God's Scoutlike, Frinklish Love

“My wife, Robin, has been reading a book called Becoming Human by Jean Vanier. Vanier founded L’Arche, which describes itself as 'an organization .. of homes, programs and support networks with people with intellectual disabilities.' That language of disability that they have chosen is unfortunate, because they themselves define their communities not as disabled but rather as saying 'I think like you, but differently.' As a lifelong educator, Robin continually challenges and teaches me about the language we use. I was sharing with her this week about a conversation I had with someone who self-identified as having ADD, and she pushed back strongly against that term – Attention Deficit Disorder -- and as I have heard her say many times before, she said: 'ADD is neither a deficit nor a disorder … we each think differently.' Later, she showed me a passage from Vanier’s book, where he writes these words that have deep significance for an All Saints community that holds radical inclusion as a core value. Vanier writes: 'When I talk about “inclusion” of people with (and here I add “so-called”) disabilities … I am not just saying we should be kind to such people …. Nor “normalize” them to be “like us.’ …They have a gift to give to all, to each of us as individuals… and to society, in general. 'The excluded … live certain values we all need to discover and to live ourselves before we can become truly human. It is not a just a question of performing good deeds for those who are excluded but of being open and vulnerable to them in order to receive the life that they can offer.'” Sermon by Mike Kinman at All Saints Church, Pasadena, on St. Francis Sunday, September 29, 2019. Readings: Psalm 148:7-14 and Matthew 11:25-30. For video and a text of the sermon, visit our website: https://allsaints-pas.org/gods-scoutlike-frinklish-love/. Follow All Saints Church on Twitter @ASCpas. Like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/AllSaintsPasadena/. Donate to support the mission and ministries of All Saints at https://allsaints-pas.org/donate/donate-now/.