March 1, 2010 - Psalm 68:4-6 "Home"

"Sing to God, sing praises to His name;
lift up a song to Him who rides upon the clouds -
His name is the Lord -
be exultant before Him.
Father of orphans and protector of widows
is God in His holy habitation.
God gives the desolate a home to live in;
He leads out the prisoners to prosperity,
but the rebellious live in a parched land."

He gives the desolate a home.... Amen and amen.

It has been a long time since I have felt so comfortable in church. Part of my "criteria" for church is this: Could I bring my brother, his life partner and their six multi-racial children to church and would they be comfortable there? Sadly, most of the time, the answer is no.

I was poking around the internet yesterday and did a search on "gay friendly churches Visalia." Amongst others that popped up was the Episcopal Church in Visalia. As I have spent many years as an Episcopalian, I was pretty jazzed about this. I went to the one downtown once and was...ahem...not impressed. This church meets in a Jewish Synagogue and split off from the one downtown over this very issue.

I went at the time listed, only to discover that due to the celebration of Purim, the Episcopal service had been scheduled for 4:00. So, I went back at 4:00. I haven't felt this much at home in years. It felt like I'd always been there. It's a small congregation; one where I think I can put my talents to use. The people were friendly; I was invited to stay for coffee after the service and chatted with many of the folks there. It feels like home.

So, Father, I thank You. You are indeed the protector of widows and the One who gives the desolate a home. Thank you.