I probably shouldn’t post this, but I can’t help myself. It’s one of the most unintentionally funny things I’ve seen in a long time. I saw it at Rev. Kendall Harmon’s Titusonenine blog (one of the very best religion-oriented blogs on the Web, by the way), and at first thought it was a piece of satire. When I followed the link, I realized that it was meant in utter seriousness.

The Sunday after General Convention I returned to my home parish for Gay Pride Sunday and participated in a Disco Mass for which gays and lesbians turned out in force. The opening hymn was a beautiful jazz rendition of “Over the Rainbow.” Musical offerings came from gay men in sequined tank tops and from the Director of Music who was ushered into the service singing a disco number complete with Go-Go girls. The queen of St. Mark’s appeared in full drag to deliver the homily and the closing hymn was, Sister Sledge’s “We Are Family.” As I stood singing among straight men and women, young parents with their children, gays and lesbians, teenagers in hip hop clothing, Asians, whites, African Americans and Spanish speaking people I realized I was part of the realm of God and I was glad to be there – in a place where God’s creation of a new thing was being lived out.

This doesn’t come from Robin Williams (though it sounds sort of like the closing scene of The Birdcage, which I saw once purely by accident as I was channel surfing–I still haven’t entirely recovered), but from Neil Braxton Gibson, coordinator of the Episcopal Urban Caucus. If the Episcopal Church is ever formally buried, I believe this will make a most descriptive epitaph.