Scripture Basis
Matthew 22:1-14 (NRSV)
Blog Reflection
The Gospel for today does not come across to me as terribly encouraging. To me the king sounds like a real jerk especially at the end of the story. The king wants people to come to his dinner party. The people the king invited didn't even come. When the kings servants went to the king's farm and business his slaves were mistreated and seized. The king invites those in the street whether good or bad. Those are the one's that come. Just because there was one person there who wasn't dressed right, that person gets thrown out. What an ass!!
The heart of the story is not really the invites who did not come, nor is it about the guest who was thrown out because he wasn't dressed right. The parable points to something much more.
Out in Scripture suggests that the reading from Exodus, Isaiah, Philippians and the Gospel from Matthew are all about reputation. Reputation is important. In Exodus Moses challenges God to relent in God's desired punishment of the people who have chosen to worship a golden calf. Moses calls upon God to be mindful of the God's reputation of having delivered the Israelites through the Red Sea, and what a tragedy it would be for God to destroy them now. God is known as the God who saves, not the God who destroys. God answers Moses by not destroying God's people.
As we are thinking about reputation this Sunday, I think there is a lot of room to think very carefully about the reputation God gets when Christianists and arch-conservative Catholics/Episcopalians/Orthodox etc, continue their violent rhetoric towards lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning and queer people. Contrary to what such individuals say the sexual love between two people of the same sex is not condemned by God in Scripture. Many of the famous clobber passages (ie. Leviticus 20:13, 1 Cor. 6:9, Romans 1:27 etc) have been so badly misinterpreted to suggest God's condemnation of homsexuality and LGBT people. Such erroneous and misleading translations are used to justify the most egregious and vicious violence and rhetoric. The reputation of God becomes falsified. God and Jesus get a bad name.
The Holy Spirit came to the Church to stretch the arms of God's unconditional love, spread by Jesus Christ on the cross and embrace every person so that they can find salvation and community. Jesus invites everyone without exception to receive God's Presence at the Eucharist regardless of how they are dressed, what color their skin, who and how they love other people, and what their gender identity/expression is.
Today is Coming Out Sunday. The day we encourage people who are LGBTQ to come out and live their lives openly and honestly as they are. The threats to LGBTQ people are very great as religious, political and social oppression continues on the basis of one's sexual orientation and/or gender identity/expression. LGBTQ people are still denied equality and inclusion in workplaces, churches, marriage equality rights and just the opportunity to exist and be without the threat of hate crimes or total isolation. Why should we come out?
Because when an LGBTQ person comes out, that gay joke someone likes to tell is now about us. The remark about the fag or dyke is personal as it could be about any one close to us, or someone we know and love dearly. The news that a transgender person was beaten to death affects us and challenges us to become active in the cause for LGBTQ equality and resist the negative messages of the dominionists. Suddenly the LGBTQ person who was the stranger, unusually dressed, acts a bit differently is just another person at God's banquet.
So who is the individual that came to the banquet not properly dressed? It is not the married gay couple. It is not the child being raised by two lesbians. The improperly dressed person is not the transgender woman or man or the bisexual man who is in a relationship with both his wife and has a boyfriend, and is totally open with everyone in his life.
I think the person who is improperly dressed represents those who come to the banquet with their focus not on the enjoyment of all that God so graciously gives to all the guests, but instead is standing there passing judgement on whom she/he thinks should not be there. Rather then celebrating the inclusion of all who is attending God's celebration, the guest's rob that lacks compassion and appreciation for diversity and community, is the one the king cannot keep in his company. Hate and exclusion, a desire to maintain attitudes of bias and anger towards those different from ourselves, do not find good company among themselves in the presence of the God of unconditional and all-inclusive love.
God's banquet is a community of love, justice, inclusion. In God's reign, everyone is invited to feast and celebrate God's peace and forgiving mercy. God's reputation is not one of damning everything that white, male, heterosexual, wealthy, healthy Christians constantly tell the world about. And form political parties and create capitalistic empires to dominate the world. God's reputation is love, salvation, holiness, hospitality and reconciliation. God showed God's love for all God's people when Jesus took on the form of humankind and served to the point of giving his life on the cross and rising from the dead. (See Philippians 2: 5-11). Jesus does not have to demand dominionism. Jesus does not demand every religion to become Christianity. Jesus does not commission ex-gay groups to change gay, lesbian and bisexual people. Jesus saves all humankind through his service to all who are in need of God's compassion and gives us a place to serve along with all God's saints.
God welcomes us to eat, celebrate and to be inclusive.
Prayers
Matthew 22:1-14 (NRSV)
Once more Jesus spoke to the people in parables, saying: "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come. Again he sent other slaves, saying, `Tell those who have been invited: Look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding banquet.' But they made light of it and went away, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his slaves, mistreated them, and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. Then he said to his slaves, `The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore into the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.' Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad; so the wedding hall was filled with guests.
"But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe, and he said to him, `Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?' And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, `Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' For many are called, but few are chosen."
Blog Reflection
The Gospel for today does not come across to me as terribly encouraging. To me the king sounds like a real jerk especially at the end of the story. The king wants people to come to his dinner party. The people the king invited didn't even come. When the kings servants went to the king's farm and business his slaves were mistreated and seized. The king invites those in the street whether good or bad. Those are the one's that come. Just because there was one person there who wasn't dressed right, that person gets thrown out. What an ass!!
The heart of the story is not really the invites who did not come, nor is it about the guest who was thrown out because he wasn't dressed right. The parable points to something much more.
Out in Scripture suggests that the reading from Exodus, Isaiah, Philippians and the Gospel from Matthew are all about reputation. Reputation is important. In Exodus Moses challenges God to relent in God's desired punishment of the people who have chosen to worship a golden calf. Moses calls upon God to be mindful of the God's reputation of having delivered the Israelites through the Red Sea, and what a tragedy it would be for God to destroy them now. God is known as the God who saves, not the God who destroys. God answers Moses by not destroying God's people.
God is not only concerned about God’s own street credibility. In Isaiah 25:1-9, while celebrating God’s future destruction of the unjust and unfaithful city, the prophet lauds God’s refuge for the poor and needy who now sing God’s glory. God provides a banquet for those once outcast replete with the finest of foods. Yet there is more! God not only wipes away the tears shed by the oppressed, God wipes away the disgrace of the people who have been shamed by their oppressors (verse 8). (Out in Scripture).
Philippians 4:1-9 combines a call to reconciliation with an exhortation to hope. It seems odd that Paul should tell the church in Philippi that they should rejoice and live beyond anxiety. After all, can we really choose to rejoice? Do we have control over our anxiety? Paul does not base his exhortation in our own ability to feel joyful and calm. He grounds it in the very nature of God, who is the God of peace. Paul's spirituality is not about "the power of positive thinking." It is the testimony of a prisoner who opens his spirit to the presence of God. (Out in Scripture).
As we are thinking about reputation this Sunday, I think there is a lot of room to think very carefully about the reputation God gets when Christianists and arch-conservative Catholics/Episcopalians/Orthodox etc, continue their violent rhetoric towards lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning and queer people. Contrary to what such individuals say the sexual love between two people of the same sex is not condemned by God in Scripture. Many of the famous clobber passages (ie. Leviticus 20:13, 1 Cor. 6:9, Romans 1:27 etc) have been so badly misinterpreted to suggest God's condemnation of homsexuality and LGBT people. Such erroneous and misleading translations are used to justify the most egregious and vicious violence and rhetoric. The reputation of God becomes falsified. God and Jesus get a bad name.
The Holy Spirit came to the Church to stretch the arms of God's unconditional love, spread by Jesus Christ on the cross and embrace every person so that they can find salvation and community. Jesus invites everyone without exception to receive God's Presence at the Eucharist regardless of how they are dressed, what color their skin, who and how they love other people, and what their gender identity/expression is.
Today is Coming Out Sunday. The day we encourage people who are LGBTQ to come out and live their lives openly and honestly as they are. The threats to LGBTQ people are very great as religious, political and social oppression continues on the basis of one's sexual orientation and/or gender identity/expression. LGBTQ people are still denied equality and inclusion in workplaces, churches, marriage equality rights and just the opportunity to exist and be without the threat of hate crimes or total isolation. Why should we come out?
Because when an LGBTQ person comes out, that gay joke someone likes to tell is now about us. The remark about the fag or dyke is personal as it could be about any one close to us, or someone we know and love dearly. The news that a transgender person was beaten to death affects us and challenges us to become active in the cause for LGBTQ equality and resist the negative messages of the dominionists. Suddenly the LGBTQ person who was the stranger, unusually dressed, acts a bit differently is just another person at God's banquet.
So who is the individual that came to the banquet not properly dressed? It is not the married gay couple. It is not the child being raised by two lesbians. The improperly dressed person is not the transgender woman or man or the bisexual man who is in a relationship with both his wife and has a boyfriend, and is totally open with everyone in his life.
I think the person who is improperly dressed represents those who come to the banquet with their focus not on the enjoyment of all that God so graciously gives to all the guests, but instead is standing there passing judgement on whom she/he thinks should not be there. Rather then celebrating the inclusion of all who is attending God's celebration, the guest's rob that lacks compassion and appreciation for diversity and community, is the one the king cannot keep in his company. Hate and exclusion, a desire to maintain attitudes of bias and anger towards those different from ourselves, do not find good company among themselves in the presence of the God of unconditional and all-inclusive love.
God's banquet is a community of love, justice, inclusion. In God's reign, everyone is invited to feast and celebrate God's peace and forgiving mercy. God's reputation is not one of damning everything that white, male, heterosexual, wealthy, healthy Christians constantly tell the world about. And form political parties and create capitalistic empires to dominate the world. God's reputation is love, salvation, holiness, hospitality and reconciliation. God showed God's love for all God's people when Jesus took on the form of humankind and served to the point of giving his life on the cross and rising from the dead. (See Philippians 2: 5-11). Jesus does not have to demand dominionism. Jesus does not demand every religion to become Christianity. Jesus does not commission ex-gay groups to change gay, lesbian and bisexual people. Jesus saves all humankind through his service to all who are in need of God's compassion and gives us a place to serve along with all God's saints.
God welcomes us to eat, celebrate and to be inclusive.
Prayers
Lord, we pray that your grace may always precede and follow us, that we may continually be given to good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Proper 23, Book of Common Prayer, page 234).
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).
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, page 823).
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