First May 29th, the birthday of sweet +V. Gene Robinson, Episcopal Bishop of New Hampshire and a radiant rainbow blessing to our dear battered church.
Then news of Mark+ Lewis & K. Dennis+ Winslow two Episcopal priests, who were joined in civil union last Tuesday. Don't get me wrong, as a person of faith, I'm not settling for civil union, but the courage of these two wondrous men brought tears of joy and thankfulness for their radiant example. And courageous is the word.... an e-mail from Dennis+ tells me that since news of their union the two of them have suffered all sorts of abuse. Mark and Dennis have been together for 15 years, after their first meeting at a friends- an event one of them described as 'an absolute thunderbolt thing.'
Mark+ can be reached at MLewis@secaucus.org and Dennis+ at stpchelsea@earthlink.net
and while in the spirit of celebratory, if belated support, belated Birthday wishes for +Gene can be sent to Grinnh@aol.com
What a blessing to be born into the LGBT tribe at this time, and to have such radinat brothers and sisters as witness & examples of claiming the blessings of full inclusion within the Communion.
And speaking of sisters, a living blessing right up there has got to be Susan+ Russel whose personal website http://inchatatime.blogspot.com/ is a daily blessing for the thoughtful reflection and news it shares. Among many other things, Susan+ is a partnered Episcopal priest, President of Integrity U.S.A., mother of two men, etc. etc.... and her site also offers great links to other sites of faith and courage in this current 'difficult blessing'. Among her many skills Susan+ delivers some pretty wondrous sermons, and the site currently carries a great one one for the Feat of St. Justin Martyr.
And of course Susan+ is not the only of our radiant LGBT priests, who inspite of all the ugliness currently being dumped on us, continue to gloriously witness to the good news of Christ Jesus. This is what I find so incredible... how so very often it is only our LGBT priests and those who have taken our full inclusion as their stand-of-faith, who continue to speak of God's passionate vision for Creation.
Living Blessings All!
Which I suppose brings me to the noise and acrimony.
The Living Church Foundation http://www.livingchurch.org/publishertlc/viewarticle.asp?ID=3410 reports that on May 30th Archbishop ++Henry Orombi of Uganda. held a press conference at which he announced
as the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams has extended invitations to “all the American bishops who consented to, participated in, and have continued to support the consecration” of Bishop V. Gene Robinson in New Hampshire, the Church of Uganda would honor the commitment it made last December and not attend.
Though this saddens me greatly, I can't say this latest move by the 'bullies of the patriarchy' comes as any real surprise. There's an old Russian saying about the taste of blood on the tongue, and once never being enough.
Of course they were going to up the ante.... that's why I have no hesitation in calling it what it truly is- bullying.
First an act of open contempt for the Communion at the Tanzanian Eucharist, then +Peter's parish piracy and irregular consecration of +Martyn Minns, and now this.
For me at least, this latest 'threat' is a sickening Ecclesiastical echo of the racial purity practiced by the Third Reich... But in time, I have no doubt it shall come to the same end.
I can only pray for the day when these bullying brothers exhaust themselves on their terrified rage and acrimony..... And in the sudden silence let the true and living Christ speak to them, minister to them, heal their hearts and reveal to them the limitless, passionate love (Love beyond our wildest imagening) calling each of us out of fear into the wholeness Christ continuiously holds out to all of Creation.
Amen
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