Tuesday, May 24, 2005

Lift your voices in song

From Church of the Masses blog, written by an ex-nun now in LA-LA land, in the whole Hollywood scene. She's writing a piece on Carmalite nuns and the nuns are about to die and break out into song (read it here). Problem for those of us in this day if we were to face our death we'd have no song to sing. That or we wouldn't know all the words. Maybe I could get out Amazing Grace, maybe. I know the words to Tis a Gift to Be Simple, as thankfully the Shakers were simple people with simple lyrics. Unfortunately, not a song I'd want to face death with. Of my Sunday favs there is Come thou font of every blessing, which I know all but the last which starts with
O that day when freed from sinning, something something lovely face
I mainly like the song for the part of
"Jesus sought me when a stranger, wandering from the fold of G-d"
Still not a song for the gallows.
I loved the quotes from the post. Which reminded me of a complain Brett had made about someone in the neighborhood who, in his eyes, can't sing. Well I know I can't sing, but it is self expression and so I sing, even if I don't know the words.

Friday, May 20, 2005

Train wreck that is the Episcopal Church USA

Over pre-theater dinner Bruce and I were talking about the church that we both love dearly and all that is going on. We also talked about it like a train wreck about to happen.
Supposing the train did wreck, what is plan B? My plan B is to go over to the Holy Roman Catholic Church. His plan B is no surprise, the Orthodox Catholic Church.
Keeping with the train analogy, I pondered, as good Christians, shouldn't we stick around for the aftermath to help the victims of the wreck? And we also chatted about how the heck we wound up on the Episcopal Choo-choo in the first place. Bruce mentioned the sherry in the dining car. Yes, the dining car is pretty darned good. Oh, and the people on the train, every passenger is delightful in his or her way. But Bruce said, the food on the Orthodox train is pretty good too. There are no seats on the Orthodox train, I snapped. My other problem with the Orthodox train is that it is not as global as the Episcopal choo-choo. The Anglican Express stops in India, Nigeria, the UK and Mexico. I'm not sure where the Orthodox rail goes.
I mentioned the train analogy to Rev. K at our talk tonight and he said that the train is already decoupling. But he does not see a wreck.
No matter where this train goes, I'm going to hold on and brace myself until the train does hit the brick wall of schism.

Monday, May 09, 2005

Yeah, it was over the top

So I went to the Church of the Gay Lawyer and they had a special mass with violins, a cello, girls and boys choir, a few of the regular choir members and Mozart thrown in for good measure. Put that on the regular high why-don't-you-just-call-yerselves catholic mass and well it was a itsy bisty bit too much. I was warned, but I went anyway to see Bruce.