Of Rainbows And Warriors

Matt Kennedy over at Stand Firm has outlined a response to the Rainbow Presence, and he has taken his lead from the Roman Catholic hierarchy's response to the Rainbow Sash Movement of lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender Roman Catholics. He recommends that "orthodox pastors" deny communion to anyone wearing a rainbow sash or insignia on Easter. He has also upped the ante by calling us "'Rainbow' Warriors."

warrior n 1. One who is engaged in or experienced in battle. 2. One who is engaged aggressively or energetically in an activity, cause, or conflict. (The American Heritage College Dictionary, 4th Edition, 2002. p. 1546.)

I suppose you could say that as a person participating in the Rainbow Presence that I am "one who is engaged aggressively or energetically in an activity, cause, or conflict," but I never really thought of simply wearing a rainbow sash or insignia as being particularly aggressive, or even energetic for that matter. Of course, it all depends on your perspective. If the presence on Easter Sunday of someone in your congregation wearing a rainbow sash disturbs your comfortable little world, then I guess you could call it an aggressive action.

The intent of the Rainbow Presence is simply one of visibility. If you are going to talk about us, then you must have faces and names to talk about, because we are not some faceless, anonymous "they." You cannot have a discussion about our place as baptized members in the church without including us in that discussion. You cannot make judgements about our lives and our faith without talking WITH us and not AT us (something even we liberal Christians sometimes need to be reminded of as well). And if our mere presence in church makes you uncomfortable, then I would say that is your problem, not ours.

The conservatives have drawn a line in the sand and made the issue of sexuality a battle for the soul of the church. The liberals, on the other hand, continue to challenge the church to BE the church. I hope someone in Matt's congregation in Binghamton, NY is brave enough to wear a rainbow to church on Easter Sunday. It would not be the first time someone was denied communion for challenging the church, and it would not be the last.

Peace,
Jeffri

Prayers for Kendall and His Family

Kendall Harmon's mother died this morning after a battle with cancer. No matter what our disagreements may be, Kendall is a beloved child of God, and I will be keeping him, his family, and his mother in my prayers.

Peace,
Jeffri

Whine Whine Whine

Over at the Stand Firm site Greg Griffith has posted a response to the Rainbow Presence entitled "Tears of the Clowns."

What I found particularly interesting was this paragraph:

Seriously, folks: Stop it. You're not being asked to pay any price the rest of us aren't being asked to pay. All that's being asked of you is what's being asked of us: That you read your Bible, acknowledge your sins, and meet us at the foot of the cross where we repent and ask for forgiveness. Your constant whining about how much you're suffering, and your insistence on placing yourselves alongside history's most persecuted peoples, is a silly, fey joke that has ceased to be funny.

Greg then goes on to list several instances of Christians who have been imprisoned, beaten or died for being Christian and proclaiming the Gospel. I have yet to see anything on the their site condemning the Nigerian legislation that will outlaw even the right to meet and gather for homosexuals and imposing prison sentences on those who do. To say nothing of Matthew Shepherd, Richard Rile, those sent to the concentration camps by the Nazis, and a host of other men and women beaten, maimed, and murdered because of their sexual orientation. Are those people nothing but a "silly, fey joke?"

Earlier in his post, Greg writes:

Almost by definition, no one attending one of America's elite Episcopal churches is paying any price at all for anything...

I wonder if he would aim that kind of criticism at the good folks--and I have to believe that they are good folks doing what they believe is right, however much I disagree with them--in the Virginia parishes who voted to leave the Episcopal Church because believe they are a persecuted minority?

And as for constant whining, all he needs to do is look at many of the posts and comments on Stand Firm to see some of the best examples of whining.

Peace,
Jeffri

Called to Wait, Watch And Listen

I have a friend in another diocese who was a delegate to General Convention 2006. We do not have many opportunities to spend time together, but we keep in touch through email. One of the joys of being at General Convention last summer was that she and I were able to have some brief moments of time together while we were there. One of the longer moments took place in the airport as we waited for delayed flights home. We listened to each other as we poured out our grief over the passage of B033.

Recently, I wrote to her to find out her thoughts and feelings about the Primates' Communique:

Hi, _____,

You have been much on my mind these past few days, in the wake of the ultimatum out of Dar es Salaam (well, to me it feels like an ultimatum). I remember especially our pain-filled conversation in the Columbus airport waiting for our flights home.

So, we bought her a place at the table with B033. Are we now being asked to be the price of staying in the Communion?

I know that much remains to be seen and played out over the next few months (and years), but I now find myself for the first time seriously wondering if I can remain a part of this church.

Anyway, I wanted to know what your take on all of this is, because I trust your observations and opinions. No rush. And I promise not to cast in concrete anything you observe at this point . After all, tomorrow I could get hit by a bus...oh, wait, I can't say that. I have been hit by a bus (literally a number of years ago) and survived!

Hope all is well with you and your family. Your last email sounded as if everything was going great for _____ and _____. I keep you all in my prayers.

Love,
Jeffri

I heard from her a few days later:

Dear Jeffri,

I have waited so long to respond because I wanted to see the PB's webcast on Wednesday, and now I've watched it three times. I am quite heartened by her words. The joy is that I truly believe we will not go backwards. The pain is that it is clear she is asking us to pause. I heard very clearly a call to listen most closely to those with whom I most vehemently disagree. That is very hard for me. I think she is willing, as am I, to suffer the sanctions of the communion. I think she is unwilling to compromise the integrity of the diversity of our church. But she calls us to non-violence and listening. Over and over she tells us not to react with fear, but with faith.

Jeffri, if you leave, we will be forever bereft. The same goes for me. What I want to say is that by your leaving, or my leaving "they" win. But I won't say it because that is using a violent metaphor that Katharine is calling us away from. God is in the midst of this, the spirit is moving in ways that call us to amazing patience. I for one have no patience, I am called to watch, wait, and listen.

Please, please, please keep in touch.

Patience and listening seem to be in short supply around the Anglican Communion these days. Without them, watching and waiting often feel pointless. Yet waiting, watching, and listening are as necessary as taking action in order to move forward.

And so my friend has been called to watch, wait, and listen while I have been called to action. May we all keep sight of the goal, remembering Whose we are.

Peace,
Jeffri

Seeing Rainbows

A little over a week ago conversation on one of my email lists ticked me off, and I wrote:

Yes, ________ is where we come to vent. But our differences of opinion can sometimes sound like those of the primates flinging vitriol at each other. It is sometimes painful to read the debates amongst ourselves--AND WE ARE ON THE SAME SIDE.

We also have an amazing tendency to savage our leaders when they make what we perceive to be a misstep--and not just in Integrity. That plays no small role in why the conservatives have been able to do what they have done to the church (and not just the Episcopal Church/Anglican Communion).

Venting and debating amongst ourselves is one thing. But only if it leads to constructive action on our part. What are WE going to do next? I've seen some talk here of planning something for Easter. Of course, there were immediate criticisms that there are so many lgb folks in "comfortable places," and they would not participate. So? THEY are not here. What are WE going to do? Large movements have started with the workings of smaller groups than ___________. What are WE willing to do besides sit and bitch at each other?

I am planning on being more visible. This week I dug out one of my pink triangle pins and have been wearing it to work. Which means I've had it on where Katharine Jefferts Schori has seen me and seen it. (If you're going to ask me to shoulder the burden of staying together--and I'm not sure that's what Katharine is necessarily asking based on her comments at the meeting yesterday--then you're going to know who I am.) I am working on something "rainbow" to wear on Easter Sunday, along with some sort of"handout" to give to folks who ask about it. I am talking to other lgbt Episcopalians in my area to see if they are willing to participate as well. If there was some sort of more "national" visibility planned for that day, along with pre-publicity, it might make more impact. However, I plan on following through on this alone if I have to.

After sending that email, I turned off the computer, took writing material, and headed off to the Barnes & Noble in Westport. I settled with a cup of coffee at a table in the cafe and started writing a draft "handout." When I felt I had a workable draft, I put the papers away and went to go find something entertaining to read for a couple of hours.

That evening I returned home and emailed the list that I had written a draft statement and was willing to share it with anyone who was interested. A small handful of people responded, and together we reworked my draft. Here is what we wrote:

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Rainbow Presence Declaration

March 5, 2007

But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house, I will bow down toward your holy temple in awe of you. Psalm 5:7

To our sisters and brothers in the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion:

In their Communiqué of February 19, 2007, the Primates of the Anglican Communion laid out steps to be taken by the Episcopal Church, specifically by the House of Bishops, by September 30, 2007. As lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender members of the Episcopal Church and heterosexual supporters of full and equal participation for lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender people in the church, we do not agree as to the course of action the Episcopal Church should take in response to the Primates’ Communiqué.

We agree that:

• The Episcopal Church must understand what is being asked of it—especially in terms of its lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender members.
• The Episcopal Church needs to know who its lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender members are in order to know who is being asked to pay the price of unity in the Anglican Communion.
• Until lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender members of the Episcopal Church have full and equal access to all the sacraments and rites of the church, lesbians/gays/bisexuals/transgendered people are essentially second-class members of the Episcopal Church.

We acknowledge that:

• No matter what course of action the Episcopal Church decides to take, faithful Episcopalians will feel it necessary to leave the Episcopal Church.
• Some of us may be among those who leave the Episcopal Church.
• There are lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender people who live in places where making themselves visible is unsafe and even life threatening.

We affirm the presence in the church of our lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender sisters and brothers who preceded us, giving of themselves and their gifts while remaining invisible as lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender people.

Therefore, on Easter Sunday we (lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender and all allies) will be present in our churches and make ourselves visibly known to our fellow parishioners, clergy, bishops, and leadership through the wearing of rainbow sashes, stoles, hats, buttons, and other articles of clothing and accessories.

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We started circulating the Declaration early this evening, and in less five hours it is already popping up here and there in the blogosphere. People want a press release, links to information, etc., etc., etc. And so we set up a blog for the Rainbow Presence and created an email account (rainbopres@yahoo.com). We are in the process of having a logo designed.

It is not even Easter, and I am already seeing rainbows in the Episcopal Church as well as the Anglican Church in Canada.

Peace,
Jeffri

A Lunchtime Laugh

During lunch I was poking around the New York Times web site to check in on the latest news and ran across this story from the AP:

Swiss Accidentally Invade Liechtenstein

A giggle-causing reminder that there is a world outside of the Anglican Communion.

Peace,
Jeffri

Prayer Break

O God, be not far from us.
Come quickly to help us, O God.

Glory to the Creator, and to the Redeemer, and to the Sanctifier: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house, I will bow down toward your holy temple in awe of you.
Psalm 5:7

God has told you, O mortal, what is good: and what does God require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
Micah 6:8

We are hungry for love, God:
feed us.
We are thirsty for justice, God:
give us to drink.
We are naked in our vulnerability, God:
clothe us protectively.
We are imprisoned by prejudice, God:
liberate us.
We are sick and dying, God:
comfort us.
We are strangers and alone, God:
offer us a home.
Who will perform this ministry?
Those to whom Jesus the Christ will say:
“Come, O blessed of God,
inherit the commonwealth
prepared for you
from the foundation of the world.”
Amen and amen.
(Chris Glaser, Coming Out to God, p. 158)

Our Lord, who is in heaven,
we praise your special name.
Bring your paradise to us
and we will try to carry out your wishes
so earth is like heaven.
Every day give us the tings we need to grow.
Please forgive our sins and give us the strength
to forgive others who have hurt us.
Keep us away from bad thoughts and actions.
For your House holds the power
and the glory of the world forever.
Amen.
(Middle School Class of Grace Episcopal Church, Norwalk, CT, April 2000)

May the peace of the One go with us,
wherever we are sent.
May the One guide us through the wilderness,
and protect us through the storm.
May the One bring us home rejoicing
at the wonders us are shown.
May the One bring us home rejoicing
again to our communities.

Let us journey beyond the familiar and into the unknown:
Trusting in the power of the One to always provide for us.

Thanks be to God!