I need to write something

I know it's been two weeks since I posted anything, so I figure I need to write something.

---On the ordination front, I've been getting a lot of good advice, and things are happening, but they're in process and I can't really talk about them until they actually happen.  I have definitely decided not to just take this passively; there is no reason for me to be passive because, as far as I can tell, there is no practical difference between transferring as an inquirer and starting all over again from scratch.  Being an inquirer is much like being Vice President, "not worth a warm bucket of spit."

---I went to a panel discussion in Denver last week as part of the "Out In Our Faith" film series.  The film for the week was Call Me Malcolm which is a documentary about an FTM transperson's journey through both transition and the the UCC ordination process.  I was really looking forward to a discussion of trans and ordination issues, but the organizers decided the talk should be about "the intersection of sexuality and faith."

Things like that drive transpeople nuts (I'm not just speaking for myself here, other transpeople in the audience agreed), talks that begin at trans always seem to end up at sexuality and they are not the same issue.

The thing is, if people in a supportive atmosphere like that immediately jump from trans to sex, how can we blame people in  a less supportive environment (like presbytery, say) who jump to the conclusion that my saying I'm trans just means that I'm a gay man who wants to pretend I'm a woman?

---You know how sometimes you go to church, and, just at random, the sermon is just exactly what you needed to hear?

I can now testify that the opposite happens as well.

The two texts for the sermon I heard Sunday were Solomon asking for wisdom and Jesus telling the rich young ruler that he needed to sell everything.  The church was kicking off their annual stewardship campaign, and the sermon was part of that.  Two of the big points of the sermon were:

1. We're all too caught up in trying to gain power and in trying to control our lives and we need to give up our power.

2. We need to sacrifice our control and just say that we want to serve God's people and trust in God to equip us for that service and to provide for us.

Not bad points, except when your feeling 1. completely powerless and out of control, and 2. like you've sacrificed quite a bit in order to serve the people of God, that God has equipped you for that service and that the people of God have said "no, thanks."  I left that service feeling very depressed.

Comments

[Rachel P]

I totally get feeling powerless, but do you need to be ordained to serve God? Don't wait on the church. God has equipt you, and there are more ways to preach the Gospel than from a pulpit.