As the First Day Was Dawning

The title of this blog for those you who are not familiar with the musical stylings of Jimmy Buffett is taken from his song "Fruitcakes." More specifically it is a verse that describes his thoughts on religion in the USA and his assertation that faith leaders are "crazy ass people." I would like to ensure all who may read this that Mr. Buffett is probably not that far off the mark. At our best we pastors, rabbis, imams, etc. are just people of faith doing the best we can with what we got. Sometimes we have moments of intense clarity and do God's work in amazingly faithful ways and other times we fail in spectacularly human sinful fashion. The intent of this new blog is to create space for conversation on the issues within Church and Culture which amuse me. It is my hope that disagreement will arise but that it can be approached with respect, humility, humor, and most importantly, grace. The reality is that most of what I think and write will not be read by many more than a few in my congregation (when they decide they just haven't gotten enough of my drivel on Sunday mornings), my closest friends (when they have nothing else to do), and my family (well, probably not).

It feels odd to start this new venture on a day like today. Creating a new blog for the discussion of issues within Church and Culture on the day after an historic event in the life of the denomination through which I am called to serve God seems somewhat insignificant and more than a little frivolous. There are probably better things to do with my time when so many in my beloved PCUSA are hurting. For some, today is a day for celebration as we Presbyterians take steps to remove explicit prohibitions against the full inclusion of all God's children within Christ Body. For others, it is a day of intense sadness and anxiety filled with much wailing and gnashing of teeth as we begin to face the unknown. However, I believe that for the majority of Presbyterians the passage of amendment 10 - A was met with a collective shrug of the shoulders. Most were likely unaware until they stumbled across an AP wire report buried on page 10 of the Lifestyle section. My guess is that those who are most uncertain about the future of the PCUSA and are more than a bit afraid of what comes next are the ones closest to the issue whether on the right or left.

I cannot help but think it is appropriate that the issue of ordaining openly homosexual person to office in the PCUSA has come to fruition during the season of Easter. We like the early disciples have awakened as this first day was dawning wondering what it all means. We are staring into an empty tomb and find ourselves confused and if we are to be honest with ourselves terrified of what it means.

I do not believe we Presbyterians were wrong in doing this. I believe our actions acknowledge that all fall short of the glory of God, that we are saved by grace through faith and not our own works (especially when that involves the counting of another's sins), that ordination is not a right or privilege but a responsibility, and that our Lord and Savior commands us first and foremost to love as he first loved us, warts and all. I sincerely hope that our actions as a denomination will allow us to move forward in ministry proclaiming the Good News in word and deed unencumbered by the weight of a debate that has wasted far too much time, energy, and talent and has reflected poor stewardship of God's blessings upon us. I pray today that we Presbyterians are entering a new period of ministry modeled on the resurrection. Something died. Now it is time for us to live as reborn and renewed disciples serving Christ with energy, intelligence, imagination, and love, relying on God's mercy and rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit.

To God alone be the glory.