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Clay Nelson © 26 April 2015
It was December 1, 1969. A day I remember well. It was during my third year of university. My roommates and I were gathered around the radio as was every American male born between 1946 and 1950. It was the first draft lottery. Continue reading Honouring those who have fought for peace
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Rev. Clay Nelson and Management Committee Chair Jonathan Mason kick off the church’s 2015 annual Canvass with talks on using imagination and vision to imagine where the church will be in the future.
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Clay Nelson © 5 April 2015
Last year, in my former life, I would have greeted you this morning with the ancient Easter Acclamation: “Alleluia. Christ is risen.” My Anglican congregation would have responded enthusiastically, “He is risen indeed. Alleluia” Continue reading Easter? Bah Humbug!
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Clay Nelson © 29 March 2015
It wasn’t so until modern times, but a lot can change in a lifetime. Certainly it has in mine. Some of it has been fascinating and life enhancing but in one aspect the change we have experienced has been anything but. Where it is concerned I feel as I imagine a Roman citizen felt after the fall of their empire. Life was stable one day. Pax Romana with its infrastructure and commerce was benefitting most citizens. The next day the Visigoths came to town leaving chaos in their wake. Continue reading Inequality and the New Dark Ages
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Clay Nelson © 22 March 2015
So, as is my practice, I was very busy procrastinating a few weeks ago. I was going to start writing my sermon just after I visited every website on the Internet when I came across a poem by Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi or just Rumi to his friends. It sounded familiar. It began: “Come, come, whoever you are, wanderer, worshiper, lover of leaving. Ours is no caravan of despair.” But then came an unexpected line, Continue reading Rumi-nations on Being Broken
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Clay Nelson © 1 March 2015
Last Monday I spent six hours at the Human Rights Commission in a mediation that ultimately seeks to abolish religious instruction in public schools. It is known as “Bible in Schools.” Continue reading Freedom from Religion
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Its Pride time! That means a festival and a parade and lots of parties and all sorts of festivities where LGBT people and supporters can take part and show their gay pride.
I have to admit, I’m not much of a parade person or, dare I say it, a ‘pride person’. I don’t get it. And I don’t feel guilty for not getting it. But since I’ve been invited to speak here this morning as part of those festivities, I thought I better find out how (or even if) I and my story might somehow fit into the grand pride narrative. Continue reading The Gay Experience in Faith Communities – 2
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https://aucklandunitarian.org.nz/podcast/20150215JimMarjoram_TheGayExperienceinFaithCommunities1.mp3″]
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A little of my personal story to start with.
I was brought up in a very average middle class family in Sydney. The usual struggles and fun. Not perfect but I knew I was loved and safe. I was also gay. I knew I was different from quite young but couldn’t understand exactly how until puberty hit and I found that guys were who I was naturally attracted to and I simply had no desire what so ever towards girls. Continue reading The Gay Experience in Faith Communities – 1
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Clay Nelson © 8 February 2015
On your way to church this morning how many things did you see that weren’t there? It might sound like I’m checking on your mental health. Not at all, I’m not wondering if you are delusional but whether you use your imagination to see the world around you. For what else is imagination, but seeing what isn’t there. Continue reading It’s All in Our Imagination