's a good debate, and I learned from it.

In the comment box at Nina's blog, I ennumerated three clinchers (Can one have 3 clinchers? Perhaps not, but that's what I wrote.) which helped to turn my views about gay and lesbian sexuality completely around:

Clincher no. 1 (edited for clarity) for me in turning my views about gay and lesbian sexuality around was the near presence of gays and lesbians in partnered relationships whose lives bore much good fruit.

Clincher no. 2 was what Jesus said in the Gospels about gay and lesbian sex, which is exactly nothing.

Clincher no. 3 was that God declared his creation good. Would God create humans with sexual desires for members of their own sex and expect them never to fulfill those desires? I think not.

I'm sure that folks more knowledgeable than I could find holes in my arguments, but they worked for me, and all to the good. Thanks be to God.

Sometimes I wonder how I dare to do serious posts on such subjects, as I have no special learning in theology nor in exigesis of the Scriptures. When I speak of being a humble Episcopalian in the pew, some may see this as false humility, but I assure you that it is genuine.

I think of clichés that I could apply to my writing, such as, "For fools rush in where angels fear to tread:" or cautionary words, such as, "A little learning is a dangerous thing; drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring...." both from from Alexander Pope's poem, An Essay on Criticism, which, by the way, is quite long but filled with memorable quotes.

How dare I lay my thoughts out for anyone to view? Is there a place in religious discussions for those with simple knowledge of the great spiritual truths and only a layperson's knowledge of the Bible? Is there a place for me to say, "This is how I see it. This is how I've thought it through."

I find myself often apologizing for my daring. There is much that I do not know, and I am always open to correction and to learning new things.

It's very likely that these questions are merely rhetorical, for I shall probably continue my musings for now. Take heart! Maybe not forever, for I may run out of things to say.

On the other hand, if someone I respected said, "Enough!" I should probably take that advice very seriously.

The Real Feast Day - Oscar Romero

We celebrate the feast day of Oscar Romero today, despite my previous post announcing the feast day of John Donne. Archbishop Romero is one of my favorites, because of his love and care for the poor and oppressed.

Óscar Arnulfo Romero y Galdámez (August 15, 1917 – March 24, 1980), commonly known as Monseñor Romero, was a priest of the Roman Catholic Church in El Salvador. He later became prelate archbishop of San Salvador.

As an archbishop, he witnessed numerous violations of human rights and began a ministry speaking out on behalf of the poor and victims of the country's civil war. His brand of political activism was denounced by the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church and the government of El Salvador. In 1980, he was assassinated by gunshot while consecrating the Eucharist during mass. His death finally provoked international outcry for human rights reform in El Salvador.

"No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends."
John 15:13

Archbishop Romero is under consideration for sainthood by the Roman Catholic Church, but the Episcopal Church has moved ahead and given him a feast day. Thanks be to God.

PRAYER

Almighty God, you called your servant Oscar Romero to be a voice for the voiceless poor, and to give his life as a seed of freedom and a sign of hope: Grant that, inspired by his sacrifice and the example of the martyrs of El Salvador, we may without fear or favor witness to your Word who abides, your Word who is Life, even Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be praise and glory now and for ever. Amen.

Alpha - Part 4

Folks, I believe I may have done myself in last night at the Alpha session last night. I was tired, having spent the day in New Orleans, and my frustrations with the program came out in force.

The title of thie talk was "How Can I Be Sure Of My Faith?" To be honest, I don't often think about being sure of my faith. My concern is, "Do I live my faith? How am I doing with respect to being a disciple of Jesus? Do I walk in the way he has laid out in the Gospels?" OK, so I'm put off by the title at the very start. Is it me? Do I have a bad attitude?

Nicky Gumbel led us in the prayer inviting Jesus into our hearts, yet again. I found myself thinking, "Jesus, if you're not in my heart yet, will the third time be the charm, or will I have to wait for the next time?"

Then Gumbel went on to his talk in which he used the analogy between faith and marriage and being in relationship with God, and that we must experience God in our lives to have true faith. That part of his lecture gave me no problem. So what's wrong?

The camera pans to the rapt members of the audience once again distracted me.

One thing I'll say is that we had a livelier discussion last night, mostly because of my comments which may have seemed disruptive to others there. I mentioned my problem with the title of the session, being sure of my faith, and my unease with with the repeated, "Come into my heart...." prayer. Why over and over? Others in the group explained to me that in the previous prayers, some in Nicky's audience and also some in our group may not have been ready to commit to the prayer on the other occasions, so they must be given other chances. My fellow parishioners were quite kind to me and even laughed at some of my statements - some of which were not really meant to be funny.

Many of those from fundamentalist backgrounds found the Alpha Series a breath of fresh air, because Nicky's style is quite gentle and without pressure, and he preaches the positive, "If you accept Jesus into your heart, you will have eternal life," rather than the negative and scary, "If you don't accept Jesus into your heart, you will suffer hell and damnation".

In this small group, I think I am a minority of one in being put off by Alpha, for the others in the group seem to like it and take away something good from it. I come away from the sessions feeling rebellious and guilty, and in the end, quite grumpy. I feel grumpy today writing about it. That's not good.

Is my bad attitude the problem? Was I closed off to finding anything positive in Alpha from the beginning? I honestly don't have the answers, but I'm wondering if I should attend the final session next week. Maybe I am disruptive to the rest of the group who like the series. I made the committment, but I don't look forward with any pleasure to the nest session, except for Evensong and the soup and sandwiches.

From Brazil

Luiz Coelho, of The Wandering Christian, our correspondent from Brazil, has sent me this letter in an email and has given me permission to publish it. The letter is from the Houses of Clergy and Laity of the Episcopal Anglican Church of Brazil.

From the Houses of Clergy and Laity of the Episcopal Anglican Church of Brazil
Open Letter to the President of the House of Deputies - Ms. Bonnie
Anderson - Of The Episcopal Church of USA

Dear Ms. Anderson,

Peace! It is a privilege to me to write to you as your colleague. I am
the President of the House of Clergy and Laity of the Episcopal
Anglican Church of Brazil. As you said in your statement about the
Communiqué from the Primates' Meeting in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, it
has serious implications for the Episcopal Church and the Worldwide
Anglican Communion. First of all, I want to express my support to your
statement concerning this issue.

The decision process in the Anglican Tradition is taken among the
laity, priests and deacons and bishops. The House of Bishops of any of
our provinces does not rule the church alone, and the Primate's
Meeting is just an instrument were the Primates can share their
theological thoughts, pray together and have a consultation
opportunity among themselves.

The Primate's Meetings cannot take final decisions about any kind of
problem or situation, without hearing before and respecting all the
Governance Bodies of each Province or Diocese within the Anglican
Communion. In issuing what is essentially an ultimatum, the Primates
are assuming more authority than is accorded them in our Communion's
current structure and polity.

Before the Windsor Report recommendations can be understood to be 'the
most clear and comprehensive principles' for governing the Communion's
life, our Churches must engage this debate in its member provinces'
General Synods and Conventions, and then at the Lambeth Conference
next year and in the Anglican Consultative Council which will follow
it. As Anglican Episcopalians we cannot sacrifice the gifts we enjoy
as an inclusive church, accepting all people as full members of our
churches, so that we might conform to a doctrinal uniformity that is
anti-natural to our historic identity and experience as an inclusive
church.

The real crisis at the Anglican Communion is not about Human Sexuality
or Sexual Orientation, is about Authority. There is a battle to find
out who has the power at the Anglican Communion. Our Church leaders
should remember that who has the real power is Jesus Christ, and that
His power is grounded in LOVE. Love that respects everyone and all the
different points of view within the Church. As Christian we are not
allowed to deny any kind of support and full membership to people that
want to be part of our churches. It is not by coertion, but with love
that the Anglican Communion will find out the way to solve its present
crisis.

Only through our continued faithfulness to being a Church of
inclusiveness, compassion, shared authority, justice, love and respect
for the dignity of every human being, we will be a witness to the
world. May this Lent be an opportunity for all of us to discern more
deeply God's Word and call to service in this world hungry for justice
and peace.

In Christ,

Revd Luiz Alberto Barbosa
President of the House of Clergy and Laity of the Anglican Episcopal
Church of Brazil

From Luiz:

PS.: During national synods, the House of Clergy and Laity is divided
into two different groups (clergy and laity) which, with the house of
bishops, compose a three-fold chamber which is very similar to the
model Episcopalians have.

The Episcopal Church does not stand alone in it's witness for inclusion in the full life of the church for all baptized members. Thanks be to God.

Saints

Yesterday was the feast day of Thomas Ken, who wrote the hymn below. I did not read the Lectionary until last night or I would have posted this yesterday. The only verse that I knew before today was the final verse, the Doxology, but the rest of the hymn is lovely also.

Awake, my soul, and with the sun
thy daily course of duty run.
Cast off dull sloth, and joyful rise
to pay thy morning sacrifice.

All praise to thee, who safe hast kept
and hast refreshed me while I slept!
Grant, Lord, when I from death shall wake,
I may of endless life partake.

All praise to thee, my God, this night
for all the blessings of the light.
Keep me, oh keep me, King of Kings,
beneath Thine own almighty wings.

Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow.
Praise Him, all creatures here below.
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host.
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Today is the feast day of Thomas De Koven:

James de Koven was born in Connecticut in 1831, ordained to the priesthood in 1855, and promptly became a professor of Church history at Nashotah House, a seminary of the Episcopal Church in Wisconsin. In 1859 he became Warden of Racine College, an Episcopal college in Racine, Wisconsin. Nashotah House was from its inception dedicated to an increased emphasis on the real presence of Christ in the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, and on the use of ritual practices that recognized and honored that presence. This met opposition from other Christians who were suspicious (1) of anything that suggested Roman Catholicism, (2) of anything that seemed fancy and pretentious, as opposed to the plain, blunt, simplicity that was considered to be an American virtue as well as a virtue of the New Testament Church, and (3) of anything that varied from the practices they had become used to as children.

....

In 1874 he was elected Bishop of Wisconsin, and in 1875 Bishop of Illinois, but because he was "controversial" he failed both times to have his election ratified by a majority of Bishops and a majority of Standing Committees of Dioceses, as required by canon law.

De Koven's story serves as a timely reminder that controversy within the Episcopal Church did not begin with the consecration of Bishop Gene Robinson.

UPDATE: Elizabeth at Telling Secrets has posted a lovely sermon on Thomas De Koven by Cynthia Hallas.

Thought For The Day

The Episcopal Church will not be under the authority of an Anglican pope.

Archbishop Williams will not be our pope.

Archbishop Akinola will not be our pope.

Feeling Giddy

I'm feeling a little giddy today. The words of the resolutions and the statement from the House of Bishops are so absolutely perfect that I find it difficult to believe in them. To finally hear clear and unambiguous statements coming from our bishops is such a breath of fresh air that it could blow me away.

Last night, I was close to euphoric. Today I'm back down to earth. The Episcopal Church has been pushed too far, and we finally said, "Enough! Here we take our stand." What the House of Bishops did is good and right, and I'm pleased they did it. The ball is in the other court now. Really. How long did the Primates and Archbishop Rowan think they could push us around?

The bishops seem ready to face the consequences, and all of us must be ready to join with them, because there will be consequences, some of them unpleasant.

Moving on to selfish thoughts, where is my Windsor bishop in all of this? He has said that he wants to be in the Episcopal Church and in the Anglican Communion. What if he must make a choice? I know what my choice would be.

Here's a quote from Bishop Jenkins' address to the Diocesan Convention 2007 in Louisiana:

Mature leadership implies a differentiated response in the face of acute anxiety in a regressed system. I offered my understanding of such to the wider Church in the recent election of a Presiding Bishop, but it was not to be. Even so, I will not be thrown off course in my resolve to remain a constituent member of the Anglican Communion even as I am a participating member of the Episcopal Church. I am not compromised as a Christian by either the Anglican Communion or the Episcopal Church. I am disappointed at times by both, at other times I find joy and life in both, and sometimes I am angered by both realities. I know that I am at times a disappointment to the leadership of the Church and the Communion and more often than not I am enigma to both. Even so, our response to one another is characterized by generosity and respect.

From the Committee on The Response to the Bishop’s Address
Diocesan Convention 2007:

We stand with our bishop in his resolve ‘to remain a constituent member of the Anglican Communion’ even as we remain participating members of the Episcopal Church. We ask the Diocese of Louisiana to persevere through the discomfort of these unhappy divisions, to extend forgiveness quickly, and to practice a particular generosity towards those with whom we disagree. And we ask Bishop Jenkins to continue to offer his gifts to the larger communion and to take an active role in the process towards an Anglican Covenant. We voice our support of Bishop Jenkins as he represents us to the larger church during these trying times. [Bolding by the Committee]

May the wisdom of the Spirit continue to abide with the bishops of the Episcopal Church and with all bishops within the Anglican Communion.

It's A Girl Thing

My daughter sent me what follows in an email. It's more Eileen the heretic's style, but what the hell. The email includes drawings, and since I don't do pictures on my blog, you won't see them. I believe that the words may stand alone. Picture the ladies in the ads from the forties and fifties as you read. Imagination is everything.

Jewelry! Because great sex doesn't last forever!

Damn right I'm good in bed. I can sleep for days.

Moms! They're like dads, only smarter.

Amazingly enough, I don't give a shit.

Drink coffee. Do stupid things faster with more energy.

PMS! Be afraid! Be very afraid!

Men are like coffee. The best ones are rich, warm & can keep you up all night long.

Never underestimate the power of an extremely pissed off woman.

Why do I have to get married? I didn't do anything wrong.

Behind every great woman is a man checking out her ass.

Being unstable & bitchy is all part of my mystique.

Make yourself at home! Clean my kitchen.

Marriage! The end of a perfectly good sex life.

Man: "Menopause is a natural part of being a woman." Woman: "Is being stupid a natural part of being a man?"

Life! So much time, so few men!

Moms! Not all superheroes wear capes!

Tequila! Helping women lower their standards for years!

Mothers! Even when they're wrong...they're right!

I haven't had my coffee yet. Don't make me kill you.