Ladies and Gentlemen of the Episcopal Church, we are out of time. We are dying and it appears that no one, not the Anglican Communion, not The Episcopal Church in the United States, not any diocese including "renovating" diocese such as San Joaquin, Pittsburgh, Quincy or Fort Worth cares. Well, the evidence is mounting that there has not been a creative thought in this church since we decided to go to Scotland to have our bishops consecrated. And I might add it appears Scotland is once again out in front.
We have had 50 years of playing the "peacemaker" with a bunch of ninnies that can't think here way of a wet paper bag but can tie up the entire communion with absolute nonsense. We cannot seem to do what is right; accept LGBT persons as full participants in the life of the Episcopal Church; we do not or cannot accept those who have cultures different than ours participate fully in the life of the Episcopal Church; we cannot even seem to build ramps and access to altar rails to allow handicapped persons to fully participate in the life of the church and so we are dying.
You say, "But look at the court cases, we are winning!" Well if you call winning getting a bunch or property back then yep I guess we are. But where is the strategy to bring these parishes back into the Episcopal fold? No one is thinking very creatively. What we have are parishes residing in the same city in the same neighborhoods and neither group can make it on their own so what do we do? We simply do nothing. That is exactly what we have been doing since all this nonsense began way back when. Our strategy is we fight like hell and then we do nothing. Then we say, but look at us we are winning. We are good enough just the way we are so why change? Why move in any direction when we can stand here and look pretty.
Let me put this in very crass, military terms. We are caught in a withering crossfire. The "conealonialists" along with the Moderator and Big Pete are laying down a series of killing crosses that is destroying the Episcopal Church. What have decided to do? Absolutely NOTHING! We are sitting right where we were caught and have been stunned into doing nothing. Now, I do not know about anyone else but sitting in the middle of this kind of firefight leads to but one thing, certain death. We either move or die. Yep, any move is going to cost us dearly, but not moving is going to cost more. So let's get up and get going.
Let me put it into terms the vast majority of those who wear turned around collars can understand. We have buried our two talents. The Master is coming and I do not know about you but I already understand this sermon and I do not want to be around when the Master comes if all we are going to do is say, "But Master, I knew your were a hard taskmaster and I did not want to risk losing my two talents and your wrath."
So, for today two quick thoughts. First, one does not grow if one does not accept people where they are. Let's make a stand and let everyone know that we are not about kicking people out of the church we are about bringing people into the church. We want everyone to know that everyone is warmly and actively accepted into the Episcopal Church. That means the handicapped, those with different languages and cultures are welcome and those LGBT persons have a warm and abiding home with the Episcopal Church. Second, lets figure out a strategy that will regroup all our parishes so that when the time comes we don't kill those parishes that have stayed with us all along just so we can "welcome back" those who have euphemistically "wandered off". Let's spend the kind of time and money we are putting into litigation to figure out ways to move our church forward.
How about some creative thinking here folks? How about we stop chasing these poor conealoneialist fools and their knaves around and we get back on the track of positive creative thinking that puts our beloved Episcopal Church back into Christ's fold. The Master is indeed coming and I would like to take our two talents and make four. How about 2 and a half?
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