Morning at the Office

General Convention

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Senator Edward Kennedy


Senator Kennedy, Thank You!
Rest in peace, and rise in Glory.

Monday, August 10, 2009

In vino veritas



Numbers 6

The Nazirites

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to the Israelites and say to them: When either men or women make a special vow, the vow of a nazirite to separate themselves to the Lord, they shall separate themselves from wine and strong drink; they shall drink no wine vinegar or other vinegar, and shall not drink any grape juice or eat grapes, fresh or dried. All their days as nazirites they shall eat nothing that is produced by the grape-vine, not even the seeds or the skins.



compare


John 2

The Wedding at Cana

On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, ‘They have no wine.’ And Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.’ His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’ Now standing there were six stone water-jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to them, ‘Fill the jars with water.’ And they filled them up to the brim. He said to them, ‘Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward.’ So they took it. When the steward tasted the water that had become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom and said to him, ‘Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now.’ Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.


The Bible itself makes a distinction between wine and grape juice.

It's wine in the wedding at Cana not grape juice.

You don't get drunk on grape juice.

Jesus turned water into wine.

It was the first of His miracles.

Thursday, August 06, 2009

Sex and the Cities


Abram not only married his sister he lied to other men about her to save his life.

He threw away his first born because of the jealousy of that same wife who caused Ishmael to be born in the first place.

Lot was going to let his virgin daughters be raped by all the men of Sodom.
Lot's daughters had sex with him because they said there were no other men left on Earth. Of course they had just left Zoar a little town full of men.

Rahab, a prostitute, made it possible for the Israelites to conquer Jericho and eventually all of Canaan. She is an ancestor of Jesus.

David and Bathsheba and Uriah.

Solomon and all his wives that brought pagan practices to Israel.

If Joseph, Mary's betrothed, hadn't been a kind man he would have put Mary out on the street. Once the story became known she might have been stoned to death.
It's a good thing Joseph paid attention to his dreams.

Mary Magdalen.

There are others.
Which ones can you think of?

Guys, you think maybe it's not about the sex?

Monday, August 03, 2009

Robert Duncan Two Cities: One Choice An Open Letter to the Anglican Communion

Ezekiel 16

48
As I live -- declares the Lord Yahweh -- your sister Sodom and her daughters never did what you and your daughters have done.
49 The crime of your sister Sodom was pride, gluttony, calm complacency; such were hers and her daughters' crimes. They never helped the poor and needy;
50 they were proud, and engaged in loathsome practices before me, and so I swept them away as you have seen.
51 And yet Samaria never committed half the crimes that you have. "You have done more loathsome things than they have. By all your loathsome practices you have made your sisters seem innocent,
52 and now you bear the shame of which you have freed your sisters; since the sins which you have committed are more revolting than theirs, they are more upright than you are. So now, bear the disgrace and shame of having put your sisters in the right.


Two Cities: One Choice An Open Letter to the Anglican Communion

Sunday, August 02, 2009

What if God was one of us?


Since Christ Jesus was fully human and fully divine then some things we think of as sins must not be sin.

Saturday, August 01, 2009

Have you noticed ?


Have you noticed how many Republicans at the higher levels of government have been actors?
On the Democratic side I think for the most part all we've had have been comedians and/or dancers.

Good News ?

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