As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. There were two blind men sitting by the roadside. When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they shouted, "Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!" The crowd sternly ordered them to be quiet; but they shouted even more loudly, "Have mercy on us, Lord, Son of David!" Jesus stood still and called them, saying, "What do you want me to do for you?" They said to him, "Lord, let our eyes be opened." Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes. Immediately they regained their sight and followed him.
This Gospel represents not only the blind men wanting Jesus to make them able to see. This story is also about people left on the sidelines called to come out from them to seek the life they are to embrace. Those who were unable to see really did not have a whole lot of life to them, except as blind beggars. They were outcasts. These visually challenged men knew who Jesus was when he passed by them among the crowds. Knowing that Jesus was the Son of David, they cried out for God's mercy. The crowds were so anxious to keep the news of who Jesus was to themselves, they wanted the visually challenged men to keep quiet. But, oh no!!! The men just shouted for Jesus until he finally asked; "What do you want me to do for you?" The story ends with Jesus healing the blind men and they become his followers.
The message of salvation is a call to get out from the sidelines and become participants on God's work of love and redemption. God wants us all to get up and call out to God so that God can ask: "What do you want me to do for you?" God may or may not do a miraculous healing. God may be wanting us to talk with that person who has hurt us, or ask someone to forgive us who has been hurt by something we did. When we call out to God, God may want us to look at our attitudes towards others who are different from ourselves and call us to embrace a new, inclusive understanding of other people.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people have been celebrating Pride month. This is the month when we remember those brave people at Stonewall in 1969 who said that they were no longer going to stay on the sidelines allowing police and governments to continue to justify violence and cruelty towards them just because of who they were. Their decision to rise up and defend themselves and begin a world wide LGBT rights movement. From Stonewall has come some wonderful people who have continued to work to change our culture here in these United States and all over. Leaders like Harvey Milk, Cleve Jones, and many more have inspired us to tell those who want to take away our basic equal rights, that they cannot do it without us saying something about it. Since the Stonewall riots we have seen governments, churches, whole communities transforming their understandings of LGBTQ people. We have also seen prejudice continue to wage it's war against LGBTQ people through the rise of ex-gay ministries, and organizations like Focus on the Family, The Family Research Council, The American Family Association, the NARTH and so many more. Yet, as these anti-gay organizations have waged their violence and hate speech toward LGBTQ people, organizations such as Soul Force, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, Truth Wins Out, The Human Rights Campaign, Integrity USA, TEACH Ministries, PFLAG and so many more have come forth to defend the equal rights for all families and genders. Journalists such as Pam Spaulding of Pam's House Blend, Joe Jervis of JoeMyGod, Andy Towle of Towleroad, Jeremy of GoodAsYou, Rev. Irene Monroe and the folks who contribute to the Bilerico Project write their blogs to keep the Community up to date on all the news that affects the LGBT and Allied communities.
Working together for equal rights and an end to prejudice starts with LGBTQ and people who support us coming out from the sidelines and becoming active in one way or another. Even if being active for some people is just being aware of what goes on so as to engage in conversations with people about what being LGBTQ means and how discrimination and violence affects not only LGBTQ people, but all of society. As conversations take place, people who are ignorant become informed. Individuals with one perception of LGBTQ people can find some room for new understandings. Eyes that once could not see or understand LGBTQ equality might be able to see or understand better because LGBTQ people came out from the sidelines and started conversations about who they are and how they love. That is the beginning of the end of people being blind to the fact that homosexuality and bisexuality is just as holy of a love as being heterosexual is. People who have an expectation of one kind of gender can begin to understand that transgendered people see within themselves a very different gender that needs to come out and be who they were meant to be. Just as important is to understand that LGBTQ people are part of the family of God in Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit who has blessed everyone with being uniquely wonderful.
Are any of us finding it difficult to see beyond where we are? Perhaps we need to step out from the sidelines and ask God to heal our visual, spiritual and personal challenges, so that we can honor all people as part of God's human family. Perhaps our hearts need to break a bit for those who do not have equal rights protection under the laws of our nation. We should be disturbed by a group of missionaries going to Uganda to spread hate for LGBTQ people so that the Ugandan Parliament would consider a bill that if passed would mean open LGBT people could be put in prison for the rest of their lives or executed. At the point that we understand that we really cannot see like we should, we can either stay on the sidelines and do nothing and be passive, or we can become pro-active in changing society and the Church in ways that will serve the justice and equality of all people.
O Lord, make us have perpetual love and reverence for your holy Name, for you never fail to help and govern those whom you have set upon the sure foundation of your loving-kindness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.(Proper 7, Book of Common Prayer, Page 230).
O God, you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth, and sent your blessed Son to preach peace to those who are far off and to those who are near: Grant that people everywhere may seek after you and find you; bring the nations into your fold; pour out your Spirit upon all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Prayer for Mission, Book of Common Prayer, Page 100).
Grant, O God, that your holy and life-giving Spirit may so move every human heart, that barriers which divide us may crumble, suspicions disappear, and hatreds cease; that our divisions being healed, we may live in justice and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Prayer for Social Justice, Book of Common Prayer, Page 823).
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