This morning we went and worshipped at Trinity Cathedral (Episcopal) of the Diocese of New Jersey. Desmond Tutu, Archbishop Emeritus of Cape Town was breahing, and we figured we wouldn’t get many chances in our life to hear Tutu speak. We arrived at 8.45am for a 10am service, and the place was packed by 9am. Tutu didn’t speak for as long as I had hoped, but it was a wonderful sermon, a reminder of God’s love and grace for us, as well as our responsibility to help people realize their place in the family of God. Tutu has a very wide, open view of God’s kingdom/family and it was refreshing to hear that. He reminded us that “Christ came to speak about a God with shockingly low standards” and that “My enemies are not God’s enemies.” In fact, Tutu said that God doesn’t have enemies…all are part of God’s family; Bin Laden, Saddam and George Bush (he said them in that order). Here is a photo when Tutu is giving the benediction.
In the back of the bulletin was a quote from Tutu: “Everyone is an insider, there are no outsiders, whatever their beliefs; whatever their colour, gender, or sexuality.”
The whole concept of insiders/outsiders is interesting. To think that we would have the right, authority, power to claim who we know to be the true insiders and the true outsiders…how screwed up is that? Thank God there are no outsiders…