On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name?' Then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers.' "Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell-and great was its fall!"
Here we are the day after Ascension Day with another nine days away from Pentecost. It is very interesting that this Gospel is the one chosen for today. There are those who suggest that Jesus left the Church so that we would get to work to convert all of the nations to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Isn't that what Jesus commanded in Matthew 28:16-20? Yes, Jesus did say that. However, Jesus did not say to go into every land and culture and destroy it so that every other nation, religion, and culture would be converted to a single understanding of the Christian religion, and become a world dominating power. The meaning of the Christian Gospel is a message of love, compassion and inclusion. The message of the Gospel is not one of religious, racial, sexual and cultural oppression that invites madness, violence, and discrimination of the worst kind.
In this Gospel, Jesus makes it very clear that not everyone who calls him: "Lord, Lord" and is a prophet in the Name of the Lord is bound for salvation. Actually, Jesus compares those who call Jesus, "Lord, Lord" but fails to build their lives on his message of compassion and inclusion are like someone who builds their house on sand. When the storms of life come, their home is blown away and destroyed because they did not build their home on the foundation that is Jesus Christ.
Fundamentalism with all of it's attention to Scripture as it's only means of defining what is or what is not of God, is a home that is not built on solid ground. It is a foundation that is built on misconceptions and poor scholarship so that it is unable to deliver God's message of inclusive love. The insistence that Sodom and Gomorrah was destroyed because of homosexuality, when in fact it was destroyed because of a lack of hospitality is an example of how Biblical literalism is a poorly constructed foundation of understanding God. The word abomination that is often used to justify the idea of killing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people, is about ritual purity and tribal survival, not about what is innately immoral. Romans 1: 26 is again talking more about acts of ritual prostitution and gang rape, not committed, loving, homosexual relationships. Later in the same chapter from verse 28 to 32 it reads that acts of murder, deceit, malice are also really terrible sins, yet we do not have mobs of Christians in an uproar to stop the murder of illegal immigrants, the pollution in the Gulf of Mexico or the thousands of people who are without medical insurance, food, clothing and the means of every day life. If Jesus Christ and his message of inclusive and compassionate love is so important, then why is there such a movement to build a weak foundation upon Biblical literalism that only collapses and becomes nothing but hatred, violence and prejudice?
Jesus Christ is God's perfect revelation, and his message of inclusive love is the solid rock foundation of the Church. God sees all of God's children as fearfully and wonderfully made. God came in Christ to heal the sick, raise the dead, bring into the company of God's Church those who were left on the sidelines of society and the Church. God's message through Jesus Christ is one in which those who are broken can and do find healing. Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people who have been told that there is no place for them in the Christian Church, now find that God has a place for them to serve as members, or even as Ministers/Priests/Deacons, and Bishops. In the Bible we see that women are not to be subordinate to men, but are equal to men and are also called to serve God and the Church in membership and/or ordained ministry. The Bible that has often been used to defend the denigration of African Americans, Native Americans, Asians, European, Slavic people, South American, Latino and many other cultures and nations, really is about preaching God's message of inclusive love to all people, everywhere. An inclusive Church is God's Church, Christ's Church built on the love of God and empowered by the Holy Spirit to baptize all nations, sexual orientations and/or gender identities/expressions, cultures, religions, challenges so that God's love may be known through out all the world. God's inclusive Church has room for all people to serve, minister and administrate.
As we read in 1 Corinthians 12, every person is empowered by the Holy Spirit with different gifts, but all are called to be part of God's Church so as to know and show God's inclusive love. It is not enough to call Jesus "Lord" we must be willing to demonstrate our Faith with an attitude of openness and opportunity for all, in whatever way we can . So long as Christians find ways of using the Gospel as a means to exclude people from membership and ministry with in the Church based on the inappropriate use of Biblical literalism, the work of the Holy Spirit in the Church will be stifled. When the Church makes the Gospel's invitation for all people and gives room, voice and opportunity for all to serve and be served in whatever capacity people come to the Church, then the work of the Gospel and the Holy Spirit is truly building the solid rock foundation that Jesus talks about in today's parable.
O God, you have prepared for those who love you such good things as surpass our understanding: Pour into our hearts such love towards you, that we, loving you in all things and above all things, may obtain your promises, which exceed all that we can desire; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Collect for the Sixth Sunday of Easter, Book of Common Prayer, Page 225)
No comments:
Post a Comment