easier, in some ways

[jay]

As the nominal "holiday" season moves into its more-intense mode... not just shopping and secular consumerism, but various spiritual or philosophical observances... in some ways, being on the road is easier than being at home, in that I'm not caught in-between the social and spiritual. Good friends are hosting pagan events... Yule or Solstice... today and next Tuesday. Many of my local SF-area friends are likely to be at one or both of these... if I were home they'd be unlikely to accompany me to a Christmas service, so I'd feel funny about joining their observances likewise as a non-participant guest. Even certain local parties with pagan overtones leave me feeling a bit uneasy at times, and I generally miss those that are tied to specific dates or observances. Meanwhile, even at our home church (St. Timothy's Episcopal, in Mountain View) I'm viewed there as an outsider, somewhat suspect because of my other relationships (and not allowed to serve in volunteer roles).

Last year, we stayed in CA and it felt a bit divisive or isolating around this time, for me. This year, that isn't an option... more a matter of deciding which local church to attend as visitors on Christmas. Easier, if still rather disconnected from friends and community.

Comments

Re: Worship services

[tenacious-snail.livejournal.com]

(nod)

I used to involved in a church that was primarily gay and lesbian, and that drew a lot of its members from Baptist backgrounds, and a lot from Catholic backgrounds. The members wanted and needed to keep Jesus in their lives, but their former churches taught a message that you can't be actively gay and actively a member of that church (and I know that there are people within those churches that believe you can). It left some people wanting worship just like what they are used to, whether that was ritualized and contemplative, or joyful and exhuberant...and others wanting something different in a worship style.

My own experience of St. Tim's is that it IS a good choice for the kids, but that in choosing to be kid-friendly (and to attend the kid-friendly service, which makes sense for him), it means not getting as much in terms of what might be spiritually nourishing for him.