Seething Mom: Rainbow Presence

Monday, March 19, 2007

Rainbow Presence

Catherine, a frequent visitor to this blog, sent me an email today to call my attention to a movement afoot in the Episcopal Church which will culminate on Easter Sunday 2007. This movement, the Rainbow Presence, is calling upon all LGBT folk and their supporters and families, to wear a rainbow of some kind to church that Sunday to show that all are welcomed by Christ as full members of the Christian community and of God's good creation.

And from the website:

While conservative clergy may feel called to deny communion to anyone wearing a rainbow sash or insignia on Easter Day, in doing so they could be in violation of the Canons of The Episcopal Church. Canon I.17.5, titled "Rights of Laity," states

No one shall be denied rights, status or access to an equal place in the life, worship, and governance of this Church because of race, color, ethnic origin, national origin, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, disabilities or age, except as otherwise specified by Canons.

And there will even be a Canadian Rainbow Presence! From a parish newsletter:

Rainbows At Easter

This Easter Sunday your rector will be wearing, not a white stole, but a rainbow stole, indicating his support of the full inclusion of Gay and Lesbian persons as members of the Anglican Church of Canada. In response to the vitriolic anti-gay rhetoric manifested by certain representatives of neo-conservatism in the global Anglican community, and as an indication of support for the Anglican Church of Canada’s present commitment to respectful and open dialogue with its Gay and Lesbian members, Anglicans across Canada are being asked to show up on Easter Sunday morning wearing the rainbow, which has become the symbolic of our hope to be a church which welcomes and affirms all persons, regardless of sexual orientation. So I am asking you to find a rainbow and wear it with pride this Easter Sunday.

If you need one, Janet has a collection of rainbow buttons which she will be pleased to share with you for the occasion.

What a concept: A church that reaches out to everyone. {sigh}

4 comments:

Ann said...: yes-- what a concept. Thanks for the blog.; 3/20/2007 6:36 AM
Mark said...: Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. 19Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.

now there's a concept!

Just curious, what's your stance on those men who are sexually orientated towards rimming? Shall we break out a bottle of wine and celebrate? Can we ask God to bless the act? Keep wearing the buttons!; 3/21/2007 10:43 AM
Seething Mom said...: Mark, I have a really tough time understanding what you are all about, and why you come here to give people such a hard time.

I didn't even know what "rimming" was until I googled it. I'm surprised that you seem to be so up on it.

I have always wanted all my visitors to feel welcome here. But most come here for a completely different reason than you obviously come here for. You shall never change hearts and minds by being so angry, contentious, and hostile. But then I don't think you come here to do any changing of hearts and minds, I think you come here to antagonize, pass judgment, and be unkind.

I do hope you don't take this the wrong way, but you seem to be filled with so much anger and hate. This really is not the place for you to come and let loose with your judgmental and hateful rhetoric. That is not what this blog is all about.; 3/21/2007 2:28 PM
Mark said...: Seething Mom,

First and formost, I love you....although your defintion of love and mine may be different now, it won't be forever. I have read your blog and I have been brought to tears. I care, even though I think you are willfully blind. You seek first human wisdom and second God's wisdom. big Mistake.

I have told you, more than once, I hate no one. At lest when I do feel hate, I ask for God's grace (Christ's work on that tree) in forgiveness. Something most proud folks don't do, including Satan, and why he rules this world. To celebrate my own sins..i.e hate, would be wrong and out of God's will.

I am not filled with anger or hate Mom. I am, however, very much aware of how evil and sin work. Glad you took the time to google a most uncomfortable topic. A topic very popular in circles of human wisdom worship. Sexual acts outside of God's boundaries should never be celebrated, for good reason.

I suggest you begin right now to take your ALL to the cross of Christ and ALL those seething thoughts. That's what Christ asked us to do. He never asked us to lay proud claim to our sin. He suffered for our sin! Stop reducing God's Holiness to fit our broken sin filled conditions, and yes that includes sexual desires among many other death stenched worldly desires.

Remember, and I am sure you know this, followers of Christ are not of this world, we are indeed called to be different and suffer as well. Loving your enemy begins with heart felt reptentance before a perfect all knowing Holy God. None of us ever die, we just spend eternity in one of TWO places, with or without God.

Make damn sure your path and instruction to others is of God, not man. Even if it offends! Which most light shed on a love of darkness does.; 3/21/2007 6:56 PM