Sydney Anglican numbers may be declining, but they gained one new member this past Sunday with the baptism of the gang’s youngest. We had to keep things quiet, since his parents’ notoriety caused all sorts of complaints and problems in the months following his older sister’s baptism (I guess “suffer little children” doesn’t apply if your father has the temerity to speak out against injustice and pharisaism, and refuses to play by the rules imposed upon former clergy), but thanks to a dear friend - and one of the wisest and most inspiring Priests ever - a welcoming font in the diocese of Sydney was found.
The title of this post comes from a line in the liturgy he wrote for our little chap, and for me it sums everything about what the absurd voyage that is a life following Christ should be; an adventure of joy in which the questions are relentless; a caravan of wonder, not despair. Which is why I’ve posted this picture of him in one of sister’s fairy costumes: not only has a Duck Noodle Gangster slipped through the Donatists’s net, but a cross-dressing one at that!
Ok, so the costume is part of the role assigned to him by his ballet-obsessed older sister: she has to recruit her corps de ballet from somewhere, and when you’ve only got one sibling you can’t be too picky. Which means that if he insists on wearing a t-shirt underneath his tutu that says “My Dad Rocks” she’s long understood that sometimes you’ve just got to compromise…
May he grow up to be part of an Anglican Church that displays the same accepting grace as his almost-four-year-old sister. A church that takes Jesus’ compassion for the little ones of our world seriously. A church which has forsaken the temptation to be nothing more than a caravan of despair.
12 comments:
what a glorious return! and what a glorious picture. missed you -
He despairs not and may he never know despair!! Stopped by on a whim and found Joy. Glad you're still posting. We've missed you.
What a beautiful child. I am sure that you and your wife feel blessed to have such a constant reminder of God's love in your lives. He is blessed, also, to have been born in a family that believes in God's all encompassing grace and love for all of his creation.
Last night at our EFM class during a Theological Reflection, after a roundabout route, ended up at the scripture, "Suffer the little children..." When I checked by your site and found this post, I though it might me something more than coincidence. Who knows about these things? We concluded with the class writing the following collect:
Dear God, Father of all, you ask nothing of us but child-like faith. We pray we may see you through the eyes of a child and love you with uncomplicated love, so that we may be welcome into your kingdom. Amen.
¡Felicidades! And thanks for a wonderful photo.
Glad to see another post from you. And what a wonderful occasion to prompt it. And boy does he look happy! Congratulations.
Alcibiades--in a week of unrelenting horror, this was such a lovely stroke of grace! May God bless you, the Mrs., and the Duck Noodles--especially the Newly Baptized Ballerina.
And don't forget to keep dancing! :-)
Pax,
Doxy
"refuses to play by the rules imposed upon former clergy"
such as chastity and faithfulness in marriage? Outrageous rule that.
I'm going to let your inane, vicious, & ignorant comment stand for a while, oh brave "Anonymous', because it illustrates the kind of behaviour and attitude encouraged and admired among the Sydney regimes's apologists far, far better than anything I can ever say.
The sad thing is I doubt you've got any idea of what your comment says about you and the false gospel you serve.
"Anonymous" isn't through life yet. "Pride comes before a fall". Bigots are often unable to maintain their self-righteousness indefinitely. We all know who he is. When he falls off his perch - which some day is inevitable - we will all laugh!
Lovely pic, by the way.
Anonymous--this is how you appear: Nasty. Hateful. Bitter. Judgmental. Very, very small.
If that is your witness to the Gospel, trust me...you aren't doing Jesus any favors.
Back to the perfectly beautiful child of God in your picture. . . What a wonderful photo, and congratulations to you all. "He is sealed and marked as Christ's own forever!" That's my favorite part of the Baptism service here where I live. Well, that and the bit about being a Light to the world.
Perhaps Mr. Anon hasn't ever heard or read that bit.
What a gorgeous child! Congratulations Alcibiades.
Good to see you posting again.
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