Second-hand Faith

A few days ago my friend David and I went to a local thrift store to look for lightweight business casual clothes for David's summer job. I found this beautiful wooden frame with a photograph of an Orthodox church interior. I guess someone was redecorating. It's a funny thing to buy something I feel is really personal, but I'm happy to have a visual reminder of my time in Greece. I spent quite of bit of time looking at artwork in churches. We modern Christians possess a second-hand faith. While our faith is our own, we wouldn't have our faith traditions without the Cloud of Witnesses who came before us. I am aware of how incredibly influenced I have been by the Presbyterian and Reformed traditions without even knowing it! The larger Christian tradition influences us every day. One of my favorite things about my denomination is the ecumenical focus. Even knowing that differences exist in theology and history and liturgical practices, we also know that we are one Body. Or, as Henry Nouwen said, "We need each other more than we need to agree."

Ordination

Me and Rev. Brenna!

I hear about ordination a lot. We discuss theologies of ordination and how things are going with our different care committees. We compare different denominations ordination requirements and worry about paperwork. Today I had the great blessing to attend a good friend's ordination worship service. Not only is my my friend Brenna a fantastic liturgy crafter, she has a wonderful aura around her that shines God's love. (She's also really, really tall.) Brenna is my first friend to be ordained, and I'm looking forward to many more. To see the Spirit moving in a friend's life, to see her complete requirements, graduate, get a call to a church job, and get ordained gives me so much joy I can't even explain it. Sometimes seminarians who are on the ordination track get really focused on the details and we may forget occasionally that ordination is not an ending. It's a calling to a type of ministry and the recognition by the community of that calling. More than anything, ordination is a blessing. The PC (USA) is blessed to have Brenna as a minister, and every community she's a part of for the rest of her life will be blessed. Tomorrow Brenna is getting into her car and beginning the relocation process.
I have taken some time off recently to give my brain a break and rest. This service has refocused me. I have a call to ministry. One day I hope my friend Rev. Brenna will be my colleague.

Musing

There are many things to be learned when school is out for the summer. I will figure out what those are later...

We are Presbyterians

Woman Priests

Courtesy of Gene Renner, on NPR's website.

"When you have an unjust law, sometimes it needs to be broken before it can be changed." Rev. Patti LaRosa, Catholic Womanpriest

Today NPR's All Things Considered reported on the latest ordination of Catholic Womanpriests. I have so much respect for the Catholic Womanpriest movement, and I am very glad the movement is getting some press. Back in 2002 a few women were secretly ordained in Germany by a Roman Catholic bishop, and the NPR article is reporting on the most recent ordination of Catholic Womanpriests (which happened in Maryland). Several books have been written by Womenpriests including Eucharistic Prayers for Inclusive Communities by Bridget Mary Meehan and Sheila Durkin Dierks. What saddens me most in this article is that the Womanpriests have lost relationships because people are afraid to openly support the women's ordination movement within the Roman Catholic Church. While I recognize the difficulties of the movement within Catholic doctrine, things will not change unless people are willing to work for the change. I do not know any Womenpriests personally, but as a Christian woman on the path to ordination I support them and hope one day to work with Womenpriest colleagues in my future ministries. 


For more information, check out their website www.romancatholicwomenpriests.org
or buy the book Women Find A Way: The Movement and Stories of Roman Catholic Womenpriests

We are Presbyterians

So the awesome Bruce Reyes-Chow has broadcasted on his website that the We are Presbyterians project is calling for videos. 8 minute videos addressing a few questions, and they want as many as possible. I'll be making a video, and I encourage everyone else who's a Presbyterian to consider making one as well.