Advent First! Join the Conspiracy

Today is the first Sunday of Advent. For me, it has been a wonderful day. Eucharist and making of Advent wreaths at St. Paul's and a beautiful service of Lessons and Carols at the convent of the Sisters of St. Margaret. It was great to take some time and worship, sit in silence, and listen.

Check out the video and the Advent Conspiracy website. Take some time to try some of this stuff out. Make this Christmas truly meaningful by reclaiming Advent.

What's Happened to Christmas?

So over the Thanksgiving holiday, a couple of my relatives laughed at how I celebrate Christmas. I told them that I wait until sun down on the 24th of December to start my celebrations and conclude them on the 6th of January. I celebrate Advent: the time to prepare ourselves to welcome the new born Christ child. I know this isn't the normal thing to do, it is against everything that our culture tells us is the way to celebrate Christmas. But, last time I checked no one (and I'm referring particularly to the USA) died from celebrating Advent. On "Black Friday" two people were shot and killed in a Toys R Us in Florida. Around the corner from where I was in Long Island, a 34-year old Walmart greeter was trampled to death. It is a horrible reminder of what the majority of this society values. I challenge you this season to remember why we celebrate. I'm not saying gifts aren't good and that I won't be participating in gift giving, but how much are you willing to sacrifice for the latest and greatest toy?

Advent First!

Buy Nothing Christmas

So I found this over at SevenWholeDays. Thought I'd pass it along here.

Prayer of Confession

This week in EfM we used the confession from the UCC as part of our worship. I really enjoyed the prayer, and honestly like this confession more than our own (By our own I mean the BCP confession). It really hits home for me, and for many others. I think it might be talking about how the whole "fake it till you make it thing" isn't so good.

Forgive me, O God, for pretending
Pretending to be whole when I am broken
Pretending to be strong when I am scared
Help me to be honest with myself and with others
Help me to share my weakness and doubt.
Help me, O God, to be the beautiful, unique, and imperfect person you call me to be.
Forgive me, O God, for pretending that everything is all right when I am silent in the face of injustice.
May my words and actions tell the truth,
And may strength and courage follow my humble acts of kindness.

Remember: Faith Communities Can Save Transgender Lives

This was in my inbox this morning via Integrity's email list, and I thought I would pass it along to you.


The Transgender Day of Remembrance (November 20, 2008) is set aside to
remember those lost to anti-transgender violence in the last year. Much of
this violence is fueled by a sentiment that it is tacitly and explicitly
reinforced by narrow understandings of gender, as well as outright
transphobia and homophobia expressed in the name of a Christian God. Too
many of us have not only heard "God condemns you" -- but also "It would be
better if you were dead."
It is a profound and important step for every faith community to join in a
resounding chorus that condemns all forms of violence against people who are
differently gendered.

* By vocally condemning anti-trans bullying, harassment, and hate crimes, we
begin to chip away at the self-righteous fuel that feeds those who believe
they are doing God's will by punishing the differently gendered.
* By loudly proclaiming that people of all genders are beloved, we begin to
address the rampant rate of depression and suicide among transgender youth
and adults that so to often encouraged by religious judgment.
* By reaching out in love to the transgender community, we begin to
undermine the isolation and low self-esteem that can undergird substance
abuse and high-risk behaviors (which inform high rates of HIV and AIDS).

Beyond the hate and judgment, trans people's lives are at risk because we so
often struggle to meet our most fundamental needs such as safe employment
and basic health care. Faith communities need to be out in front of such
justice issues as well.

So, this year, let us (re)commit ourselves to the work of speaking up and
speaking out, to the work of educating ourselves and educating others, to
the work of reaching out in love.

Chris Paige
Publisher, TransFaith Online

Followup reading:

* NCTE Health Priorities: http://www.nctequality.org/HealthPriorities.pdf
* TransFaith InterSections: www.transfaithonline.org/intersections/
* TransFaith - Where do we begin?
www.transfaithonline.org/the_basics/where_do_i_begin/

Transgender Remembrance Day

Just a quick word before I run off to my next event.

Today is Transgender Remembrance Day. A day to remember all of our Trans Brothers and Sisters who have died as a result of their gender identity.

Please keep all of your Trans Brothers and Sisters in your hearts and in your prayers this day. And on behalf of us, don't take your priveldge to use a public restroom for granted.

Gay, straight, black, white marriage is a civil right

I don't know how to convey my thoughts on prop 8, but as soon as I finish my EfM homework I'll try to figure that out. But, for now here is the projo video of the protest I went to on Saturday at the Statehouse. The slideshow on the blog is of pictures from the event.

Scrabble Tourney for J2A

So I was surfing the Projo site looking for coverage of the recent Prop 8 protest at the statehouse (more on that later) and came across this video. How exciting!

Click here to see what cool things are going on at St. Paul's.

The PB on the Election

Presiding Bishop calls voting an act of stewardship in November 2 bulletin inserts
October 20, 2008

[Episcopal Life Weekly] In the Episcopal Life Weekly bulletin inserts for November 2, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori writes about voting as an act of stewardship as the United States approaches its general election on November 4. The Presiding Bishop reminds all Episcopalians to approach the election with prayer, remembering their baptismal vows.
Bulletin inserts are available here.

The full text of the Presiding Bishop's Election Day message follows.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


As Election Day approaches, I want to remind you that our democracy gives us the opportunity to speak urgently about the many issues and challenges confronting our nation and the world. I would encourage every eligible voter to prayerfully consider the choices before us and commit to using the political process to seek solutions to our society’s most intractable problems. As part of our baptismal vows we commit “to strive for justice and peace among all people” and “respect the dignity of every human being.” As you prepare to vote, I urge you to consider how the Reign of God – a just society – particularly as explicated by the Hebrew prophets and by Jesus, can be made real in our own day.

Our baptismal ministry calls us to transform our communities into something that looks more like that Reign of God. That is our part in God’s mission. We are sent and commissioned to build a society where all have adequate access to health care, where the weakest are protected and God’s creation safeguarded, and where each person has access to the blessings of life. That work requires committed engagement in the civic life of our nation if we seek to make God’s dream more effectively real and complete in this world.

As caretakers and stewards of all of God’s creation, each one of us is responsible for the flourishing of the rest of the human family. As in all elections, on 4 November we have the opportunity to continue working to reconcile and heal the world. I urge every citizen to use this opportunity to motivate our government to respond to, and participate in, building the Reign of God. We prepare the ground for the possibility of more abundant life through our part in the ministry of governance.

Voting and political participation are acts of Christian stewardship, in which citizens can engage in a common conversation about the future of our nation and the world. I urge you to exercise your right to vote, and to encourage and help others to do so as well.

Don't Forget to Vote

Hey Guys!

Today is November 4, 2008, a day which will live in infamy. Today we have the opportunity and civic responsibility to vote in this historic presidential election. Also if you are a U.S. Citizen 18 years or old and have not registered you can still vote for the Office of the President. All you have to do is go to your Town/City Hall.

If your duty as a citizen isn't enough motivation to get out and vote keep these things in mind.

If you vote, you can get free:

Coffee from Starbucks
Ice Cream from Ben & Jerry's
Doughnut from Krispy Kreme.

Creature Double Feature

So I know everybody is really busy, but we all need time to relax now and then. The Rainbow Alliance has the perfect way to do it. Come to the

CREATURE DOUBLE FEATURE

TONIGHT
Student Union Ballroom
We'll be show Where the Wild Things Are and The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Come dress up as your favorite from either film. We'll have kits ready for an interactive Rocky Horror.
The fun starts at 7!

D

Business as usual

Tired of hearing the same old stuff form our politicians?
Check this out.

Thanks Scott for the heads up.

Palin in 30 seconds

Found this over at SWD. I enjoyed and thought you would too.

Liveblogging Sermons

This evening, as I watched the debate, I also watched a liveblog done by Scott Gunn+ over at SevenWholeDays. As a joke - or at least I think as a joke - Scott+ changed his facebook status to include that he would liveblog his colleague's sermon. I must myself and a few other had a pretty good little debate on the issue. Scott+ through up a post on his blog about the issue.

I think that the sermon is a great teaching tool. I've heard a lot of sermons, and the ones I remember have always really connected with me and left me thinking. Wouldn't it be great if we could comment on the sermons - take notes if you will - and discuss them after? What a new and creative idea for encouraging conversation and growth in our churches. It would also really connect with that younger generation (my generation), whose voices we so desperately need to hear in our churches.

5 Friends Uncensored

Why I'm voting Republican

So I was searching around Seven Whole Days and found this video. Don't forget to vote this November.

No on 8

Reflections From a Plane

A reflection on A Brand New Way conference and the scripture readings for Sunday September 21, 2008.

This reflection was inspired by The Rev'd Lucas Grubbs who preached an inspiring sermon during our Sunday morning Eucharist. As with all great sermons this one did exactly what it should do - made those who heard it think. I'd like to thank Lucas for helping us remember why it is we do what we do.

The Gospel for today is a very familiar story. It is a story we have come to recognize by its biting ending - "The last shall be first and the first shall be last". It is a story that is, by our definition of the word, unfair. Some of the workers out in a full days work. They bare the heat of the day, the burden of the day. For their work they receive the standard day's wage. However, there are those workers who show up for the very last hour of work. When the day is done, they too receive the standard day's wage. It just isn't fair. As we were reminded in the sermon during our Eucharistic celebration this is the same situation that we find in the midst of young adult ministry. Some have been working and struggling to grow this ministry for many years, others are just beginning. But, in the end we are all left with the same Church - the same pay check if you will. As I listened to more and more stories from my fellow young adult ministers, I heard stories of triumph and tragedy. Stories of great success and failure. Young Adult Ministry as a whole is a lot like those laborers. We as young adults in the church, at times, must work twice as hard as our older counterparts to receive the same result - to be taken just as seriously. It is a difficult and challenging thing, but we must endure.

St. Paul understands very well the idea of struggling for his ministry. In his letter to the Philippians Paul describes his struggle with staying here on earth or moving on to eternal glory with Christ. Paul is a man who understands the struggle of ministry. As we were reminded in small group conversations Paul was a man who wrote some of his letters from Prison.

Jesus himself greatly understood the struggles and suffering that at times comes along with having an active ministry. He worked with his hands to tend the vines and to plant new ones - just as we are called to do. And friends, I remind you that Jesus WAS a young adult!

We must continue, despite the struggle, to tend the vines. If we give up the old vines will wither and die. If we only focus on the old vines, they will, despite our best efforts, die. Therefore we must continue to tend the old vines and plant new ones. We must continue to nature and support our existing efforts and successful ministries while lifting up those who are just joining and starting new one.

In conversation after conversation, I was reminded of the struggle, the creativity, the triumph and failure that comes along with being a Young Adult minister. We must endure no matter what the cost, continuing to be creative, continuing to foster new and exciting ministries that bring more people to the church, the church to more people, and the Gospel to all the world.

Don't give up when people put you down because you are young. Instead continue to set an example in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity. Don't give up on your Church, continue to push forward in ministry. Because one day the church WILL catch up.

ABC's of Church Geeks

While I was working as the Chaplain at ECC I came up with this list with one of the counselors.

A is for Anglican
B is for Baptism
C is for Communion
D is for Doctrine
E is for Excelsis Deo
F is for Fraction
G is for Genuflecting
H is for Holy Trinity
I is for Incarnation
J is for Jesus
K is for Kiss
L is for Luke
M is for Matthew
N is for Nicodemus
O is for Ontological Change
P is for Pauline Epistles
Q is for Quasimodo Sunday
R is for Resurrection
S is for Salvation
T is for Transfiguration
U is for Unction
V is for Veneration
W is for Worship
X is for





Y is for YHWH
and
Z is for Zion


Got any suggestions?

Ariz. Bishop on +Gene's Exculsion

Ariz. Episcopal bishop: Gay's exclusion 'insult'

By Stephanie Innes
Arizona Daily Star
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 07.11.2008

The bishop of Arizona's Episcopalians says it's "insulting" that an openly gay American bishop was not invited to next week's Lambeth Conference, a worldwide meeting of the Anglican Communion.

Arizona's Bishop Kirk S. Smith, a Phoenix resident, is one of about 700 bishops from around the globe who will attend the once-per-decade event, which will begin Tuesday in Canterbury, England. The Episcopal Church is part of the Anglican Communion, which has nearly 80 million worshippers around the world.

Bishop V. Gene Robinson, the openly gay bishop of New Hampshire, was not invited to attend. But Smith said Robinson will be in Canterbury, just not at the event.
"I think it's a very insulting thing to the American church that a duly elected bishop is told he's not allowed to come," said Smith, who will be attending his first Lambeth Conference.
"The vast majority of my colleagues feel quite upset. But Gene himself told us, 'You need to go and make your case.' He has been gracious and complied with the archbishop of Canterbury. I hope I will be able to convince some of the bishops I meet with to meet Gene, so that he's not just a name."

Read the rest of the article here.

I find myself in the same camp as Bp. Smith. Gene Robinson is a duly elected Bishop of this Church, just as Bp. Smith and every other Bishop. However, I understand the difficultly of the situation. +Robinson's consecration is the source of major controversy: As Bp. Smith calls it, "The Gene Robinson issue." I am very glad that +Robinson will be at Lambeth to see as a witness to the Gospel and the love of Christ. That he will be there to meet with Bishops from around the world that they may know him and see why he was elected Bishop by the people of New Hampshire. I am also thankful for Bishops like +Smith, who understand the importance of +Robinson's witness to the church.

+Smith sums up very well what we as a Church - and the Bishops at Lambeth - need to do. "We have spent far too long arguing about these things, and we really need to get on with the mission of the church," Smith said. "One of my hopes for the Anglican bishops is that we can recommit ourselves to the larger mission, agree to disagree and get on with it."

As Bishop have gone and continue to travel to Lambeth let us hold them in our prayers. Let us pray for the unity of the Church and that we all may serve as a witness to Christ's presence and love in the world.

Loving God, some of our bishops have been involved in legal actions over issues our Church struggles with. Some have endured personal attack, discouragement, bewilderment. Some have found themselves in the midst of civil unrest and war. Some have experienced rejection and persecution. Many are going to Lambeth feeling fragile, fearful, anxious, wounded. Help them see themselves as You see them. Help us see them as You see them. May we speak lovingly and gently about all bishops, even those whose views differ from our own. May they do likewise about one another. May grace and holiness permeate our Church so that the world will see us as You call us to be--loving one another in thought and action. All this we ask through your son, Jesus Christ. Amen.