John 3:16-21 (NRSV)
Jesus said, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.
"Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God."
"Listen: there was once a king sitting on his throne. Around him stood great and wonderfully beautiful columns ornamented with ivory, bearing the banners of the king with great honor. Then it pleased the king to raise a small feather from the ground, and he commanded it to fly. The feather flew, not because of anything in itself but because the air bore it along. Thus am I, a feather on the breath of God." Hildegard of Bingen.
The movie Forrest Gump begins with a feather blowing through the air, and ends with that same feather being blown through the sky. The movie is about a man from the earliest age to where the movie ends, about a man who is thought to be completely stupid. Yet through out the movie, Forrest Gump shows himself to be an extraordinary man. Though he was developmentally challenged, he went to college, fought in the Vietnam War, and began a shrimp company after his late friend Bubba. Forrest Gump often associated with African Americans while the country was still marginalizing them. And he had a love that although she was exceptionally rude and messed up by drugs, he still loved her, even when she told him she was dying and wanted to marry him before she died. He became a best friend to his son Forrest and made sure he was out there to meet him when he got home from school. And then the feather blows away again.
Those of us who are part of minorities whether we be African American, or women, or lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, questioning or queer people, or immigrants, we are like feathers being blown about. Most of the world does not recognize us for who or what we are. But when we arrive on the scene there are those who see our beauty and acknowledge that we are part of God's green world just as much as anyone else. There are those who look at us and say: "So what?" There are also those who think we should just be discarded, for we are taking up too much space away from those who are considered privileged.
Hildegard was a Benedictine Nun who was wise and very generous. She was disciplined and had a full life. Though she lived in a time when women were not recognized as equal to men, she participated in the work of preaching the Gospel even when it was not fashionable to do so.
"She carried out preaching missions in Northern Europe, unprecedented activity for a woman. She practiced medicine, focusing on women's needs; published treatises on natural science and philosophy; wrote a liturgical drama, The Play of Virtues, in which personified virtues sing their parts and the devil, condemned to live with out music, can only speak. For Hildegard, music was essential to worship. Her liturgical compositions, unusual in structure and tonality, were described by contemporaries as "Chant of surpassing sweet melody" and "strange and unheard-of music."
"Hildegard lived in a world accustomed to male governance. Yet, within her convents, and to a surprising extent outside them, she exercised a commanding spiritual authority based on confidence in her visions and considerable political astuteness. When she died in 1179 at 81, she left a rich legacy which speaks eloquently across the ages." (Holy Women, Holy Men, Celebrating the Saints, page 588).
Anyone besides myself think that Hildegard sounds a bit butch? An early example of a Transgenderd person.
We continue to live in a time when individuals are stereotyped and stigmatized even still because of what makes each individual unique. I am really troubled by the Gospel that is chosen for today's commemoration. It was most likely translated by someone who had a Supersessionistic perspective of Christianity towards Judaism or Islam. I totally love verses 16 and 17, but the verses that come after that suggest that those who do not believe in the Son of God are already condemned, it is phrases like that that are so used against those who are not Christians. They are used by evangelists to persuade non-Christians to convert out of fear. Conservative Christians get off on suggesting that people should be afraid of God condemning them to hell for not seeing things the way Conservative Christians do. The phrase "fear of God" has all too often been mistranslated into being afraid of God condemning people. When in fact "fear of God" really means that God is so deserving of all of our love, that the last thing we would want to do is offend God. Not because God might punish us, but because God is so madly in love with Humankind, that we should all want to love God back. Loving God includes loving those who are not Christian, and who are not privileged to be white, male, heterosexual, of one gender in mind, heart or body, healthy, wealthy, speak or write in English, who are not challenged physically, psychologically or developmentally. Loving our God is synonymous with loving our neighbor as ourselves.
In response to Pope Benedict's statement as he begins his tour of Britain, about atheism and Nazism, commenter Gregory Orloff wrote the words of St. John Chrysostom in the Episcopal Lead.
"We who are disciples of Christ claim that our purpose on earth is to lay up treasures in heaven. But our actions often belie our words. Many Christians build for themselves fine houses, lay out splendid gardens, construct bathhouses and buy fields. It is small wonder, then, that many pagans refuse to believe what we say. "If their eyes are set on mansions in heaven," they ask, "why are they building mansions on earth? If they put their words into practice, they would give away their riches and live in simple huts." So these pagans conclude that we do not sincerely believe in the religion we profess; and as a result they refuse to take this religion seriously. You may say that the words of Christ on these matters are too hard for you to follow; and that while your spirit is willing, your flesh is weak. My answer is that the judgment of the pagans about you is more accurate than your judgment of yourself. When the pagans accuse us of hypocrisy, many of us should plead guilty."
Pope Benedict ought to reflect on those words. Might not the worst enemy of Christianity be Christians who don't live up to being Christlike?
Christians including those of us who are challenging the Church and society to be more inclusive and accommodating are doing the work of God the Holy Spirit. During this Season after Pentecost we are trying to learn better the lessons that the Holy Spirit has been teaching us as she "guides us into all truth." (Jn. 16:13). Among the many things we want to be open to is how the Church has been misunderstanding the Bible in terms of homosexuality, bisexuality and transgendered people. We also want to continue to be open to how the Church has been getting it wrong on the subject of women. The Bible has been over used to suggest that women are to be subordinate to men. As Episcopalians who also use the gift of reason as well as Scripture and Tradition, we understand things about women now that we did not a century ago. So it is with LGBTQ people.
What God asks of us is that we love God who first loved us and gave God's Self up for us in God's Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the Light who has come into the world to extinguish the darkness of sin that includes prejudice, violence and cruelty. Jesus does not work to accomplish these things without the help of God's people who have been consecrated to God in Baptism. That is why Hildegard as well as any of us are so fortunate to be feathers blowing about by the Holy Spirit to help change the Church and the world, one step at a time.
O God, because without you we are not able to please you, mercifully grant that your Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Proper 19, Book of Common Prayer, page 233).
God of all times and seasons: Give us grace that we, after the example of your servant Hildegard, may both know and make known the joy and jubilation of being part of your creation, and show forth your glory not only with our lips but in our lives; through Jesus Christ our Savior, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Collect for Hildegard, Holy Women, Holy Men, Celebrating the Saints, page 589).
O God, you led your holy apostles to ordain ministers in every place: Grant that your Church, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, may choose suitable persons for the ministry of Word and Sacrament, and may uphold them in their work for the extension of your kingdom; through him who is the Shepherd and Bishop of our souls, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, on God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Prayer for the choice of fit persons for ministry, Ember Days, Book of Common Prayer, page 256).
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