Stone of Witness: The Beginning of Healing?

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

The Beginning of Healing?

While reading Susan Russell’s blog I came across a letter from her bishop, +Jon Bruno. Following on a report on the applicants for Suffragan Bishop which includes gay folks, he goes on to say:

“We have a plan for the future, and it includes working toward re-incorporating into our Diocese the four congregations whose members voted five years ago to break away from our Church. When the new bishops suffragan are on board, we will invite them into the leadership of deciding where we go in the future in this process.

No matter what, we are always open to reconciliation. I've been contacted by several of the clergy who left the Diocese who've asked to be reinstated. I am evaluating with my fellow bishops and leadership of this Diocese how we can be of service in providing reconciliation.”

Comment: What a marvelous statement! In the midst of all the pain and agony of the past six years there has been some way that those congregations have found a way to again be a part of the greater church.

I have no idea what kinds of conversations that have gone on in those congregations or what has gone on in the diocesan offices, but something has brought the possibility for healing to the fore. I, for one, will be praying for a way to be found for those parishes to return to the Diocese of Los Angeles.

Now the real hope for healing is for the Archbishop of Canterbury to understand the real meaning of Anglican via media. His two tier concept of Anglican Communion is absurd at best. It takes a willingness to hold both sides in tension and with respect. It is clear that the ABC has reverted to the “cootie” test for lgbt clergy and bishops. Good Lord deliver us…

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Quotes

"Faith is different from theology because theology is reasoned, systematic, and orderly, whereas faith is disorderly, intermittent, and full of surprises.... Faith is homesickness. Faith is a lump in the throat. Faith is less a position on than a movement toward, less a sure thing than a hunch. Faith is waiting." Frederick Buechner “I realized that an oyster is an organism that defends itself by excreting a substance to protect itself against the sand of its spawning bed. The more sand in the oyster, the more chemical the oyster produces until finally, after layer upon layer of gel, the sand turns into a pearl. And the oyster itself becomes more valuable in the process. At that moment,” I said, I discovered the ministry of irritation.” Joan Chittister

Quotes

So keep fightin' for freedom and justice, beloveds, but don't you forget to have fun doin' it. Lord, let your laughter ring forth. Be outrageous, ridicule the fraidy-cats, rejoice in all the oddities that freedom can produce. And when you get through kickin' ass and celebratin' the sheer joy of a good fight, be sure to tell those who come after how much fun it was.(Molly Ivins 1944-2007)

Dorothy Sayers (Creed or Chaos?)

Let us,

In Heaven's name,

drag out the Divine Drama

from under the dreadful accumulation

of slipshod thinking

and trashy sentiment heaped upon it,

and set it on an open stage

to startle the world

into some sort of vigorous reaction.

If the pious are the first to be shocked,

so much the worse for the pious

--others will enter the Kingdom of Heaven before them.

If all men are offended because of Christ,

let them be offended;

but where is the sense

of their being offended at something

that is not Christ

and is nothing like Him?

We do Him

singularly little honor by watering down

'til it could not offend a fly.

Surely it is not the

business of the Church

to adapt Christ to man,

but to adapt man to Christ.

Just Something to Think About...

"The Bible contains six admonishments to homosexuals and 362 admonishments to heterosexuals. That doesn't mean that God doesn't love heterosexuals. It's just that they need more supervision." (Lynn Lavner, an American comedian and musician from Brooklyn, NY). and...none of the six came from Jesus

"Religion isn’t about believing things. It's ethical alchemy. It’s about behaving in a way that changes you, that gives you intimations of holiness and sacredness." - Karen Armstrong

"A church that doesn't provoke any crises, a gospel that doesn't unsettle, a word of God that doesn't get under anyone's skin, a word of God that doesn't touch the real sin of the society in which it is being proclaimed — what gospel is that?"

-Archbishop Oscar Romero

"If the truth be told, my attitude towards all gatherings of bishops is to avoid them. I have never seen a good outcome to any synod, or asynod which produced deliverance from evils rather than the additionto them … rivalries and manoeuvres always prevail over reason … and intrying to decide between others it is easier to get accused ofwickedness itself than to deal with their wickedness. Consequently Ihave withdrawn to myself. I consider retirement to be the only meansof saving my soul." Gregory of Naziansus (bishop, 4th century)

The Bible contains six admonishments to homosexuals and 362 admonishments to heterosexuals. That doesn't mean that God doesn't love heterosexuals. It's just that they need more supervision." (Lynn Lavner, an American comedian and musician from Brooklyn, NY).