The Gospel text for this weekend is one that is used and used and used again by evangelistic and fundamentalist preachers. Billy Graham used it at his crusades. Every television evangelist including the late Jerry Falwell, the present living James Dobson, D. James Kennedy and every preacher in between and beyond has used this Gospel.
The fact that it is used as much as it is, and to attempt to change lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning and queer people, means that there needs to be some revisiting to the text. To see what it is really saying. Not just to those few people who use it to abuse people. But to see what Jesus is really inviting Nicodemus and all of us to consider.
Scriptural Basis
John 3:1-17
Blog Reflection
Last night I came across a blog post in the most strangest of places. The news blog World News Daily is known for their anti-gay, anti-liberal attacks on any group that does not agree with them. So it was quite a shock to open up the following blog story that was referred to on World News Daily, but began in Beliefnet.comBeliefnet.org.
As amazing as this story is, the comments that follow the blog are intriguing to say the least.. Two comments giving a positive view to what is written in this article. Two additional comments suggesting that the individual who has moved from an anti-gay marriage opinion to a more accepting of gay marriage view is somehow "sick" and even "deranged."
The Gospel story of the conversation between Nicodemus and Jesus narrates for us a life changing event for Nicodemus. The "being born from above" that Jesus mentions, is made clearer in his statement about "being born of water and the Spirit." Jesus is clearly talking about Baptism here. The Sacrament of initiation into the company of the Christian Faith. It is in that Sacrament that we share in the death and resurrection of Jesus as is referenced to in Romans 6: 1-4.
For Episcopalians, the Sacrament of Baptism is preceded by a covenant of vows through which we are asked to "continue in the apostle's teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and in the prayers." To "persevere in resisting evil and whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord." To "proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ." To "seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself." And, to "strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being." To each of these questions we respond: "We (I) will, with God's help." (See the Book of Common Prayer, pages 293, 294).
Our Baptism is a once in a lifetime event, but one thing we can see from recommitting ourselves to the Baptismal Covenant every time we have a Baptism, especially at the Great Vigil of Easter, I think it is correct to say that we are to be reborn from above all throughout our lives. We may not go back into the waters of Baptism again and again, but we can return to, and recommit ourselves to the vows of our Baptismal Covenant as often as necessary.
Whenever we experience a conversion in our lives and understand something we did not before, there is a kind of being born again experience that comes with it. I believe that we are born again in Baptism. I believe we are also born again, again, and again and any time God reveals something to us that changes our lives.
I believe that coming out as a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning or queer person is a born again process. Any time we move from a place where we keep our true selves locked up to a place of self acceptance and finally allowing ourselves to love as we were created to love others, we have a born again experience.
I believe that moving from an anti-LGBTQ perspective as a Christian to an accepting individual of LGBTQ people is also a process of being born again. When individuals move from an attitude of prejudice to a sense of accepting and loving individuals who are different than ourselves, we have experienced a grace-filled born again moment. The Holy Spirit has been busy at work.
As whole church bodies such as the Episcopal Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and others have moved from anti-LGBT to pro-LGBT, those church bodies have had born again experiences.
Born again experiences can be individual or communal events.
I also believe that as LGBTQ people we need to be open to God's Spirit as she leads us to reform our lives. Our coming out as LGBTQ people is a new beginning and one that can have dire consequences at one point or another. At some point though, the Holy Spirit wants to call us to grow as LGBTQ people in ways that will challenge and inspire us and others. To realize that all of gay life is not found in the bars, parties or even the Pride parades as glorious as they are. A true LGBTQ life that finds meaning and hope, is one that seeks to share the gift of love that we find in and for ourselves, with someone so uniquely amazing that we want to spend the rest of our lives with that person. A Christian way to live the LGBT life, is to live it, loving other people in the way that God has created and redeemed us to love. We can be thankful for the gift of our sexual orientation and/or gender identity/expression, by loving others who are often thought to be unlovable. We can grow past our own prejudices and sometimes painful memories and ask God for the grace to forgive and move on.
Are we born again, and again, and again? Enough already? I hope not. Because there is so much good that God wants to do in and through us if only we will remember that God so loved the world (including LGBTQ people) that God sent God's Son in to the world. So that everyone who believes in God's Son may not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send God's Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through God's Son might be saved.
I hope we have never had enough of being born again, so that we may be transformed again and again by those famous words. Amen.
Prayers
The fact that it is used as much as it is, and to attempt to change lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning and queer people, means that there needs to be some revisiting to the text. To see what it is really saying. Not just to those few people who use it to abuse people. But to see what Jesus is really inviting Nicodemus and all of us to consider.
Scriptural Basis
John 3:1-17
There was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. He came to Jesus by night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God." Jesus answered him, "Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above." Nicodemus said to him, "How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother's womb and be born?" Jesus answered, "Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be astonished that I said to you, 'You must be born from above.' The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit." Nicodemus said to him, "How can these things be?" Jesus answered him, "Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?
"Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.
"Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him."
Blog Reflection
Last night I came across a blog post in the most strangest of places. The news blog World News Daily is known for their anti-gay, anti-liberal attacks on any group that does not agree with them. So it was quite a shock to open up the following blog story that was referred to on World News Daily, but began in Beliefnet.comBeliefnet.org.
"How I Went From Here to There: Same Sex Marriage Blogalogue."
Rod as I mentioned to you in an email, I thought it might be interesting to start our same sex marriage blogalogue by telling a bit of our stories -- about how we came to our respective positions on the issue. So, here's my story. I'm looking forward to meeting you at lunch tomorrow.
I have a couple of vivid memories of the family room -- we called it the "TV room" -- in the house in which we lived until I was nine. The first was asking my mom about streaking, right during the streaking boom of 1974 -- that would have made me six-years-old. I think I'd heard the song, "The Streak." Having been a student at UC-Berkeley in the mid-60s, my mom was quite familiar with nudity on campus (ahem, witnessing it, not participating in it; her senior year roommate was a nudist).
The second is a similar memory. I don't know what I was watching with my younger brother, Andrew, but the word "gay" was used. I remember walking into the kitchen, my brother trailing me, and asking my mom what "gay" meant.
It must have been one of those moments when a parent instinctively knows that it's time for a sit-down chat, and that's exactly what she did. I don't remember exactly how she explained same-sex love to us, but I do vividly remember one thing she said. "Tony and Andrew," she said, looking at us intently, "I want you to know that your father and I will still love you no matter whom you love. And you can always bring home, to our house, anyone you love."
I suppose what struck my seven-or-eight-year-old self was that her statement implied that there were families in which being gay was not acceptable, in which family members were not necessarily allowed to bring home the person they loved, particularly if the lovers were of the same gender.
From there, I didn't think much about homosexuality for many years. I didn't know any gay kids in junior high or high school -- well, at least I didn't know any who admitted they were gay -- the Edina, Minnesota of my youth wasn't the most diverse community.
Of course, I did have gay friends, and I didn't know it. My best friend in 9th grade, for instance, was constantly being called "fag" by others in the junior high. I didn't think much of it, since Steve seemed not much different than I. We spent most of our time together at church, and we were both considered leaders in the youth group.
I lost touch with Steve during high school. Years later, our junior high pastor, Paul, told me that Steve had recently died of AIDS. Paul reached out to Steve's family to offer condolences and offer to perform the memorial service, but Steve's dad responded to Paul with vehement anger. He told Paul that he blamed Steve's death on the church and that he would never step foot in a church again."
As amazing as this story is, the comments that follow the blog are intriguing to say the least.. Two comments giving a positive view to what is written in this article. Two additional comments suggesting that the individual who has moved from an anti-gay marriage opinion to a more accepting of gay marriage view is somehow "sick" and even "deranged."
The Gospel story of the conversation between Nicodemus and Jesus narrates for us a life changing event for Nicodemus. The "being born from above" that Jesus mentions, is made clearer in his statement about "being born of water and the Spirit." Jesus is clearly talking about Baptism here. The Sacrament of initiation into the company of the Christian Faith. It is in that Sacrament that we share in the death and resurrection of Jesus as is referenced to in Romans 6: 1-4.
For Episcopalians, the Sacrament of Baptism is preceded by a covenant of vows through which we are asked to "continue in the apostle's teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and in the prayers." To "persevere in resisting evil and whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord." To "proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ." To "seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself." And, to "strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being." To each of these questions we respond: "We (I) will, with God's help." (See the Book of Common Prayer, pages 293, 294).
Our Baptism is a once in a lifetime event, but one thing we can see from recommitting ourselves to the Baptismal Covenant every time we have a Baptism, especially at the Great Vigil of Easter, I think it is correct to say that we are to be reborn from above all throughout our lives. We may not go back into the waters of Baptism again and again, but we can return to, and recommit ourselves to the vows of our Baptismal Covenant as often as necessary.
Whenever we experience a conversion in our lives and understand something we did not before, there is a kind of being born again experience that comes with it. I believe that we are born again in Baptism. I believe we are also born again, again, and again and any time God reveals something to us that changes our lives.
I believe that coming out as a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning or queer person is a born again process. Any time we move from a place where we keep our true selves locked up to a place of self acceptance and finally allowing ourselves to love as we were created to love others, we have a born again experience.
I believe that moving from an anti-LGBTQ perspective as a Christian to an accepting individual of LGBTQ people is also a process of being born again. When individuals move from an attitude of prejudice to a sense of accepting and loving individuals who are different than ourselves, we have experienced a grace-filled born again moment. The Holy Spirit has been busy at work.
As whole church bodies such as the Episcopal Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and others have moved from anti-LGBT to pro-LGBT, those church bodies have had born again experiences.
Born again experiences can be individual or communal events.
I also believe that as LGBTQ people we need to be open to God's Spirit as she leads us to reform our lives. Our coming out as LGBTQ people is a new beginning and one that can have dire consequences at one point or another. At some point though, the Holy Spirit wants to call us to grow as LGBTQ people in ways that will challenge and inspire us and others. To realize that all of gay life is not found in the bars, parties or even the Pride parades as glorious as they are. A true LGBTQ life that finds meaning and hope, is one that seeks to share the gift of love that we find in and for ourselves, with someone so uniquely amazing that we want to spend the rest of our lives with that person. A Christian way to live the LGBT life, is to live it, loving other people in the way that God has created and redeemed us to love. We can be thankful for the gift of our sexual orientation and/or gender identity/expression, by loving others who are often thought to be unlovable. We can grow past our own prejudices and sometimes painful memories and ask God for the grace to forgive and move on.
Are we born again, and again, and again? Enough already? I hope not. Because there is so much good that God wants to do in and through us if only we will remember that God so loved the world (including LGBTQ people) that God sent God's Son in to the world. So that everyone who believes in God's Son may not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send God's Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through God's Son might be saved.
I hope we have never had enough of being born again, so that we may be transformed again and again by those famous words. Amen.
Prayers
O God, whose glory it is always to have mercy: Be gracious to all who have gone astray from your ways, and bring them again with penitent hearts and steadfast faith to embrace and hold fast the unchangeable truth of your Word, Jesus Christ your Son; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Collect for the Second Sunday of Lent, Book of Common Prayer, page 218).
Just as I am, without one plea,
But that thy blood was shed for me,
And that thou bidd'st me to come to thee,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, though tossed about,
With many a conflict, many a doubt;
Fightings and fears with in, with out,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, thy love unknown
has broken every barrier down;
now to be thine, yeah, thine alone,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
(Hymnal 1982, #693).
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