What is in Kelvin's Head?

  • Scottish Episcopalians at Pride Glasgow

    There’s going to be a group of Scottish Episcopalians walking (marching? processing?) together at Pride Glasgow on Saturday.

    This is being organised by one or two people from St Mary’s but anyone is welcome to join in. You don’t have to be gay, Scottish or Episcopalian either.

    All you have to do is want to be there.

    Here’s the invitation as it appears on facebook….

    The parade goes from Kelvin Way and ends up at George Square. We plan to meet on the steps to the Dumbarton Road entrance of the Kelvingrove Museum at 10.45am. All are welcome to come — LGBT folk, friends, family, allies, friends from other denominations, congregation, faith group etc. Anyone who would like to join in the procession in the company of a church group.

    If you want to join in, let either Beth or myself know you are coming and indicate interest via the Facebook Event if you are on FB.

    Dress code – colourful. Clergy – please wear a clerical collar if you can.

    Those who have reached mid…. er, mid-life, may wish to bring ear-plugs. It can get wonderfully noisy.

3 responses to “Power needs to be baptised by love”

  1. Robin Avatar
    Robin

    A very good and thought-provoking sermon. I’ve always thought of the Ethiopian eunuch as a man of great power and authority, and of great learning and devotion too, which points me to your third interpretation. But what startles me about the story – partly because of my thinking of the eunuch as someone of great power and authority compared to Philip, and partly because of a tendency on my part to be dogma-bound – is the sheer simplicity of how Philip welcomes him into the Church.

    There is no complicated initiation process. There are no doctrinal tests. The eunuch sees water, and asks Philip in a businesslike way if there’s any reason why he shouldn’t be baptised. Philip’s answer couldn’t be more direct and straightforward: “If you believe with all your heart, you may be baptised.” And the eunuch’s response couldn’t be more direct and straightforward either: no lengthy creed, no question and answer interrogation, but simply, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”

    No doubt the eunuch continued his studies after his baptism, being that sort of man. But in a complicated world and (sometimes) a complicated Church I often turn to this passage for reassurance that it needn’t always be so.

    Reply
    1. Father Ron Smith Avatar
      Father Ron Smith

      Thank you, Father Kelvin. What a lovely and refreshing new insight into the identity and provenance of the ethiopian Eunuch! Philip’s acceptance and Baptism of the Eunuch reflects the teaching of Jesus in Matthew 19:122, where he speaks of 3 types of eunuch; made so by others (the Ethiopian, castrati); those who become so for the sake of the Kingdom (monks, nuns, celibate clergy);
      and then, of course; those so ‘from their mother’s womb’ (intrinsic Gays).

      Reply
  2. Aleks Avatar
    Aleks

    Really profound. You’ve given me a lot to think about.

    Reply

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