John 21:15-19 (NRSV)
When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my lambs." A second time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Tend my sheep." He said to him the third time, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, "Do you love me?" And he said to him, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep. Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go." (He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, "Follow me."
The Commemoration of Sts. Peter and Paul is a reminder that the Church has an Apostolic foundation to our faith in Jesus Christ. God's message of unconditional love and call to salvation in and through God's perfect revelation was given first to these two individuals and from them to the ends of the earth.
What we know of these two prominent figures is that both came from very diverse backgrounds. Peter was the brother of Andrew and they were both fisherman when Jesus called them to follow him. Peter is one of the most visible of the Apostles throughout the Gospel narratives. It is Peter who confesses Jesus as the Son of the Living God and is told that he holds the keys as in Matthew 16: 13 to 20. Yet it is Peter who has to be told to get behind Jesus, because Satan is speaking through him when he tells Jesus not to go to Jerusalem to experience his crucifixion and resurrection in Matthew 16: 21-23. Earlier it was Peter who's faith was weak which was why he sank in Matthew 14: 22-33. Yet it was also Peter who told Jesus that he would follow him where ever he went, yet denied Jesus three times as Jesus was going through his trial. The Gospel for today is when Jesus is reinstating Peter by asking Peter three times if Peter loves Jesus. Jesus instructs Peter to feed Jesus' sheep.
Paul was originally Saul. Saul was the one who was persecuting the Christians. Saul was present at the stoning of Stephen who is the first Deacon in the early Church. Yet, Saul experienced a great conversion on his way to Damascus. We can read about his incredible story in Acts 9. Saul later became Paul who converted many gentile communities to the Christian Faith. As we know there are 10 letters of Paul in the Bible all written to each community in defense and explanation of the Christian Faith. Much of the Church's mission and doctrine both good and bad have come from the writings of Paul.
Peter is said to have been the Apostle to the Jewish people, yet, later wound up in Rome where he was crucified upside down. Paul was the Apostle to the Gentiles who later was imprisoned and was beheaded during the persecution of Nero.
The commemoration of St. Peter and St. Paul is a day of prayer for the continuing conversion of the Church. Whether we wish to pray for Pope Benedict XVI who is believed to be the successor or St. Peter or we wish to pray that the many errors taught about what Paul might have meant in places like Romans 1: 26-27, 1 Corinthians 6: 9, or 1 Timothy 1: 10 would be better understood as not condemning lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered people; the important thing is to pray that everyone in the Church would be open to God's Holy Spirit to experience conversion in heart, mind and action. The Church has all too long used the Bible and the teachings of St. Peter and St. Paul to justify vicious cruelty towards people of color, immigrants, LGBT people and women. Rather than look at how the Holy Spirit calls us time and again to be renewed in mind and heart so that we may be welcoming and affirming of everyone created and loved in God's holy image, redeemed by the blood of the Lamb and made a participant in God's Church, so many are looking for ways to exclude others from among God's many sheep.
All of the Scriptures for today's wonderful commemoration call for the Church and those who lead it to be shepherds leading and feeding the sheep. When the leaders of the Church behave like ravenous wolves looking to devour the gender identity and sexual orientation of LGBT and Questioning individuals, so many of God's sheep who are LGBT leave the Church have been fed with hate, discrimination and the poison of exclusion. Such attitudes are not only unhealthy for those who are LGBT and Questioning, but also for the Church. For when the Church cannot or does not hear God the Holy Spirit calling us to open our doors to all God's people the Church's green pastures become full of brown dead grass that cannot feed anyone.
When individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered and questioning are given an impression from Church leaders that there is no place for them and God in the Church or society because of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity, it really does not matter that God is one in three Persons in the Holy Trinity, or that we are saved through Baptism, or Christ is present in the Holy Eucharist. It also does not really matter whether the Pope is the Successor to St. Peter or the Bishops are the Successors to the Apostles, when LGBT and Q people are told that they cannot find God's love because they are LGBTQ or as such we exercise our physical love with our significant others. When LGBTQ people are told that there is no place for them to be members, or to exercise their gifts as ordained Bishops, Priests and Deacons, all the teachings in any Catechism really are meaningless. Because if we are going to say that the love of God lives in Three Persons such as the Father/Mother/Creator, Son/Redeemer/Servant, Holy Spirit/Sanctifier/Life-Giver, but some how God's unconditional love does not extend to people of diverse sexual orientations and/or gender identities/expressions then God is not even God. God is understood as the god of people's prejudices who justifies violence and cruelty according to a legalistic crusade of one group against another. That description of a god, is not the God and Father of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. To say that God can love and show God's powerful, loving mercy in all people except any one group of people, is to suggest that God is not all-powerful, or all-present. If we believe God is God, then God is the God of all who are Lesbian, Gay, Straight, Bisexual, Transgendered and Questioning. If Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the Redeemer and Servant of all of God's children, then Jesus really is for everyone's Savior. And if the Holy Spirit who is also our Sanctifier, and Life-Giver then she is that for all God's people, not just some who are so privileged to be Caucasian, straight, male and upper class.
I chose to share the photo that I uploaded for today's blog post from this past weekend's Pride Parade in the the Twin Cities of Minnesota because I wanted to make a statement on this Commemoration of St. Peter and St. Paul. God's Church is a place where everyone regardless of where they are on their faith journey is welcomed. Even if they are not sure of God's existence or what all this Christianity thing is. The good news of salvation and conversion in Jesus Christ that was preached by St. Peter and St. Paul was suppose to be one of those where even if there were people who weren't sure, they could come and find the all inclusive God of unconditional love. The Church was founded upon the message of the Apostles were imperfect people. The Church is still lead by imperfect people who still have a lot of learning, growing and transformation to experience. Many of us are way too comfortable in our pews, choir lofts and pulpits. We don't like the idea of people of different cultures, races, minority groups, sexual orientations, gender identity/expression, genders, challenges and the like to come in and make themselves at home. As the Church we still are allowing injustice to inform people's consciences, and the poor to go without some kind of attention. We still think God and other people must conform to our image, rather than we be transformed by God and others who come to share their Gospel life stories with us. The Church, it's leaders and members still need conversion and transformation.
How and where do we need conversion and transformation? What kind of conversion or transformation is the Holy Spirit calling us to today? How and where is the Holy Spirit calling us to look at where we need transformation rather than us deciding that for others? What is that something that the Church has always told us, that we might need to let go of so that we can be more welcoming and accepting of others who come to share the Gospel with us? How are we being fed and nourished as part of God's sheep in the Church?
Almighty God, you have built your Church upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone: Grant us so to be joined together in unity of spirit by their teaching, that we may be made a holy temple acceptable to you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Proper 8, Book of Common Prayer, Page 230).
Almighty God, whose blessed apostles Peter and Paul glorified you by their martyrdom: Grant that your Church, instructed by their teaching and example, and knit together in unity by your Spirit, may ever stand firm upon the one foundation, which is Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Collect for St. Peter and St. Paul, Book of Common Prayer, Page 241).
O God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, our only Savior, the Prince of Peace: Give us grace seriously to lay to heart the great dangers we are in by our unhappy divisions; take away all hatred and prejudice, and whatever else may hinder us from godly union and concord; that, as there is but one Body and one Spirit, one hope of our calling, one Lord, one Faith, one Baptism, one God and Father of us all, so we may be all of one heart and of one soul, united in one holy bond of truth and peace, of faith and charity, and may with one mind and one mouth glorify you; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Prayer for the Unity of the Church, Book of Common Prayer, Page 818).
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