November 30, 2003
gf seeks church
For the past year or so, my home church has been embroiled in a political upheaval of, shall we say, Biblical proportions.
Sadly enough, it's not even over anything substantial like doctrine; there are small differences over worship style, but that's more cosmetic than anything else. The gist of the problem is that the pastor wanted to take the church in a new direction and half the elders disagreed, and at that point everyone in a leadership position proceeded to act like a two-year-old. There was much badmouthing of other elders behind their backs and pointless church meetings in which the congregation was half-informed of what was going on. It ended up with the pastor resigning, half the elders being removed from their positions, and a good portion of the congregation leaving out of sheer disgust.
My mom is one of the people who left, and that group has recently been holding worship services together. We went to one tonight, in the Lutheran church which is letting them borrow the space. According to my mom, it was "so much nicer" than the old church, with its "atmosphere of vengeance." All the "nice, sweet" people from the old church went here now.
I did like the pews better. They were padded and much more comfortable than the wooden ones at Terabil Pres. So I was content to lean back and half-listen to the homily (I'm not sure why they changed it from a 'sermon' to a 'homily,' it was basically the same thing) and contemplate the irony.
Let it not be said that God gives gentle taps when he chooses to employ the Holy Mallet of Irony upon your unprotected head.
During this sermon, the speaker made use of Matthew 22:23-46. Verses 23-33 are the story about the Sadducees asking Jesus about the woman married to the seven brothers, and whose wife she'll be after the resurrection. Jesus essentially says "You're missing the point. There'll be no such thing as marriage after the resurrection."
I thought "Well hey, that's actually a rather feminist thought if you think about it. They're asking who the woman will belong to in the future, and he's telling them she won't belong to any of them. Interesting."
At that point my mom leaned over and pointed to it, whispering, "Those Mormons should look at those verses, huh?"
... Um, why? The verses don't address polygamy. If anything, it's polyandry.
Moving on, a few minutes later the speaker was saying something about "how this country is going."
Oh yeah. You can see what's coming too, can't you?
Oh yes. He mentioned "homosexual marriage." Yes, yes he did. Right after bringing up Matthew 22:34-40, wherein the greatest commandment is "Love your God with all your heart and mind and soul." Not "Resist queer marriage with all thy lungs and wallets and political influence."
And the Holy Mallet of Irony descends upon the skulls of a group of people who have essentially decided to take their spiritual toys and play somewhere else, much like the current situation in the Anglican church. In the midst of which are two people, a mother and a daughter, whose relationship has been permanently scarred by issues having to do with just the one he so helpfully brought up. And the Mallet apparently bounces right off. Ba-yoing.
So much for unity in Christ.
It makes me realize exactly how little I missed churchgoing while I was in Avalon. I slept in on Sundays, talked about faith and God with my friends, and was a much happier person without spending one day a week sitting in an uncomfortable pew in uncomfortable clothes waiting for the old white man du jour in the pulpit to insult my relationship with God.
That's not what church should be like. What about the beloved community? What about claiming sanctuary? Hell, what happened to the radically loving Jesus I fell in love with and wanted to follow?
But no. This is a nice church with nice people and a nice Jesus. Tastes great, less filling.
I have to wonder if I'll ever find a church that I look forward to going to. Somewhere I can go with my questions and insights and comfortable clothes without being half-certain they won't let me in the door without a sideways glance. I suspect not.
Sadly enough, it's not even over anything substantial like doctrine; there are small differences over worship style, but that's more cosmetic than anything else. The gist of the problem is that the pastor wanted to take the church in a new direction and half the elders disagreed, and at that point everyone in a leadership position proceeded to act like a two-year-old. There was much badmouthing of other elders behind their backs and pointless church meetings in which the congregation was half-informed of what was going on. It ended up with the pastor resigning, half the elders being removed from their positions, and a good portion of the congregation leaving out of sheer disgust.
My mom is one of the people who left, and that group has recently been holding worship services together. We went to one tonight, in the Lutheran church which is letting them borrow the space. According to my mom, it was "so much nicer" than the old church, with its "atmosphere of vengeance." All the "nice, sweet" people from the old church went here now.
I did like the pews better. They were padded and much more comfortable than the wooden ones at Terabil Pres. So I was content to lean back and half-listen to the homily (I'm not sure why they changed it from a 'sermon' to a 'homily,' it was basically the same thing) and contemplate the irony.
Let it not be said that God gives gentle taps when he chooses to employ the Holy Mallet of Irony upon your unprotected head.
During this sermon, the speaker made use of Matthew 22:23-46. Verses 23-33 are the story about the Sadducees asking Jesus about the woman married to the seven brothers, and whose wife she'll be after the resurrection. Jesus essentially says "You're missing the point. There'll be no such thing as marriage after the resurrection."
I thought "Well hey, that's actually a rather feminist thought if you think about it. They're asking who the woman will belong to in the future, and he's telling them she won't belong to any of them. Interesting."
At that point my mom leaned over and pointed to it, whispering, "Those Mormons should look at those verses, huh?"
... Um, why? The verses don't address polygamy. If anything, it's polyandry.
Moving on, a few minutes later the speaker was saying something about "how this country is going."
Oh yeah. You can see what's coming too, can't you?
Oh yes. He mentioned "homosexual marriage." Yes, yes he did. Right after bringing up Matthew 22:34-40, wherein the greatest commandment is "Love your God with all your heart and mind and soul." Not "Resist queer marriage with all thy lungs and wallets and political influence."
And the Holy Mallet of Irony descends upon the skulls of a group of people who have essentially decided to take their spiritual toys and play somewhere else, much like the current situation in the Anglican church. In the midst of which are two people, a mother and a daughter, whose relationship has been permanently scarred by issues having to do with just the one he so helpfully brought up. And the Mallet apparently bounces right off. Ba-yoing.
So much for unity in Christ.
It makes me realize exactly how little I missed churchgoing while I was in Avalon. I slept in on Sundays, talked about faith and God with my friends, and was a much happier person without spending one day a week sitting in an uncomfortable pew in uncomfortable clothes waiting for the old white man du jour in the pulpit to insult my relationship with God.
That's not what church should be like. What about the beloved community? What about claiming sanctuary? Hell, what happened to the radically loving Jesus I fell in love with and wanted to follow?
But no. This is a nice church with nice people and a nice Jesus. Tastes great, less filling.
I have to wonder if I'll ever find a church that I look forward to going to. Somewhere I can go with my questions and insights and comfortable clothes without being half-certain they won't let me in the door without a sideways glance. I suspect not.
# posted by Liadan @ 8:29 PM 
