unknown embrace (a poem)

in this church, that synagogue, in this Edmonton of ours
arms open wide to embrace all who enter

yet mouths do not proclaim
signs never tell, websites omit
that

lgbtq+
are welcome letters
in these spaces hidden in our city

poem by rob goetze

---

Poet’s comment:

Edmonton has places that are known to be welcoming to all people, and places that are known for being excluding. This poem is about places that are embracing yet few people know, because these places do not clearly articulate that they value and embrace diverse people, and hoping that these places will make themselves known….

I submitted this poem to the Fall 2016 Poetry Route poem competition which was part of the 2016 Edmonton Poetry Festival. The theme was "unknown Edmonton". Submissions were limited to a maximum of ten lines of ten words each, to ensure that the poems will fit on bus posters.

The competition received 156 entries. While my poem was not one of the four winners, it did make it into the shortlist of twenty four.

More info on Poetry Route competition.

not so white after all?

I love Angélica Dass’ photographic project Humanae!  (see previous post)

So I decided to see how white I am…
… and clearly, I am not so white after all.

Ms. Dass’ method is a bit complicated, so I did this the simple way:
I had one of my daughters take my picture.
I resized a copy of the photo to be really small, so that the colours would consolidate into an average colour.
I opened the photo in Paint (yes, good old fashioned Paint) and used the eyedropper to sample that colour.
I painted the entire background in that colour.
I looked at the RGB value for that colour, and used an online service to convert it to Pantone. That’s so I know what Pantone colour I am, to put under my picture.
In my case, I am Pantone 7618 U.

[what colour are you?]

Brazilian photographer Angélica Dass is working on a large project which she calls "humanae". She takes portraits of people and then matches their skin tone to a Pantone colour, The portrait is then printed with that Pantone colour as the background. This challenges how we consider skin colour and ethnic identity,..

Watch her TED talk:


Alternate video link.

Check out Angélica Dass' website:
http://www.angelicadass.com/humanae-work-in-progress/

[an orthodox rabbi walked into a gay african-american bar…]

The tragedy that took place in the Pulse nightclub in Orlando has affected many people. In this article, Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld shares how his Orthodox congregation responded.

I love this true story for a few reasons:

1. It shows that differences do not have to be barriers
2. It gives an example of how we can cry with those who cry and laugh with those who laugh
3. It shows how we can be Christ-incarnate in the midst of others’ lives
4. It reveals how, when it comes down to it, we often have far more connections with others than we first expected.

Here's the beginning of the story:

When our synagogue heard about the horrific tragedy that took place at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, it was at the same time that we were celebrating our festival of Shavuot, which celebrates God’s giving of the Torah.

As Orthodox Jews, we don’t travel or use the Internet on the Sabbath or on holidays, such as Shavuot. But on Sunday night, as we heard the news, I announced from the pulpit that as soon as the holiday ended at 9:17 p.m. Monday, we would travel from our synagogue in Northwest Washington to a gay bar as an act of solidarity.

We just wanted to share the message that we were all in tremendous pain and that our lives were not going on as normal. Even though the holiday is a joyous occasion, I felt tears in my eyes as I recited our sacred prayers.

Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld June 15, 2016

Read the entire article here...

things god forgot to put into the Bible (#8)

purity committee

Here's the real story...

Jesus Restores a Demon-Possessed Man

26 They sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is across the lake from Galilee. 27 When Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs. 28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet, shouting at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torture me!” 29 For Jesus had commanded the impure spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demon into solitary places.

30 Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”

“Legion,” he replied, because many demons had gone into him. 31 And they begged Jesus repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss.

32 A large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into the pigs, and he gave them permission. 33 When the demons came out of the man, they went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.

34 When those tending the pigs saw what had happened, they ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, 35 and the people went out to see what had happened. When they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus’ feet, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. 36 Those who had seen it told the people how the demon-possessed man had been cured. 37 Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, because they were overcome with fear. So he got into the boat and left.

38 The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, 39 “Return home and tell how much God has done for you.” So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him.

Luke 8:26-39 New International Version (NIV)

[christ of the breadlines]

This woodcut is by Fritz Eichenberg. 

HT to Richard Beck.

[“Nobody is ever just a refugee”]

The Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie addressed the United Nation’s World Humanitarian day in regard to the refugee crisis, saying, "Nobody is ever just a refugee".

She also said,

In my language, Igbo, the word for ‘love’ is ‘ifunanya’ and its literal translation is, ‘to see.’ So I would like to suggest today that this is a time for a new narrative, a narrative in which we truly see those about whom we speak.

Let us tell a different story. Let us remember that the movement of human beings on earth is not new. Human history is a history of movement and mingling. Let us remember that we are not just bones and flesh. We are emotional beings. We all share a desire to be valued, a desire to matter. Let us remember that dignity is as important as food.

Source

Watch the complete 8 minute video:



Click here if video does not appear above.

things god forgot to put into the Bible (#7)

Matthew 15:11-13 New International Version (NIV)

What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.” Then the disciples came to him and asked, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?” He replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots.

jesus meek and mild

[ally or accomplice?]

I read a very challenging article recently. I don't know enough about the topic to make intelligent comments, but it does make me think about motives. Here's the introduction:

The ally industrial complex has been established by activists whose careers depend on the “issues” they work to address. These nonprofit capitalists advance their careers off  the struggles they ostensibly support. They often work in the guise of “grassroots” or “community-based” and are not necessarily tied to any organization.
They build organizational or individual capacity and power, establishing themselves comfortably among the top ranks in their hierarchy of oppression as they strive to become the ally “champions” of the most oppressed. While the exploitation of solidarity and support is nothing new, the commodification and exploitation of allyship is a growing trend in the activism industry.

Read the rest of the article at:
http://www.indigenousaction.org/accomplices-not-allies-abolishing-the-ally-industrial-complex/

self-styled jesus

After the massacre in Orlando, one pastor in Sacramento was happy about the killings. Here's what he said in a sermon:

"Are you sad that 50 pedophiles were killed today? No, I think that's great. That helps society ..."

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1tVPZbxi3Y

Can you imagine Jesus saying something like that?? I sure can't, but tragically, in some "Christian cultures", this is what happens....


Reference in cartoon is to Ezekiel:

Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, people of Israel?’ Ezekiel 33:11 NIV

[these beautiful photos set trans and gender queer people free]

"An Australian photographer [Emma Leslie] created a breathtaking photo series that shows gender diverse and transgender children exactly how they want to be seen. The images are meant to give these children a voice, as transgender and gender queer people as a whole are often misunderstood."

Source

Read the whole article and see more pictures at:
http://www.attn.com/stories/7606/photo-series-trans-gender-queer-kids

[how to tell if your church is welcoming for transgender people]

Related to my exploration of declared spaces and uncertain spaces, an article on queertheology.com asks,

Is your church welcoming of transgender people? And if it is, does anyone know?

Lots of churches declare their “open and affirming” status on their websites. Or they will put a rainbow flag on their church sign or website homepage. But those symbols often don’t tell the whole story. Many churches that have done a lot of work on gay and lesbian issues haven’t bothered to study anything about transgender people. They have outdated language on their websites or don’t mention transgender issues at all.

Read the rest of the article...

A second article on their site is titled: How do we reach more transgender people?

This one addresses the question: 

Hello! We’d like to do outreach to the transgender community, but we’re not sure how. We’ve had trans worshipers in the past, but none currently. What’s the best way to reach trans people who are looking for a safe and affirming worship space?

https://www.queertheology.com/how-do-we-reach-more-transgender-people/

Getting personal:

Callan Williams shares about her own experiences with various churches as a transperson, making it clear that the "transgender experience is essentially different than the lesbian, gay and bisexual experience in a number of ways."

Read the rest of the story at:
https://callan.wordpress.com/2013/02/15/welcoming-trans/

things god forgot to put into the Bible (#6)