Masculine language for God

I have always thought myself pretty sensitive to the issue of masculine language for God. But lately, I have been reading Morning Prayer with Emma, Emmanuel's foster daughter. With a female in the house (no matter how young), I have been even more sensitive to this issue. For the past few days the Psalms have been filled with masculine pronouns for God. While I though I was always sensitive to it, I have discovered that I never fully comprehended how absolutely overwhelming it is. And I suspect as a male, even reading with little Emma there I'm still not fully grasping it all. I have found myself changing the pronouns so Emma can hear of a God who is not simply a male figure, and it is hard work to keep up.

I can't help but worry about how it will affect Emma to grow up hearing God referred to as a "he" so often. For my own part, I'm going to work hard to fight against that stream.

New blog

Since I'm actually posting here more often as a result of more free time and since I will probably have even more free time when my prison Chaplain job ends on 1 July, I have started a new blog where I will just place my sermons and on this blog I will continue my flow of comments, commentary, and strange rambling. You can find my sermon blog at: http://episcopalpadresermons.blogspot.com/

Prayers

As I have mentioned previously I'm reading through the book "The Dark Night Of The Soul" by Gerald G. May, M.D. He made a great observation about the tendency in many churches to start a meeting with a prayer which includes something along the line of asking for "God to be with us". And then once we finish the religious business of prayer move on to the "real" business of the meeting as if God is no longer involved.

The thought made me ponder if I all too often live my life in that very same way. it is not the sort of thing we do on purpose of course! But I have to think that too often in my own life, I'm praying for God's presence and guidance, and then getting up and attending to the "business" of my life as if God no longer matters, or at least was no longer of primary concern.

I think I want to start working on making sure that I acknowledge and seek God's presence more and more in my life in all my decisions and actions.

Excommunicate the schismatics

It seems that Africa has come up with the solution to a Bishop who thinks he (since all the ones doing this are he's) can take a diocese out of a province. Perhaps the Episcopal Church should draw on this example!

CENTRAL AFRICA: Harare bishop excommunicated as persecution of Anglicans continues

By Matthew Davies, May 19, 2008

[Episcopal News Service] The controversial former bishop of Harare, Nolbert Kunonga, has been officially excommunicated, thereby stripping him of his ability to function as a cleric in the Anglican Church.

The announcement by the dean of the Church of the Province of Central Africa, the Rt. Rev. Albert Chama, comes following disturbing reports of continued harassment and violence from local police against Anglicans trying to worship in Zimbabwe's capital city.

Last week, Zimbabwe's Supreme Court dismissed an application from Kunonga to take control of Harare's Anglican churches. However, police in Harare have continued to use physical force in their attempt to bar worshippers from attending church services at the city's Anglican cathedral.

Kunonga, who is an avid follower of Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe and has praised him as "a prophet from God," was replaced in December 2007 by Bishop Sebastian Bakare, who is supported by the majority of the country's Anglicans.

Bakare said his main concern is how to provide pastoral counseling to many church members who have been psychologically traumatized and stressed. "Our people have been spiritually wounded and we can only pray and hope that God's Grace will sustain and heal us," he said. "The present persecution will not destroy us at all."

Chama had declared the Diocese of Harare vacant in October 2007 after Kunonga had attempted to withdraw the diocese from the province.

In his recent announcement, Chama said that he pronounces upon Kunonga "and all those who support him the sentence of Greater Excommunication, thereby separating them from the Church of the Province of Central Africa and the Anglican Communion, by the actions taken of withdrawing from the Province of Central Africa, forming another Church, and casting aside the Constitution and Canons of the Church of the Province of Central Africa."

Chama's announcement calls on the "faithful in the Church of the Province of Central Africa and the Anglican Communion…to join with us in humble supplication that these our erring brothers and sisters may speedily attain true repentance, for their own souls' health and the wellbeing of the Body of Church."

-- Matthew Davies is editor of Episcopal Life Online and Episcopal Life Media correspondent for the Anglican Communion.

Bumper stickers

Some humor and funny suggestions from Scotland and the blog of the Raspberry Rabbit.

In their wisdom the powers-that-be down at Grosvenor Crescent have decided that the Scottish Episcopal Church needs car stickers. Most of the cars driving around these parts have some sort of sticker on them.

Give us car stickers or give us death!

When I first moved to Penicuik I figured that there was a very popular Scottish Liberal Democrat named Arnold Clark running for election. Turns out that this is only the car retailer after all and people seem willing to advertise their car salesman without demanding a discount which seems very un-Scottish.

Anyway - we in the SEC now have a bumper sticker and it's more or less what appears at the top of the page. I couldn't find an online copy of the original anywhere so I threw this together as a reasonable facsimile.

It's not a sterling demonstration of Evangelical mojo. No strong language here, that's for sure. Still, it's all true. If you show up we will, in fact, welcome you, your children, your weekly envelope, your helpfulness in helping to paint the church and, in a moment of weakness or stupidity, your willingness to serve as a lay representative to Diocesan Synod.

Is it the best we can do? How about this?

Or even these

last one - I promise

---drumroll---

Disturbances in worship

I just watched a disturbing item on CNN. Apparently a church (not Episcopalian, thanks be to God), got a restraining order to prevent an autistic child from attending services because he is rather large, loud, disruptive, and they feel, dangerous.

I can just imagine Jesus getting a restraining order to keep people away from him, some of whom I'm sure were large, loud, disruptive, and possibly dangerous.

And I know that autistic children can be more than a handful and can be extremely disruptive at times, but come on. If everyone is not welcome in church

I can't imagine what sort of spirit is present in this place, but surely the spirit and compassion of Jesus must not be there.

I pray God will change their hearts and minds.

No one likes to be sick

Well I'm just beginning to recover from what I think is a case of food poisoning that laid me out for the past 4 days. (Don't tell the wonderful person who feed me the meal!) Quite frankly I'm still not up to speed but at least feeling I can face the world again.

On thing about being really sick is that it reminds me how good I really have it. There are people in the world suffering on a daily basis, day after day, week after week and quite frankly I tend to forget about that. But lying curled up in a ball for many days gives you a lot of time to let your mind wander.

I'm reminding myself to be thankful for all the blessings and to focus on them rather than the difficulties in my life.

Tell all your friends!

OK, another annual membership drive from the EPPN. A great organization which I encourage everyone to join and support. Come on all! I would love an inscribed BCP from our PB!!! Help me out and pass the word.

	The Episcopal Public Policy Network Policy Alert
Dear Robert, "And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly." -- Acts 5:31 Like the disciples who went out and spread the good news after the Holy Spirit’s anointing, we celebrate our renewal of purpose, mission, and calling as God’s people during this season after Pentecost. We need more Spirit-filled voices to speak the Church’s mission boldly and to act on the global climate crisis, fight deadly poverty and HIV/AIDS, cancel debt for poor countries, promote the Millennium Development Goals, and support the critical justice work carried out by the EPPN. During the weeks following Pentecost, we are having EPPN’s fourth annual membership drive contest. Last year we broke all kinds of records – the EPPN crossed the 20,000 member mark and more people were involved in the membership drive than ever before. Let’s continue that great tradition! Invite your friends, family, and fellow Episcopalians to join the EPPN. As in past years there will be prizes – but we are doing one thing differently. Because we know that even one more voice makes a huge difference – person to recruit just 1 new member will receive an EPPN prize. We will still also have prizes for the people who recruit the MOST new members during the summer as well: One Grand Prize A Flip Video Camera (maybe we can persuade you to send in a video to the EPPN?) and A Book of Common Prayer inscribed by the Presiding Bishop 3 Runner-up Prizes A Book of Common Prayer inscribed by the Presiding Bishop 100 First Recruiters Prizes EPPN Prize (it’s a surprise!) Invite your friends to join the EPPN! Be sure to use our special "Share this message with a friend pages" or have your friends write your name on their paper registration so that we can properly credit you. During the summer, watch for your EPPN Action Alerts and Newsletters, because they will contain updates on how many new members you have recruited and how many emails you have sent. Remember that the more voices we have, the more clearly our message will be heard. You are our best advocates on Capitol Hill. You are also our best recruiters in your home towns and churches. Send a message inviting your friends to join the EPPN!

110 Maryland Ave., N.E. #309, Washington, D.C. 20002
1-800-228-0515, (202) 547-7300, FAX (202) 547-4457
On the Web: www.episcopalchurch.org/eppn
Email: eppn@episcopalchurch.org

Charity and Compassion

Another excellent post from the blog of Fr. Tobias Haller, BSG. A link to his blog can be found on my listing of links.


Thought for 05.15.08
from In a Godward direction by Tobias Haller
Charitable feelings are of no use
without acts of charity.
Compassionate feelings are of no use
without acts of compassion.
Loving feelings are useless
unless they lead to acts of love.
The Priest and Levite may well have felt sorry
for the wounded man
as they steered a course past him,
and the Samaritan who stopped to help
may have been muttering
under his breath
at the inconvenience
the whole time.
How they felt
was immaterial to the wounded man.

Tobias Haller BSG

Thought for the Day: Show love in truth and action

Sunday's Epistle from the Daily Lectionary, 1 John 3:11-18 ends with "Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action." Great words for us to remember in our hearts each and every day.

Cyclone Nagris survivor

From the Day in pictures from the BBC News web page.

Day in pictures

YOUR PICTURE GALLERY IS NOW LOADING...

A young Burmese survivor of Cyclone Nargis eats in Dagon township on the outskirts of Rangoon.

And you thought we had it bad

Being one to soon enter the ranks of the unemployed with the defunding of my chaplain position at the prison, I start wondering about making ends meet. What with the price of gas and groceries it can be worrisome. But articles like this make me very grateful for what I do have.

A 10m Zimbabwe dollar note was issued earlier this year

Zimbabwe bank issues $500m note
Zimbabwe $10m note
A 10m Zimbabwe dollar note was issued earlier this year

The central bank has issued a 500m Zimbabwe dollar banknote, worth US$2, to try to ease cash shortages amid the world's highest rate of inflation.

The previous highest denomination note was for Z$250m, issued 10 days ago.



You can read the entire article here.

Charity and Compassion

Another excellent post from the blog of Fr. Tobias Haller, BSG. A link to his blog can be found to the right.


Thought for 05.15.08
from In a Godward direction by Tobias Haller
Charitable feelings are of no use
without acts of charity.
Compassionate feelings are of no use
without acts of compassion.
Loving feelings are useless
unless they lead to acts of love.
The Priest and Levite may well have felt sorry
for the wounded man
as they steered a course past him,
and the Samaritan who stopped to help
may have been muttering
under his breath
at the inconvenience
the whole time.
How they felt
was immaterial to the wounded man.

Tobias Haller BSG

Mistakes and Repentance

I found this excellent blog entry. Having to struggle with my own personal failures and repentance really drives this home. In my career I have seen other clergy stumble and have always wondered what in the world was going on in their minds at the time. I'm a bit more humble now, going through it myself.

Repentance

via Darryl's Blog by dsd@DashHouse.com (Darryl Dash) on 5/12/08

One of the best things I learned in the past year is repentance. I suppose I always knew about repentance, but the learning that's recently taken place is about the continual nature of repentance: that, as Martin Luther said, all of life is repentance. Repentance is not occasional and traumatic. Instead, it's continuous and joyful, because I'm not surprised by my sin, nor am I overly discouraged by it. My acceptance isn't based on my worthiness or how badly I feel, but on what Christ has done for me.

This has allowed me to look at myself with much greater honesty. There's less to hide and less to prove. I'm still learning this, but it's made a huge difference in my life. It changes everything. As I say, I knew this before, but it's really become clear in this past year, and much more part of my life.

Two of the people who have helped me most with this are Tim Keller, who wrote this handy PDF on the subject, and Jack Miller, who wrote The Heart of a Servant Leader.

I was thinking about this today, even before I heard some bad news. A friend or mine, someone I was supposed to see this week, and someone whose ministry was taking off, recently resigned due to moral failure. I'm devastated for his wife and kids and church, and truth be told for him. I'm mad that news like this is so commonplace. I'm preaching on Proverbs 5 in a couple of weeks, and I didn't really need another sermon illustration.

But news like this also makes me humble and repentant. I pray to God I don't do anything as stupid as what my friend did, but I know I'm capable. I look at myself and can say what I sung growing up: "Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it." And facing this in myself reminds me of my weakness and of my need to keep on acknowledging my weakness and repenting.

Ironically, it's in facing what wrong with us sets us free, because we stop looking for the solution within ourselves. And we discover that God's grace is more than a match for anything that's wrong with us.

If you're so inclined, please pray for my friend today. I hope he'll find his way to genuine repentance, but it's not likely to be joyful at first. Maybe ever.

Pray that the rest of us will learn the continual nature of repentance, so that we can keep it continual and joyful. It's much better than the alternative. And spread the news as best as you know how: all of life is repentance.

Reprinted with permission. You can find the blog for the DashHouse here.

Lambeth and the Anglican Communion

Fr. Tony Clavier has an excellent blog you can find here. He is sometimes a bit conservative for me, but his writings are always thoughtful, grace filled, and giving with Christian care and love. I very much appreciated his pointing out that TEC was not the first member of the Anglican Communion other than the Church of England, something that I often hear said.

LAMBETH AND ORIGINS

from Fr. Tony Clavier by Fr. Tony Clavier

We've been asked to pray for the upcoming Lambeth Conference, which perhaps nowadays should be called the Canterbury Conference. It is many years since the bishops attending a decadal conference could fit into the library of Lambeth Palace, the home of the Archbishop of Canterbury.

With enormous irony those in our church most suspicious of the Conference, or at least those on the left wing of TEC, are also keen to assert that the emergence of the Episcopal Church as an organized "national" body at the end of the 18th Century signalled the creation of the Anglican Communion. This theory ignores the Scottish Episcopal Church which pre-existed TEC. Granted this "continuing Anglican" body was formally recognized by the Church of England at that time but at least a passing nod should be made to the church which provided America with its first official bishop. Yet even if our Scottish brethren are disqualified there remains the Church in Ireland, complete with its separate succession of bishops going back to St Patrick.

In a review in the "Church Times" of a recent book on Archbishop Ussher of Armagh, the wonderful post-reformation scholar and historian Dr Judith Maltby writes:

"We usually think of the origins of the Anglican Communion as lying in the emergence of the Atlantic colonies, but the roots are much closer to home. Archbishop Laud conducted a determined campaign to impose his brand of orthodoxy not only on the Church of England, but on the Scottish and Irish Churches as well. I most admire Ussher for his dogged persistence in maintaining that he was Laud’s peer and equal (he even suggested to the English Primate that they were not so much brother metropolitans, as brother patriarchs!) in the face of a determined, at times ruthless, campaign to subject the Irish Church to the English. As Ford puts Ussher’s vision, “the Church of England and the Church of Ireland were engaged, not in a parent-child, but in a more equal, sisterly relationship, which entitled them to defend their own rather different version of ecclesiastical orthodoxy.”

Ussher is perhaps notoriously remembered for his attempt to date Creation. Despite this now seemingly odd adventure, he is better remembered for his seminal rehabilitation of the works of Ignatius of Antioch against Puritan attempts to discredit the authenticity of that earliest Father of the Church, whose views on episcopacy and the sacraments did not commend themselves to radical evangelicals who sought to reform the Church of England "root and branch".

Dr Maltby also commends Ussher - the only bishop to attend the Westminster Assembly which produced the famous "Westminster Confession" - for his irenic attempts to forge a way between Laudianism and Puritanism. Ussher failed. Whether Ussher's example provides a goodly example for others to follow in seeking to comprehend the "prophetic" utterances of contemporary TEC establishmentarianism and classical Anglicanism perhaps is open to question. It might be noted that if "Laudianism" is viewed not so much as a High Church revival as an example of an intolerant ascendant "party" determined to enforce its agenda on the rest of the church, if necessary by the force of law, then perhaps in that limited sense the official TEC position is "Laudian".

Certainly pre-1662 the Irish Church represented a more unified example of Reformed Anglicanism than its troubled and divided sister church in England. "Laudian" bishops such as Bramhall and Jeremy Taylor, both Englishmen, would represent a change in all that after the Restoration but that was then the future.

The Church of Ireland does have a claim to be a part of the original "Anglican Communion" pre-dating TEC by centuries. Of course that doesn't really matter very much. That its "character" was comprehended by the Elizabethan and Jacobean Anglican family of churches, despite its differences, is also true.

I must also admit that although I appreciate the legacy of "Laudianism" and the heroic witness of those we later described as the Caroline Divines, I must also admit that I deplore the means used to force reforms on church people who were moderate Anglicans and not anti-church Puritans, forcing many of them to embrace schismatics rather than conform.

When Charles II returned from his journeys in 1660 it was hoped that the Laudians had learnt their lessons. They had contributed to the very destruction of the church they wished to reform because they were so sure of the virtue of their cause and brooked no opposition. Yet instead of learning from their mistakes, in a fit of revenge and righteous indignation, in 1662 and thereafter they used the force of law to eject from the church even moderate Puritans like the saintly Richard Baxter.

Nowadays the 1662 Prayer Book is viewed by many as a living memory of comprehensive classical Anglicanism. In 1662, to many, it was a symbol of resurrected oppression on the part of the High Church party bent on securing its place and accomplishing its agenda. Yet the victory of Laudianism in the Restoration Church came at a great price. Those ejected formed permanent Nonconformity, depriving the Church of England, at least in practical terms of its claim to be the comprehensive church of the English people. Was smaller better? Perhaps those in our church intent on establishing their agenda may wish to think about this lesson?

Join in helping

All the destruction that has happened in the past few days, particularly in Myanmar and China, with tens of thousands dead and hundreds of thousands displaced sort of make my struggles and issues seem minor in comparison. It is an opportunity for me to reflect on the many blessings I have received from God, not because I have done anything to deserve them, but just because God has been gracious to me. While the possible impending loss of Emma (which is seems nothing but a miracle will change) and with my recent resignation as rector from my parish are all painful and distressing, I'm still blessed in spite of my pain.

I encourage you to go to Episcopal Relief and Development and give generously to the work of helping those so recently struck by tragedy's of such huge impact that my mind simply cannot imagine the breadth of destruction.

Make haste less slowly!

Only the English can come up with something like this!

Make haste less slowly...

The hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners, was asked—

Livings (Crown Patronage)

7. Robert Key (Salisbury) (Con): How many livings in the Church of England are under the patronage of the Crown; and how many of the incumbents of those livings are women. [204058]

The Second Church Estates Commissioner (Sir Stuart Bell): There are approximately 650 parochial appointments in the gift of the Crown, of which patronage for around 450 is exercised on the Crown’s behalf by the Lord Chancellor. In some cases, the patronage right is shared in turn with other patrons of the benefice; 103 of those appointments are held by women.

Robert Key: There is clearly still some way to go. Does the hon. Gentleman agree with me that it really is time that the Church of England stopped discriminating against 50 per cent. of the human race when it comes to episcopal appointments? Can he imagine this House finding it expedient to agree to any Measure from Synod that sought to discriminate against women, in the hope that it was going to allow women bishops in the Church of England—but not at any price?

Sir Stuart Bell: I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for his comments. He will remember that this House voted almost unanimously, but certainly overwhelmingly, for women priests way back in 1992. Given that he is a member of the General Synod, he will know that in July it will look at the options for progressing the ordination of women as bishops, informed by the recently published report of the legislative drafting group, chaired by the Bishop of Manchester. This House—in its majority, I think—supports women bishops and we urge the Church in this case to make haste less slowly.

Budens to bear

About three weeks ago I wrote about a transformation in my life. Emmanuel had brought a wonderful new gift into our lives, a gift which I had fought and was not to happy about. But it was a gift that transformed my life in a very short time. The gift was a beautiful girl, Emma. Emmanuel was her foster father and it was hoped that due to her background Emmanuel would be able to adopt her. We have now found out that it is very likely she will be placed in another home sometime this summer. So barring a miracle, it is likely we will lose those wonderful presence in our lives. Please pray for us and Emma. We trust in God and know that God is watching over Emma. But the thought of losing her breaks our hearts.

Do Anglicans really have to choose?

In response to the article below, I can only ask, who do the Roman Catholics think they are demanding that we have to choose? You can find the article here. As well as the full text below.

Anglicans must choose between Protestantism and tradition, says Vatican
By Anna Arco
6 May 2008

Cardinal Kasper delivers his Newman lecture in Oxford

The Vatican has said that the time has come for the Anglican Church to choose between Protestantism and the ancient churches of Rome and Orthodoxy.

Speaking on the day that the Archbishop of Canterbury met Benedict XVI in Rome, Cardinal Walter Kasper, the president of the Pontifical Council of Christian Unity, said it was time for Anglicanism to "clarify its identity".

He told the Catholic Herald: "Ultimately, it is a question of the identity of the Anglican Church. Where does it belong?

"Does it belong more to the churches of the first millennium -Catholic and Orthodox - or does it belong more to the Protestant churches of the 16th century? At the moment it is somewhere in between, but it must clarify its identity now and that will not be possible without certain difficult decisions."

He said he hoped that the Lambeth conference, an event which brings the worldwide Anglican Communion together every 10 years, would be the deciding moment for Anglicanism.

Cardinal Kasper, who has been asked to speak at the Lambeth Conference by the Archbishop of Canterbury, said: "We hope that certain fundamental questions will be clarified at the conference so that dialogue will be possible.

"We shall work and pray that it is possible, but I think that it is not sustainable to keep pushing decision-making back because it only extends the crisis."

His comments will be interpreted as an attempt by Rome to put pressure on the Church of England not to proceed with the ordination women bishops or to sanction gay partnerships, both serious obstacles to unity.

They have come at an extremely sensitive time for the Anglican Communion, as cracks between different factions in the church are beginning to show ahead of the conference in July.

Dr Rowan Williams faces rebellion from conservative and liberal Anglicans over homosexuality and women bishops.

The Rt Rev Gene Robinson, the Anglican bishop of New Hampshire, whose attempts to enter into a civil union with his gay partner have angered conservative Anglicans, plans to attend the public events of the conference despite the fact that he has not been invited by Dr Williams.

On the other side of the spectrum, rebel conservative bishops, headed by Archbishop Peter Akinola of Nigeria, dismayed by the Archbishop of Canterbury's refusal to condemn homosexuality outright, plan a rival conference in the Holy Land in June.

Ecumenical dialogue between Rome and the Anglican Communion ground to a halt in 2006. Cardinal Kasper said at the time that a decision by the Church of England to consecrate women bishops would lead to "a serious and long lasting chill".

But last month the Church of England's Legislative Drafting Group published a report preparing the ground for women bishops, who are already ordained in several Anglican provinces.

Thought for the day

"Hope is what sits by a window and waits for one more dawn, despite the fact that there is not one ounce of proof in tonight's dark, black sky that it can possibly come."
- Joan Chittister