Month: November 2006

  • it's been observed that there are a lot of Christians who are hypocritical.  it's also been stated that this hypocrisy damages the witness of Christians > that it leaves a bad taste in the mouth of those who are not Christians.  i think what people forget is that Christianity itself was born in a sort of hypocrisy. 

    Take a look at Palm Sunday, when Christians remember the triumphal entry of Jesus into jerusalem.  at first the people welcomed Jesus as the messiah, the annointed one, the savior of israel, and greeted him with palm branches as they would a returning warrior or conquering king.  on Palm Sunday we reenact that triumphal entry but... the service continues in the scripture readings to recount what happens later, when the people turned against Jesus, when they conspired with the roman occupying government to crucify him.  the people welcomed the messiah into their midst, but did not want to follow his ways (they wanted a military hero) and turned against him.  how,i ask, is this any different from what Christians do today?

    Christians still say they welcome Jesus and God's salvation into their lives, but the reality of God's ways are too hard for them, and so they end up choosing not to follow Jesus.  hypocrisy, yes, but no more so than those denizens of jerusalem millenia ago.  and what did Jesus have to say about the hypocrites that turned against him and handed him over to suffering and death?  he said "father, forgive them, for they don't know what they are doing."  that's what Jesus said.

    our hypocrisy and faithlessness and betrayal are met with complete forgiveness, even yet today.  all are forgiven, even those who do know what they are doing.  cheap grace? some would say so, however, grace is not cheap when you consider the cost that Jesus paid for this on Good Friday.  he forgave all of us, those who betrayed him then and we who betray him now.  and this is grace that is freely given to all.  no matter what.

  • dj came back to school with me on friday morning to volunteer at the clothing for the homeless program (st. martin's closet) here at seminary.  it was good to be able to offer clothes to those without, and heartwarming to have them ask us how OUR thanksgiving had been, when they are the ones who seem to have the need for care... thinking about these adult homeless people had me flash back on the LBGT teens at the shelter last weekend, and about how some folk found it remark-able that this shelter existed within the context of a church. 

    because i am an episcopalian, it didn't occur to me that this might be seen as worthy of remark at all, but i guess it is.  seeing as how the episcopal church had been ordaining openly gay priests for over 10 years (provided they were celibate, or at the very least in a monogamous, committed relationship), and just elected the first openly gay bishop (the bishop of new hampshire) over 2 years ago, accepting persons with differing sexual orientations doesn't seem momentous to me.  however, considering the reactions of many conservative parishes/dioceses within the episcopal church, as well as members of the greater anglican communion, perhaps it is.  there are churches and members of churches who refuse to accept LGBT persons into their midst without an acknowlegement of "sin" and a desire to change.  that is not how most episcopalians feel, however, nor does that way of thinking represent many of the christians of my acquaintance > most of us feel that everyone's sexuality is a matter between God and the person.  our relationship to others should simply be one of love and acceptance, regardless; we are not to judge.  God will take care of any of that... so where better to have an LBGT shelter than in a church?

    on a separate note... when dj was sleeping on saturday (i let him sleep in since he doesn't often get the chance at home), i discovered this way cool kid's cartoon from canada > jane and the dragon.

    janeandthedragon the animation is superb... the music is interesting, perhaps "modern-medieval", and the plots are intelligent.  i know it's supposed to be for kids, but it's my new favorite show.  if you go to the website, however, you have to be a resident of canada to view the episodes (pfbbbblllt)...

     

  • it's saturday night and a cold front has been moving in.  up to now, new york city has been like much of the northeast, fairly mild for november, with days averaging in the upper teens (celsius).  now, however, you can feel the air dipping dramatically, and the sky is way overcast. i'm volunteering for this saturday night shift at the shelter for homeless LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) teens run out of the church where i'm doing field placement.

    the shelter opens at 9:00pm, and they begin to arrive singly, then in groups of 2 or 3.  eve is the first, and (as i was to learn) drama arrived with her.  eve has lost the key to her locker that holds all of her possessions > the teens each have a foot locker kept permanently at the church since it would be impossible for them to carry all of their stuff around, and possessions make you a target on the street... there are calls made to the permanent shelter staffer who is on vaca, but max cannot be reached... it's suggested that we might have to break into her locker since her meds are in there... finally, kemo arrives, and proves to be the white knight since he had seen her drop her key and picked it up for her (why didn't he tell her sooner, like when she dropped it?)  then comes alex and his friend jz (who, i am informed, is not allowed to stay the night), along with jill.  kimmy follows soon after, and everyone is in > this is a good thing because curfew isn't until 1AM on saturday nights, and i really didn't want to have to stay up until they all got settled... but then they go out to smoke, or to buy mcdonald's... and then there are the video games ... and kimmy just sets up his cot and lies down, warning all away from him...

    and i realize that these are kids like any other kids, and my heart breaks for them... jill looks so butch (she is lesbian), but is really sweet, and when she sets up her sleeping area, pulls out a ruffled, pink pillow and a matching comforter, just as if she were any other adolescent teen in a white french provincial suburban bed, and not a cot in a drafty old church hall... kimmy is tall and lean and has long black hair, and is beautiful, which might not be such a good combo for a young man on the streets; his mannerisms are very effeminate, but i believe that if you crossed him, he could take you down.  no one messes with his space.... kemo loves video games as does alex... alex is the bad boy, with a smile that could charm the angels out of heaven (as my gran used to say), a buzz cut and wire rimmed glasses > out of this context you would think he was the kid in high school that was way popular and smart without being nerdy... kemo is more guarded, and keeps up a 'street cred' front while being the one who looks out for everyone else, and made sure the lights went out in their accustomed order and at their accustomed times...

    it was so easy being their overnight monitor... why did they have to be on the streets?  i can't know their stories, but i did feel their need.  they were concerned because it was sunday and most of the places they hung out in (primarily work) were not open on that day... i'm glad they have a place to stay where it is almost warm... and that has a working hot shower (that they are really good about keeping clean)... where there is a refrigerator just for them, and a kitchen where they can cook...

    i just wish all of these were in their own homes, and not in a church shelter... but then, at least they have that....

    when they left the shelter on sunday, the sky was bleak and almost felt like snow... the temperature was about 4 celsius, and the wind was blowing hard...

  • THERE'S ONLY 3 WEEKS LEFT IN THE TERM!! I HAVE 4 PAPERS, 2 EXTEMPORANEOUS SERMONS, AND 3 FINALS COMING UP!!!! AND ONE OF THE FINALS REQUIRES CHANTING THE 6 MINUTE EXULTET IN FRONT OF THE PROF!!!

    i think i will just go shoot myself

  • well, it was a very stormy night last night, and this afternoon and this evening have been very stormy as well.  fortunately, it was gray but not raining this morning when i guided a tour group of prospective students around the campus.  my fellow tour guide and i showed them the buildings and grounds, and surprised ourselves by some of the arcane bits of knowledge that floated around our heads... for example, the fact that the St. Mark's library consists of approximately a quater of a million volumes, and is considered the premier theological library in the United States (if not all of North America)... we got to see the new, rennovated rooms in the two residence halls that have been closed and will be reopened in January -- as far as i can tell, except for the bathrooms on each floor (*sigh*), the only thing those rooms have over mine is that they will be WiFi enabled, and i have to tap into my next door neighbor's (with his permission of course)....

    there are wind gusts accompanying tonight's rain that top out at 30mph.  when someone opens the door to the house/dorm, you can hear the wind roar up the stairs, all the way up to the 4th floor, where it rattles the door, trying come in.. perhaps trying to get warm... the wind also makes its presence known as it slams the rain against the windows, rattling them in their sashes, and moving the curtains...

    i push the curtains aside in my bedroom window; the lights are off to avoid glare on the glass... looking north ,through the panes splattered with rain, i see that the lowering sky has encompased some of the building tops.  the skyscrapers here do more than scrape the sky > they penetrate the clouds like concrete beanstalks in a fairy tale.  the limbs the trees have thrust so high so bravely are bereft now; all of their leaves have been scattered by the wind into a carpet on the sidewalk, once golden but now sodden brown. the chill of the storm slides underneath the window frame, creeping over the sill into the room, curling around my shoulders.  the neon lights and street lamps glow through the drops of rain like jewels...

     

  • so... today was election day.  i helped staff the polling station today at seminary > we were electing our Community Council President.  it was exciting since it was all women who were running!  it turns out that we will have to hold a run-off election next week since no one got the required majority of 50% + 1 ...

    one of the things that i consider my duty on election day is to make sure that every woman i see on that day is urged to vote.  in the United States, women have only been allowed to vote since 1920; my grandmother was 13 when women's suffrage succeeded in winning that right.  it's even harder to believe that in the Episcopal Church, women have only had a voice at General Convention since 1973 > Gen Con is when we conduct the business of the national Church, including selecting our Presiding Bishop (the head primate of the Episcopal Church, our equivalent to an archbishop) who was just installed last saturday.  she is a woman, the first woman to hold that position in the Episcopal Church, and the first woman to hold that rank in all of the Anglican Communion.

    so i had several of my female friend accuse me of nagging them into voting.  too bad. too sad.  people died in my lifetime helping to secure the ability of our black brothers and sisters to vote, so i'm not going to take this right and duty lightly, nor will i allow my friends to...

    and i am excited that the democrats have done so well this night... i only hope that they will be able to protect the poor and needy, and honor and respect the dignity of every human being.  i hope they will be able to combat the culture of corporate greed, and address the vast amounts of need.

    only time will tell.

     

  • Almighty God, to whom we must account for all our powers and privileges: Guide the people of the United States in the election tomorrow of officials and representatives; that, by faithful administration and wise laws, the rights of all may be protected and our nation be enabled to fulfill your purposes.  Amen

    perhaps, to some, it seems odd to invoke the Deity when choosing our leaders, but i think we've abrogated our rights by giving them to others for so long that we might need the additional help.  those of us who are believing Christians but of a liberal  (open-minded or tolerant, characterized by generosity and willingness to give in large amounts) mindset need to work harder to show our fellow citizens and the rest of the world that Christians do not march in lock-step, nor does the Christian Religious Right speak for us.  and we will need God's help to do that.

    here in the united states we tend to forget that our country might be the only one outside of the developing world to be a Christian country -- we no longer live in Christendom, and our beliefs are not the mainstream elsewhere.  even here in the states, we live in a religiously plural society, and need to be sure that the will of God for all persons is reflected, not simply a narrow Christian perspective.  in the covenant that was sworn for us episcopalians at baptism, and which we reclaim for ourselves every time there is a baptism, we have promised to "strive for justice and peace among all people and [to] respect the dignity of every human being".  we don't promise to do this for just episcopalians, or just Christians, but for all people, believers and non-believers alike.

    and so our prayer is that God will help us to choose our leaders wisely, so that we can fulfill that part of our baptismal promises...

  • i have just gotten my first marks for the term.  and i have also just had my first true drunk at school... i wonder how connected they are... 

    it's weird to have a convo with drunk seminarians.  to begin with, there are the normal sorts of drunk who talk about sex or obscure movies or scotland... odd, but acceptable.  then there are those who start to talk theology, or about classes (well, i suppose that it not so odd), or even begin to chant parts of the liturgy in latin just to see if we are paying attention.  which is weird, since our church rejected latin for the liturgy back 500 years ago...

    drunk seminarians are a truly odd lot...

    the mark i got on my paper for church music was an A... i was really glad, and sort of surprised, since our professor is David Hurd... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Hurd ... the assignment was to review a concert, one of the pieces performed thereat was the american premier of a work of his.  talk about a rough assignment> how do you review a work composed by your prof?  esp since i had some criticisms of it?  well, i just decided to be honest, and to be sure i backed up my opinion... apparently it worked...

    we are going on retreat this weekend.  i am looking forward to it in some ways since it will give me a chance to "bond" with my classmates > it is hard transferring into a clsass that has already been together for a year.... i'll let you know if it is a success or not... all i know is that, right now, i don't feel i fit in any where....