Therefore I intend to keep on reminding you of these things, though you know them already and are established in the truth that has come to you. I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to refresh your memory, since I know that my death will come soon, as indeed our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things.For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received honor and glory from God the Father when that voice was conveyed to him by the Majestic Glory, saying, 'This is my Son, my Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.' We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven, while we were with him on the holy mountain. So we have the prophetic message more fully confirmed. You will do well to be attentive to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. First of all you must understand this, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation, because no prophecy ever came by human will, but men and women moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.
This is one of those moments when I see the every day human side of Peter. The Catholic church has raised Peter beyond the Bishop of Rome, and a spiritual leader. For the Catholic church, Peter is a political power. Sometimes Peter's own writings might give the impression of him being arrogant. Until we are reminded that most of the New Testament writings were most likely authored by a scribe who wrote on behalf of the person who composed the thoughts that have been written down. There is always the possibility that a Biblical transcriber got it wrong.
This particular passage from 2 Peter is a great example of how Biblical literalists get it wrong. This is also a place where those who interpret Scripture from the standpoint of justifying many of the things that Christian Tradition has made real mistakes, also gets it wrong. "First of all you must understand this, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation, because no prophecy ever came by human will, but men and women moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God." From the point of Biblical literalism, there are literally hundreds of evangelists who rake in billions of dollars in revenues who apply their own interpretation to the Bible on a daily basis. By ignoring over 500 years of critical Biblical scholarship, fundamentalist Christians have used the Bible to justify everything from the slavery of any number of races, other religions besides Christianity, subordinate women and justify prejudice towards LGBTQ people. The Catholic church has used the Bible to justify their own hunger for world political power. To the point where their Bishops are suppose to be their own ambassadors for the second class citizenship of women, LGBTQ and the sexual abuse of minors. This is why the Bible needs critical scholarship with an open view of ourselves, God and others.
Yet the more important message that is contained in this writing from Peter is to remember that Jesus Christ came to save our souls. Not only our souls, but also to save us from ourselves. Often we are our own worst critic. For lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning and queer people many of us have internalized the messages contained with in the anti-LGBT rhetoric of many Christian groups for so long, we walk about like we do not care, yet inwardly, we may even judge ourselves by the standards of Christianists and arch-conservative groups. In Jesus Christ, God has told all of us that we are God's Children and with us, God is well-pleased. God did not just tell us, God showed it as God welcomed everyone into the company of God's people through the Person of Jesus Christ. The Body of Christ that is the Church, is so wounded by prejudice, political corruption and the need for power, that we have given into the need to classify people so that the Church rather than inviting those who need God's help in their lives, the Church is instead, pushing them away. In so doing, we violate the essence of the Gospel. We are failing to prepare our world, Church and culture for the coming of Christ and the reign of God as we classify who is invited and who is rejected.
Jesus Christ came on that first Christmas to let us all know that God is reflected in the best and worst of all that we experience. In God's perfect revelation, Jesus came in the midst of the filth and mess of a stable so that we may understand that there is no mess that we could be found in that God does not care about, or is unable to be with us in. God cares about each of us so deeply that God came to us in the human vesture of Christ to walk with us through every dark valley, and to raise every person to the stature of knowing that she or he is loved and cherished by God. In Jesus all of us, including LGBTQ people are beloved and with us God is well-pleased. God is so pleased with us, so madly in love with us that God became one like us to show us the Way to God. That Way is Jesus who is not only the Way by who Jesus is, but by what Jesus did and said. We can follow Jesus the Way, by choosing to love the unlovable. Following Jesus is as simple as seeing beyond someone's race, culture, language, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender expression/identity, wealth or lack there of, employment or lack there of and see God's beloved with whom God is well-pleased in every human person.
As we prepare the way for Christ to come into our world and hearts during this Advent Season, let us look at how we view others and how our understanding of others different from ourselves is constructed. Has Biblical literalism so far deteriorated our ability to know of God's love for us, that our love for God and our neighbor is also deteriorated by prejudice, malice and apathy? Are so far gone over how much money we have or can make that we no longer see the value of each and every person? How do we see ourselves as beloved of God, with whom God is well-pleased?
May these and other understandings become ever more clear to us as we prepare to remember that God came to us as one of us, in the midst of a world of violence and corruption, to empower us to change it by changing ourselves from within. Which includes seeing ourselves as beloved by God, with whom God is well-pleased. Even LGBT people with our sexual orientation and/or gender identity/expression as it is, as it allows us to love others, is something and someone that is beloved by God, with whom God is well-pleased. May we never loose sight of that truth.
Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us; and, because we are sorely hindered by our sins, let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen. (Collect for the Third Sunday of Advent, Book of Common Prayer, page 212).
O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us through Jesus your Son: Look with compassion on the whole human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us; unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth; that, in your good time, all nations and races may serve you in harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Prayer for the Human Family, Book of Common Prayer, page 815).
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