An Inch At A Time: Reflections on the Journey: Lopez Sermon Goes Viral

Tuesday, June 02, 2009

Lopez Sermon Goes Viral

I loved this email in my inbox this morning:

Even though I was unable to attend yesterday, my wife told me all about it when she came home. I was so moved, I went to the Church’s website to watch the video of Abel's sermon. I thought the entire sermon was beautiful, but his personal proclamation towards the end really drove it home …I became so filled with the spirit that I wrote an article about it that was picked by the editors to be on the cover (virtual cover that is) on Open Salon. A subsidiary of Salon.com

Check out the article here ...

And this YouTube excerpt -- posted on the site -- here:

6 comments:

Unknown said...: Wouldn't it be great if +Jon Bruno sent this video around to every parish and vicarage in this diocese in the form of a Pastoral Letter?; 1:57 PM
Cany said...: Wow. This is VERY powerful! Thanks!; 2:29 PM
Cany said...: Read your piece (hat tip to Susan Russell+) and thank you for writing it.

At a time when the death of Dr. Tiller has cast such a terrible pall upon many of we Christians--including the Episcopalian penning this comment--perhaps those of us that truly believe in civil rights and equality for all will be spared the shadow of those who propose, commit or support such terrible actions rather supporting us in our efforts for justice.

Thank you so much for writing this.

For me, this has been a VERY distressing and emotional last seven days between the CA Supreme Court decision and the assassination of Dr. Tiller. Your moments of humor and clarity are helping me regain some sorely missed (and badly needed) balance.

May The Peace Of The Lord Be With You.; 2:42 PM
Rosa Lee said...: Way to go, Abel!; 3:41 PM
Unknown said...: How profound! What a statement it would make if ALL clergy who support same-gender marriage would take a stand and NOT perform opposite-gender marriages either until such is recognized and all have equal access not just to the rites but to the legalities in each state. We can only pray that God the Disturber will continue to disturb our hearts and minds until we become unified and that God's Spirit will lead others to understand what the full inclusion of all the baptized really means. Come, Holy Spirit, Come!; 5:02 PM
JCK said...: It was incredibly moving to hear Abel's sermon in person on Sunday.; 10:27 PM

... 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