Are We Serving Jesus in the Least?

Matt. 25:31-46 (NRSV)

31 'When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. 32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, 33and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. 34Then the king will say to those at his right hand, "Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me." 37Then the righteous will answer him, "Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? 39And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?" 40And the king will answer them, "Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me."a 41Then he will say to those at his left hand, "You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; 42for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me." 44Then they also will answer, "Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?" 45Then he will answer them, "Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me." 46And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.'

This here is the Gospel lesson for the Divine Office for today. It is one of my favorite Gospels, yet it is also one that can send some chills up your spine and put goose bumps on your skin. If we look at this Gospel from the point of a warning it is scary. However, if we look at this Gospel from the standpoint of an opportunity to serve Jesus Christ in others who need to be served, we could also see it as our opportunity to do great things. Within this Gospel is a call to radical conversion and conversation. Because it calls us to set our priorities in order. Do we set our priorities on serving Jesus Christ in those who are on the margins of society and the Church or do we just pay attention to our own selfish desires and need for power?

Yesterday I posted a web site link to the story about The Prayer Cast led by Lou Engl on Facebook. Following the posting there was a number of interesting yet troubling comments about the Prayer Cast. One commenter said: "Christianity is archaic superstition. Nothing more..." But no comment was more correct than one title given to the work of Evangelicals organizing and praying to annihilate homosexuals. That title was "Talabangelical Xtian Christofascism, to be exact." I find both of these comments to be painful reminders of the reality that the real Christianity consisting of God's unconditional love in and through God's perfect revelation in Jesus Christ, who's Incarnation we will celebrate next Friday is getting a bad name due to "Talabangelical Christian fanatics." The messages of people such as Lou Engl, Pat Robertson, Dr. James Dobson and others like them do not represent the true meaning of Jesus Christ and his Gospel of unconditional and all inclusive love. Yet, no thanks to their careless quest for power at the expense of the Gospel, all of Christianity gets such a bad name through their example. And lest we forget it is "Talabangelical Christian Fanatics" that have helped countries like Uganda and Rwanda become even more anti-gay and less charitable toward LGBT people than even America is. Yesterday I read a really disturbing story of how Parents in Uganda want the Kill the Gays Bill enacted.

So the question that comes to mind here is, how can Christians who really do believe in Jesus Christ and his unconditional, all inclusive love make Jesus Christ known and loved with all of this hate speech going on? What role can lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people play to help focus Christians on what is the essential message of the Gospel?

Well, let's be clear about a few things. The Gospel is not first and foremost about a quest for power or prestige. It is about recognizing that every human being is created in the image and likeness of God who is the Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier. The Gospel Message is that "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being." (John 1:1-3) And that includes lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people. All of us are here, because God loved us into being as we are. Through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ we have been redeemed and have become adopted daughters and sons of God. In Ephesians chapter 1: 5 and 6 we read: "God destined us for adoption as God's children through Jesus Christ, according to the pleasure of God's will, to the praise and glory of God's glorious grace that God freely bestowed on us in the Beloved." And because we have all been created and redeemed by God in Christ, we are also being sanctified as holy people through God the Holy Spirit. Because each person is created, redeemed and being sanctified by God, we must honor each person by serving Jesus Christ in whoever she or he is. God's greatest and most cherished of God's creation does not stop with lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered people. And any "Talabangelical Christian Fanatic" that attempts to preach that message is down right wrong on all fronts. Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered Christians and those who accept and affirm us must be willing to speak up and act on the premise that God has created, redeemed and sanctified us as God has done for all of God's people. And that fact alone means that we serve Jesus Christ in every person that we feed, clothe, give something to drink, visit in prison and welcome in the stranger.

As LGBT and other Christians who know that the Gospel is about serving Christ in those marginalized by society and the Church, we must show forth the Person of Christ in our service of all of God's people. As "Talabangelical Christian Fanaticism" continues to raise a voice that has nothing to do with the real message of the Gospel, LGBT and other Christians who are passionately committed to the real message of the Gospel must never be afraid or embarrassed or ashamed of the Gospel that we stand by and profess. We must also not be afraid to challenge the "Talabangelical Christian Fantatics" by calling them to the true meaning of the Gospel and living it out in our own lives, even if we do it better than they do. We must demonstrate with all conviction that the doors of Christian compassion do not stop at the doors of women who have had abortions or lesbian, gay, bisexual and/or transgendered people.

Where is God calling us to live the Gospel in a time when it is being so badly misrepresented by "Talabangelical Christian Fanatics"? How are we going to answer that call today?

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. (Prayer for the Third Sunday of Advent, Book of Common Prayer, Page 212)