CONFESSOR'S CONTEMPLATIONS: Palm Sunday Protest

Last Sunday, Palm Sunday, I attended the Palm Sunday, Faith In Action event. It was a lot of fun, and quite profound. There are some pictures below you can take a look at. The Episcopalians showed up, that is for sure, everywhere I turned I saw someone from Trinity, St Mark's Cathedral, St John's, from all over the metro area.

Our Bishop was one of the last speakers, and his voice was particularly unique. Several speakers preached the days sermon, or a portion of it, others repeated the lines we have all heard over and over again about the injustices being pressed upon so many of our immigrant neighbors.

Bishop Loya, however, talked about our first Bishop: Henry Benjamin Whipple, and how his name is on the building where most immigrants and other US Citizens were arrested were taken. It reminded me of that saying I have heard so much in our Diocese, "While others were killing the Indigenous people, Bishop Whipple was ordaining them."

I stumbled across Seth Godin again, recently, I used to subscribe to his regular emails and blogs. I was pleased to see he is still putting out some pretty profound stuff, like this little post:

    "Rehearsing Possibility: Most of us would like to live with wonder, grace and optimism. 

    Perhaps it pays to practice this in advance. When considering any given moment, is there a glimmer of

    good worth focusing on, even making a comment about? 

    Our narrative of reality often becomes our reality."

I was reminded of this little quote because the Bishop preached at our Chrism Service this week, on Tuesday, that we must embrace joy if we are to face the challenges and pitfalls that lay ahead on the road to community, love and hope. Joy is vitally important and he asked the question, how do we even express joy when so much around us is in pain.

For years I have had five core values, but lately I have come to understand I have reduced those to three, for now. Authenticity, Hope and Laughter. Laughter, for me is joy, beign anble to smile, to laugh, to roll on the floor laughing, these are all vital parts of our humanity. Even in the midst of horror, we have to find joy. How is that done?

I don't know exactly, unless, as Seth Godin suggests, we practive it ahead of time. We work to make our narrative a narrative of joy that will always be light shining in darkness. It's what we do. It's who were are. 

Be well,

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