Somebody's Baby

Man, this song breaks my heart.

Oh God, help us to see each one as yours.

Grace and Peace,
Joe

Models?

Lately I have been looking closely at Reformed Judaism. No, don't worry, my commitment to Christ is as strong as ever. Actually, I began looking more closely at it after several discussions with my Mother. Mom, a committed and rather conservative Roman Catholic, works (long story) in the Education Department of a large Reform Jewish Temple. What struck me in all of our discussions, was that the folks at the Temple seemed to be remakably open and progressive on social issues, and yet also very "traditional" and deeply commited to the core beliefs and practices of their Tradition.

So I have been wondering...do they offer a potential model for the Episcopal Church, or the Emerging Church, or whatever? Certainly there are things that they have that we cannot. Much of their ideological and religious cohesion is built on shared ethnic history and values. Also, they are far more committed to personal and congregational autonomy that we would ever want to be or even can be. Still, I am very impressed by the way that they have managed to grow in their understanding of God's hope for our world...not in spite of their deep traditions and teachings, but becasue of them. It is like they are saying "It is by truly being ourselves and living into the fullness of our Tradition that we will find God, and it is in finding God that we will discover who we will become."

So what do you think? Any other helpful models out there?

Grace and Peace,
Joe

Eastertide

This has been a tough Easter for me...I'm at a dry place spiritually, and for the first time in a long time, I just didn't "get it" this year. The powerful drama of Holy Week just sort of went by...unable to grab my attention in the midst of my busyness and malaise.

So then I came across this sermon from Bishop Wright of Durham. There is nothing particularly novel or poetic about it...but in a Church that sometimes seems to want to be either overly figurative or overly pragmatic, it was refreshing to see the most basic elements of the Easter story proclaimed in a way that honors both the beautiful symbolism and shocking practicality of the Gospel.

In other words...it "got" me. ;-)

Grace and Peace,
Joe

Millstones?

Christopher points us towards a story about a speech made by Representative Sally Kearns of Oklahoma. I am glad that he did, because despite the shocking nature of her speech given to a group of "like-minded individuals," I haven't heard or seen much coverage in the "mainstream media." Why? Because despite the fact that that this little tirade of Kearns is hateful, ignorant, and clearly offensive to a large segment on the American public, it is...well...just about gays.

If it were about women, or African-Americans, or Muslims, or some other more politically powerful minority, it would undoubtedly be all over the news. For me, this is further confirmation that homophobia is perhaps the last bastion of acceptable hate left in America. "If we can't run down women, or the blacks, or even the "towel heads" anymore, at least we can equate homos with cancer."

And you know what...forget about the Church, who has clearly failed in all of this...but the rest of our society, even the segments that should know better and claim to be sympathetic, are participating in perpetuating this sad state of affairs.

Just take a look at entertainment. This is a field that is populated with a large percentage of individuals who are considered supportive of GLBT folks, but with a few rare exceptions, look at the crap that they are feeding us. It is full of lame stereotypes, crude jokes at the expense of GLBT people, and soft porn designed primarily for heterosexual consumption. I am amazed at how often I tune into a prime time show just to see some poor attempt at humor built around some guy being a little "too feminine." Heck, even stalwarts of liberal culture like Saturday Night Live seem to have at least one skit or lame joke every week designed to produce a giggle at the expense of GLBT people. This past week it was a video short where the guest host admits to one of the actors on the show that "I'm F@&king your Dad." That was the whole joke. Hilarious.

So when Kearn says this crap and no one is that shocked...well, should we really be surprised? In our Churches, in our workplaces, and even in our living rooms we are told that it is ok to ridicule, to exclude, to mock, and perhaps even to hate GLBT Americans...so what's the big deal?

The Big Deal.

"But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea."-Mathew 18:6

Grace and Peace,
Joe

Horton

I loved to read as a kid. Heck, I still love to read...I just can't seem to find the time. One of my favorite books was Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who (and its companion Horton Sits on an Egg). In fact, along with Mr. Rogers, Sesame Street, the X-Men, and the Roman Catholic Church, I would say that that little book had as profound an impact on my world view as anything I was exposed to. I'm not sure why exactly...but something about that big old elephant sticking up for those little whos in the face of all of that ridicule just sort of stuck in my heart. My Mom said that at school one day when they asked what we wanted to be when we grow up, some kids said fireman, or dancer, or even Superman...I said "Horton." I'd like to think that on my best days, I sort of made that dream come true. I certainly have the size! ;-) The message is just so powerful I think...the inclusion, the love, the commitment to others, the willingness to put faith in something that you can't see. Not to mention the fact that it makes a fairly emotionally poignant pro-life argument...which some people have already tried to screw up.

So anyway, I'm excited about the Horton Movie that comes out today. My little guys are still a bit too young to sit through a trip to the theatre...but if the reviews that I've seen are any indication of its quality, I'm sure that we'll be watching it for years to come. Don't worry...we're already reading the book!

Grace and Peace,
Joe

Entitlement

So last post I said that I was hopeful about the current race for president. However, as the race for the Democratic nomination is getting uglier by the day, I'm beginning to wonder where this will all end. Not only are Obama and Clinton bleeding each other of resources, good-will, and maybe even dignity, but they seem to be trying to convince us all that McCain is a better option than their opponent. Sheesh. Any this whole thing with Florida and Michigan? Sure, let's change the rules now, and watch next year as every state in the Union moves up their primary so that they can "matter." This is one of the reasons that I sometimes hate my own party...all zeal and no discipline. Rules? Common good? Screw it...because we're right, we're entitled. I really think that "entitlement," not race, or gender, or experience, is the driving force behind all of this right now (of course it shows up in those other spheres). Hillary, whom I have always admired, and her wing of the party feel that they are entitled to this nomination. After all that they have "done for us." After all that she has suffered through. And now here comes this upstart to put a crimp in the whole thing. Do you get the sense as this wears on that if she can't have the white house, she doesn't want him to have it either?

So, as the Democratic Party continues to spend millions of dollars reminding us why they always seem to screw up, what seemed like an inevitable Democratic win in November is now looking like a race. I'm certainly looking more closely at McCain.

Back in the Saddle

Ok, it's official, I'm a really bad blogger. No posts this year?. Sheesh. Oh well...time to turn over a new leaf.

Some thoughts...

The state of the Church Things are a little bleak right now aren't they? The recent survey news from the Pew Foundation makes clear what we have all know for a long time...that the external forces in our culture that used to drive people into Church are gone, and they have been replaced by new forces that pull people apart. The "restructuring" of Seabury, Bexley, and EDS, is confirmation that whatever our Church is to become, it ain't gonna look like it "always has." The political wrangling in San Joaquin and elsewhere continues to rob us of energy and resources and debilitate our witness. In our own Diocese we are seeing parishes close and missions die. In my parish I see people succumb to a type of consumerist faith that ties them too loosely to their parish family, and seems to drive them to look more for customer service than Christian Formation.

So am I down? A little...but we are in lent, no? And we know what God can do with death...so I work, and I pray, and I wait. I still think that our little corner of the Body has a lot to offer God's world, and that God isn't through with us yet.

Politics I am feeling pretty good about the national political scene right now, if for no other reason than it is so danged different that it ever has been before. You can say a lot about the three remaining candidates, but you can't say that they fit neatly into the same old images and formulas that have failed us in the recent past.

I'm still pulling for Obama. Yes, I like his policies, but more than that, I see in him for the first time in my lifetime, the potential for a President with a "postmodern" brain. In a world that is increasingly either/or, I think that we can use a little both/and.

Career So I am in year three as "Director of Christian Formation" at a mid-sized parish. It has been a time of immense formation for me. All of the challenges of being a "paid professional" in the Church, seeing the guts of a parish from the inside, wrestling with the enormous and varied expectations of a congregation, and oh yeah...attempting to build relationships with teenagers and helping them stumble upon God's love. I'm not sure what the future holds...there are not many "lay professionals" in TEC, so everyone assumes that I am in some sort of preparation to enter a discernment process for ordained ministry. To be honest, the thought has crossed my mind (and my prayers) but I am feeling very ambivalent about that idea (maybe that is a good sign!?). For me, the bottom lines is that the only call in my life that seems clear is my call to be a Husband and a Father, and from what I've seen (no offense to those valiant few who have pulled it off), I'm not at all sure that the call that I have to my family is in any way compatible with ordained ministry.

So anyway, I just try to be faithful to the task at hand...to the job and to the people that God has put in my path...trusting that whatever is "next" will reveal itself in time.

Family I finally...after 18 years of tension and surface level niceties...wrote my Dad a letter from my heart acknowledging the wall that has grown up between us. Basically, I just wanted to tell him that I know that each of us could have done things differently...to allow more grace to fill our relationships...but that the could/should have game is so tiring, and so far from my understanding of God's hope for all of us.

And I wanted him to know that I loved him. Not despite anything, or with any conditions, but just as he is...my Dad. Now that I'm a dad, I know a little more about how difficult the job can be...and so much of what he shared with me growing up, I'm now able to share with the boys.

So I said "let's do this"...let's forgive, because we have been forgiven, and let's love, because we were first loved...and let's not let anything that has happened in the past rob us of what could be in the future. I wanted him to know that he has a family that loves and needs him...and that he deserves to allow himself to have that, and the peace that comes with it.

Let's just say that the wall has begun to come down. Reconciliation...I reccomend it!

Entertainment Ok, so is anyone watching Lost? Oh man...they almost lost me (no pun unteneded) last year, but this year..wow. Best. Show. Ever. Speaking of positive reviews...GO SEE U23D.

That's it for now...along with a promise to myself to write more often.

Grace and Peace,
Joe

The Archbishop and the Jester

A really interesting back and forth between two of my favorite people.

Yes, I still love Ricky despite his atheism, and yes, I still love Rowan despite the fact that he continues to speak about GLBT Christians without speaking with or even to them.

Anyway, this is a good example of what can happen when two bright, quick-witted people who also happen to have generous spirits get the chance to disagree without animosity. Well done to both...but let's face it, it's a good thing that the discussion was brief...Ricky was on the ropes. ;-)

Grace and Peace,
Joe

Thanks Jo

So Dumbledore was gay, and folks from across the spectrum are reacting in strange ways. I thought about linking some of the articles, but the number of perspectives is so overwhelming that I'm not sure where to start...chances are you've read enough already to get a feel for the weird trajectory of the discussion. I say weird because I am just amazed at the way this has acted as a canvas for so many people to project so many agendas. Of course it probably shouldn't surprise us that a fictional gay character has become a prop for us to use for political, theological, and cultural machinations...we do the same thing to real live gay people all of the time.

That is why I am hesitant to give my two cents...but of course I'm gonna:

A couple of things that I'm hearing that don't make sense to me:

She had a gazillion pages, and this never came up? Why didn't she (or he) have the courage to come out sooner?

Christopher has some great thoughts on this, but are we really sure that Dumbledore was ever in the closet? I mean we really don't know that much about him do we? In fact, for much of the series, he made it a point to stay away from Harry and therefore the reader. He was VERY mysterious about so many aspects of his life, and what little exposition we did get about him in the last book was mostly second or third hand. When exactly was it supposed to come up? "Here Harry, let me tell you how to avoid being murdered...and by the way, I am gay." Sheesh. Remember, we see most of this through Harry's eyes, and I am sure that his professors' sexual orientation was low on his list of priorities.

It is so sad that he could never act on his true feelings and ended up a lonely old man

Is it somehow more tragic that he was a single gay man than if he were a single heterosexual man? Is singleness not OK? Haven't many people, regardless of their orientation, been hurt so badly that they decide not to try again? I don't get it.

Rowling is a coward for not doing this sooner

Really? Did she have to do it at all? I mean she is richer than God, but she still does have a theme park and two movies to go. I do believe that she has fed a bit too much into the voracious speculative appetite of her fan base, and maybe that is where this is coming from...but I actually choose to trust hr motivation in this and see the courage that it took. She acts surprised by the uproar, but I think that she is smarter than that.

How could she do this in a room full of kids?

I know, I'm sure that those kids will be shocked to find out that there are gay people. No way that they would have found that out otherwise...or that there might actually be a gay child in that very audience. Please people.

In fact, that's the bottom line for me in all of this. All of us adults...those who bitch about the quality of her writing (she's no Tolkien!), about her political motivations or lack thereof (sneaky liberal!), her Christian influence or lack thereof (grace, and magic, and redemption, and gay folk...huh?)...I have a message for you:

IT IS NOT ABOUT US!!!!!!

There. She is writing to and for kids...and what is her message? That the real world can suck. You might lose a parent, or be treated badly by adults, or be put in danger, or simply not know how or if to trust yourself or your friends. But you know what? It can be different. It can get better. When you fight your worst instincts and instead of retreating inward reach outward to seek and share love, the world gets better for you and those around you. And guess what? You may find friends to help you along the way who don't care about whatever label you've been stuck with...all they see is who you really are, and especially, who you are trying to become.

When it comes to Dumbledore, some folks felt betrayed by his mistakes and manipulations, but others, like myself, still love the character for his kindness and his unwillingness to give up on anyone. His orientation doesn't matter in that discussion, and I think that is Rowling's point.

Millions and millions of kids subtly (or not so) conditioned to see love as the ultimate power and to value people for their actions rather than their race, gender, orientation, background, or appearance.

Thanks Jo.

Grace and Peace,
Joe

Home Again

Just back from a wonderful trip to England. This was my first trip to the UK, and I have to say, it was even more charming and beautiful than I had imagined. We spent much of the week in Wells, Somerset where we were the Choir in residence at the Cathedral of St. Andrew:






The Cathedral was wonderful. The staff was very welcoming, and it was truly moving to sing and pray in a space where hopeful souls had been reaching out to God for more than a thousand years:



The "city" itself was wonderful as well. I say "city" because it is quite small, but it qualifies as a city simply because it had a cathedral. It has many areas that are perfectly preserved snapshots of medieval Britain:





A couple of things really struck me about the Cathedral. First, it is such a vivid reminder of the depth of our faith. The stone steps with worn grooves from the centuries of faithful footsteps. The quiet tombs of generations of powerful Bishops giving witness to lives lived for Christ. The liturgical rhythm of a community that has been praying in much the same pattern for years and years.

The second thing that struck me was the creativity of the Cathedral staff in living out their mission. Obviously, the Cathedral is a historical "museum" of sorts, containing rich layers of British and Christian history. Hundreds of tourists pass through each day, and one sometimes gets the sense that they are looking at a relic of some long dead sect. The Cathedral staff takes their job of stewarding the historic building seriously, but you get a real sense that they mostly see it as a means to an end. For example, when the medieval clock (second oldest working clock in existence) strikes the hour and tourists gather round to watch the little wooden figures joust, a priest welcomes the crowd and offers a broad but clear prayer in their midst. This is but one example of how the staff works to remind people that this is a living , breathing, house of prayer and worship to the living God. Any cynicism that may have remained in my about the droves of noisy "tourists" that wandered through the Cathedral every day was shattered at the Friday Evensong. We had just finished the Anthem There is a Balm at sat down to hear the prayers and petitions, and with the final refrain echoing in that great space...

There is a balm in Gilead
To make the wounded whole;
There is a balm in Gilead
To heal the sin sick soul

...the Dean began to read prayer that people had left at the Cathedral all week. "Heal my mother who is sick with Cancer....Mend my broken heart, for I miss him so...Help me find meaning in my life...Please be with my brother who is in the hospital, and help mummy and daddy because the are so sad..." As I sat there and wept, I realized...Joe, you idiot, these are not just "tourists," they are pilgrims. Pilgrims who took at least a moment out of there visits to the market and the museums to reach out to a God who has promised to make the wounded whole. That my friends, in and of it self, is one hell of a ministry.

More on the trip later...

Grace and Peace,
Joe

Random Thoughts

Salvation: I’ve been watching to back and forth between ++York, Canon David Anderson, and the Revd. Arun Arora, Director of Communications for the Archbishop of York with great interest. This debate aside, it seems to me that we get it all wrong when it comes to discussion of salvation, evangelism, and ecumenism. The point is not that someone must be a Christian to be “saved”…as it has been said many times, God saves, not religion…the point is that we have something to offer the world right now. I have little doubt that God can save (in an eternal sense) anyone, Christian, Muslim, Agnostic, etc. So, one might argue, why evangelize? Why have missionaries? The reason, as ++York has mentioned before, is that we believe that a relationship with God through Christ is not just about eternity, but about right here and right now. We have Good News…so let’s share it, and let God worry about the rest huh?

Broken at the Rail: As we approach Lambeth, and more and more Bishops threaten to boycott, I have been thinking even more about the consequences of the breakdown in sacramental unity. Just follow me here for a minute as I think out loud:

IF the Church if supposed to be the Body of Christ, AND in our liturgy we receive the body of Christ in a BROKEN form, THEN isn’t it implicit that unity is not a precursor to reception, but rather a hopeful result of the resurrection that occurs in each recipient? I’m just saying…

Unexpected Blessing: Last week I found out that I am going to have an opportunity to join our parish choir on a trip to England starting next week. We will be filling in for the choir at Wells Cathedral while they take a break. That means Evensong every day and three services on Sunday. In our free periods, we will be exploring various places around southern England (Bath, Bristol, Oxford, London, etc.). For a Christian history buff, and something of an Anglophile, this is a dream come true, and a real unexpected blessing. I am so grateful that I have this opportunity, and that my loving wife (who will be home with two little ones) is so supportive.

My prayer is that I can be a blessing to others through this trip. Please include the trip in your prayers…for safe travel, for a heartfelt contribution to the worship at the Cathedral, for my family at home, and for God to open my eyes to ways that I can bless those around me before, during and after this trip. Also, pray that I can learn a year and a half’s worth of music in just a week!

Grace and Peace,
Joe

Headline News...

I keep meaning to post...I really do, but I never seem to get around to it. So anyway, until I find time for a "real" post, here are a few thing that are bumping around in my head.

-Harry Potter: I've read the finale (don't worry, no spoilers here!), and I am very pleased with it. I've learned so much about myself from those books...I think because Rowling is writing from a very postmodern sort of place. One of the characters in his book calls Harry an "odd wizard" because he doesn't seem to "fit" into the black and white paradigms of his parent's generation. In this book, more than any of the others, Harry begins to see that the world around him is a bit more "gray" than he had imagined, and that truth and justice often require one to look beyond simplistic answers. He also finally learns to forgive...no small feat given the circumstances of his life. Part of this is a function of growing up (Rowling BTW deserves much credit for being able to write each book from the age appropriate perspective of a teenage boy), and part of it has to do with the fact that Harry really is a postmodern hero. More on that in a longer post, as well as a discussion about the places where Rowling's Christian faith shines through, and a few places that I would call missed opportunities.

-The Wrath of God: Quick, name the last time that you heard a sermon about the "wrath of God?" Been awhile? My guess is that if you did hear one, it was probably a pretty poor one...full of bad theology and venomous rhetoric...you know, the Fred Phelps version. Those who rightly reject that sort of approach usually downplay the topic or ignore it all together. I can certainly understand why...but there it is...in the Scriptures...in fact, it's all over the Scriptures. Any casual flip through a concordance will show that there are many more entries about God's anger and wrath than God's love and forgiveness. I always chalked this up to progressive revelation...the God of the Old Testament being better understood in the light of the New. But it's pretty strong in the NT as well isn't it...even in the words of Jesus at times. So I have been thinking...why is "wrath" such a bad thing? If God is love, and God has "wrath," then maybe we need to, as C.S. Lewis once wrote, "concede that our conception of love needs correction." Do I, as a parent, have wrath? Yep. I have limitless depths of anger at anything that I see as a potential danger to my boys. So, allowing for the fact that some Christians have pointed God's wrath in unhealthy directions, what do YOU think inspires God's wrath when God surveys our world? I've got a few ideas...

-Politics: Doggoneit...I already had my OBAMA 08 bumper sticker ready to go, and then he flubbed that answer on the role of the President with regard to certain foreign leaders. That's forgivable...but following it up by trying to cover his rear with a "I'm for change, she's Bush light" is a real problem for me. I know that he needs to get the "change" thing going in order to gain enough of the anti-war momentum to catch Hillary, but all in all...I leave this week feeling like she knows what the President's job is, and he doesn't. I love his ideas, but maybe he really isn't quite ready for the big chair yet.

-Archbishop of York: So a lot have been discussion about the "ultimatum" in this interview with the Archbishop of York. We've discussed that to death elsewhere, but I am curious to hear thoughts about a couple of other comments that he makes. In particular:

Recapturing a sense of imagination

A fan of the Harry Potter books, Dr Sentamu urged the Church to enthuse people by capturing their imaginations.

"What the Church of England has lost is the art of telling stories," he said. "We have become more monosyllabic. A sense of imagination sometimes isn’t around.

"We need to rediscover the greatest story tellers and I have to say, as a Christian, that Jesus was an unbelievable story teller.

"He had the ability of simplifying and then exaggerating and that is what actually happens in Harry Potter."

He continued: "I don’t go in for magic, but mystery for me is that which remains when explanation, logic, reasoning have all been exhausted.

"We’ve gone into the logic, the reasoning, the explanation. Ultimately, when you have done all of that, there is something bigger than that which we call mystery. For me, Jesus is at the heart of this great mystery.

"We’ve tried hard to explain everything and I don’t know where that came from.

"Not all things are explainable. Not all things are solvable. Some things really remain unresolved."

Yes, yes, yes! This is absolutely where I am right now. I need to get Jesus out of my head and back into my life. Maybe we should talk some more about mysticism?

Also:

He said: "The thing that unites all Christians is our faith in the God and Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ, and what makes us Christians is that we participate in the death and resurrection of Christ.

"The other thing to remember is that we are all sinners in need of God’s grace.

"As long as someone does not deny the very basic doctrines of the Church - the creation, the death, the resurrection of Christ and human beings being made in the image of God - then the rest really helps but they are not the core message.

"And I haven’t found that in Ecusa or in Canada, where I was recently, they have any doubts in their understanding of God which is very different from anybody. What they have quarrelled about is the nature of sexual ethics."

I think that this really is the mindset of most of the Communion. They get it...they are jut trying to make sure that those making so much noise get a chance to get it too. I just hope that the damage that is being done in the interim isn't fatal.

McLaren: Finally, Brian McLaren has a couple of new books out that I am excited about, and a good interview over at the Wittenburg Door. That McLaren, he really is a "strange wizard." ;-)

Grace and Peace,
Joe

Let It Begin With Me

I recently came across a news article in Episcopal Life about a group of folks who are seeking ways to advance a “culture of reconciliation” in our Church. Isn’t that a bit like telling the folks at Ford that they need to advance a “culture of car manufacturing?” Sigh. Still, whether we like it or not, this is exactly the type of work that we need to do right now…if our wounds are to heal, and if our witness is to be restored. This seems like a good start. I am a bit concerned that it has the typical tone of the Center…where we blame those at the poles for everything while refusing to hold a mirror up to our own failures…but at the same time, there is much good here. The emphasis on individual reflection, the realization that we need to let go of some of the old paradigms, the obvious commitment to other Christians on a human level.

I can’t remember exactly where I read it…but somewhere, someone commenting on this work said something that really stuck with me…that loving someone means being willing to wrestle with them, and that God made us strong enough for that.. As someone who inherently avoids conflict (for some good reasons and some bad), I found this notion that God not only requires that we engage each other in loving disagreement at times, but also has provided us with the strength to do it in a particular way…well…liberating. I need that strength…because when I rely on my own, I tend to hit full “fight or flight” mode…either giving into a sarcastic, jaded streak or simply running away.

Conflict will arise…it has to if we actually care…and so when it does, we can call on God to provide strength, grace, compassion, and hopefully, Truth.
But you know what? If I was to point to one failing of the Church in these times (among the many possibilities), I would say that it does not equip people to resolve disputes in a healthy way…and I’m not even talking about the big, church-wide controversies…I mean the little, personal issues that divide congregations. Hurt feelings, misunderstandings, petty arguments…how many empty seats in our pews exist because of such things? Forget the Communion…if we are to advance a culture of reconciliation (and actually live into our liturgy btw), then let’s start at home…in the car on the way to Church, in the choir room, at the coffee hour…that’s where we will get healthy enough to handle the “big ones.”

“Let there be peace on Earth, and let it begin with me…” So simple, and so true. So this week, when that sorry @$#%@ who keeps giving my kid the stink eye during worship tries to ignote me during the Peace, I'm going to give her a hug. ;-)

Grace and Peace,
Joe

Graven Images and Unlikely Love

I have a confession to make. I did it…I finally broke down and got TiVo. I know, I know, the Television is an idol. A collection of graven images designed to monopolize my time, money, and if I’m not careful, my soul. But you don’t understand! Now I, Church employee, get to watch CBS Sunday Morning at my convenience? Getting home from Youth Group late because a kid needed to talk doesn’t have to mean missing the last few episodes of the Sopranos (anyone watching these btw? Whatever you think of the subject matter, the writing and acting is unfreakinbelievible).

Well, if I was ever looking for justification for this extravagance, I found it in an episode of the PBS show Independent Lens entitled
The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill. . It is the story of Mark Bittner, a street Musician in San Francisco who fell in love with a flock of wild parrots. There is a lot to analyze in this film…social, political, ecological, spiritual…but I chose not to. I just enjoyed watching it for the sheer beauty of the power of an unlikely love shared between God’s creatures. If you can catch it, please do, it will fill your soul. If you, like me, have succumbed to the entity known as TiVo…well, console yourself by watching it twice. ;-)

Grace and Peace,
Joe

Grace

I’m going to miss Paul Zahl as Dean of Trinity Seminary (if you haven’t heard he is stepping down after 3 years). That may come as a bit of a surprise to some people. First, because I am on the “other side” of Zahl on the issue of sexuality. Second, because here and other places, I have reacted rather strongly to his over the top approach (flying a black flag outside the Cathedral in Birmingham on the day of +Robinson’s consecration, heavy us of “war” terminology when describing church politics, hyperbole in almost every sentence, etc.). And finally, because as a theologian, I found his strong love of Protestantism expressed in ways that seemed blatantly hostile to the more catholic nuances of our Tradition.

Still…Paul Zahl gets it. As I have read his writings in the Trinity Seed and Harvest newsletter over the last year or so, I have seen a powerful blueprint of a way forward for evangelicals/conservatives in TEC. He seems to be writing out of a deep conviction that the time for “fighting” over sexuality is over (the battle already lost in his eyes.) Instead, he calls on his “side” to focus on the Gospel, which to him is all (and I do mean ALL) about grace. This is an important reminder to conservatives in our Church right now, because the temptation is (and we’ve seen too many succumb) to move away from grace and towards a type of stifling legalism. And you know what, that’s not who they are…or at least not who they have been over their history in the Anglican Church. Zahl gets this, and calls his tribe to remember who they are and what they are called to do…but perhaps most importantly in these times, he reminds them of how they are called to do it. I thank God that the seminarians that will leave Trinity and go on to be leaders in the evangelical steam of the Anglican Tradition have heard that message so consistently from Zahl over the last few years.

Is that what did him in? Across the pond we certainly have seen a tightening of the ranks in a leading evangelical seminary…but whatever the reason, and wherever he goes from here, I am sure that he will continue to drive me nuts with his antics, and still manage to touch my heart with his commitment to the core component of the Gospel.

Grace and Peace,
Joe