Jesus said to the Father, "I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed.
I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now that the know that everything you have given me is from you."
During Lent I am reading a book called: "Get Over Yourself; God's Here!" The book was written by the Very Rev. Kate Moorehead who is the Dean of St. John's Cathedral in Florida. The book is written from the perspective of asking the question what would Jesus have to say to the twenty-first century that is so devoted to ourselves? We live in a world of corporate greed, political maneuvering for the purpose of getting ourselves ahead of everyone else and biases. Over these past few weeks we have seen the issue of racism rear it's ugly head through the Tea Party Movement and one of it's speakers calling for those who do not speak English or those who are not Caucasian to have to take tests in order to be able to vote. We have also seen heterosexism rising as the National Organization for Marriage and the Family Research Council are determined that marriage equality for LGBT people must be stopped and no cost is too great.
As LGBT people we are often accused of seeking our own selfish goals for wanting marriage equality and our basic human rights to be protected by the law. In recent weeks there has been a law suit filed out of Michigan against the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes bill by those saying that the law "restricts the religious freedom" of preachers speaking out against homosexuality. As LGBT speak up and work for the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, gay soldiers who want to serve in the military are accused of wanting to rape other American Soldiers.
In her book "Get Over Yourself; God's Here" Dean Kate Moorehead says that if we are going to get Lent off to a good start we need to start dealing with all of the bad stuff. We need to get all of the garbage out in the open so that we will know how to get rid of it so that we can focus on God's work in our lives. If we have ever wanted to clean up a big mess, we know that we have to start by locating where all the junk is that we want to get it out in the open, so to make the place clean. During Lent, we are busy making a real effort to chip away at those places where we need to let God in.
As lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people who are working for equality and our full inclusion in society and the Church, we need to begin by getting rid of the junk that creates the mess, by calling it out for what it really is. In Bishop Gene Robinson's Book: In the Eye of the Storm, he points out on page 24 that the problem with our society is not homophobia it is heterosexism.
"More and more people are feeling kindly toward gay and lesbian people, but that will never be enough. More important is dismantling the system that rewards heterosexuals at the expense of homosexuals."
If we want to be making some headway in our fight for marriage equality and protection of our rights we need to start calling out the problem by it's name: heterosexism. Why are African American's successful in their campaign? Because they call racism out on it's own terms. Why are women making headway toward equality? Because they call sexism out for what it really is. It is a way of thinking, acting and operating. Heterosexuals will never have to worry about someone telling them that their marriages and love are not legal, just because they are straight. Heterosexuals do not have to fight over custody of their children, just because they are not homosexuals. No one will look at a heterosexual male or female and tell them that they are not qualified for a job because of their sexual orientation. But every day, still in this country LGBT people face discrimination in marriage, child adoption, jobs and other matters just because they are not heterosexual.
Heterosexism is also the reason why once we come out, we fight against all those lies that the religious and conservative right wing tells about us. We must constantly go to the source within ourselves and route out that anger with in us that we are not heterosexual and because of the evil that is heterosexism, we suffer day in and day out. Do we have to suffer? NO, we do not. Our value, dignity and respect is based on the reality that whether we are black, white, Indian, man, woman, LGBT or straight, God created all of us as God's children who are "fearfully and wonderfully made." (Psalm 139:14)
If we are to reveal God's glorious work in our lives as LGBT people, we must begin by going into the very heart of who we are and routing OUT that junk that religious and political conservatives feed us every day that says that because we are not heterosexual, we are worthless. Those lies that tell us that if we are a man or woman and we love someone of the same sex, our love is not a holy love, because only the sexual and romantic love between a man and a woman is holy, blessed and respected by God. We need to call those lies out by name and tell them, they are wrong, they are not true and they have no place in our hearts or in the politics of our government. And then, we need to take action and let our Governmental leaders and Church leaders know that we do not accept hetersexism determining the laws of our land or the validity of our personal relationships with God who is Creator, Servant and Life-Giver. Then, we will truly make some progress.
As LGBT we need to gather with Jesus at the Cross and share with Christ's suffering so that we can understand God's glory and live it in our daily lives. Lent is a time for seeing Christ in the midst of our daily struggles against the voices of the world working in our understandings of ourselves. We need to see that God is with us in the midst of our suffering, but that God also desires for us to see that suffering for what it truly is. It is a twisted understanding of how we think God sees us. Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered Christians must see that our suffering over who we are, and over recognizing God's goodness in who we are and how we love, is God wanting us to see the truth about ourselves, and be set free. Free to help others know that all love is given and cherished by the God who loves us, and gave the life of God's only Begotten Son so that God's love may live a new in us.
Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing you have made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Collect for Ash Wednesday, BCP, Page 217).
No comments:
Post a Comment