"Now is the judgment of this world; now is the ruler of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself." He said this to indicate the kind of death he would die. The crowd answered him, "We have heard from the law that the Messiah remains forever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?" Jesus said to them, "The light is with you for a little longer. Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness may not overtake you. If you walk in the darkness, you do not know where you are going. While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become children of light." (John 12:31-36).
The news reports yesterday about nine members of a militia group that were arrested in Michigan was quite scary. It was even more frightening to learn that they believed they were working in the Name of Jesus. They believed that they were preparing to battle the Anti-Christ. Their way of preparing was to shoot police officers and then prepare to fire their guns at police officers funerals. The outrageous violence that is said to be for a Christian "cause" is nothing more than an excuse to behave recklessly.
Given all of the history of Christianity that is full of violence, murder and hypocrisy why should people continue to believe in the message of salvation through Jesus Christ. When Jesus said he would draw all people to himself when he was lifted up on the Cross, I don't think he meant that it was a reason to kill people or keep people out of the Church. When Jesus talked about drawing all people to himself when he was lifted up on the Cross, he literally meant that he was spreading his arms "on the hard wood of the Cross that everyone might come within the reach of [his] saving embrace." (Book of Common Prayer, Page 101).
When I think of all the right wing Christians talking against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people, working to deny people health care reform because the bill doesn't match their moralistic ideals, I find myself looking at Jesus on the Crucifix behind me on the wall and praying. I pray that people will stop using Jesus as their lame excuse for their prejudices and furthering the "ruler of this world" and the crusade for violence and destruction. Jesus did not get lifted high on the Cross to be used as an excuse for bias, war, lack of charity and the furthering of capitalism. The crucifixion is no reason to advance sexism, racism, divisions by class, heterosexism and the total disregard for the sick, challenged and lonely.
Instead, Jesus challenges all who follow him to "Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness may not overtake you. If you walk in the darkness, you do not know where you are going. While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become children of light." (John 12: 35b to 36). Following Jesus means to welcome the stranger and care for those who are sick and lonely. Being a disciple of Jesus means that we should care about those that the Church would prefer to leave behind due to the bias that still lives there. Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people are women and men who come with an amazing desire to love and be loved. Many LGBT people long more than anything to draw closer to Jesus who was lifted up to draw them to himself. LGBT people just like all people want to come close to God and to know that we are loved to the point that the Son of God gave his life for us. The LGBT people desire to walk in the light and to help serve those who are stigmatized by society and the Church. What LGBT people do not need is those insisting that God wants us to change the very essence of who we are to serve God. While we have sins that we need to confess and repent from, being LGBT and longing to love another person in a loving committed relationship is not one of those sins.
Walking in the light, means desiring to serve in the Name of the One who was lifted high and drew all to himself. Such a concept means that we too are drawn to the Cross where Jesus died to not only offer ourselves with Christ, but to give of ourselves to and for others in service and love. By our Baptism, all of us have been baptized in to Christ and are called to share in his death and resurrection through our service of one another.
May our work and prayers during this Holy Week bring those who seek to do violence in the Name of Jesus to a place where they seek peace and justice for all. May those who think that Jesus Christ does not want them as part of the Church know that is the furthest thing from the truth. May we who claim to be Disciples of Jesus work to help build a better kingdom of God through our own commitment to peace, justice and equality for all people.
O God, by the passion of your blessed Son you made an instrument of shameful death to be for us the means of life: Grant us so to glory in the Cross of Christ, that we may gladly suffer shame and loss for the sake of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit; one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Collect for Tuesday in Holy Week, BCP, Page 220).
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