The most meaningful line in the Episcopal confession for me was the line that seems not used. It follows “and by those sins undone. It was “and there is no health in us.” It confirms that sin is indeed a disease of the heart and of the soul.
Another thing about communities that I've learned, having lived in several, is that there is a natural insularity to any right community that makes it hard for outsiders of any stripe to enter without an invitation. And being in a social category that is defined as "other" makes an additional struggle.
I'm a quiet sort of ND queer myself and I was trained to "blend in" from an early age. Outing myself is a recent project and it takes work. The idea of making other people uncomfortable kinda scares me. Being overtly cis-het-male, I'm deeply conditioned that "making people uncomfortable" is very strictly forbidden to me.
Taking awkwardness onto myself is a burden I've just taken as my due in life. Hospitality to strangers is something any community needs to do *intentionally* and all the more when you're providing to the "strange" among us. And note that I'm not scared of strange folks. It's "normal" that tends to make me nervous.
Thanks for your thoughts, dear stranger on the internet.
Our church recently raised a tidy sum for S Sudan. We have a running relationship with the diocese there, and it's a lot of good. That's a hellish place in the world right now, every bit helps.
And it's a genuine struggle, perhaps part of the "non profit industrial conflict" that even in the world of misery, there's a struggle for attention. Indonesia, I get the impression, is a *massive* country that has a lot of suffering in it that goes unnoticed by most Americans. And that ain't right, you're right.
At the same time, there's a fear that if we feel obliged to cover every single place, we won't be able to care for any place meaningfully. There is the general, and there is the specific. And in between, you're right I think, there's a lot of neglect. We are all of us sinners, falling short of the glory of God, constantly in need of reminders.
You’re right, if we pay attention to everything all at once that causes psychological overwhelm and leaves us frozen.
It’s more our single focus that is bothersome to me. When we highlight one cause and get frustrated that others don’t see it either.
For example, I often hear “I don’t order from Amazon and neither should you.” That statement forgets that there are millions of Americans who have no choice because they live in food desserts, or because they have three jobs and don’t have the privilege to stop ordering from Amazon.
It’s about talking about the underlying problem instead of checking off a box for our own absolution.
F'real. I'm still quietly avoiding Target, but I don't judge. And FFS, there are lots of places where Wal Mart is the only shop in town and I'm sure not gonna shame people for shopping there.
I know folks who'll get very angry at the "vote the lesser evil" because you're still voting for evil, but if you're perfectionist enough, everyone is evil. Nations are evil. Voting is evil. You have to vote the lesser evil and just deal with it.
My sense is that God can judge and I just try to do what I can for the people I can reach. I know I ain't perfect.
The most meaningful line in the Episcopal confession for me was the line that seems not used. It follows “and by those sins undone. It was “and there is no health in us.” It confirms that sin is indeed a disease of the heart and of the soul.
That’s so interesting, I had to look it up and it seems it appeared in the BCP in 1928 and was removed it in 1979. I definitely resonate with that.
Another thing about communities that I've learned, having lived in several, is that there is a natural insularity to any right community that makes it hard for outsiders of any stripe to enter without an invitation. And being in a social category that is defined as "other" makes an additional struggle.
I'm a quiet sort of ND queer myself and I was trained to "blend in" from an early age. Outing myself is a recent project and it takes work. The idea of making other people uncomfortable kinda scares me. Being overtly cis-het-male, I'm deeply conditioned that "making people uncomfortable" is very strictly forbidden to me.
Taking awkwardness onto myself is a burden I've just taken as my due in life. Hospitality to strangers is something any community needs to do *intentionally* and all the more when you're providing to the "strange" among us. And note that I'm not scared of strange folks. It's "normal" that tends to make me nervous.
Thanks for your thoughts, dear stranger on the internet.
Our church recently raised a tidy sum for S Sudan. We have a running relationship with the diocese there, and it's a lot of good. That's a hellish place in the world right now, every bit helps.
And it's a genuine struggle, perhaps part of the "non profit industrial conflict" that even in the world of misery, there's a struggle for attention. Indonesia, I get the impression, is a *massive* country that has a lot of suffering in it that goes unnoticed by most Americans. And that ain't right, you're right.
At the same time, there's a fear that if we feel obliged to cover every single place, we won't be able to care for any place meaningfully. There is the general, and there is the specific. And in between, you're right I think, there's a lot of neglect. We are all of us sinners, falling short of the glory of God, constantly in need of reminders.
Thanks for responding!
You’re right, if we pay attention to everything all at once that causes psychological overwhelm and leaves us frozen.
It’s more our single focus that is bothersome to me. When we highlight one cause and get frustrated that others don’t see it either.
For example, I often hear “I don’t order from Amazon and neither should you.” That statement forgets that there are millions of Americans who have no choice because they live in food desserts, or because they have three jobs and don’t have the privilege to stop ordering from Amazon.
It’s about talking about the underlying problem instead of checking off a box for our own absolution.
Hope that makes sense 😊
F'real. I'm still quietly avoiding Target, but I don't judge. And FFS, there are lots of places where Wal Mart is the only shop in town and I'm sure not gonna shame people for shopping there.
I know folks who'll get very angry at the "vote the lesser evil" because you're still voting for evil, but if you're perfectionist enough, everyone is evil. Nations are evil. Voting is evil. You have to vote the lesser evil and just deal with it.
My sense is that God can judge and I just try to do what I can for the people I can reach. I know I ain't perfect.