Tuesday, September 05, 2006

THE STRAW THAT BROKE . . .???

Posted by Reverend Ref + at 7:43 PM

Last week we had a Bluegrass Eucharist at St. Paul's. Basically it was my usual Tuesday evening service followed up by a band called Bluegrass Gospel Express. And that was followed up by free ice cream. Heckuva deal.

On some calendars, last Tuesday was the commemoration of the beheading of St. John the Baptist. So I put together a sermon for the occassion. Let's just say that it touched a few nerves.

One of my more staunchly conservative parishioners was seriously unhappy with it. So he made an appointment to talk with me earlier today. We had a decent conversation. I listened to what he had to say, and I responded.

Among the things I said, I told him that I couldn't promise that I wouldn't offend anyone ever again, but I would promise to try and not come across so .... blunt.

I also told him that, despite our differences, I still appreciated having him around, having him in church, and wouldn't want him to leave strictly because of me.

I'm not sure what will happen. I'll feel better about this whole event when I see him in church again.

Oh . . . I never posted that sermon on this blog, but you can go to the parish website and read it if you are so inclined.

6 comments:

Anonymous | 8:39 AM, September 06, 2006  

Well, well. That was fierce, my friend. Way to let it hang out there. Well done.

Anonymous | 9:47 AM, September 06, 2006  

The truth hurts sometimes, doesn't it! Keep it up :)

Ecgbert | 2:32 PM, September 06, 2006  

Of course we agree that craving power and neglecting mercy, justice and love are wrong. But isn't it love to tell the truth, such as orthodoxy, like St John the Baptist dared to?

(Otherwise might it have been a bit 'judgemental' of him to criticise Herod for his lifestyle choice?)

Other than my view that the state isn't the solution for education, housing and lessening poverty, and of course the view we've discussed that orthodoxy isn't just one's private interpretation nor oppressive (in fact a Catholic would say it's liberating), there's nothing here I'd disagree with let alone stomp out over, Father.

In fact most of the parts about the state have me standing up and cheering!

'Conservative' and 'liberal' are relative terms and so of limited usefulness.

Inertial | 5:28 AM, September 07, 2006  

As followers of Christ and proclaimers of the Kingdom of God, I think we need to be more like Jesus. We need to be willing to stand among the marginalized in our society and demonstrate to those religious leaders who crave power and attempt to force their religious interpretations on others that God's love is not limited by their interpretation. We need to be willing to transform the world by sharing God's transforming power with individuals without regard for what the state does or does not do. We need to stand up and say I am about my Lord's business and be willing to suffer and die if that offends the state and or religious powers. Thereby demonstrating our firm conviction that they are only marginal players who have no authority in God's realm. We need to abandon the notion that governments can be transformed into agents of God's mercy. They may perhaps be persuaded to supply food to the hungry for politcal gain, but they will never be able to deliver the bread of life or living water. We should be more like Jesus transforming the world one heart at a time and leaving politics to politicians.

Anonymous | 11:02 AM, September 08, 2006  

Are you familiar with Jim Wallis' book: "God's Politics - Why the Right gets it wrong and the Left doesn't get it"?

Interesting work. For my money well thought out. At least what I have read so far.

Integrating politics and the pulpit always waggles my antenna, even when I agree.

Reverend Ref + | 11:48 AM, September 08, 2006  

Thomas ... yes, I'm familiar with Wallis' work. I'm working through "God's Politics" at the moment. But I don't have the time to just sit down and plow through it. But I'm creeping along.

He's got some good stuff in there that I hope to be able to use in the future. You also might want to take a look at the "Sojourners" site, if you haven't already.

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