MadPriest
FEBRUARY IN A NORTHERN LAND
It's minus five degrees centigrade outside. Tonight we are told it will get down to minus ten. We complain but in our homes we are warm and snug.
How soon we forget. Twenty years ago I lived in a house which had no heating other than one open fire. We used to switch the gas hobs on the cooker on when we got home in winter because it was so cold. And twenty years before that, when I was a child, not only did ice form on the outside of the windows it formed on the inside as well. My mother would come into my bedroom to wake me up in the morning and tell me that Jack Frost had been. I used to find that extremely exciting. I know for sure that I wouldn't nowadays.
Today I pray for the homeless; those living on the streets of our towns and cities; those who can only find shelter in unheated premises. I pray for the many who cannot afford to heat their homes as much as is necessary when it gets this cold, especially the elderly. I pray for those who will die because of this.
I pray for the rich who allow and exacerbate the suffering of the poor while experiencing no discomfort themselves. I pray that, at times, hell is as cold as it is hot (metaphorically speaking, of course).
How soon we forget. Twenty years ago I lived in a house which had no heating other than one open fire. We used to switch the gas hobs on the cooker on when we got home in winter because it was so cold. And twenty years before that, when I was a child, not only did ice form on the outside of the windows it formed on the inside as well. My mother would come into my bedroom to wake me up in the morning and tell me that Jack Frost had been. I used to find that extremely exciting. I know for sure that I wouldn't nowadays.
Today I pray for the homeless; those living on the streets of our towns and cities; those who can only find shelter in unheated premises. I pray for the many who cannot afford to heat their homes as much as is necessary when it gets this cold, especially the elderly. I pray for those who will die because of this.
I pray for the rich who allow and exacerbate the suffering of the poor while experiencing no discomfort themselves. I pray that, at times, hell is as cold as it is hot (metaphorically speaking, of course).
BATTLE WON IN CALIFORNIA,BUT WAR CONTINUES
From ENS:
Gay marriage supporters rejoiced Feb. 7 after an appellate court ruled California’s controversial Proposition 8, which defined marriage as between a man and a woman, is unconstitutional.
“Today’s 9th Circuit Court decision is not just a victory for gay and lesbian couples in California – it is a victory for all Americans who believe that the ‘liberty and justice for all’ in the pledge we teach our children really means ALL,” according to an email statement from the Rev. Canon Susan Russell, a former president of Integrity USA, a group that works for full inclusion of gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgendered people in the Episcopal Church.
“It is also a victory over those who erroneously believe that the freedom of religion guaranteed by the First Amendment gives them freedom to write their theology on marriage — or anything else — into our Constitution,” added Russell.
“Since 1888 the Supreme Court has ruled 14 times that marriage is a basic civil right, but again and again it has been denied to loving, faithful gay or lesbian couples,” said the Rev. Dr. Caroline Hall, president of Integrity USA. “We can rejoice that in California, our right to equal treatment under the law has been upheld and our marriages are once again recognized. This will be an encouragement to all those fighting this battle in their own states.”
She and other Integrity leaders called upon the six Episcopal dioceses in California “to extend a generous pastoral response to lesbian and gay couples so that our legal rights can be celebrated in our churches and our marriages blessed by the church in the same manner afforded to our straight friends and family. This is an enormously important symbol of the Episcopal Church’s true willingness to welcome all people even those of us who are LGBT and to extend all the sacraments to all the baptized. We hope that California citizens will soon be able to marry the person they love.”
“While this is a huge victory in the battle for marriage equality, this fight is far from over,” continued the Integrity statement. “Same-sex married couples still face federal discrimination against their marriages because of the so-called Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Integrity vows to continue to fight for marriage equality both within and outside of the church. We will not stop until we can claim the promise that all really means ALL.”
“I was overjoyed when I heard that the right to marriage equality has been upheld by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals,” wrote the Rt. Rev. J. Jon Bruno, bishop of the Diocese of Los Angeles, in a statement to ENS. “The Constitution of the United States allows for equal rights under the law, and the 14th Amendment guarantees that every human being, regardless of race, ethnicity or sexual orientation, is equally protected by the constitution of our land.”
Saying that it is a “foregone conclusion” that opponents of gay marriage will appeal the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court, Bruno said he prayed for “swift action on the part of the Supreme Court that will strike down opposition to marriage equality.”
“We all are truly created in the image of God; therefore, we should all be afforded the respect and dignity of that creation,” Bruno said. “I will pray that we soon will have regained the privilege and right of marriage equality for all people.”
The Catholic Church issued a statement “denouncing” the ruling.
“Today’s court ruling is a grave injustice, ignoring the reality that marriage is the union of one man and one woman,” according to Cardinal-designate Timothy Dolan, president of the U.S. conference of Catholic Bishops.
COMMENT: Well done everybody! And a special thank you and well done to our longstanding friend, IT, from THE FRIENDS OF JAKE and GAY MARRIED CALIFORNIAN blogs. She has tirelessly kept the neighbourhood up to date on the fight to repeal Prop 8 since the vile and unconstitutional legislation first removed the human rights of the many gay married couples in California. We rejoiced when she married BP and we rejoice again with her now. We will rejoice even more when the Supreme Court upholds yesterday's landmark decision and all the blustering, bankrolled bigots and their small gods are shown that love is greater than hate and told to live with it.
Gay marriage supporters rejoiced Feb. 7 after an appellate court ruled California’s controversial Proposition 8, which defined marriage as between a man and a woman, is unconstitutional.
“Today’s 9th Circuit Court decision is not just a victory for gay and lesbian couples in California – it is a victory for all Americans who believe that the ‘liberty and justice for all’ in the pledge we teach our children really means ALL,” according to an email statement from the Rev. Canon Susan Russell, a former president of Integrity USA, a group that works for full inclusion of gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgendered people in the Episcopal Church.
“It is also a victory over those who erroneously believe that the freedom of religion guaranteed by the First Amendment gives them freedom to write their theology on marriage — or anything else — into our Constitution,” added Russell.
“Since 1888 the Supreme Court has ruled 14 times that marriage is a basic civil right, but again and again it has been denied to loving, faithful gay or lesbian couples,” said the Rev. Dr. Caroline Hall, president of Integrity USA. “We can rejoice that in California, our right to equal treatment under the law has been upheld and our marriages are once again recognized. This will be an encouragement to all those fighting this battle in their own states.”
She and other Integrity leaders called upon the six Episcopal dioceses in California “to extend a generous pastoral response to lesbian and gay couples so that our legal rights can be celebrated in our churches and our marriages blessed by the church in the same manner afforded to our straight friends and family. This is an enormously important symbol of the Episcopal Church’s true willingness to welcome all people even those of us who are LGBT and to extend all the sacraments to all the baptized. We hope that California citizens will soon be able to marry the person they love.”
“While this is a huge victory in the battle for marriage equality, this fight is far from over,” continued the Integrity statement. “Same-sex married couples still face federal discrimination against their marriages because of the so-called Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Integrity vows to continue to fight for marriage equality both within and outside of the church. We will not stop until we can claim the promise that all really means ALL.”
“I was overjoyed when I heard that the right to marriage equality has been upheld by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals,” wrote the Rt. Rev. J. Jon Bruno, bishop of the Diocese of Los Angeles, in a statement to ENS. “The Constitution of the United States allows for equal rights under the law, and the 14th Amendment guarantees that every human being, regardless of race, ethnicity or sexual orientation, is equally protected by the constitution of our land.”
Saying that it is a “foregone conclusion” that opponents of gay marriage will appeal the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court, Bruno said he prayed for “swift action on the part of the Supreme Court that will strike down opposition to marriage equality.”
“We all are truly created in the image of God; therefore, we should all be afforded the respect and dignity of that creation,” Bruno said. “I will pray that we soon will have regained the privilege and right of marriage equality for all people.”
The Catholic Church issued a statement “denouncing” the ruling.
“Today’s court ruling is a grave injustice, ignoring the reality that marriage is the union of one man and one woman,” according to Cardinal-designate Timothy Dolan, president of the U.S. conference of Catholic Bishops.
COMMENT: Well done everybody! And a special thank you and well done to our longstanding friend, IT, from THE FRIENDS OF JAKE and GAY MARRIED CALIFORNIAN blogs. She has tirelessly kept the neighbourhood up to date on the fight to repeal Prop 8 since the vile and unconstitutional legislation first removed the human rights of the many gay married couples in California. We rejoiced when she married BP and we rejoice again with her now. We will rejoice even more when the Supreme Court upholds yesterday's landmark decision and all the blustering, bankrolled bigots and their small gods are shown that love is greater than hate and told to live with it.
ANGLICAN MAINSTREAM ANDWITCH HUNTERS IN GENERAL
I received the following comment on a recent post about Anglican Mainstream's obsession with all things scatological and perverse. It is so very good that I am posting it here for all to see.
I watched ‘The Crucible’ over the course of the weekend. My same-sex partner and I having a wee break from our ‘homosexual lifestyle’... You know when you’re getting old when you can only stand three fistings a week and a bottle of poppers lasts you five days instead of one. And then there was the nasty episode of a splinter from our A-frame lodging in my left buttock as we were hosting a ‘scat n’ cards’ morning (basically a whist drive for coprophiles which we hold alternate weeks from the Ladies’ Bright Hour (many of our friends attend both)) – this got infected, tho’ thankfully we have (for obvious reasons and our ease and comfort) more rubber rings than scatter cushions in our living room, so at least I was able to sit in comfort and watch Arthur Miller’s masterpiece....*
A thought struck me, as I was watching the play and that is how the need to accuse and set oneself apart, as righteous, seems a real driving force for some of our religious brethren. In Salam it was witchcraft – though of course the real reason was the use of religion as a means of settling scores and serving one’s own self interest. Nowadays sexuality has become a similar means of dividing society into the ‘just’ and the ‘unjust’ – and is also a way of settling scores: those wicked liberals have pushed conservative Christianity to the margins and now it is time to fight back; the use of salaciousness, innuendo, half truths, self-righteousness and playing on the odd ancient prejudice appears a good means of doing this. It’s also a good way to make oneself feel better about oneself. Well, each to his or her own, I suppose, but the fact Anglicanmainstream and its creepy little friends are neither proportionate nor can claim integrity, rather limits the scope of their smear campaigns and hate-mongering. Many outside the tiny Christian world these trolls inhabit see their disproportionate interest in poufers and dykes and what they do behind closed doors as at best an unfortunate obsession with the private lives of others; and at worst something akin to Far Right scape-goating that can only harm, rather than benefit society.
It is no wonder Lisa Nolland (whom it is alleged holds a PhD in scatology) has taken to accusing ‘the damned’ of all kinds of wickedness (or fun, depending on your proclivities) to shore up the self-righteousness of the ‘blessed’ (aka ‘the bigoted’). She is not unlike the accuser, Abigail Williams, in ‘The Crucible’ - it is in her best interest to smear the scat and hope it sticks; as I have already noted, salaciousness, innuendo, half-truth and self-righteousness are the main weapons of such nasty souls. Anyone – and I mean ANYONE – who thinks they are more righteous, blameless, devout, holy, blessed or less sinful than their fellows has missed the point of the Gospel; but something so inconsequential is of little interest to our friends at AM or the Nollard. It seems Ms Nolland and her supporters think they have something to teach the world. They use inference to take the extreme and apply it to the whole – augmenting their unfathomable interest in the sex lives of others with fear, loathing and arrogance.
Well, Abigail Williams came to a sticky end, as have many others who have sought to further their own careers by the exploitation and opprobrium of others. Give her enough rope and she’ll hang herself – hence best to use a ‘safety word’ lest her fetish fixated chums think she is enjoying herself, when in reality she is starving herself of the oxygen she needs...
Peter Denshaw
* for the record I’ve never been fisted, or tied to an A-frame etc. or attended the Ladies’ Bright Hour...
I watched ‘The Crucible’ over the course of the weekend. My same-sex partner and I having a wee break from our ‘homosexual lifestyle’... You know when you’re getting old when you can only stand three fistings a week and a bottle of poppers lasts you five days instead of one. And then there was the nasty episode of a splinter from our A-frame lodging in my left buttock as we were hosting a ‘scat n’ cards’ morning (basically a whist drive for coprophiles which we hold alternate weeks from the Ladies’ Bright Hour (many of our friends attend both)) – this got infected, tho’ thankfully we have (for obvious reasons and our ease and comfort) more rubber rings than scatter cushions in our living room, so at least I was able to sit in comfort and watch Arthur Miller’s masterpiece....*
A thought struck me, as I was watching the play and that is how the need to accuse and set oneself apart, as righteous, seems a real driving force for some of our religious brethren. In Salam it was witchcraft – though of course the real reason was the use of religion as a means of settling scores and serving one’s own self interest. Nowadays sexuality has become a similar means of dividing society into the ‘just’ and the ‘unjust’ – and is also a way of settling scores: those wicked liberals have pushed conservative Christianity to the margins and now it is time to fight back; the use of salaciousness, innuendo, half truths, self-righteousness and playing on the odd ancient prejudice appears a good means of doing this. It’s also a good way to make oneself feel better about oneself. Well, each to his or her own, I suppose, but the fact Anglicanmainstream and its creepy little friends are neither proportionate nor can claim integrity, rather limits the scope of their smear campaigns and hate-mongering. Many outside the tiny Christian world these trolls inhabit see their disproportionate interest in poufers and dykes and what they do behind closed doors as at best an unfortunate obsession with the private lives of others; and at worst something akin to Far Right scape-goating that can only harm, rather than benefit society.
It is no wonder Lisa Nolland (whom it is alleged holds a PhD in scatology) has taken to accusing ‘the damned’ of all kinds of wickedness (or fun, depending on your proclivities) to shore up the self-righteousness of the ‘blessed’ (aka ‘the bigoted’). She is not unlike the accuser, Abigail Williams, in ‘The Crucible’ - it is in her best interest to smear the scat and hope it sticks; as I have already noted, salaciousness, innuendo, half-truth and self-righteousness are the main weapons of such nasty souls. Anyone – and I mean ANYONE – who thinks they are more righteous, blameless, devout, holy, blessed or less sinful than their fellows has missed the point of the Gospel; but something so inconsequential is of little interest to our friends at AM or the Nollard. It seems Ms Nolland and her supporters think they have something to teach the world. They use inference to take the extreme and apply it to the whole – augmenting their unfathomable interest in the sex lives of others with fear, loathing and arrogance.
Well, Abigail Williams came to a sticky end, as have many others who have sought to further their own careers by the exploitation and opprobrium of others. Give her enough rope and she’ll hang herself – hence best to use a ‘safety word’ lest her fetish fixated chums think she is enjoying herself, when in reality she is starving herself of the oxygen she needs...
Peter Denshaw
* for the record I’ve never been fisted, or tied to an A-frame etc. or attended the Ladies’ Bright Hour...
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"... what seems clear from the research is that churches grow or shrivel at an individual level, in ways that have lots to do with the personality of their priests and the attitudes of the congregation and almost nothing to do with theology." (Andrew Brown, "General Synod: the perfect forum for Anglicans who want to avoid decisions," posted at THE GUARDIAN)
DON'T BLAME MADPRIEST, BLAME GRAHAM
A guy goes into the confessional box after years being away from the Church. He pulls aside the curtain, enters and sits himself down. There's a fully equipped bar with crystal glasses, the best vestry wine, Guinness on tap, cigars and liqueur chocolates nearby, and on the wall a fine photographic display of buxom ladies who appear to have mislaid their garments.
He hears a priest come in: "Father, forgive me for it's been a very long time since I've been to confession and I must admit that the confessional box is much more inviting than it used to be".
The priest replies, "Get out, you idiot. You're on my side".
He hears a priest come in: "Father, forgive me for it's been a very long time since I've been to confession and I must admit that the confessional box is much more inviting than it used to be".
The priest replies, "Get out, you idiot. You're on my side".
OCICBW... LAUNCHES MIMI AWARD
In honour of The Queen's Diamond Jubilee, OCICBW... has today announced a new award which will, no doubt, become as internationally coveted as BRICK OF THE DAY.
The new accolade will be known as THE MIMI and will only be awarded to sweet, little, grey-haired, old ladies with spunk.
The first recipent of this major gong is Joan Clark of Braughing, Hertfordshire, England.
From THE HERTFORDSHIRE MERCURY:
After 84 years of working as a church organist, 95-year-old, Joan Clark has retired from her job. To mark her retirement, Joan received a personal letter from the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams.
More than 300 friends attended a celebratory service held for her at St Mary the Virgin Braughing, where she was presented with a long-service medal from The Royal School of Church Music, a certificate, an engraved rose bowl, flowers, a cake and an autograph book signed by her many friends.
Mrs Clark started playing the organ at the Congregational Chapel when she was 11-years-old.
Well done, Joan. Putting up with Anglicans singing hymns badly for that number of years shows either extreme fortitude or profound deafness. As we assume the former in your case, you are hereby, deservingly, added to THE MIMI hall of fame.
The new accolade will be known as THE MIMI and will only be awarded to sweet, little, grey-haired, old ladies with spunk.
The first recipent of this major gong is Joan Clark of Braughing, Hertfordshire, England.
From THE HERTFORDSHIRE MERCURY:
After 84 years of working as a church organist, 95-year-old, Joan Clark has retired from her job. To mark her retirement, Joan received a personal letter from the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams.
More than 300 friends attended a celebratory service held for her at St Mary the Virgin Braughing, where she was presented with a long-service medal from The Royal School of Church Music, a certificate, an engraved rose bowl, flowers, a cake and an autograph book signed by her many friends.
Mrs Clark started playing the organ at the Congregational Chapel when she was 11-years-old.
Well done, Joan. Putting up with Anglicans singing hymns badly for that number of years shows either extreme fortitude or profound deafness. As we assume the former in your case, you are hereby, deservingly, added to THE MIMI hall of fame.
MADPRIEST'S THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
On this day when we are celebrating our Queen's sixty years of monarchy let us turn for our moment from our jubilation and spare a thought for those countries that are not part of the British Commonwealth, especially the United States. Just think, if the republicans hadn't won the American War of Independence the people of the U.S.A. would today be just as civilised as the Canadians or even New Zealanders.
WORSHIP AT ST. LAIKA'S
HOLY
COMMUNION
ACCESSION DAY 2012
THE YEAR OF THEQUEEN'S DIAMOND JUBILEE
All are welcome to join me in taking communion.
There are no exceptions.
The order of service is posted beneath the audio file so that you can join in with the service. The words in bold type are the ones we say together.
If you want to physically partake of communion you will require a small piece of bread and a small amount of drink (preferably made from grapes and containing alcohol). How you view the nature of this part of the service is completely up to you.
Click on the arrow on the player to stream.Download via the MP3 icon below the player.Download podcast via iTUNES.
MP3 File
INTRODUCTION
"Trumpet Tune" by Henry Purcell - Paul Hart and Elizabeth Le Grove
GREETING
BIDDING
CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION
"Gloria In Excelcis" by Charles Villiers Stanford - Westminster Abbey Choir
COLLECT
READING
"Behold, O God Our Defender" by Herbert Howells - Choir Of New College Oxford
READING
"Rejoice In The Lord Alway" - The Schola Cantorum Of St. Peter's In The Loop
Alleluia, alleluia.Great and amazing are your deeds, Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are your ways, King of the nations!Alleluia.
Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke.Glory to you, O Lord.
GOSPEL
This is the Gospel of the Lord.Praise to you, O Christ.
INTERCESSION
THE PEACE
"All People That On Earth Do Dwell" - Norwich Cathedral Choir
All people that on earth do dwell,
Sing to the Lord with cheerful voice.
Him serve with fear, His praise forth tell;
Come ye before Him and rejoice.
The Lord, ye know, is God indeed;
Without our aid He did us make;
We are His folk, He doth us feed,
And for His sheep He doth us take.
O enter then His gates with praise;
Approach with joy His courts unto;
Praise, laud, and bless His Name always,
For it is seemly so to do.
For why? the Lord our God is good;
His mercy is for ever sure;
His truth at all times firmly stood,
And shall from age to age endure.
To Father, Son and Holy Ghost,
The God Whom Heaven and earth adore,
From men and from the angel host
Be praise and glory evermore.
PRAYER OVER THE GIFTS
The Lord is here.God's Spirit is with us.
Lift up your hearts.We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.It is right to give thanks and praise.
You are worthy of our thanks and praise…
… evermore praising you and singing:
"Sanctus and Benedictus" from "Mass in G Minor"
by Vaughan Williams - Elora Festival Singers
Lord God, you are the most holy one…
… all honour and glory be yours, almighty Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
Let us pray with confidence as our Saviour has taught us
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done; on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.
We break this bread
to share in the body of Christ.
Though we are many, we are one body,
because we all share in one bread.
"Agnes Dei" from "Mass in G Minor" by Vaughan Willaims
- Elora Festival Singers
This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
Blessed are those who are called to his supper.
Lord, I am not worthy to receive you,
but only say the word, and I shall be healed.
The body of Christ. Amen.
The blood of Christ. Amen.
"Nimrod" from "Variations On An Original Theme" by Edward Elgar - Halle Orchestra
POST COMMUNION PRAYER
God Save The Queen
BLESSING
My sisters and brothers, go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
In the name of Christ. Amen.
"Killer Queen" - Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
COMMUNION
ACCESSION DAY 2012
THE YEAR OF THEQUEEN'S DIAMOND JUBILEE
All are welcome to join me in taking communion.
There are no exceptions.
The order of service is posted beneath the audio file so that you can join in with the service. The words in bold type are the ones we say together.
If you want to physically partake of communion you will require a small piece of bread and a small amount of drink (preferably made from grapes and containing alcohol). How you view the nature of this part of the service is completely up to you.
Click on the arrow on the player to stream.Download via the MP3 icon below the player.Download podcast via iTUNES.
MP3 File
INTRODUCTION
"Trumpet Tune" by Henry Purcell - Paul Hart and Elizabeth Le Grove
GREETING
BIDDING
CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION
"Gloria In Excelcis" by Charles Villiers Stanford - Westminster Abbey Choir
COLLECT
READING
"Behold, O God Our Defender" by Herbert Howells - Choir Of New College Oxford
READING
"Rejoice In The Lord Alway" - The Schola Cantorum Of St. Peter's In The Loop
Alleluia, alleluia.Great and amazing are your deeds, Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are your ways, King of the nations!Alleluia.
Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke.Glory to you, O Lord.
GOSPEL
This is the Gospel of the Lord.Praise to you, O Christ.
INTERCESSION
THE PEACE
"All People That On Earth Do Dwell" - Norwich Cathedral Choir
All people that on earth do dwell,
Sing to the Lord with cheerful voice.
Him serve with fear, His praise forth tell;
Come ye before Him and rejoice.
The Lord, ye know, is God indeed;
Without our aid He did us make;
We are His folk, He doth us feed,
And for His sheep He doth us take.
O enter then His gates with praise;
Approach with joy His courts unto;
Praise, laud, and bless His Name always,
For it is seemly so to do.
For why? the Lord our God is good;
His mercy is for ever sure;
His truth at all times firmly stood,
And shall from age to age endure.
To Father, Son and Holy Ghost,
The God Whom Heaven and earth adore,
From men and from the angel host
Be praise and glory evermore.
PRAYER OVER THE GIFTS
The Lord is here.God's Spirit is with us.
Lift up your hearts.We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.It is right to give thanks and praise.
You are worthy of our thanks and praise…
… evermore praising you and singing:
"Sanctus and Benedictus" from "Mass in G Minor"
by Vaughan Williams - Elora Festival Singers
Lord God, you are the most holy one…
… all honour and glory be yours, almighty Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
Let us pray with confidence as our Saviour has taught us
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done; on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.
We break this bread
to share in the body of Christ.
Though we are many, we are one body,
because we all share in one bread.
"Agnes Dei" from "Mass in G Minor" by Vaughan Willaims
- Elora Festival Singers
This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
Blessed are those who are called to his supper.
Lord, I am not worthy to receive you,
but only say the word, and I shall be healed.
The body of Christ. Amen.
The blood of Christ. Amen.
"Nimrod" from "Variations On An Original Theme" by Edward Elgar - Halle Orchestra
POST COMMUNION PRAYER
God Save The Queen
BLESSING
My sisters and brothers, go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
In the name of Christ. Amen.
"Killer Queen" - Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
WORSHIP AT ST. LAIKA'S
HOLY COMMUNION
THIRD SUNDAY BEFORE LENT 2012
All are welcome to join me in taking communion.
There are no exceptions.
The order of service is posted beneath the audio file so that you can join in with the service. The words in bold type are the ones we say together.
If you want to physically partake of communion you will require a small piece of bread and a small amount of drink (preferably made from grapes and containing alcohol). How you view the nature of this part of the service is completely up to you.
Click on the arrow on the player to stream.Download via the MP3 icon below the player.Download podcast via iTUNES.
MP3 File
DON'T BLAME MADPRIEST, BLAME MAD DAD
The only cow in a small town in Ireland stopped giving milk. Then the town folk found they could buy a cow in Scotland quite cheaply. So, they brought the cow over from Scotland. It was absolutely wonderful; it produced lots of milk every day and everyone was happy. They bought a bull to mate with the cow to get more cows, so they'd never have to worry about their milk supply again. They put the bull in the pasture with the cow but whenever the bull tried to mount the cow, the cow would move away. No matter what approach the bull tried, the cow would move away from the bull, and he was never able to do the deed. The people were very upset and decided to go to the vet, who was very wise, tell him what was happening and ask his advice.
"Whenever the bull tries to mount our cow, she moves away. If he approaches from the back, she moves forward. When he approaches her from the front, she backs off. If he attempts it from the one side, she walks away to the other side."
The Vet rubbed his chin thoughtfully and pondered this before asking, "Did you by chance, buy this cow in Scotland?"
The people were dumbfounded, since no one had ever mentioned that they had brought the cow over from Scotland.
"You are truly a wise Vet," they said. "How did you know we got the cow from Scotland?"
The Vet replied with a distant look in his eye: "My wife is from Scotland."
"Whenever the bull tries to mount our cow, she moves away. If he approaches from the back, she moves forward. When he approaches her from the front, she backs off. If he attempts it from the one side, she walks away to the other side."
The Vet rubbed his chin thoughtfully and pondered this before asking, "Did you by chance, buy this cow in Scotland?"
The people were dumbfounded, since no one had ever mentioned that they had brought the cow over from Scotland.
"You are truly a wise Vet," they said. "How did you know we got the cow from Scotland?"
The Vet replied with a distant look in his eye: "My wife is from Scotland."
LOVELY LISA THE SCAT EXPERT
The CHANGING ATTITUDES blog has posted a report of Anglican Mainstream's recent gay hate fest (revealing entitled "The Lepers Among Us: Homosexuality and the Life of the Church"). The homophobic harpie, Lisa Nolland, was on fine form:
We were then treated to what can only be described as a lip-quivering and blazing-eyed rambling rant from Ms Nolland about the evils of sex education. She seemed set on outdoing all previous speakers in the smearing of the LGBT community. We had already heard about gays as paedophile child molesters, gays as threats to the family and marriage, gays as spreaders of disease.
But now Ms N was going for gold with her bitter denunciation of LGBT organisations, and especially the Terrence Higgins Trust, for producing perverted and obscene curriculum materials intended to corrupt the innocence of children. Apparently gay activists have conned their way into schools to tell kids that ‘eating faeces’ is great sexual fun (Lisa taught us to call this ‘scat’) and to teach them how to do ‘cock and ball torture’ really well (Lisa said we should refer to this as ‘kink’).
Ms Nolland is also an enthusiastic advocate of the spurious slippery slope argument: tolerate homosexuality and we will be engulfed by all manner of perversions and we will drown in vile pornography. She distributed several ‘information’ sheets including a list of the most popular acts advertised and depicted on the internet such as ‘double anal’ in which ‘a woman is penetrated anally by two men at the same time’, ‘multiple men ejaculating onto a woman’s face’, ‘a penis thrust so far down a woman’s throat that she gags’ etc etc.
Ms Nolland seems to be a world class scaremongerer, alarmist and demoniser. Her presentation was very ugly indeed. Methinks the lady doth protest too much. I suspect that even amongst her own constituency there was embarrassment about a lack of balance which appeared to border on pathological obsession.
It doesn't sound as if Ms. Nolland is into scat herself, but she can certainly talk shit.
We were then treated to what can only be described as a lip-quivering and blazing-eyed rambling rant from Ms Nolland about the evils of sex education. She seemed set on outdoing all previous speakers in the smearing of the LGBT community. We had already heard about gays as paedophile child molesters, gays as threats to the family and marriage, gays as spreaders of disease.
But now Ms N was going for gold with her bitter denunciation of LGBT organisations, and especially the Terrence Higgins Trust, for producing perverted and obscene curriculum materials intended to corrupt the innocence of children. Apparently gay activists have conned their way into schools to tell kids that ‘eating faeces’ is great sexual fun (Lisa taught us to call this ‘scat’) and to teach them how to do ‘cock and ball torture’ really well (Lisa said we should refer to this as ‘kink’).
Ms Nolland is also an enthusiastic advocate of the spurious slippery slope argument: tolerate homosexuality and we will be engulfed by all manner of perversions and we will drown in vile pornography. She distributed several ‘information’ sheets including a list of the most popular acts advertised and depicted on the internet such as ‘double anal’ in which ‘a woman is penetrated anally by two men at the same time’, ‘multiple men ejaculating onto a woman’s face’, ‘a penis thrust so far down a woman’s throat that she gags’ etc etc.
Ms Nolland seems to be a world class scaremongerer, alarmist and demoniser. Her presentation was very ugly indeed. Methinks the lady doth protest too much. I suspect that even amongst her own constituency there was embarrassment about a lack of balance which appeared to border on pathological obsession.
It doesn't sound as if Ms. Nolland is into scat herself, but she can certainly talk shit.
SAINT VALENTINE WOULD TURN IT HIS GRAVE
From NBC10 PHILADELPHIA:
A Valentine’s Day contest by St. Joseph’s University’s Alumni Association to share the stories and photos of some alumni who met on Hawk Hill is finding the small Catholic university in the middle of a controversy that the school is discriminating against some alumni due to sexual orientation.
Megan Edwards and Katie MacTurk say they entered their photo and story about how they met during their senior year at St. Joe’s in hopes that they would earn the most “Likes” by Feb. 14.
They were hoping to win the "How I Met My Hawk Mate" contest and a $100 restaurant gift certificate to a restaurant of their choice.
They say they never got their chance. Edwards and MacTurk claim that the Jesuit school's alumni association refused to use their photo on the alumni group’s Facebook page because they are a lesbian couple and that, when pressed, the alumni association claimed the decision was made because the Catholic Church doesn’t recognize same-sex relationships.
On Thursday afternoon Saint Joe's Alumni Association responded to their original decision not to post the photo:
"Saint Joseph’s University fully supports and is in agreement with the Catholic Church’s teachings regarding homosexuality and same sex marriage. As a Catholic, Jesuit university, Saint Joseph’s is a welcoming, inclusive community. Our focus is on respect and caring for all individuals as individuals."
But by 2.50 p.m. they had caved in to pressure, much of which came from Saint Joseph's University Alumni:
UPDATE: Around 2:50 p.m. Thursday, the Saint Joseph's Alumni Association posted the "Hawk Mate" photo of Edwards and MacTurk to Facebook. It had more than 330 likes in less than one half hour.
At the time I popped over to their facebook page and clicked on "like" the figure had risen to 1145.
Thanks to whiteycat for keeping me up to date on this story.
A Valentine’s Day contest by St. Joseph’s University’s Alumni Association to share the stories and photos of some alumni who met on Hawk Hill is finding the small Catholic university in the middle of a controversy that the school is discriminating against some alumni due to sexual orientation.
Megan Edwards and Katie MacTurk say they entered their photo and story about how they met during their senior year at St. Joe’s in hopes that they would earn the most “Likes” by Feb. 14.
They were hoping to win the "How I Met My Hawk Mate" contest and a $100 restaurant gift certificate to a restaurant of their choice.
They say they never got their chance. Edwards and MacTurk claim that the Jesuit school's alumni association refused to use their photo on the alumni group’s Facebook page because they are a lesbian couple and that, when pressed, the alumni association claimed the decision was made because the Catholic Church doesn’t recognize same-sex relationships.
On Thursday afternoon Saint Joe's Alumni Association responded to their original decision not to post the photo:
"Saint Joseph’s University fully supports and is in agreement with the Catholic Church’s teachings regarding homosexuality and same sex marriage. As a Catholic, Jesuit university, Saint Joseph’s is a welcoming, inclusive community. Our focus is on respect and caring for all individuals as individuals."
But by 2.50 p.m. they had caved in to pressure, much of which came from Saint Joseph's University Alumni:
UPDATE: Around 2:50 p.m. Thursday, the Saint Joseph's Alumni Association posted the "Hawk Mate" photo of Edwards and MacTurk to Facebook. It had more than 330 likes in less than one half hour.
At the time I popped over to their facebook page and clicked on "like" the figure had risen to 1145.
Thanks to whiteycat for keeping me up to date on this story.
