Fifth Friday of Lent; The Cross, God Made Vulnerable

There are many things I can write about the Cross. The Cross on which Jesus Christ died is the means by which God sought to save us from sin. That much is known by most Christians. When we look at the Cross as a mere abstract image it is very easy to forget what really happened there. But when we open the book called the Cross and search deeper into the mystery of what happened there, we see that the Cross is as beautiful love story. The Cross is the story about how God made God's Self very vulnerable and accepted our response to God's offer.

The Cross is a love story. It is a novel written with the greatest love found within it's many pages. The night before Jesus was crucified, he gave his disciples one last commandment. "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends." (John 15:12-13). God's love for all of us was so great that Jesus laid down his life for all of us. This story of love that culminates in the Cross and ends with the resurrection, tells us that God risked all in Jesus and we are the beneficiaries of God's incredible gift.

This idea sounds way too close to the idea of sex. The idea of the Cross being God making God's Self vulnerable in the Person of Christ, is very close to what happens when two people share in a sexual experience.

In Bishop Gene Robinson's Book: In the Eye of the Storm, he writes:

"The vulnerability inherent in God's creation of the world, and in God's becoming flesh in Jesus, is the key to unlocking the power and meaning of human sexuality. The spiritual and physical union between two people mirrors the relationship God desires with humankind. The longing of a husband for a wife, a lover for the beloved, mirrors God's longing for us. A lover's sheer delight in the body of the beloved reflects God's sheer delight in us.

When lovemaking is really right, it's perhaps as close as we can come to knowing the kind of desire and love God holds for us. When we give ourselves to another in lovemaking, we participate in the kind of self-giving love that God has for us. This kind of love is sacramental, offering a window into the heart of the Creator. When I can express with my body what I'm feeling with my heart, the integration of body and soul is astounding. That's what we mean when we say marriage signifies the mystery of the union between Christ and the church.

That kind of experience doesn't happen to us human beings very often, even in the context of marriage. It's an ideal that we're just too self-centered to manage very often. But if you've ever come close to it you know it. And you know you've participated in something more than great sex; it is a fleeting, momentary participation in the nature of God." (Pages 38, 39).

I found the Rev. Canon Susan Russell's inclusion of the recent Theological Paper on Same-Sex Relationships that was presented at the recent meeting of the House of Bishops in the Episcopal Church to be very relevant and inspiring.

That said, I found this piece from theology committee member Deirdre Good's blog hopeful. It's from the introduction given by theologian Willis Jenkins to the presentation of the report to the House of Bishops -- which Good has posted with permission in its entirety on her blog -- but these were the two excerpts that "caught my eye:"

We do not plead for inclusion in marriage on the basis of rights, nor do we claim liberty for marriage on the basis of justice. Instead we show how all our marriages make sense within the church’s prayers and its proclamation of the gospel. Reading scripture in recognition of gifts of the Spirit evident in same- and other-sex couples, we present ourselves within the frame of an analogous debate: that of the earliest church wrestling with the question of Gentile inclusion.

By offering this frame of argument, those in same-sex marriages allow themselves and their relationships to become vulnerable to “our” interpretation. Our response, I contend, should be similar to how Peter, James, and Paul responded: by giving witness to gifts of the Spirit among these couples and making a way forward that respects tradition.

There has been way too much written and said about the pro's and cons about marriage equality over these years. The National Organization for Marriage and the Family Research Council continue their assault on LGBT people over the issue of marriage. I agree with Rev. Canon Susan Russell when she said: "Yes, I'm tired of my life and relationship being "studied." In my own humble opinion that may or may not be shared by all, the decision of LGBT couples expressing their love for each other in the institution of marriage is one in which the church needs to debate with in itself, but not interject itself in the issue with the State. The United States of America is one of a few countries where Ministers in religious institutions are agents of the State when it comes to marriage licenses. Let those churches that wish to perform marriage ceremonies for LGBT couples perform them, and those that do not wish should not be forced bless the relationships of same-sex couples. However, the issue of whether marriages should be legal in the civil arena, that is for the States to take up with those who are for marriage equality and those who are against. Should religious minded people including Bishops and Clergy be speaking up in support or against marriage equality? Under the idea of freedom of speech, I would say, if that is what they want to do, that is their right. But, as far as acting as a political action committee (PAC) to influence the State's decision to or not to enact marriage equality, no, the churches and religious organizations need to get out of that part of the debate. Those of us who are LGBT are tired of religious organizations making judgments upon our relationships, and deciding just how, when and where we should be able to decide the level of our devotion in our same-sex relationships. Those of us who chose to be in monogamous committed same-sex relationships are adult enough to make our own commitments as to how we make ourselves vulnerable to our partners to the degree that we too share in the love of Jesus Christ and his Cross. Religious funded organizations have no business attempting to fix the laws of the land based on how they perceive our relationships.

If I am sounding a bit angry here, the truth is, I am. Our local Catholic Archdiocese has decided to stick their nose into our struggle for marriage equality. Given all that's been going on the the Catholic church in the past few weeks, I can only react to this news with anger. We need the progressives within our Country and States to become active in the struggle for marriage equality. We cannot just sit idle and let the Religious institutions work to take the fight out of the hands of those of us who have been working hard to get us to this point after all these years.

Within the book called the Cross is a love story. It is a love story that plays itself out in the lives and love of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people and straight people a like. It is a love story that continues as we work for marriage equality and as we live out our lives with our partners, husbands, wives, friends and those we love so very much. This love story is why I love the last stanza of the hymn: "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross" so much.

"Were the whole realm of nature mine, that were an offering far too small; love so amazing so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all." (Hymn #474, Hymnal 1982).