det går framåt

Våra vänner i ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) antog i natt ett "social statement" som heter Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust. Två tredjedelars majoritet behövdes, och röstsiffrorna var 676-338. Minsta möjliga marginal, alltså. Läs mer om detta här.

Vad som verkligen imponerade på mig, kyrknörd som jag är, när jag satt uppe sent i natt och följde samtalen, var den anda av ödmjukhet och respekt som präglade proceduren. 1000 delegater kan ge mycket kaos, men biskop Hanson höll i det hela med varm och fast hand (och glimten i ögat). Inläggen spann från rena grammatikrättelser till tårfyllda vittnesbörd, från bibelutläggningar till stöd för såväl ja-sidan som nej-sidan, till lågmäld oro, även den från båda sidor. Det var en glädje att se den här speciella grenen av Guds folk tillsammans försöka utröna vägen framåt, och att erkänna sin egen oförmåga till att se hela sanningen och därför också kunna leva i någorlunda samexistens med andra som har en annan övertygelse.

Hela texten hittar du här (som pdf, läs gärna, det är luthersk teologi i dess prydno), men här kommer några utdrag:

"Sexual relationships may be among our most profoundly intimate, crucial, and self-giving expressions of trust. Here our human lives are vulnerable to joy and delight and to hurt and exploitation. From spiritual intimacy with God to the closest physical intimacy with another, relationships flourish according to the depth and trustworthiness of commitments. In the arena of human sexuality, no human relationships can thrive in the absence of trust."

"While Lutherans hold various convictions regarding lifelong, monogamous, same-gender
relationships, this church is united on many critical issues. It opposes all forms of verbal or physical harassment and assault based on sexual orientation. It supports legislation and policies to protect civil rights and to prohibit discrimination in housing, employment, and public services. It has called upon congregations and members to welcome, care for, and support same-gender couples and their families, and to advocate for their legal protection."

"Although at this time this church lacks consensus on this matter [same-gender relationships, min förklaring], it encourages all people to live out their faith in the local and global community of the baptized with profound respect for the conscience-bound belief of the neighbor. This church calls for mutual respect in relationships and for guidance that seeks the good of each individual and of the community. Regarding our life together as we live with disagreement, the people in this church will continue to accompany one another in study, prayer, discernment, pastoral care, and mutual respect."

"In this country and in our congregations, families are formed in many ways. There are natural and adoptive families, foster families, blended families, families with a missing generation, and families where the parents are the same gender. Millions of households in the U.S., and many in our church, are headed by single parents—mostly women—whether widowed, divorced, or never married. The critical issue with respect to the family is not whether it has a conventional form,but how it performs indispensable individual and social tasks. All families have responsibility for the tasks of providing safety, shielding intimacy, and developing trustworthy relationships."

på med kyrkskorna igen...

Efter fyra veckor med läger och nästan fem veckors semester, har jag nu sparkat av mig flip-flopsen och satt på de respektabla kyrkoskorna igen. Tillbaka på jobbet.

Det finns en sådan kluvenhet i det.

Jag älskar mitt jobb. Faktum är att längre ledighet skaver lite grann, det blir lite tråkigt, känns lite onyttigt liksom. På jobbet får jag göra vad jag är allra bäst på, det jag är kallad till. Jag får möta människor i glädje och sorg, jag får celebrera nattvard, döpa barn och predika ordet. Jag får stå i församlingens tjänst på tusen olika sätt, vare sig det handlar om att dekorera affischer för sopplunchen, skriva texter för Barnens gudstjänst eller samordna lekkyrkobygget. Det är härligt intensivt och varierande.

Och samtidigt är det nu tillbaka i lunken. Tillbaka i "träffa-dottern-två-timmar-om-dagen-lunken" (om ens det). Slut på långsamt strövande på stan, hand i hand. Slut på ljumma och oansvarigt långa kvällar. Slut på att sova till halv tio varje morgon.
Slut på längre resor, både spontana och planerade.

Mm, kluvet. Tur att jag får båda, om än uppdelat över ett helt år. Nu ska jag iväg och träffa föräldrar och bebisar på Öppet hus! Vilket privilegium!

the vacay story #3: the other England

We left London behind. Getting out of the city proved to be somewhat of a challenge with the different rail stations and train companies (and subsequent panicky teary break-down by wife/mother), but finally, an hour later than we thought, we were on a train heading north. Destination: Heath Hayes, in the middle of (sorry to those who disagree) nowhere.

In Stafford (relatively close to Birmingham) we were picked up by fellow ycw (young clergy woman) Leah, and went with her home to her lovely family. There we spent a couple of days doing not very much. Relaxing, eating, playing, talking. We went to church on Sunday, which was interesting, and...interesting. And we became friends.

It is wonderful and funny and cool that people can meet and connect like this over the boundaries of language, nationality and church traditions. This was of course an easy one, we are after all western Europeans in protestant churches, but still.

On Monday morning we returned to London, leaving sad kids behind. It will not be the last time we meet, but who knows when the next time will be?

And early, early on Tuesday morning we flew home to Sweden. It was a relief, and very sweet to be home. And already I miss traveling.

the vacay story #2: London

We arrived in England. Already in Victoria station, kiddo showed signs of enjoying the wet and cold more than the balmy air of the Mediterranean. She even moped a bit about it not raining as much as she wanted.

We stayed in a guest apartment in one of the huge neo-brutalist estates in the Barbican area. The room was basically a queen size bed, a chair and a chest of drawers. To this was attached a pretty roomy bathroom. This was to become the adult hang-out when kiddo had fallen asleep. In that bathroom we played cards, talked, read books...even had pizza one night! The weather was never nice enough for us to sit outside.

The days were filled with adventure. We shopped of course, we went to London Zoo, to Princess Diana's Memorial Playground in Kensington Gardens (fabulous playground with Peter Pan theme), we wandered around Camden, visited British Museum to see mummies (too scary, but the North American Indian things were cool, thought little one) and the Natural History Museum to see dinosaurs. We had Sunday dinner with friends. We went by boat on the canals, by double decker bus and of course by tube. We had lots of coffee and smoothies. Starbucks sure benefited from our travels...

After almost a week of this, we took the train to Windsor and Legoland. Kiddo was overjoyed! She skipped and skipped, talked and talked. We rode rides that made us wet and rides that made us dizzy. We shot bad guys with laser guns, and watched Johnny Thunder defeat an Aztec queen. We had boring food (always at amusement parks) and lots of water and soft drinks. And we saw really, really cool things built of Lego. On our way home, daughter asked when we were going back.

We spent another day in London. Then we went north, to fellow ycw L and her family. Great adventure!

U2 (a vacay story interruption)