Saturday, June 17, 2006

 

Godly come lately

We had a lovely day today. We took a day to be just the three of us, and, once Jo had gone to bed, just the two of us. It's been a while. Moo came in with Jo at around 0700, and I really, really hoped that she'd take her downstairs. This, apparently, was fairly obvious. In the end, after Moo had changed Jo, I called out, and decided to be awake. We were discussing this later on, this evening (while talking about theology - I'll get there), and I said that I thought this decision to be awake, and spend time with Moo and Jo, was actually quite godly. Moo's immediate riposte was "yes, but rather Godly come lately". I think that's brilliant, and I need to hold on to it.

So, what then? We decided that it would be good to get some breakfast at Dick's Cafe in Halstead. Moo thought that it probably wasn't open until 1000, but it took one hell of a time to find out, as there doesn't seem to be a website (no, really!). We had some toast, and then I took Jo out for a walk from 0835 to 0935 (or so), with her on my back. A good walk, and decent speed, and it was getting fairly hot by the end. We saw horses (one in a stable, which I stroked, and which nuzzled Jo: "lovely" she said, without any prompting), pigeons, a pheasant, a hare, rabbits, chickens, sheep, cows, partridges, skylarks, and more. It's fantastic living in the country, and Jo loved it. I only got stung once by nettles, and found a dock leaf fairly soon afterwards, which eased it pretty well.

We then went into Halstead, and had both had the full English breakfast. Well, Jo had some, too. Library, wander around a bit, Sudbury, new Waitrose (excellent!), Rafi's for curries, nice toyshop, passport photos, ice-cream, then home. Cleared the garden a bit, put out Jo's paddling pool, did some more garden clearance, got bitter that Moo wasn't, spent some time with Jo (her in the paddling pool), put out the garden furniture and barbecue, put Jo to bed.

Then it was the time for the barbecue. Officially the second of the year (as I barbecued with Mac a couple of months ago - see blogs passim. We both read over a (very nice) sherry for a bit while the barbecue warmed up: it was fantastic, and felt like the first free time we'd had with each other for nearly two years. Maybe that's unfair, but there's something about being outside of a summer evening in England which is enchanting.

Over supper, we talked theology. It's really difficult. Moo pushes me really hard, which I really enjoy, but she finds the church (particularly the CofE) very, very difficult to deal with her. She hates - and finds very wrong - the fudging that goes on over issues such as women priests (and bishops) and homosexuality. I don't like it, either, but I need to live through it and hopefully change it: I don't know how else to proceed.

I've alluded to this before, but it's easy to stand up and say "I believe very strongly that we should should have women bishops: it's an insult to women and to God that we don't." It'll make you very unpopular with some people, but it's fine.

But you can't say "Of course we should welcome homosexual priests, of course we should encourage them to live with their partners". I've been warned off expressing views like this, very strongly, until I'm ordained. So, I'd better keep quiet, hadn't I?

We're now inside, in front of the Best of Parkinson, and Moo says that the Guardian's full of articles about how the CofE fudges everything. I'd better read it, then.

Just discovered that the Guardian has a "Civil Partnerships" space near to the "Marriages" section: we approve.


Comments:
I like your wife- we should be pushed to explain our thinking and to prevent us from becoming complacent, but also agree that we have to live in the tension between the now and the not yet-Jane Leach has an excellent chapter on that in the Methodist book "What is a minister?"- Esther is the co-author.
Glad you had a good day!
 
Hi Mike

Have you seen Ekklesia's view on the matter of marriage?

http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/content/article_abolishmarriage.shtml

Gary
 
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