Palm Sunday Music - Ave Verum

Mozart's Ave Verum Corpus, performed by the Academia Musici Novi.
(If you get an ad first, wait it out, it's worth it.)



Don't they have a lovely sound? I was searching for a video of Mawby's Ave Verum, and behold what the Lord sent my way!

Who WE Are!

I gleaned this gem from The Lead which has published a portion of the triennial report on the State of the Church  leading up to the general convention.  

Who are we?

Quoting from the 2006 report to General Convention from the Committee on the State of the Church, “As a Committee, we are convinced that when we heed closely Christ’s call to us in the Great Commandment and Great Commission, the church is at its best, and we all become ‘bringers of hope and proclaimers of joy.’ ” While this statement brings some clarity to the identity issue, the present Committee on the State of the Church continued to struggle with the same issue and concluded that it has no unified answer, but raised a most significant question: “Has the time come for The Episcopal Church to make a definitive statement to the world about our identity as Episcopalians?”

It was interesting that our own parish had a similar emphasis to that stated by the national church.  We all talked about bringing families with children that we could school and bring up in the Episcopal tradition and "build our community".

Who did we really bring in?  We brought in those who were broken and tired and hurt and angry and feeling unloved.  Our parish is a safe haven for those who are  divorced, those who have been vilified, those who are struggling, those who are handicapped physically, emotionally, spiritually.  Our parish is a place where love abides.  Our parish is a place where if you miss a Sunday or two someone calls you or goes looking for you.  Our parish is a place that cares deeply about it's commitment to our neighbor because of our commitment to God.  

Some will say, how is that possible in a diocese that was "bishoped" by one of the great pointy heads of our time?  It is because we never lost sight of what it meant to be an Episcopalian in the 21st century.  Our parish never was overcome by the need to take care of ourselves before we took care of our neighbor.  I watched over the last few years as we evangelised looking for those "ideal families" that we could bring into the Episcopal church and was absolutely amazed at who we actually received into our church.  We said one thing and actively sought this one group while all along we got this other group.  It is an incredible outreach.  And we continue today.

Now, I do not want to sound to terribly pollyannish about this evangelism thing because we have not gone about this business in a straight-forward way, i.e., we have not intentionally altered our evangelism statement to reflect that which we do versus that which we say we do.  Think about those possibilities.

I would, however, encourage the National Church to begin to look at this "group" as well.  We already talk about the "big tent".  We should be about those sinners and "tax collectors" that Jesus lived with.  In fact,do we need to talk about bringing everyone under the big tent or should we "just" evangelise those who are broken, hurt, lost, tired, angry, thrown-away, marginalized, handicapped, and estranged from God's love and let the big tent take care of itself?

Sunday Music - Rutter, Pie Jesu

A lovely performance of the Pie Jesu from John Rutters Requiem. Enjoy - the wonderful Monteverdi Choir Würzburg (Matthias Beckert conducting).

WHAT KATIE SAID

There is a wonderful prayer at Desert Child  and I most earnestly suggest everyone go and read it.  Capture this prayer and use it our daily prayer cycle until our LGBT brothers and sisters are made whole.  

The prayer is copyrighted but according to Katie can be used in prayer with proper attribution.  Thank you Katie for bringing it to us and thank you Father Harmon, a priest from New Jersey for your wonderful prayer.

Knock, Knock; Whose There?

Orange. Orange who? Orange you glad you came-a-knockin'?

I gotch'ed a million of 'em.  But I think those of us in the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin  know who the bulk of the folks returning are going to be, the same bulk of people that left when the buildings and property left.  The great concern by many is "who is going to fill all those empty pews when the buildings and grounds are returned.  Certainly many a good orthodite has asked that question.  People like Robroy and Matt Kennedy and YBIC Phil have all told us that there was this mass exodus and those people will NEVER RETURN!  Guess what guys? They are all poised to come back, for much the same reason that they all left; its the property boys!  Yep, they left because the property went on vacation and now that vacation time is over and so they will return when the property returns.  Much of the growth in the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone has been because the San Joaquin'ers just never left the pews.  The court cases in California have consistently been decided in favor of the Episcopal Diocese of ______________ (fill in the blank with San Joaquin, San Diego, Los Angeles, etc.)  

So, what is there to talk about?  Well, first, were gonna kill us a fatted calf and have a party!  Sure some of us are going to be a tad sore about that but we will get over it, our brothers and sisters are home and we are indeed glad. In fact, we will rejoice and be glad in it!  Our tent is certainly large enough for everyone to get underneath.  In fact we have been missing a section of folks and now they will be home.  Have there been some changes?  Well, yes there have and there will be more yet to come but right now we are just gonna have a party.  I think the menu will be carnitas and tortillas (flour and corn) pico de gallo, refried beans, tossed green salad and plenty of wine and beer (L like Tecate myself but there will probably be Dos Equis and Corona and Carte Blanca and Bohemian).  We will have a Mariachi Band and some good old fashioned California dancing and hoopin' and hollerin'.  

What are we going to look like after the party?  That is for another post but right now we need to welcome everyone home!

Knock Knock!

Who's there?

Tank!

Tank who?

You're welcome!

The End Game: A Reflection on the Land Of Nod

Lent is an interesting time.  It provides an opportunity for reflection.  The specific reflection I am talking about has to do with a recent court case.  That court case is from California, it involves the California Supreme Court and a parish from San Diego.   The court case is New v. Kroeger.

In a recent ruling the California Supreme Court refused to hear New v. Kroeger and therefore the Supreme Court let stand the finding of the lower (appellate) court.  In essence, they refused to hear the case based on the Episcopal Church Cases (2009) 45 Cal.4th 467.  The Court also republished the opinion of the Court of Appeals which, as we all now understand, makes it a binding precedent.

In that decision the Court held that the former parish board were disqualified from membership because they had resigned from the Episcopal Church.  The court let stand the finding that the former parish corporation board members were disqualified from their board membership by their resignation from the Episcopal Church. These same folks also lacked the authority to reassign the parish to a different general church; the court also deferred to the bishop's conclusion that the remaining loyal members of the Episcopal Church were in fact the true board members but also found that to be true even under the general principles of the law. 

The reason for the reflection is this case, as was discussed elsewhere, The Three Legged Stool for one, is absolutely huge.  There is no place for the conealoneialists to run, no place for them to hide.  As some have said, the deed is done.  The opposition may argue, may drag things out may insist there is room for discussion, but, alas, there is not, at least not here in California.

So now what?  Well, in another blog, Real Anglican, I discussed the issue of the "Big Valley" and the "Big  Tent".  Reality is setting in, the time is now and we here in the San Joaquin must begin to enlarge the tent to bring in our brothers and sisters returning from the land of Nod.  Is this going to be difficult? You bet! Countless numbers of Episcopalians have been hurt emotionally and spiritually.  The good news is the long journey is coming to a conclusion and if we are about big tents and reconciliation and passing the peace  and loving our neighbor then our time is now.  What about the Samaritan?  What about the Conealoneialist?  We must bring them back in a spirit of Christian love.  We must make the big tent work beyond our wildest imagination.  If we cannot then we have failed just as surely as they failed us when they left.   I know many of the people in the San Joaquin Valley and many of those in the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin.  These are tough people but loving people.  The only thing we want more than justice is mercy.  We know that if we give mercy more will come back.  Getting everyone under the big tent is our ultimate goal and mercy is the what will get us all there.  

Agnus Dei - Sunday Music

Agnus Dei from Gabriel Fauré's Requiem Op. 48

Performed by the Choir Konzertverein Bernand and the Berne Chamber Orchestra; Agata Mazurkiewicz, conducting.