When Evil Has A Good Appearance

John 17:20-26(NRSV)

'I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. 'Righteous Father, the world does not know you, but I know you; and these know that you have sent me. I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.'

"The road to hell is paved with good intentions" as the old saying goes. How very true that statement is. As we recall at the creation story how Eve was pointed to the tree in the middle of the Garden of Eden.

"So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband who was with her and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew they were naked; and they sewed fig trees together and made loincloths for themselves." (Genesis 3:6-7).

That something that we should not do, is oh so appealing and gives us a sense of comfort. As a former smoker, I remember how good that fresh tobacco used to smell when I opened a new pack. I am someone who has type II diabetes and sometimes that chocolate just calls my name. It looks oh so good and tastes oh so good, but really it is not the best thing for me to do. All of us have those things that delight us when we see them, smell them, touch them, eat them, drink them, but in reality they are not good things.

To put all of this on a human level, we all need those things that comfort us to some degree. Without some wiggle room we would go crazy and God knows and understands that. God gives us all the good things we have to remind us that we were not put on this earth to live in total misery. But when "things" become our main source of want and need, they have the potential to become "god" for us, and this is where the danger can be. Even sex as beautiful and holy as it is, whether it be between two people of the same-sex or opposite sex is part of the great gift of God's love, but like all good things, they can be abused and lead to destruction.

In today's Gospel Jesus prays that famous prayer that all of us who follow him may be one. This prayer which is a hallmark of Jesus carries with it his earnest plea that all of us may learn to love one another with the same self sacrificing love with which Christ has loved all of us. The love that Jesus calls us to is a love that is most interested in binding us together to the point where purposefully injuring each others common good is something we would never consider. God wishes for all of God's children to live in a sense of peace and harmony with one another. Yet, we know that human history tells a story of a different kind. The Christian Church over the centuries has walked far away from this wish of Jesus. How many members of the Church of England were burned and martyred, because the Roman Catholic church wanted total control of Europe? How many members of the Roman church were martyred by King Henry VIII and many of his successors? This does not in any way take away from the thousands of people murdered by the Roman and Spanish Inquisitions in the name of "proper doctrine."

The Church and the followers of Jesus have not changed very much over the centuries. Now we are not fighting so much about the doctrines of Christianity, though there remain many disagreements. Instead there are raging battles over woman's rights, LGBT rights and the rights of those Christians who disagree with each other to keep or give up their property. "The road to hell is paved with good intentions." In the name of what many right wing Christians call a defense of Christ and the Gospel they are willing to put aside all Christian Charity to accomplish their ends. The Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, DC this past week, has suspended their foster care and adoption services because in March, the District will begin recognizing same-sex marriages. At the CPAC Convention, Rick Santorum made the assertion that Military leaders have been indoctrinated into defending the need to repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell. At the same CPAC speaker Ryan Sorba condemned the CPAC for inviting conservative minded gays to participate in the convention. In the name of defending the conservative misunderstanding of homosexuality, they are willing to violate the very ethics of Christian Charity to make their point.

How are the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered communities to defend and work for our equal rights in ways that do not violate Christian Charity and achieve a good end? How can the LGBT communities do what we do best without falling into the traps of our conservative counterparts? How can we spend this Lent seeking God's help to raise us up beyond our second class citizenship and work our way towards full inclusion in society and the life of the Church? Each of us must answer these and other questions like it, within our prayer life.

We need to achieve our equality in ways that in no way justifies what our conservative adversaries do, but we can answer them with the truth while not injuring their common good. We need to answer their destructive anti-gay rhetoric and destroy heterosexism, not injure the people who promote it. As we seek to defeat heterosexism, we will be accused of trying to harm other people by those who defend heterosexuals as good, healthy and proper. However, we know that all we are doing is seeking equal rights under the law. If they claim that we are destroying the traditional understanding of marriage between a man and woman and therefore harming them in the process, although we are only seeking equal rights, then our peaceful human rights cause will be recognized by the right people at the right moment. We want to see the sin within their lack of charity destroyed, not they themselves as children of God. We must be careful that our struggle for LGBT rights and equality comes through peaceful debate and honestly educating them where they are obviously ignorant and wrong. No matter how appealing a few of them loosing a few limbs might seem to us, seeking their harm is not a good way to achieve what we want.

Jesus prays that we will all be faithful followers of him. Jesus is praying that we will see God's goodness in each other and act on God's goodness. Our conservative opponents obviously believe in God's love for them and others. We should all pray that our witness to the unconditional and all-inclusive love of God be a light in their darkness. Our prayers should be that our goodness and love for each other helps them see that we are so much more what their opinions are about our sexual orientations and/or gender identities/expressions. This task is difficult, it is one in which we will need to spend some time at the Cross as Jesus prays: "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." (Luke 23: 34). In no way does this mean we approve of what they are doing, it does mean we ask God for the grace to forgive them as we would hope God would forgive us.

Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing you have made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Collect for Ash Wednesday, BCP, 217).