A Rant of a friend

Below is a rant of a friend of mine. As much as I love her, I kind of wish that she had a sibling who was the total opposite of her, for I have heard enough sermons by her father about the wonderful things that she has done. Now I know that she isn't as good as her parents think that she is, but she is a wonderful person that I think greatly of.

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- Rant, rant, rant!!

Ok, so this is going to be a bit of a rant.

I recently came across a discussion regarding homosexuality online. It started out pleasantly enough, then degraded a bit into "sin" talk. I am always disturbed by people who profess to be Christians and yet they 'hate' those that don't live the same lifestyle.

I was raised by Christian parents, in fact my father is a priest. I was taught that "alternative lifestyles" (a term I didn't hear until I was older), were fine and dandy providing they weren't hurtful to anyone. That just because I didn't live that way didn't make it wrong, just different.

My mother had many gay friends, I had friends with one parent, friends with gay/lesbian parents, friends who lived with their grandparents, friends who lived in foster care, friends who were only children, the youngest child, the oldest, the middle, lived in blended families, some had dogs, some cats, some pet snakes. I had friends who were white, black, Indian, Asian, mixed with everything. I had friends who were on welfare, some were rich, middle class, or just plain poor. I grew up with legal immigrants, illegal immigrants, people whose family came on the Mayflower, and some who came to the USA when they were 15 or older, some were adopted. Let's see, Jewish friends, Catholic, Episcopal, Methodist, Muslim, Wiccan, Agnostic, Atheist, Lutheran, Greek Orthodox, etc........I could go on. Here's what I don't understand. If I grew up with all of these people, all of these lifestyles, differences, both physical, emotional, economic.....which is the "alternative" lifestyle?!?

I mean seriously....If I look back at my childhood, my parents, and ONE other family I grew up with were the only ones with parents who were married, had been married prior to our conception and birth, and who were our natural parents. <----This was the "alternative" to everyone and everything I saw around me. I was the freak, I was the weird one, I still am.

So why in society is that the family dynamic/life dynamic/love dynamic/sex dynamic that everyone feels is "normal and okay"? Can someone explain it to me?

Oh, wait I know.....the bible says so, right?!? And we are a bible loving country in the good old USA, right?!?

Don't get me wrong, I love the bible, it's teaching, and stories, but really?!? That's the reasoning? Doesn't it also say not to eat pork? But on T.V. it says pork is the other white meat. Every Christian church function I've gone to has pork products. Doesn't the bible also say to rest on the Sabbath? But come on all the best sales are on the weekends! Hmmm, what else does the bible say to do that we as "Christians" don't follow. Why is it that we get to pick and choose what we want to believe in the bible, then we point to it as our moral compass, when we as a people, religious group, don't follow all of it's tenants?

But then it also says to love our neighbor, to turn the other cheek, and to do unto others.....but then we often choose to disregard those teachings too. Why do we choose the negative to live by rather than the positive? How can a Christian person say, "I hate the sin but love the sinner", there should be no hate.

How can you hate someone for loving someone else?!? Shouldn't we embrace any love? Shouldn't we celebrate positive feelings in this world? I just don't understand how you can hate/dislike someone for who they have sex with. Why? I want someone to explain this to me without the excuse of "because the bible says so". The bible says a LOT of things that you don't follow, how did you come to the conclusion that THAT particular issue is the one you should grab onto?

Personally, if you love someone, and that someone loves you back, the RIGHT ON! GOOD FOR YOU! Why is that my business or my concern?

I see things day in and day out at my job that baffle the mind and would assault the sensibilities of anyone in the "general public". Then I go home, surf the net, watch t.v. try to escape, and what do I see? The "normal" people, the "Christian" people who are bagging on others, spreading hatred and discontent. People who are trying to divide, who think their way is the only way, who say they are Americans and Christians, yet they want everyone to live their way, because obviously that is the "correct" way.

It's getting to the point that I go to work to escape from the "real world". Because at least there, I know who I'm dealing with, I know what I'm getting. And the people I work with know that they aren't perfect, know that there are different ways of living that are good, and just. Don't hate me because I'm different than they are.

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Are We Like Sheep?

“All of us are like sheep: We have wandered away from God. All of us have turned to our own way. And the Lord has placed on his servant the sins of all of us.” - Isaiah 53:6

 

June 2, 2007 was a good day for me, in that I went to Grace Cathedral for the Ordination Service, and came out thinking about something. I will have to give credit my Bishop Marc Andrus for making me think about this, for it was his sermon that brought it to my mind. Bishop Marc’s sermon dealt with Sheep and Shepards. Even though he didn’t talk about the topic, I began to think about the Anglican Communion, and more about the Diocese of California.

There is a wonderful book titled “The Way Of The Wolf”, by Martin Bell. It’s a collection of stories, poems and songs that are kind of like the parables of Jesus, but written in modern language and in some cases modern versions. Now I love to read short stories, and this is a book that has a wonderful collection of them. One of the stories is called “”Rag-Tag Army”. It talks about God having trouble keeping his army together as they travel, for groups within the army keep doing different things, and God has to stop what he is doing to get everyone back in step so that they can get to where they are suppose to be going. God is the Shepard, and the army is his sheep.

Another thing that came to mind is a song from Handel’s Messiah called “Are We Like Sheep?” As the song runs through my head, I wonder if the Episcopal Church has gone astray? Has this diocese gone astray from the teachings of Jesus? Have I gone astray from the Orthodox teachings that I was taught in the congregation that I grew up in when I was living in another diocese?

When God created the world, one of the first things that he gave to all of his creatures was the freedom of choice. We as humans always say that he gave just us the freedom of choice, but if you really think about it, he gave the choice to all of his creatures. Just recently a couple of humpback whales made the choice of going up the San Pablo Bay towards Sacramento. Some people will say that they got lost, but how do we really know that they were lost? They could of chose to stay with the others in their pod, but they chose to venture off to take another route.

As I read the stuff that is going on in the Anglican Communion, it makes me wonder if the ECUSA and the Anglican Church of Canada are sheep that have wondered off and the rest of the communion is trying to bring us back or are we sheep that have headed off to begin a new herd?

I have often heard the Church of England referred to as the “Mother Church” of the Anglican Communion, and one of its children is the Episcopal Church. If we look at the traditional role of a mother, it is like that of a Shepard in that she guides her children (sheep) through life to the point where they go out on their own. She protects her sheep as best as she can.

With what is going on in the Anglican Communion, is the Episcopal Church like many teenagers who think that they know everything and have rebelled against the mother church, or has the Episcopal Church grown into adulthood and mother is not ready to let her child go out into the world to live there own life?

Most parents do what they can to keep their child out of trouble and away from dangers, trying to keep their child from going through the same mistakes that they went through. Oh this is a great thing to do, but in some cases in order for a child to learn about things in life they need to make the same errors that their parents did in order to learn the same lesson. Parents tell kids not to do this or that because it is wrong, but fail to really explain why so that the child understands. People will say to kids not to use drugs, but will fail to tell kids that they used them at one point in life, and some of the things that they experienced as a result of using them.

But I am getting way off track on what my Bishop got me thinking about.

Being an Afro-Anglican in the Diocese of California is an interesting matter. In the diocese that I grew up in (The Diocese of Pennsylvania,) Black Episcopal clergy was a common thing to see. Don’t get me wrong, as they were in every congregation, but as a child it wasn’t that uncommon to come across one working not only in Black congregations, but in other congregations also. In this diocese we have black clergy in three congregations on a full time basis. Two of the clergy are priest, and the other is a Deacon. Now I know of five other black clergy in the diocese, two are retired, and at least one of the other two serves as an Interim.

Even though there are not many black youth within the diocese, sadly with the few Black Clergy in the diocese the black youth in this diocese really don’t see examples that becoming an ordained clergy person in this diocese as a viable option. This is also true of the Hispanic youth also.

This is a diocese that has only four Hispanic ministries, and not a single congregation with it’s own property. But when it comes to the Blacks within this diocese, we only have one that is looked upon as an Afrocentric congregation.

I am not 100% sure, but I believe that we have only five Asian congregations, with four of them with their own properties. Sadly though, like with the Blacks, they only have one Deacon of Asian ancestry, and I don’t think that we have a single Hispanic that is a Deacon.

The thing that each of the ethnic groups need to do is to become Sheppard's in getting the youth to realize that becoming a Clergy Person is a viable and fulfilling life that is worth considering. We as people of color need to show up at Ordination Services, welcome and show our support to the newly ordained that are of color. Yes we should show our support for ALL of the newly ordained, but with the small number of new ethnic seminarians in this country, we need to support them all.

I think that the only thing worse than the lack of people of color not becoming clergy is the major lack of people who happen to be physically handicap not being ordained.  Even though we of color are handicapped because of our color, the fact that someone is in a wheelchair, or having to use crutches, or is blind, doesn’t mean that they can’t bring forth the Good News. How can we even call ourselves an inclusive church when we deny access to people because they need a bit of help because of physical problems? Now I know that not all churches are set up to be able to handle a wheelchair in the altar area, but as we build more and more churches, it is something that we can put into the plans.

But overall, spend some time thinking about how we as a Christians are Sheppard’s in the world? How can we as a denomination be Sheppard’s to the world? How can the congregation that you are in be a Sheppard to our surrounding community? How can you be a Sheppard to those in your life? Who has been a Sheppard to you?

“And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things.” - Mark 6:34

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Hip-Hop Violin

No I have not changed my plan on using this place only for my Christian Episcopal/Anglican writings, but I just needed to share this with all.

Hip-Hop Violin

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Is a split natural?

Below is something that I wrote in August of 2006. Yes it would be nice if the Episcopal Church would stay in the Anglican Communion, but I think that it is more important that the Episcopal Church follows what the Holy Trinity has in store for it. People talk about the traditions of the church, and after thinking about it, the Episcopal Church is not breaking tradition, for it has been a denomination that has been a welcoming one to all through it's history.

People have been saying different things about what is going to happen to the Episcopal Church and it being in the Anglican Communion, from the communion having a two-tier system where the Episcopal Church will be in the lower tier, then the other being that it will be "thrown out" of the communion. With the two-tier system, in a way I hope that if that happens that the Episcopal Church then gives the Anglican Communion second tier money. Would you pay for a first class ticket and be happy if you were placed in coach? With the second case, I think that a few others within the communion will also leave, and when the Anglican Communion see the amount of money that they will no longer have, they will try and go for a few years then try and get the ones that left back. It's sad that things are going this way, but with what I wrote below, I realize that it is something that is natural in Christianity.

I hope that you enjoy.

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He said therefore, "What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? It is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches."
(Luke 13:18-20)

With the current situation within the Anglican Communion, it makes me wonder if what we are really experiencing is something that is really a natural thing?

The next time that you are out somewhere, I would like for you to take a look at a tree. I'm not talking about just some simple small tree that really hasn't become firm and established, but one that has been around for a good while.

Now think of the trunk of that tree as being Christianity. Don't look at it as being a denomination, but just being Christianity. Go up and really look at that trunk. Really look at it. Touch it. Smell it. Hug It.

Look up. Look at the branches coming off of the trunk. Some of them are big, while others are small. Now think of those branches being the different denominations. You see that really big branch? Those are the Roman Catholics. That branch to the right of it, those are the Eastern Orthodox. Not to far up are the Quakers, and then there are the Amish, the Mormons, the Baptist, the COGIC, and so many many more.

Then you spot it. It's that special branch called the Anglican Branch. Oh that branch is so beautiful and wonderful. Don't you just want to sit on that branch? Now out of safety, don't climb the tree to that branch, but imagine yourself sitting on that branch. There you are, sitting right next to the trunk and looking out at the length of that branch. Isn't that a nice long branch? Oh ever so wonderful and beautiful.

As you look out at this branch, you notice the branches that stick out from it. There is the CofE, Canada, Nigeria, Belize, South Africa, Japan, New Zealand, and so many others. Ahhhh, you see this really wonderful branch. Yes, that's the one, the one that you really love. It the branch that is officially named The Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society of the Protestant Episcopal Church in America, but out of simplicity you call it the Episcopal Church, or the ECUSA, or TEC.

Now you work your way over to the ECUSA and you really like what you see. Oh it is so wonderful. As you look at it, you notice these stems. So are going to the left, and some are going to the right. So are going up, while others are going down. All of these stems are going in different directions for different reasons.

You then come down from the tree and look at all of the branches coming out from the trunk. You notice that all the same is true with all of the branches, in that they have stems and branches that break off from them. Then you look closely and see branches that are dying off. On the ground around the trunk you see branches that have fallen off of the tree and died. You also see branches that are mixed with other branches, some of which have merged back together into one.

Now walk back from the tree so that you can see the entire thing. You suddenly realize that those mighty branches coming out of the trunk were like those small stems that you saw on the ECUSA branch. Even though all of those branches are going in different directions, they all have the one thing that keeps them connected. They all are all part of that mighty trunk called Christianity.

So is the split that is something that is natural? Yes. Do I hope and pray that we split. No, I hope and pray that we do stay as one to become even stronger in helping to hold up our part when a big strong wind comes along. But if we do split, I hope that we could be one of those branches that split apart but yet merge back together.

Now go out and hug a tree, and don't forget to hug your friends and family also.

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