Presbyterian High Court Clears Janie Spahr

From The Press Democrat

The Rev. Jane Spahr was cleared Tuesday of charges that she violated Presbyterian Church law by marrying two lesbian couples, but her right to continue the ceremonies remains in doubt, lawyers and church officials said.

For full article, click here.

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Capital City Men’s Chorus Performance in May

For those of you in Austin, the next performance of the Capital City Men’s Chorus has been announced…

Join the Capital City Men’s Chorus on Saturday evening, May 17, at 8 p.m., as we CCMC take a look back at some of the great award-winning songs that have inspired and entertained us from stage and screen.
From Shakespeare’s “Henry V” to “Brokeback Mountain,” we’ll cover the spectrum of popular entertainment.

This concert will also feature the world premiere of “Resurrection,” a piece commissioned especially for the CCMC through grants from the Hollyfield Foundation and GALA Choruses. With words by award-winning poet George Klawitter and music by Karl Logue, “Resurrection” is a work which reminds us that while our struggle against fear and bigotry is not over, there is hope for our future.

And who knows. . . . a few wigs may fly as well!

Come take part in history!

Tickets $15 advance/$20 door

Sold at ccmcaustin.org, 512-477-SING and exclusively at Lobo.

A Hymn for Our Relationships

I had to write a hymn for a class – I thought I would share it.  It can be sung to many tunes in the hymnal — anything with the little abbreviation “CM” in the corner at the bottom for “Common Meter”. I haven’t found a tune I like yet, but when I do I’ll update it.  It is based, of course, on King David and his relationship with Saul’s son, Jonathan, and the Book of Ruth.

David and Jonathan, they met
And wept behind a stone
They kissed and said their sad farewells
Again to be alone

Away, Naomi pushed her love
And Ruth refused to leave
“Where you go, I will go,” said she
Even if death takes me

Thank you God for relationships
You bless our love with life
Through good and bad you lift us up
Deliv’ring us from strife

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Politics and Preaching

If the flap over Obama’s pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, has given you any pause, please take a moment and read what Diana Butler-Bass has to say about it here.

A sample:

Anyone who attends church on a regular basis knows how frequently congregants disagree with their ministers. To sit in a pew is not necessarily assent to a message preached on a particular day. Being a church member is not some sort of mindless cult, where individuals believe every word preached. Rather, being a church member means being part of a community of faith—a gathered people, always diverse and sometimes at odds, who constitute Christ’s body in the world.

Amen!  And she goes on to provide the perspective which I think is so much needed when thinking about Rev. Wright’s comments, which have been so taken out of their context in the life of his parish in the fast-paced life of contemporary media, always wanting another sound-bite, another victim to spend hours of time pouring over, and to analyze without really reporting on anything.

Please take a few moments to read the piece if you can.

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