President Obama and the first family walk to Easter Sunday worship - Rev. Leon gets righteous

[bigtree]

_________________



President Obama and the first family walk to Easter Sunday worship at Saint John’s Church Lafayette Square, across the street from the White House


WaPo:

The Obamas worshipped at St. John’s on Easter in 2009, and they have visited the Episcopal congregation, which is led by the Rev. Luis Leon, numerous times, including last year.

According to a press pool report of Leon’s sermon, the minister criticized what he called ”the captains of the religious right.”

People often want things to go back to the way things used to be, before “work got difficult and faith got confused, and life got more confusing,” Leon said, according to the pool report.

“You cannot go back,” Leon said, citing the words of Jesus. “It drives me crazy when the captains of the religious right are always calling us back ... for blacks to be back in the back of the bus ... for women to be back in the kitchen ... for immigrants to be back on their side of the border.”

Carolyn Kaster




Carolyn Kaster




TOD



TOD



TOD

[bigtree]

1. .

tod

[sheshe2]

2. Beautiful pictures, bigtree.

I love the third one the best.

Happy Easter

[bigtree]

3. Happy Easter, sheshe2!

Zeke Miller ‏@ZekeJMiller 18m
RT @petesouza: Photo of the First Family walking to Easter Mass today pic.twitter.com/bZ121QTo0h

[sheshe2]

5. Love this one too!

I can not believe how grown up Sasha and Malia are. The are going to be beautiful women.

[url=http://postimage.org/][img][/img][/url]

bigtree

[JDPriestly]

24. So true. The whole family looks beautiful.

[Cha]

6. Nice looking family, bigtree!

Thank you for their pics coming out of the Service and the article from WaPo.

Sasha and Malia are growing up before our eyes!

Happy Easter to you, bigtree~

[maddiemom]

31. The Obama girls are always dressed beautifully!

Age appropriate but stylish.

[snooper2]

4. that secret service dude on the left in the top pic needs to get his game face on...

He looks like he's just taking a stroll through the park--

[jmowreader]

7. That is his game face

It's damn hard to get guys who look completely relaxed outside while being on full alert inside...and they know President Obama presents the biggest security risk of any principal there's ever been because so many teabaggers would kill him in an instant given the chance.

[Botany]

16. He is on point and on duty

n/t

[MADem]

18. He's doing it right, then.

The best agents look like part of the scenery.

[BellaLuna]

8. Sasha has gotten so tall

Those girls have grown up so much in 4 years..wow.

[Rhiannon12866]

13. I was just thinking the same thing!

At the start of the first campaign, she was just a baby. She's growing tall, just like her sister. Time sure flies...

[midnight]

15. They sure have... I'm not sure what the height of the President and first lady are, but they sure

look like they will be just as tall very soon.

[nobodyspecial]

21. She looks like she's grown a few inches just since the end

of the last campaign.

[jonthebru]

22. Mommm! All my clothes are shrinking!?

[JI7]

41. she seems much taller than she looked during inauguration

[freshwest]

9. Thanks, bigtree for sharing with us a beautiful moment with the First Famliy.

And the trees are in bloom, too, so appropriate for Easter Sunday.

[pink-o]

10. Wow! First Malia, now Sasha is about to grow taller than Mom.

I know how African Americans feel about having such amazing role models in the WH. But as a tall chick, I'm LOVIN those beautiful young girls there! I hope that vertically endowed girls everywhere will see them and not feel so awkward and self-conscious. I wish I'd had such validation when I was 6'1" at age 14!

[llmart]

11. Beautiful family....

They always look like such a happy, close family. The parents have done a wonderful job with the girls and it shows.

I don't remember ever seeing pictures of the Bush family going to church on Easter and they certainly never looked happy as a family, especially Laura who always looked like she was drugged.

[NBachers]

12. Beautiful pictures, beautiful family, beautiful day

What more can I say?

[musical_soul]

14. They seem like a close family.

I don't think Obama's let the Presidency go to his head in regards to family.

[MADem]

17. They look good in their Easter finery!

It's been awhile since I've seen a president in anything save a dark suit--he's looking good.

[frazzled]

20. Yes, love the pearl gray suit

Of course, that's what I talked my husband into getting a few years back, so I was already partial to pearl gray suits! I must say, it suits the president very beautifully, especially with his increasingly pearl gray hair.

[xxqqqzme]

46. He is going to be all 'pearl

gray' by the time he leaves office.

[SHRED]

19. Lovely photos however...

...I won't be happy with him until we end our foreign conquests and stop killing children and pregnant mothers with drones.


--

[RILib]

28. and pay some attention to global warming.

[In_The_Wind]

29. and pay some attention to newbies too

sorry this is late ......... but

[img][/img]

[Kurovski]

23. more religious leader speaking out against bigotry.

I hope the trend continues.

K&R

[SCVDem]

25. Lovely photos

How many people did it take to get them ready and who was last? How long? Was theire fussing and fighting?

We need the important news here.

[Andy Stanton]

26. Great Photos, Lovely Family

And the Pres looks mighty spiffy in his gray suit and blue tie.

[madokie]

27. Thank you so much for these

Pictures truly do tell a story better than words.
Peace

[marshall]

30. Leading the way by being green

That is a good example to the nation--save fossil fuels by walking and also using nearby amenities to avoid having to travel in expensive vehicles.

[zipplewrath]

32. And in the rain

I believe they got caught in some rain on the way home.

I did notice though that despite the "example", the reality was that the motorcade was following along (and blocking traffic). It must be frutstrating to be the Pres and watch the amount of energy (literally) spent on ones protection even for the simplest of tasks.

[skeewee08]

33. Aww Lovely pics

Wow the girls are soooo pretty & TALL..

[librechik]

34. cherry blossoms 2 weeks early?

no global warming in DC, surely...

[elleng]

35. Don't think 'early,' librechik,

as not very close to full bloom now.

Average Peak Bloom Date: April 4
2013 Peak Blooming Date Prediction:
April 3 – April 6

Year Green Color in Buds Florets Visible Extension of
Florets Peduncle Elongation Puffy White Peak Bloom

2013 3/11 3/17 3/26 TBA TBA TBA
2012 2/29 3/8 3/12 3/14 3/15 3/20
2011 2/28 3/9 3/16 3/19 3/22 3/29
2010 3/14 3/19 3/21 3/23 3/26 3/31

http://www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org/about/bloom-watch/

[librechik]

36. oh, crap I had april 14th stuck in my brain

so, not so bad

[elleng]

37. Not so bad,

and clearly varies every year.
Drove around the area yesterday, and 'baby' buds, green?, apparent around.

P.S., I don't refer to 'global warming,' but rather, 'climate change.'

[librechik]

39. either way, it's a beautiful display

to enjoy whenever we can--

PS, I only refer to global warming when I'm making a joke.

[elleng]

40. Good joke, libre!

Yes, its a beautiful display.

Daughter just bought couple fruit trees, and crape myrtle, to add to the display around here. Spring is the BEST, in the DC area.

[librechik]

42. yup--nice long growing season, and humid--lucky!

I'm stuck with the dry air and shortish growing season of Colorado--by stuck, I mean blessed--it's just a different kind of growing things. I'm not bitter. really.

(sob--got an overly shady yard, too!)

[elleng]

43. Lived in Colorado for about a year,

and LOVED the climate. Wasn't thinking of 'growing season' at the time, as it was my first job after law school so was primarily working. Did travel around the state, while based in Denver.

LOVED never feeling too warm or cold for too long within one day!

[librechik]

44. there is that...

yeah, can't complain. Ever hopeful, I started my seedlings yesterday!

[Aristus]

38. Damn! The President sure looks GQ in that gray suit!

And Mrs. Obama and the girls always look immaculate. Proud to have them as The First Family!

[AnnieBW]

45. Good thing that they have the Secret Service

Because otherwise, Barack would have to keep the boys away from those beautiful girls with a baseball bat!

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

47. Rush Limbaugh accused Obama of sending out secret mind controlling vibes to Rev. Leon

Reverend Al Sharpton talked about it today on his show. Apparently Obama has secret magical powers of mind control over others and his mere presence can make them do or say things they otherwise wouldn't.

Limbaugh: “Obama’s presence inspires this guy to go all divisive, all racist. And start jamming on the Republicans for wanting blacks in the back of the bus, women back in the kitchen, when he can’t name a single person who does.”

Reverend Al noted that the same Rev. Leon was chosen by George Bush to give a prayer at his second inaugural.