Okay, I'm done now.

Up until today, I've deliberately refrained from saying anything specific about some of the controversial commentary about women's ordination that has been appearing in the blogiverse where I hang out most often. I know full well that not all, or even the majority, of Nashotah House students are included in those who have been expressing vituperative opinions of their theological problems with a woman as presider-- either as general practice or in specific, at last week's Lavabo Bowl Eucharist. And those who have done, did not address me directly, so I have chosen not to engage them personally, either. No point in picking a fight, or stirring up an argument that is destined to go nowhere.

But last night, I talked to my daughter.

She's 16, a junior in high school, and very outgoing-- the sort of young woman who sees strangers as potential friends, and will eagerly engage anyone in conversation. She's also got a generous heart, and honestly enjoys being helpful and hospitable.

So last Saturday she was in her element when our guests arrived: chatting with a whole passel of new people, helping them find their way around, and generally being her talkative, sociable self. And she generally had fun, finding most folks were very pleasant.

However, it turns out that most was not all. At one point, one of the Nashotah House students asked her if her father was among the students who played in the game. My daughter smiled (knowing my athletic aptitude is way on the low end of the spectrum) and said something like, "No, it's my mom that's a student here, but she wasn't playing." Suddenly, her conversation partner's smile faded. He said, "Oh, really?" with his eyebrows raised, turned his back on her, and walked away.

Now, I suppose I should be grateful that this person didn't feel the need to deliver a diatribe about the evils of women in ordained ministry, right at that moment. But I'm not. Rather, I'm incensed that someone who purports to be training for presbyteral ministry in the church-- called to be pastor to God's people-- has so little self-control that he would feel entitled to express his theological convictions by being deliberately rude to a teenage girl. And I am embarrassed and ashamed to think that this sort of behavior and attitude have apparently found a congenial place in an Episcopal seminary.

Lord, have mercy on us all.

Honorable men

An old-fashioned expression, I suppose; but then, I have a solid streak of old-fashioned idealism in me, so there you go.

I've found myself thinking about this quite a bit recently-- as I've read some of the reactions to the Windsor Report; as we hosted our neighbors to the north last week, and then heard and read different takes on that; and in my more commonplace interactions with family, friends and classmates.

So, what does an honorable man look like? Glad you asked. I don't know that any list of attributes would be awfully different for the women I know, but my experiences this week have dealt largely with men, so that's where my consideration lies at the moment.

Anyway, it seems to me that it includes:

• Humor: The ability to laugh at oneself, and to maintain a sense of perspective.
• Respect: A willingness to listen-- and to disagree, when appropriate, without resorting to disparagement, insult or ridicule.
• Fidelity: Not offering promises or commitments lightly, but making every effort to keep them when they are made.
• Integrity: Innate dependability; being as utterly genuine as possible-- even when it might be easier or more pleasant not to.
• Sensitivity: Not the schmaltzy talk-show sort, but a genuine concern for the impact one has on others.
• Honesty: 'Nough said.

I am blessed by the grace of God to be married to one such man; and to have in my circle of friends and acquaintences any number of others. Tripp and Todd and Micah, Ryan and Cliff and Mark... look down my blogroll, and you'll find several more. I think I'm more disturbed when I encounter dishonorable behavior, precisely because I know so well some shining examples of men who quietly go about being better than that, every day.

Twenty First Sunday after Pentecost

(I was invited to preach this morning at the Church of St. John the Divine, Burlington, Wisconsin. The congregation was most welcoming, and Joanne, their priest, was a blessing and a joy. The only problem I had with the day is that they're not closer to home. If you're ever in the neighborhood, stop by; they cook a wonderful breakfast between services).

Proper 25C
Jeremiah 14:(1-10) 19-22
Psalm 84
2 Timothy 4:6-8,16-18
Luke 18:9-14

“I thank you, Lord, that I am not like other people. I go to church every Sunday-- well, most of them, anyway. I give a strict percentage of my income to the church. I’m on several important committees, too, and I rarely miss a meeting. And of course, I voted the correct way at General Convention last year!”

Sound like anybody you know? Now, I’m sure that no one in this congregation would ever speak like that; but I’m afraid that it sounds all too familiar to me, especially in the recent times in our church. I’ve known more than a few people who can come off this way. And if I’m being honest with you, I will admit that I like being right (or at least, feeling right) as much as the next person-- and that I’ve been guilty of this sort of behavior once or twice. At least.

So Jesus is right on target with this parable, isn’t he? Reminding us, regardless of how righteous we think we are, that “regarding others with contempt” undercuts a great deal of truly righteous behavior and intention. As a coworker of mine used to say (and I'm paraphrasing here): “One ‘Aw, shucks’ wipes out an awful lot of ‘Atta Boys!’”

So, we are left with the second man-- the tax collector. A man who was so sorrowful that scripture says he would not even look up to heaven, as he pleaded for God’s mercy. I believe that we each of us, if we are honest, can find enough sin and shortcoming in our hearts and in our lives, that we can sympathize. “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God,” Paul reminds us; “No one is worthy, not even one.”

He is the one that Jesus holds up as example-- as the one justified before God. And, brothers and sisters, we have a gift that this man did not realize, at the time. One that means we do not have to be reluctant to look to heaven for help. We have the incredible, illogical, unreasonable gift of the One who was telling this story-- God made man, loving us and healing us from the worst of our faults, if we but turn to him and ask. As Paul also tells the Corinthians, “...You were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” Nothing else would do, but the sacrifice of the Lamb; but it was done, and so nothing else is needed.

This is why Paul can say what he does, about having finished the race, and kept the faith, and that there is reserved for him “...the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give...” This is why he has a certainty that the man in the parable does not.

There is a difference between arrogance, and pride in one’s own abilities and virtues, and having confidence in the mercy, and strength, and love that God has given, and continues to give-- through the life, and death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ; and through the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives every day.

This also says something about the way we are to live into that confidence, I think-- not by boasting about our commitment to the church and the Gospel, but by living it, in each and every moment that we live-- in each interaction we have with one another. It is indeed important to say what we believe, and stand by it; but how we say it, and how we treat one another in the process, is just as important. This why loving God and loving our neighbor are more important than anything else we can do, above any other rule we have for Christian living.

Yesterday, my Old Testament professor, Dr. Frank Yamada, was the preacher at Eucharist in our school chapel. He says it far better than I can:

“It is not about mistake-free holy living. It is not about which church you attend, what kind of liturgy you practice, or which interpretation of the Bible you hold to. (It) is all about loving, and loving the hard way. The kind of love that is shocking not only in its display, but even more so in its object. Love the one who hates you. Love your enemy. Love the one who spits in your face, the one who would have you exiled, the one who cares not for your well being or the welfare of your loved ones. The one who looks across the table, points a finger at you and says that what you stand for is unequivocally and intolerably wrong. Love that one.”

No, it’s not easy. Sometimes I think that may be the hardest job there is. And the truth is, we can’t do it, not on our own. It’s not possible. But oh, my brothers and sisters, here’s the good news-- the best news there is: we never have to. Always and everywhere, we have God-- the God who created all things, the God who came to live with us in Jesus, and the God who in the Holy Spirit guides us still, if we will only listen, and follow. And with that God, all things are possible.

Lavabo Bowl reflections

Today was the annual flag football game between the Seabury Saints and the Nashotah House Black Monks...

Rain this morning, and lots of it-- Worship started late, because the weather delayed our guests' arrival.

Rite I liturgy, presided over by the newest member of our faculty. Chanting the psalm, and suddenly, unaccountably nervous as I did so.

Walking to the field, blessed by AKMA-- with Dave making grand, full circles with the censor ahead of him-- and beginning to play, in the pouring rain. Fortunately that ended about halftime.

Lost the game by one point: 22-21. Sorry, Ref; but you'd have been proud of the way the team played. I was. They made a few lovely plays, even to my untutored eyes; and set a generally high standard for sportsmanlike behavior when calls were blown or the competition had an... inappropriate moment or two.

Crowded lunch, with lots of good food. Then home-- and now a nap.

Episcopal reflection

My bishop has not issued a press release; however, he has written a letter to our diocese, offering his first thoughts on the Windsor Report, and how we will be addressing it in the days to come.

We already have a Covenant, remember?

Yes, the discussions have been going on here at Seabury, in class and out. And as I listened to some of them, I felt the anger, and the hurt, that have been coloring the Communion surfacing here as well. At points coming out... well, less than appropriately. One of my classmates and I had a short chat about this last evening, and today Leigh posted the meat of our conversation on the school's Moodle site:

• "Will you proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ?"
• "Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself?"
• "Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being?"

As we continue to process our reactions to the Windsor Report, how do we remain faithful to the affirmations we make in response to these questions when renewing our Baptismal Covenant?

How do we know when healthy, cathartic venting moves into behavior that is unhealthy, unproductive, and maybe even destructive?

How do we guard against falling into behavior and thinking that is characteristic of the colonial arrogance of the past?

We do not have the corner on truth. We are struggling, as our Anglican brothers and sisters throughout the Communion are struggling.

Our desire to effect change and free people from the pain they experience, however right we may feel it to be, has manifested itself in ways that have been hurtful to others.

How, therefore, do we continue to move forward, effecting change that acknowledges and affirms the value of ALL baptized Christians, while respecting the dignity of those who disagree?

How do we do all of this in a manner consistent with the Gospel message?

My hope and my prayer is that as we move forward, we will continue the conversation not only with those whom which we agree, but also with those of differing minds, and that we will allow ourselves to be led with a spirit of patience, humility, and trust in God.

All I can say is, Amen, sister.

First Thoughts

So, I've read the report-- once through, anyway. Here are a few things that occur to me, in no special order:

1. I am impressed with the spectrum of thought represented by the people who were chosen, and agreed to serve, on the Commission. East and West, "Euro-centric" and "Global South," "conservative" and "liberal" (and oh, how I am growing to detest those categorizations) were all contributors to the work that was done. That these people were able to come to unanimous agreement about the contents of this document, surrounded by the increasing animosity shown by those at the ends of those spectra toward one another, is well-nigh miraculous; ample evidence, it seems to me, of God's grace and mercy at work.


2. I am pleased by the solid, prayerful theology that they have developed as the foundation for the recommendations that are made. I know that there is a natural inclination to jump straight to the conclusions; but this is godly work, and if you do not read it, you are missing out.


3. As the writers state in their introduction, "This Report is not a judgement. It is part of a process. It is part of a pilgrimage towards healing and reconciliation." They have not denied that wrongs have been done, nor hesitated to state clearly what they saw as the underlying issues that have led us to this impasse. At the same time, they have been committed to the Gospel imperative of forgiveness. Their suggestions to (a) apologize for the hurt we have caused one another, on both sides; and (b) to take no further action (either in the development of rites of blessing for same-sex unions and ordaining of those in same-sex relationships) until (c) some prayerful, extensive, theological work has been done, I think are wise.

I have a friend who's brother recently went in for transplant surgery. The doctors were not able to complete all the work that they had to do in one trip to the operating room, because they couldn't stop the patient's bleeding. They had to halt the surgery, send him back to the ICU, and get that under control, before they could finish the work they needed to do.

That's where we are. There are people, worldwide, that have been hurt, desparately hurt, by the actions the church has taken-- by the vote of our General Convention, which came up on so many people seemingly without warning, and by the independent action of one diocese in Canada-- and the bleeding is out of control. We need time, brothers and sisters; time to think, and prayerfully consider, "in love and charity with one another."

This does not make anybody happy, I know. One side is outraged at the thought of waiting longer for action by the church, as part of what they see as God's imperative for justice. The other is incensed that immediate retribution is not called for, again as part of what they see as God's imperative for justice.

I can't help but wonder if the fact that neither side is satisfied, isn't an indicator that the suggestions before us are on the right track.

More later...

The Windsor Report

Yes, I downloaded the report from the Eames Commission, giving their recommendations for how to deal with the current rift in the Anglican Communion. All 93 pages of it, bright and early this morning. If you'd like to do the same, you can find it here.

I've taken a cursory glance through it, just enough to know that I want to read it more carefully before I comment. Aside from their suggestions, the Commission has done some intentional theological homework, and given legitimate consideration to related historical and background issues; and that work is worthy of serious attention.

So, I'll be back after bit. Please feel free to move about the cabin.

Things to be thankful for

Some of the questions that did not make it into this year's General Ordination Examination for the Episcopal Church...

Christian Theology: Summarize Thomas Aquinas' Summa Theologiae in three succinct sentences. You may use your Bible.

Church History: St. Martin of Tours, Pope Clement VII and Karl Barth were not contemporaries. Had they known each other, how might the Reformation have turned out differently?

Liturgics and Church Music: Design a worship service that satisfies Liberals, Conservatives, Moderates, and the entire population of Ancient Rome, ca. 3 BCE. You may use your Bible, BCP, and any currently authorized liturgical resources.

The Holy Scriptures: Memorize the Bible. Recite it in tongues.

Theory and Practice of Ministry: Imagine you have the stigmata. Would it affect your productivity at work? Would you still be admitted into fine restaurants? Would it be covered by your medical insurance, or should it constitute a preexistent condition?

Studies in Contemporary Society: What would it mean to be eternal, co-eternal, and nonexistent all at once? Compare and contrast views from the Eurocentric and Global South experiences.

Ethics and Moral Theology: St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Augustine of Hippo decide to rob a bank. The note to the teller is 1,200 pages long, not counting footnotes, complete with a promise of damnation if the teller does not accept immediate Baptism. In the middle of the heist, they engage in an extended debate as to whether or not the money really exists. Are they committing a mortal or a venial sin?

A new pastor in town!

The American Baptist powers-that-be in the Chicago region have, after due consideration, given their official (and unanimous!) "okey-dokey" to Tripp's ordination.

I'm not entirely sure that these fine people are really aware of what they've agreed to... but I've got a pretty clear picture, and I couldn't be more thrilled.

God's blessings and all good things as you step into this next adventure, my beloved brother.

Since you brought it up...

(Tripp had this on his blog; and then Shari posted the link in a comment below. How could I ignore it?)


You are a neurotransmitter. You believe in the good-naturedness of man's biology and soul. You're happy, everyone's happy, and no one will ever take that away from you. Or else you'll make them go insane.

Which Biological Molecule Are You?
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Confirmation or Reception?

In my liturgy class, we are studying rites of initiation-- baptism as well as confirmation. In my reading on the latter, it seems that there is more conflict than I realized over the theological/canonical nuances between confirmation and reception. In my home diocese, there has always been the liturgical distinction made between those coming to the Episcopal church as adults from Christian traditions which include the "historic episcopate:" (meaning apostolic succession), and those who come from more protestant denominations which do not hold to that. The latter (Lutheran, Presbyterian, Baptist, etc.) are "confirmed," while the former (most notably Roman Catholic and Orthodox) are "received."

I was a bit nonplussed to learn that this is not the same demarcation that is used in other dioceses in the ECUSA, let alone throughout the Anglican communion. Some draw the line instead between those who have made an adult profession of faith in another Christian denomination, and those who have not.

It will likely not surprise you to note that we do not agree on this; since when did any group of Anglicans totally agree on any point of doctrine, canon or polity?

What did surprise me was an article I was reading in favor of doing away with the distinction based on the traditional episcopate. It noted that "those from Orthodox churches, and some from the Roman Catholic Church, will not have been confirmed by a bishop." and added that "in the Orthodox churches there is no separate rite of confirmation."

Would one or two of my Orthodox readers be so kind as to explain to me how this works in your tradition?

Yeah, that's about right.

I am a hybrid of: Girl Next Door Progressive Girl Click on the pictures below to read more: Take the 'What Kind of Girl Are You?' quiz at CookingToHookup.com

(Thanks to Stephanie for this morning's bit of silliness.)

Busy, busy, busy

That's the last couple days in a nutshell. An active weekend with the kids, about which I'll post tomorrow (I hope).

It ended up being my turn to preach at Reconciler's worship this week-- kind of at the last minute. The compressed prep time has left me feeling as though it still should be a work in progress-- so that even though services were over a few hours ago, I'm still not sure that the sermon is really done. Odd, but true. However, it's as done as it's going to get; and posted here if you'd like to read it.

The service was good. I do like worshipping with these folks. We had a vacant spot-- one of our stalwarts was unavailable tonight-- but we had a visitor in the person of brother Wes, and I'm grateful that he was able to join us.

Now, I'm headed to the books, to see if I can catch up on some of the reading that I haven't been doing for the last few days.

Church of Jesus Christ, Reconciler

Y'all have read a mention or two here of the new congregation with whom I've been working-- an effort at establishing a church with an intentionally ecumenical foundation. We now have a place in the blogiverse. Please feel free to stop by here for a virtual cup of coffee or tea, to ask questions, offer suggestions, make comments and prayer requests. There's one of the nice things about cyberspace: ours is a little place yet, but there's still plenty of room for everybody to visit.

On a related note, my friend Larry has also recently officially opened the doors to his own personal blog. He is an amazing, faithful man, and I'm glad to have you know him. Welcome, bro.

GOE prep

In the back of the mind of every senior seminarian in the Episcopal Church, there looms the presence of the General Ordination Exam. This is a lengthy (4-day) test, theoretically designed to verify our knowledge in the seven areas listed in our national canons:

(1) The Holy Scriptures;
(2) Church History, including the Ecumenical Movement;
(3) Christian Theology, including Missionary Theology and Missiology;
(4) Christian Ethics and Moral Theology;
(5) Studies in contemporary society, including racial and minority groups;
(6) Liturgics and Church Music;
(7) Theory and practice of ministry

The GOE's are administered the first of each year; this time that will be January 3, 4, 6 and 7. In anticipation of this, we are in the process of contacting various professors, to set up review/preparation sessions with them.

The first session is this evening. This one is more about approach than content; it promises a discussion of "How To Read the Question" and "Managing Anxiety."

It's a good pace to start; we as a class at Seabury are coming into this with varying levels of anxiety. Part of this is due to temperment: some people are simply more natural worriers than others. And part is due to the emphasis that the ecclesial authorities in different dioceses place on the results of these tests. Some bishops, and Commissions on Ministry, pay little attention to the GOE's; others set great store by them, using them as a primary gauge of fitness for ministry. I'm fortunate, in that my diocesan powers-that-be seem to be striving for a reasonable middle-ground at this point. The message we keep hearing from them has been quite comforting. It usually sounds something like "Do your best, of course. But don't worry about it."

Now, I'm not totally lassiez faire; I've begun to prepare, getting my books and files in order, and looking a bit at some old GOE questions and answers. However, I find that I'm not unduly tense, either. I think I'm at the calmer end of the Seabury scale at this point. So the "managing anxiety" portion of the program is not holding my interest much (Of course, this may change suddenly and without notice at the end of December. No promises.).

Suggestions on "How to read the question," however, will be most welcome. The one area over which I have concerns has to do with completing the required essays coherently within the time limits. I'm not an especially fast writer, when it comes to academic papers and such; I write well enough, but it takes me a while to get the words to express my thoughts in a complete, cohesive way that suits me. So beginning at the beginning, in an organized fashion, and looking at the question in as effective manner as possible, sounds very helpful.

I'll let you know how it goes.

Fancy meeting you here!

This world is an amazing, unpredictable place. And just about the time I forget that, serendipity smacks me upside the head.

Micah and Laura took me along on a field trip last evening, to the Apple store in Skokie. It's a nice store-- very modern, very Apple. After we played with the toys for a while, I spotted a birthday present for Kyle (software-- beyond that, I'm not telling). I went to the counter to pay for it. The cashier took my credit card, looked at the name-- and then did a double take. "That's my mother's maiden name," he says.

My turn to do a double take-- because my last name is unusual enough that I've never met anyone with it who wasn't family.

Didn't this time, either. Turned out that the Apple Store guy is a cousin-- his mom is Bruce's Aunt Therese, his dad's younger sister! They haven't seen one another in years, and each had no idea that the other was anywhere near by. (Alan lives over in Andersonville, a nearby Chicago neighborhood).

Small world, indeed!

Hooray!

I just learned that my seminary advisor and friend has successfully defended his Ph.D. dissertation at Princeton, and is now Dr. Frank Yamada.

Generally this is a family blog, but all I can think of to say is...
Hot damn!

Congratulations, Frank!

Ebb Tide

That's where I am at the moment. Oh, I'm getting better-- the symptoms are going away-- but I'm still very, very tired. Hollow. Pretty much useless.

I had to call Larry and beg off worship with the little church plant congregation this evening; just don't have enough energy to make it up there today. In any case, I don't want to expose those good folks to whatever this is, if I can help it.

I have not been a fun date. Pout. Whine.

I did get my reading done, that being about all I've been good for this weekend. Shifts in baptismal liturgies, and Christian initiation, for Anglican Worship... congregational formation and polity, for Canon Law... some of the theology coming out of the Global South, for Anglican Identity... fascinating stuff, and I'm sure I'll be more enthusiastic about it, later.

Right now, I'm headed for a nap.

A virus, and the Reformation

So, I've spent the day coming down with a pernicious bug of some sort. Swollen, sore throat; congestion and drainage; low grade fever that comes and goes... it hasn't left me totally nonfunctional, but enough at low ebb that I've been content to spend the day lounging in my jammies, and buried in my textbooks.

Most of this afternoon's reading has swirled around the English Reformation. I've plugged through a couple chapters of this, and some selected primary source documents from here (Act of Supremacy, Ten Articles of 1536, Six Articles of 1539...).

Then, I worked my way through The Examinations of Anne Askew. It's written in Anne's Middle English spelling, so it was a bit of a challenge to read until I got into the rhythm of the words. Once I did, though, I found I enjoyed it. Anne was a young woman who lived near the end of Henry VIII's reign, imprisoned several times and finally tortured and burned at the stake for adhering to reformers' teachings-- most notably, surrounding the doctrine of transubstantiation. This book is her record of the questioning to which she was subjected before her death, and her answers.

I got the feeling she was martyred as much for her refusal to be cowed by the powers-that-be, as for anything she may have said or believed. She was a feisty lady, this "poore wooman," and knew her scripture well-- better, at points, than did the ecclesial authorities.

God grant all of us such spirit, in the face of challenges to our faith.

Reading, and reading, and reading

One of the difficulties with all my classes being on the same days each week is that the reading for all of them has to be done by roughly the same time. Oh, I can still spread it out, of course; work my way down the list, one class at a time. But that still means bringing home a great stack (9 or 10 books, I think, plus a few xeroxed articles) for the weekend. Yes, seminary has started again! Time to get to work-- see how much I can get done while the kids are in school.

But first...

...Happy Birthday, to my brother Jim, and my spiritual (and spirited!) sister Susie! Hope you both have a wonderful day!!