Then Jesus told his disciples, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who who lose their life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life?"
Yesterday a whole bunch of people forfeited their freedoms by sitting in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office to ask for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) to be voted on the House floor. In addition, LT. Dan Choi chained himself to the White House fence protesting Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT) and was arrested. Every day there are countless men and women who are LGBT who risk their jobs, homes, families and safety because of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity/expression.
The Episcopal Church in the United States has chosen to shoulder the cross of acceptance by completing the consent process for Bishop-Elect Mary Glasspool for the Diocese of Los Angeles. In choosing to stand up for full inclusion of LGBT people to receive all of the Sacraments in the Church, the Episcopal Church risks causing commotion within the Anglican Communion. What "gracious restraint" the Episcopal Church demonstrates when they restrain themselves from conforming to discrimination and bias to determine when LGBT people are fit for ministry within the Church.
To deny oneself and take up our crosses, we effectively deny ourselves the pleasure that can come from apathy and inaction. When we refuse to confront discrimination and just accept bias, we can become all too comfortable and allow others to remain in the comfort zones of their biases. However, when we decide to deny ourselves those comforts we shake people up. When we no longer allow ourselves to be silent while LGBT discrimination remains present in our society we risk the loss of more than just our jobs, we risk loving other people and/or allowing other people to love us as we are. Sometimes it is easier to let people love us as the people they and we think we are, rather than love who we really are.
The Cross is the price of love and the cost of discipleship. On the Cross the Son of God gave his life out of love for all. Every Disciple of Jesus Christ must make the choice of accepting or rejecting our crosses. The Cross calls us to love in ways that are not necessarily comfortable. The Cross that every Disciple of Jesus will have to consider carrying will mean that we will not be popular in the world. The Cross does not guarantee us riches, wealth or even that we will be well known by the press or even within our own communities. The Cross will mean that we will know love as it truly is, it is the cost of being a follower. The Cross means that we accept who we are and how we love other people, and the Cross will mean that will ultimately have to allow others to love us as we are. There are costs to pay for such bold discipleship.
The reward for such costs are endless. The achievement for having allowed ourselves to live as we truly are, will bring unlimited happiness. We will find true friends and we will engage in real conflicts for the right purpose. What is that purpose? Love. The love of God, neighbor and self. And the knowledge that we accepted what God gave us and chose to shoulder it, rejecting everything that is false. Including, but not limited to anti-gay rhetoric by the religious right.
Lord Jesus Christ, you stretched out your arms of love on the hard wood of the Cross that everyone might come within the reach of your saving embrace: So clothe us in your Spirit that we, reaching forth our hands in love, may bring those who do not know you to the knowledge and love of you; for the honor of your Name. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer, Page 101).
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