An Inch At A Time: Reflections on the Journey: There's no place like home ...

Wednesday, August 06, 2008

There's no place like home ...

I've been home just about long enough now to know for sure what time zone I'm in. I've had a chance to fuss over the dog and cats -- who missed us very much but LOVED our fabulous house sitter -- and to throw out the bazillion catalogues that came in the mail at home.

I'm just finishing up my second day in the office and have plowed through the snail mail, deleted TONS of junk email, signed off on liturgies through August and started on staffing for September.

I've celebrated Eucharist twice at the 12:10 service in the All Saints Church chapel ... deeply aware of the enormous privilege of being a presbyter in the Church of God in general and of serving this particular Church of God in particular.

I've gotten started on my sermon for Sunday ... "Walking on Water." And I talked with the pastor at my mother's church in Minnesota about the memorial service we're putting together for next Tuesday. And I worked on the liturgy for the wedding I'm doing on Friday for two fabulous men who shared with me they cried their eyes out when they got their rings this week and it "sank in " that they were REALLY getting MARRIED!!

The website still isn't up to date and I'm behind on my part of the ojectives for the Strategic Plan and I haven't even thought about an agenda for the September Integrity Board meeting ...

and ...

There's no place like home.

There's TOTALLY no place like home!

5 comments:

D. Andy Olivo said...: Glad that you made it back to the states safely Mother Susan!; 5:39 PM
Jane R said...: Godde bless the men who are getting married. Tell them there are allies rejoicing with them in the power of the Spirit!; 6:09 PM
DerekMcKernan said...: Deo gratia! I'm so glad you're back! Looking forward to "Walking On Water" this Sunday.; 6:50 PM
susankay said...: Susan -- welcome home -- odd to say from a woman from Colorado who is briefly in
New Mexico about to head to Ecuador. But I SO know how you feel
(especially about the junk mail ) Sort of like getting into comfortable shoes again.

Be well. Be very well.

9; 7:08 PM
Elizabeth Kaeton said...: "There's totally no place like home."

Ain't that the truth, sister! Even with the bazillion details to chase before I leave for a much needed vacation, I am so very happy to be 'here' where its 2008 and not 'there' where, as Bette Middler says, 'it's always 1950'.; 5:03 AM

... where I try to be really clear about what I'm clear about. For example:

Religious persecution is when you're prevented from exercising your beliefs, not when you're prevented from IMPOSING your beliefs.

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Using "biblical standards" to condemn those who understand that sexual orientation is morally neutral makes as much sense as using "biblical standards" to condemn astronomers who understand that the earth revolves around the sun. The Bible may have said it but that doesn't always settle it.

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It's liberty and justice for all -- not some. It's respect the dignity of every human being -- not just straight ones. Got it? Great. Let's do it.

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In order to keep moving forward toward liberty and justice for all we can't just be right about what the 1st Amendment protects. We have to be smart about how we respond to those who skipped the 9th Commandment and think lying is a Traditional Family Value.

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Jesus said "Love your neighbor." Not "Love your neighbor unless your neighbor is gay."

Smart things other people have said you should know about

“Faith in action is called politics. Spirituality without action is fruitless and social action without spirituality is heartless. We are boldly political without being partisan. Having a partisan-free place to stand liberates the religious patriot to see clearly, speak courageously, and act daringly.” -- Ed Bacon

“Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice. Justice at its best is love correcting everything that stands against love.” – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

"It's time for "tolerant" religious people to acknowledge the straight line between the official anti-gay theologies of their denominations and the deaths of these young people. Nothing short of changing our theology of human sexuality will save these young and precious lives." -- The Rt Rev Gene Robinson

"How can you initiate someone into the Body of Christ and then treat them like they’re half-assed baptized?" - The Rt Rev Barbara Harris

“I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” ~ Elie Wiesel, 1986 Nobel Peace Prize

"Resolve to be tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant with the weak and wrong. Sometime in your life, you will have been all of these." — Siddhārtha Gautama

"I'm so glad Mary didn't wait for the formulation of a Doctrine of the Incarnation before she said 'Yes' to God." -- Ed Bacon

"The great Easter truth is not that we will be born again someday but that we are to be alive here and now by the power of the resurrection." -- Philips Brooks (paraphrase)

"History belongs to the intercessors, who believe the future into being.” -- Walter Wink

“Patience, a quality of holiness may be sloth in the soul when associated with the lack of righteous indignation.” -- Abraham Heschel

"Don't tell me what you believe. Tell me what difference it makes that you believe!" -- Verna Dozier

“We establish no religion in this country, we command no worship, we mandate no belief. Nor will we ever. Church and state are, and must remain, separate. All are free to believe or not believe, all are free to practice a faith or not, and those who believe are free and should be free, to speak of and act on their belief. At the same time as our constitution prohibits state religion, establishment of it protects the free exercise of all religions. And walking this fine line requires government to be strictly neutral.” -- Ronald Reagan

Let's be clear. The fact that the State authorizes a marriage in no way compels any Church to perform or recognize it. Marriage equality merely guarantees equality under the law to all citizens; it does not compel churches to do anything.-- Katherine Ragsdale