Number Five?

New Hampshire may become state # 5 to make civil marriage possible for gays and lesbians. Here's what CNN has to say about it right now. Interesting quote from the gov:

Lynch said any such measure needs to "make clear that [clergy and other religious officials] cannot be forced to act in ways that violate their deeply held religious principles."

What about those of us (clergy & other religious professionals) whose deeply held religious principles are already being violated by not being able to legally unite in marriage loving, caring, committed people who happen to be of the same gender?

Just sayin'...

Commencing...

I am no longer a seminarian. As of yesterday, I am a "Master of Divinity." Of course, none of us really masters the divine - though I know and have known many who seem to express the divine quite well through their work, compassion, and love. I'm grateful for them...

Many good people helped me through the past four years, not the least of which my DH. He is a brick, a rock, a - whatever metaphor you choose to use to indicate something solid to rest upon. I am so very lucky he loves me.

I'm also grateful for my fellow students and the classmates who graduated with me. When one is in the theological minority it helps that everyone else is willing to listen to new ideas - and to challenge one to explain, dig deeper, expand, and develop those ideas into solid theology. One particular friend who began with me graduated last year. We still talk every couple weeks. He tells me what is happening in his pastorate, and I share what I can of my internship. We continue to be sounding boards for each other, and I'm more grateful than I can say for his friendship. Thank you to all my fellow "masters."

I've benefited from several wonderful professors, too. A couple knew more than the average bear about Unitarian Universalism, and for them I'm particularly grateful - even if one was particularly pushy about getting me to figure out where I stood within my own tradition. Everything I learned in the seminary from which I graduated will stand me in good stead as I go forth & try to do interfaith work. (In fact, it already has!)

I'm going to miss this place. I'm going to miss these people (already do). I will carry what I learned from these years and these relationships with me for the rest of my life.

And, life goes on. Another month and my internship will be done. A few more months and I have a Very Important Interview. What happens after that? I don't know. Life is uncertain - it is always uncertain. But for now, life is pretty darn good!

Noonday Prayer - Hope

Noonday Prayer service has been a blessing for me this year. It is something I will miss at the end of this internship. Usually our gatherings are quite small, no more than 5 or 6 people besides the leader. The nuns who run this agency cum coffee shop are open and friendly, and appreciate poetry as much as scripture. They’ve taught me much about interfaith interaction, living with an open heart and mind.

I’ve been incredibly busy for a couple of weeks – and will be for another week or so – and neglected to post last week’s Noonday Prayer…

We talked about hope. The center is called the Hopes Center, so it seemed appropriate. I began with dictionary definitions of hope:

• The feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best
• Something in which expectations are centered
• To look forward to with desire and reasonable confidence

I read a blog post about hope, and a quote from Vaclav Havel. Havel wrote that hope is “an orientation of the spirit, an orientation of the heart…It is not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out.”

Then we shared our experiences and thoughts on hope, hopefulness and hopelessness. One person confessed to not having an orientation toward hope, but despair, and said that the quotation from Havel helped. The conversation was rich and deep.

And we prayed – we prayed for hope, we prayed for best outcomes, we prayed for the wisdom to follow the path that makes sense, the path that is right and good. We live in hope.

Blessed Be and Amen.