St. Andrew the Apostle: Being Open to Living Openly as LGBT Christians

Today's Scripture Readings

The Gospel for the Eucharistic Liturgy

Matthew 4:18-22 (NRSV)

As Jesus walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea-- for they were fishermen. And he said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fish for people." Immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him.

The Gospel for the Daily Office

John 1:35-42 (NRSV)

The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, 'Look, here is the Lamb of God!' The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, 'What are you looking for?' They said to him, 'Rabbi' (which translated means Teacher), 'where are you staying?' He said to them, 'Come and see.' They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o'clock in the afternoon. One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He first found his brother Simon and said to him, 'We have found the Messiah' (which is translated Anointed ). He brought Simon to Jesus, who looked at him and said, 'You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas' (which is translated Peter ).

Blog Reflection

Forward Day by Day has a great meditation on St. Andrew.

Matthew and Mark seem to say that when Jesus saw Andrew and his brother Peter fishing and called them to follow him, they instantly dropped everything and did so, no questions asked. John’s Gospel (1:35-42) suggests there was more to the story than that. It appears that Andrew was first a follower of John the Baptist who heard John say of Jesus, “Behold! The Lamb of God!” Andrew didn’t follow Jesus just then, but asked if he might visit with Jesus and get to know him. Jesus agreed, and only after that did Andrew go to his brother Peter and say, “We have found the Messiah.” Peter then joined Andrew and the two became disciples of Jesus.

That Andrew was with John the Baptist suggests he had already been searching for something. People don’t usually listen to evangelists unless something is missing in their lives. That’s one of the first steps toward discipleship­—acknowledging an empty place, perhaps a painfully empty place, in your soul and being willing to take some risks to fill it. Andrew also shows an openness of mind, for though already familiar with John the Baptist and drawn to him, he was willing to leave John for something and someone new and unknown.

 As I think about St. Andrew dropping his nets and following Jesus from Matthew's Gospel, I also think about what it is like for a questioning young woman or man to leave all they have been taught about what it means to be lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender to discover the truth about themselves.   Even if the person coming to a realization about her or his sexual orientation and/or gender identity/expression is not a teenager can feel like they are revisiting their puberty years.  Accepting yourself after years and days of resisting and rejecting who you really are, can feel like you have left your old life and embraced something new.

Whether we take our Gospel reading for the Feast of St. Andrew from Matthew or John, it is very apparent that after Andrew heard Jesus or was pointed out to Jesus by John the Baptist, that Andrew knew that there was something very new and wonderful before his eyes.  Andrew was in deed searching for something new. 

LGBTQ people stuck in closets of self rejection and suffocation are often longing to be open to God and those they love about who they really are.  Many who attend Christian churches with their families have heard that God loves all people and wants them to know the forgiveness of their sins and the conversion of their life.  But, no matter how much they pray and try, that feeling of being sexually attracted to someone of the same sex just does not go away.   They may hear the Scriptures interpreted as condemning homosexuality.  But their own human experience which for Episcopalians and Anglicans includes that great gift of Reason, tells them that there is something very natural about their sexual orientation and/or gender identity/expression.

Maybe St. Andrew did give up his work as a fisherman and follow Jesus.   And it is clear that Andrew also found others to welcome into the company of the disciples who chose to follow Jesus.  But he still had his abilities as a fisherman that helped him know how to serve God and others in a way that only Andrew the fisherman could do.  

An LGBTQ person can only love and serve God and others as the women and men that we are.  We cannot serve God as straight people.  We have not been created that way.  

For the LGBTQ person the greatest moment of radical conversion comes when they stop thinking that God hates us for our sexual orientation and/or gender identity/expression and decide to drop all the anti-LGBT rhetoric and just follow Jesus Christ as the women and men that we are.  We "leave the nets" of self destructive behavior and start living our lives openly with our friends, families, church communities and so forth and experience the Holy Spirit guiding us in the way of truth about who we are, who and how we love other people.

Being a disciple, an Apostle of Jesus Christ means being open to being shown new things by God the Holy Spirit.  It means accepting where we are at and giving our all to the service of God and all humankind for the glory of sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  LGBTQ people can and do the work of evangelization and mission by simply surrendering ourselves to the Holy Spirit instead of stifling her from using us as we are, to influence others for the common good of all people.

A disciple and Apostle of Jesus Christ takes the example of how Jesus lived his life and seeks to do the work of helping to end the suffering of the poor, the sick and the marginalized in society and the Church.  Just as Jesus healed the paralysis of the physically challenged man (see Mark 2: 1-12) and fed the four and five thousand, Jesus called Andrew then and us today to be part of building a Church and a society of radical hospitality and reconciliation.  A welcome and healing that goes beyond our gender, age, ethnic background, race, language, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, employment status, wealth status, immigration status and sees Jesus Christ present in all people, asking us to serve Jesus as he comes to us.

How are we helping others find their way to Jesus?   How are we allowing God to change our lives as we are?   How are we allowing the Holy Spirit to challenge us in those places where we still harbor our prejudices and resentments towards others who are different from ourselves?   How can St. Andrew influence us to be better disciples and Apostles for Jesus Christ?

St. Andrew and all Saints, inspire us with your good works.   Amen.

Prayers

Almighty God, who gave such grace to your apostle Andrew that he readily obeyed the call of your Son Jesus Christ, and brought his brother with him: Give us, who are called by your holy Word, grace to follow him without delay, and to bring those near to us into his gracious presence; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Collect for St. Andrew, Book of Common Prayer, page 237).

Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.  (First Sunday of Advent, Book of Common Prayer, page 211).

Lord Jesus Christ, you stretched out your arms of love on the hard wood of the cross that everyone might come within the reach of your saving embrace: So clothe us in your Spirit that we, reaching forth our hands in love, may bring those who do not know you to the knowledge and love of you; for the honor of your Name. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer, page 101).

Seeing Faith in LGBT People While Christianists Create Dens of Thieves

Today's Scripture Reading


Matthew 21: 12-22 (NRSV)

Then Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who were selling and buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold doves. He said to them, ‘It is written,

“My house shall be called a house of prayer”;
   but you are making it a den of robbers.’

The blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he cured them. But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the amazing things that he did, and heard the children crying out in the temple, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David’, they became angry and said to him, ‘Do you hear what these are saying?’ Jesus said to them, ‘Yes; have you never read,

“Out of the mouths of infants and nursing babies
   you have prepared praise for yourself”?’

He left them, went out of the city to Bethany, and spent the night there.

In the morning, when he returned to the city, he was hungry. And seeing a fig tree by the side of the road, he went to it and found nothing at all on it but leaves. Then he said to it, ‘May no fruit ever come from you again!’ And the fig tree withered at once. When the disciples saw it, they were amazed, saying, ‘How did the fig tree wither at once?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only will you do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, “Be lifted up and thrown into the sea”, it will be done. Whatever you ask for in prayer with faith, you will receive.’ 

Blog Reflection

One day while I was looking up blogs to find ideas to help me write my own blog, I came across one with a photograph that struck me.

The photograph to my left was found on Heaven and Earth along with the title: "Guess Who's Coming to Wall Street".  The blog author Fr. Paul Bresnahan writes exceptional blog posts about the Church being a house of prayer for all people.  He has written passionate posts about why the Church needs to include LGBT people in our houses of worship.

The sign that this individual dressed as Jesus is holding reads: "I Threw Out the Money Lenders for A Reason."  The sign makes a reference to the Gospel used in today's Daily Office.  The figure and words are there as part of the Occupy Wall Street movement.

One explanation of this Gospel is that Jesus chased out the money lenders because he was angry that money had become more important than worshiping God in the temple. Jesus was making a statement that God's House was a place of prayer, not a place where thieves get away with stealing. 

The Occupy protestors are calling on those who make quarterly profits higher than 3 family units make in a year, to allow those families who don't make quite that much money to have a shot at a better life for themselves and those they love.

What Jesus is saying in the first part of this Gospel is let the House of God be a place of prayer where all people can come and worship.  Let everyone who wants to come pray, sing and rejoice in the presence of God without taking the dignity  away from the people who come there.  When people from all walks of life come to pray in God's Holy Place, they come with burdens all ready too heavy to carry alone.  The Church is challenged in this 21st Century to allow individual people to come to God as they are, with their own unique ways of thinking, believing and even behaving without high expectations.

Included in today's Gospel is the story of Jesus interacting with children and praying with faith so that we may receive what God wants for us.   In each situation, we see and hear Jesus telling us to let children come and offer their praise to God, and pray to God with the willingness to accept God's will so that good things can happen.

It is a very difficult experience for a young woman or man to grow up in a world and be taught in local church communities about God and their faith, and then discover in their youth years that she is a lesbian and/or he is gay.  When a woman or man knows that she is attracted to both women and men, or a man is attracted to both proves to be bisexual, their greatest fear is their attraction to a person of the same sex.  As youth wonder what is going on in their minds and bodies as they react very differently compared to their peers, they risk harassment the possibility of violence that is so self destructive.  And if that is not enough, to hear sermons about how God condemns all homosexual acts, while many pastors ignore their own crimes of misappropriation of Parish funds, etc, is so confusing to an LGBT youth who just wants to better understand who they are, and who they love.  Many are told to pray with faith so that God may change them from gay to straight, or go to an ex-gay group.  Parents of LGBTQ youth are told to attend PFOX or Encourage (The Catholic churches' companion ex-gay group for parents of LGBTQ people) to change.

LGBTQ youth can give praise to God, because God gives all children a heart to sing and rejoice in God's gifts.   The Church can play a vital active role in helping all children learn to accept and embrace different kinds of people.  When the Church embraces all children including LGBTQ youth, the lessons of inclusion can help them through life's toughest challenges.

What LGBTQ people often grow up to understand that their prayers for God to change them are answered.  Their faith has not mislead them.  The theology of their Parish Priests have been misleading them.

In today's Forward Day by Day there is a great meditation on the ending for today's Gospel.

Here’s a promise from the mouth of Jesus that has perplexed people. I’m probably not the only one who, having heard these words as a youngster, thought to myself: If I just pray and believe hard enough, I’ll get whatever I ask for. Some adults may have thought the same way. To do so is to ask to be disappointed or disillusioned. Just what did Jesus mean when he said those words?

The key word is faith. Faith isn’t just believing something (or, as Mark Twain said, “believing what you know ain’t so”). It’s not about what you believe, but a relationship based on trust and surrender. Sometimes people of faith believe things that are mistaken, including things about God and the ways of God. But their prayers are acts of trust and surrender to a God whom they may understand only slightly. A faithful prayer is one that accords with God’s will and aligns the will of the pray-er to the will of God. When such a prayer includes a request (and it is appropriate to ask God for things), it is a request that God bring his purposes to fruition and that nothing in us will stand in the way.

The reason God does not change LGBTQ people is because God has created, redeemed and continues to sanctify us for God's purposes.  God performs God's work of salvation in and through LGBTQ people to love ourselves and others around us as God joyfully and wonderfully made us to do.  (See Psalm 139: 14).

Even though Christianist organizations such as NOM, FRC, AFA and others continue to turn churches and our government into a den of thieves through billions of dollars in lobbying money and breaks the commandment to not "bear false witness against thy neighbor", God continues to bless this world with loving and holy LGBT people, relationships and families. 

Among the many challenges for the Church in 2011 is to understand that God works with and through people regardless of whether we like how they live, worship, love and think.  The Christian Faith through it's various expressions is not a religion of one group has it totally right, while others are completely off center.  The Christian Faith also "does not hold a monopoly on truth" for those who do not share what Christians believe.  All of the preaching and targeting of other people and religions that do not participate in ultra-conservative Christianist ways, do not help the Christian religion maintain our greatness.  If anything, it is taking the name of Jesus Christ in vein to mean something Jesus never conveyed in his words and/or actions. 

Prayers

Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (First Sunday of Advent, Book of Common Prayer, page 211).

O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us through Jesus your Son: Look with compassion on the whole human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us; unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth; that, in your good time, all nations and races may serve you in harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Prayer for the Human Family, Book of Common Prayer, page 815). 

King Kamehameha and Queen Emma of Hawaii: A Radical Change We Need Today

Today's Scripture Reading

Matthew 25:31-40 (NRSV)

Jesus said, "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. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then 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; for 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, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.' Then 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? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?' And 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.' "

Blog Reflection

Now where have we heard this Gospel most recently?  Oh!  I remember.  This was the Gospel reading for the Last Sunday of Pentecost also called Christ the King.  


Now we read it again on the commemoration of a King and Queen who put these words of Jesus into action.  King Kamehameha & Queen Emma of Hawaii spent the capital of their rule by serving those who were most poor and marginalized.  

Within a year of ascending the throne in 1855, the twenty-year-old King Kamehameha IV and his bride, Emma Rooke, embarked on the path of altruism and unassuming humility for which they have been revered by their people.  The year before, Honolulu, and especially its native Hawaiians, had been horribly afflicted by smallpox.  The people, accustomed to a royalty which ruled with pomp and power, were confronted instead by a king and queen who went about, "with notebook in hand," soliciting from rich and poor the funds to build a hospital.  Queen's Hospital, named for Emma, is no the largest civilian hospital in Hawaii. (Holy Women, Holy Men, Celebrating the Saints, page 706).

As I read this biography of their rule, it touched me to read what the King and Queen did in a time of great sickness and poverty.  

However, I could not resist the urge to compare and contrast that period of history to our own present time. The Occupy movements all over the world are calling for a greater economic and social equality for all people.  While much of the media, both conservative and more liberal politicians and the Wall Street execs continue to ignore the situation that has brought us to this point, there is a need for all of them to walk out into the street and "take notes" to see how and where they can best serve the 99%.   The Occupy movements are calling out from the pain and destitution of those who have lost their jobs, homes, education funding and more because of the economic inequality that the 99% are living with.  The protestors are calling all of us as well as the 1% to stop ignoring what has been really happening and begin to address the need for systematic change so as to bring hope where there is such desperation.  

As I look at the reading for today's feast and read about King Kamehameha and Queen Emma and how they took so seriously the need to serve the sick and the needy, it is a reminder that "`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.' "


We tend to forget even in this 21st Century that when one part of our society is hurting, everyone in society is hurting right along with them.  When the middle class and low income people cannot rise above just getting food stamps and general assistance, with a prayer that they will be able to pay their mortgage or rent, all of society is being held down by the sickness of poverty and injustice.  Jesus is there among those who suffer and hope for relief, calling on all of us to be involved in working together with other religious and social networks for fundamental change that will give people hope that they can plan a future with prosperity as a reality.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning and queer people are among those in our society who are literally aching and hoping for a brighter tomorrow.   A future without religious, political and social oppression keeping LGBTQ people from discrimination in employment, marriage equality, protection against hate crimes and the opportunity to serve in the Church and society without being unfairly stereotyped and scapegoated.


David Usher of the newly formed Center for Marriage Policy recently made the claim that "Gay marriage is unconstitutional Because it Gives Women and Unfair Advantage."  When an unjust and ignorant comment like that is made, the individual is not only talking about opposing marriage equality and showing sexism towards women.  This individual is talking about Jesus in the LGBT person and the woman who is insulted.   Rather than use the great gift of knowing God that David has been given to bring healing and reconciliation to people already sorely afflicted, David and other Christianists like him seek to bring shame and pain upon LGBTQ people.

The same degradation is played out when Muslims and Jews are targeted by laws that dehumanize them.

When Christians do not take the example of Jesus and the King and Queen of Hawaii to do good, the Name of God becomes profaned.


Psalm 146: 8 reads:  "The Lord sets the prisoners free;  the Lord opens the eyes of the blind; the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down." 

May we all pray for ourselves and each other.  That we will have our own eyes opened to the needs of Jesus in those who are different from ourselves.  Let our prayer be for those who hold positions of authority in both civil government and religious leadership to come out of their need for domination and power, to serve the needs of those who wait for hope that can only come from God as we serve Jesus in others who wait for us to love them.




Prayers

O Sovereign God, who raised up (King) Kamehameha (IV) and (Queen) Emma to be rulers in Hawaii, and inspired and enabled them to be diligent in good works for the welfare of their people and the good of your Church: Receive our thanks for their witness to the Gospel; and grant that we, with them, may attain to the crown of glory that never fades away; through Jesus Christ our Savior and Redeemer, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.  (Holy Men, Holy Women, Celebrating the Saints, page 707).

Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (First Sunday of Advent, Book of Common Prayer, page 211).

Almighty and most merciful God, we remember before you all poor and neglected persons whom it would be easy for us to forget: the homeless and the destitute, the old and the sick, and all who have none to care for them. Help us to heal those who are broken in body or spirit, and to turn their sorrow into joy. Grant this, Father, for the love of your Son, who for our sake became poor, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.  (Prayer for the Poor and Neglected, Book of Common Prayer, page 826).

Look with pity, O heavenly Father, upon the people in this land who live with injustice, terror, disease, and death as their constant companions. Have mercy upon us. Help us to eliminate our cruelty to these our neighbors. Strengthen those who spend their lives establishing equal protection of the law and equal opportunities for all. And grant that every one of us may enjoy a fair portion of the riches of this land; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Prayer for the Oppressed, Book of Common Prayer, page 826). 

First Sunday of Advent: Keep Alert: God is Seeking Us in the Work of Equality for All

Today's Scripture Readings

Mark 13:24-37 (NRSV)

Jesus said to his disciples, "In those days, after that suffering,

the sun will be darkened,

and the moon will not give its light,

and the stars will be falling from heaven,

and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.

Then they will see `the Son of Man coming in clouds' with great power and glory. Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.

"From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away."

But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. Therefore, keep awake-- for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake."

Blog Reflection

This past Thanksgiving Day I read a terrific reflection on Mark 6:6.  It is the story of Jesus preaching in the synagogue in his own home town of Nazareth.  Upon hearing Jesus' words the people standing around remark: "Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James and Joses?"  In the reflection I read this past Thursday was the following:

"Exploring God's wisdom in whatever sort of clothing it comes to you requires faith and humility.  Pray for both of these virtues."  (Bible Day by Day, Catholic Publishing Company, page 173).

As we begin the new Liturgical Year with this First Sunday of Advent, we are told by Jesus to beware and keep alert.   What is it we are keeping alert for? 

The Rev. Dr. Joseph S. Pagano suggests that Jesus is telling us to be watching for God, because God is the only real something or someone that can truly give us fulfillment.

We are all searching for something or someone. Not just the small things, like our house keys or a parking space, but also bigger things, deeper things, people, places, and relationships that we hope will fulfill us, bring us joy, grant us peace. Many people are searching for a job, but also more than a job, for the sense of purpose and value and security the hoped-for job will bring. Many people are searching for wisdom, but also more than just an education, for the sense of truth and goodness and direction that we hope real wisdom will bring. Many people are searching for relationships, but also more than Mr. or Mrs. Right, for the sense of fulfillment and flourishing we hope loving and being loved will bring. We are all searching for something or someone.

But experience teaches us that that something or someone is elusive. We photograph the perfect sunset, but when we look at the pictures later, it looks rather ordinary. The excitement of a new career settles into the humdrum of a job. The first flush of a new relationship turns into coordinating schedules and dates. Even when we find what we think we are looking for, we may find the experience quite exquisite but also leaving us unsatisfied.

That is why spiritual writers tell us that what we are all searching for, whether we realize it or not, is God. The longed-for thing or person who will ultimately fulfill us, bring us joy, and grant us peace is God. Everything else, even the exquisitely true and good and beautiful things of this life, will leave us unsatisfied at some level. Life is transient, and we continue our search for true fulfillment and flourishing and love.

The New American Bible uses the words: "Be watchful. Be alert" in place of "Beware keep alert."


Living Liturgy: Spirituality, Celebration and Catechesis for 2012 provides the following reflection.

Jesus' admonition "Be watchful! Be alert!" was spoken to hearers holding heightened expectation that the Messiah was about to come to restore Israel to its former power, wealth and glory.  However, in this case, rather than opening them to new possibilities, the expectation Jesus' hearers narrowed their vision.  Their limited expectations prevented them from recognizing Jesus as the Messiah already among them.  Jesus was just not the one they were expecting.  After all, none of us looks to a carpenter if we are expecting a Messiah.  Or do we?


If we expect Christ's presence, we will find it because God is always present to us. "God is faithful" (second reading: 1 Corinthians 1: 3 -9).  From the beginning of time God has wrought "awesome deeds we could not hope for" (First Reading: Isaiah 64: 1-9, in this reflection, Isaiah 63: 16b-17, 19b are included).  God has "enriched [us] in every way" and assured us that we "are not lacking in any spiritual gift" (second reading).  One challenge of being watchful and alert is that we open our eyes to the simple, everyday ways God is present to us with gifts we cannot even imagine.  An attitude of watchfulness and alertness increases our expectation so that we are far more able to recognize God's presence in the goodness people and events reveal. (Living Liturgy is published by Liturgical Press, this quote is found on page 2).

Our Advent season is a time to be on the lookout for God.  Advent is about remembering that Christ who came once in history, and comes to use spiritually and in the Sacraments, will also come in glory. 


The Rev. Dr. Pegano again gives us some valuable insight.

The story of Advent is not a story of a God waiting to see if we human beings will finally figure it out and find God. The story of Advent is that God comes to us, and better yet, that God has already found us. We may feel like we are always looking for something or someone, but the Good News of Advent is that God has already come to us, is coming to us, and will keep coming to us.

Our problem even in this 21st Century is that Christians continue to look for God is to be ready to receive God as God actually is.

As we are seeing in the Occupy movement, God is not all in all among those who are considered as part of the 1%.  Wealth, political power and prestige are not a sign of superiority when it comes to finding God.  God seeks us out so that we will seek God in those people and places where humankind least expects to encounter God.

God is among the poor and the economically oppressed.

God is present and weeping as the students at UC Davis were being pepper sprayed.

Somehow God is speaking to all of us through the stories of individuals who are deliberately violated such as the 19 year old woman in Seattle who while pregnant, was beaten in the stomach and pepper sprayed to the point that she miscarried.  Yet, while God is there, the so called "pro-life" movement remains silent.  

An Evangelical Mom who held the belief that one could not be gay and Christian at the same time, suddenly changed her heart and mind because she became close friends of a lesbian fellow hiker.  The lesbian friend told her stories to the Bible believing mother.  This incredible woman named Kathy Baldock is now a witness to the Gospel of how the Holy Spirit can change our hearts to be a faithful apostle in the work of healing the wounds between Christians and LGBT people.  

God is searching for us in the work of equality for all of God's people.  This Advent is an opportunity for all of us to be open to encountering the living God who revealed God's Self in Jesus Christ on that first Christmas morning.   We can meet God not only on Christmas Day, but every day and every moment. 

Fr. Albert Holtz, OSB wrote in his book From Holidays to Holy Days; A Benedictine Walk through Advent:

For a Christian, life is made up of unique moments, each one a kairos (time or season), an opportunity that will never come again.  Every task we start, every decision we make, whether trivial or great, is a special time, a chance to build up the kingdom.  Every encounter with another person is a unique kairos, a season for loving. 9Pages 5 & 6).

The questions that might want to ask ourselves includes, are we prepared to accept Christ coming to us as he actually is, or do we have expectations as to who and how Christ will be when he appears to us?  

When Jesus comes to us in that someone who is different than how we think a person or people should be, do we welcome Jesus or are we just a little bit suspicious by how Christ present in someone who dresses, behaves, reasons and loves in a unique way? 

Are we prepared to do something for Jesus who seeks us out to feed him and welcome him in the stranger, the homosexual, the lesbian, bisexual and transgender without expecting Jesus to be any different or to become something or someone that Jesus is not?

Advent is a great time to explore these and other questions as God searches for us, while we are aware and watching for God to reveal God's Self to us.


Prayers

Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Collect for the First Sunday of Advent, Book of Common Prayer, page 211).


Gracious Father, we pray for your holy Catholic Church. Fill it with all truth, in all truth with all peace. Where it is corrupt, purify it; where it is in error, direct it; where in any thing it is amiss, reform it. Where it is right, strengthen it; where it is in want, provide for it; where it is divided, reunite it; for the sake of Jesus Christ your Son our Savior. Amen. (Prayer for the Church, Book of Common Prayer, page 816)

Almighty God, who created us in your own image: Grant us grace fearlessly to contend against evil and to make no peace with oppression; and, that we may reverently use our freedom, help us to employ it in the maintenance of justice in our communities and among the nations, to the glory of your holy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Prayer for Social Justice, Book of Common Prayer, page 260).

Thanksgiving Day: Stop and Give Thanks

Scriptural Basis

Luke 17:11-19 (NRSV)

On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, they called out, saying, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" When he saw them, he said to them, "Go and show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were made clean. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. He prostrated himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus asked, "Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" Then he said to him, "Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well."

Blog Reflection

I am thankful today for many of the advancements of our modern day.  It is because of the technological achievements in the last 20 years that I can write this blog.  The advances in the understanding of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities/expressions have brought us to seven States in the US that have legalized marriage equality.   Don't Ask, Don't Tell has been repealed this year. 

If there is one place where I remain rather traditional is in the area of worship and the seasons.   I do not like the stores putting up Christmas items for sale as early as mid-October.   The local lite rock station begins playing Christmas music 24/7 the third week of November.   The Hallmark Channel has already been showing Christmas films.  At 10:00pm tonight Wal-mart will begin their Black Friday sales. The commercials have been pushing the best gift ideas etc. 

My issue with all of that is that it does not allow us the space and season to prepare and celebrate Thanksgiving.  And the beautiful Season of Advent gets butchered by all of the rush of Christmas retail sales.

The Gospel for Thanksgiving Day is a great reminder to us about God's goodness.   The readings for Thanksgiving Day including Deuteronomy 8: 7-18 and 2 Corinthians 9: 6-15  reminds us that everything from the land we live on and the good food that we eat are all gifts of God given should not be taken for granted.   Yet, we all take advantage of what is in front of us.  Not only do we take it for granted, we can become selfish and try to hoard as much as we can for ourselves. 

We need to call to mind on this Thanksgiving Day that while we celebrate the opportunity to be grateful for our land and food we eat came to us at the expense of the Native Americans, whom the white Christians oppressed and suppressed.   As Americans we have much to repent of as well as be thankful for. 

This Thanksgiving as with any day of the year, we are urged to remember that there are people close to us who are not as fortunate as we are.  In our own neighborhoods there are elderly people who are lonely.  There are people who are sick and in need of help.  Around us are individuals who have been separated from their families for various reasons.  People who only wish for half of what we take for granted, just to survive another day with some hope. 

Giving thanks to God means more than having some gratitude for all God does.  Giving thanks means a change of heart and a life lived with gratitude, by willing to give of ourselves for the benefit of others who are different from us.  The one healed leper who returned to give thanks recognized that his life had been touched by God and wanted to praise God in the One who healed him.  The healed individual gave an example for all of us to imitate.  Our gratitude to God and each other has the power to help people sit up and take notice.  Or allows God to teach us something new and different.

This Thanksgiving there are many lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning and queer people who cannot be reunited with their families.  There are couples like Donald & Arthur who having pledged their love to each other face the possibility of being split up because Arthur is an immigrant who may be deported.  There are individuals who live with HIV/AIDS who live alone and without someone to love them just because they have HIV/AIDS. 

God invites us to give thanks by being open to God's call to all of us to recognize God's presence in all people.   Those who succeed in life.  Those who fail and wonder how to make it through another day.  God is present and speaking to us through people, events and opportunities where God is least likely to be found.  God seeks our good when someone who has never set foot in a church of any kind talks and behaves more like a Christian than any missionary we could meet.

As we continue throughout this Thanksgiving weekend until the First Sunday of Advent, let us stop and take time to be thankful to God.  May we also take time to show a sense of gratitude for all God does for us, by sharing all that we have with those who are less fortunate than ourselves.  May we reach across our sometimes biased hearts and begin to recognize the Holy Spirit's presence and grace in those who are marginalized by society and the Church to build relationships that lead to reconciliation.  

May our attitudes be like the Lila Montagne played by Jaqueline Bisset in the movie Latter Days.   At the end of the movie, Lila, Aaron, Christian and all the characters are gathered around a Thanksgiving table.  Lila lifts a class for a prayer and a toast that "Where ever you are in this world, whether success or failure, you will always have a place at my table." 


Prayers

Almighty and gracious Father, we give you thanks for the fruits of the earth in their season and for the labors of those who harvest them. Make us, we pray, faithful stewards of your great bounty, for the provision of our necessities and the relief of all who are in need, to the glory of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer, page 246).

Almighty God, Father of all mercies, we your unworthy servants give you humble thanks for all your goodness and loving-kindness to us and to all whom you have made. We bless you for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all for your immeasurable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ; for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory. And, we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies, that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up our selves to your service, and by walking before you in holiness and righteousness all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory throughout all ages. Amen.  (General Thanksgiving, Book of Common Prayer, page 101)

The Reign of Christ: God's Presence in All Persons

Scriptural Basis

Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24 (NRSV)

Thus says the Lord GOD: I myself will search for my sheep, and will seek them out. As shepherds seek out their flocks when they are among their scattered sheep, so I will seek out my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places to which they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land; and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the watercourses, and in all the inhabited parts of the land. I will feed them with good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel shall be their pasture; there they shall lie down in good grazing land, and they shall feed on rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will make them lie down, says the Lord GOD. I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them with justice.

Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD to them: I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. Because you pushed with flank and shoulder, and butted at all the weak animals with your horns until you scattered them far and wide, I will save my flock, and they shall no longer be ravaged; and I will judge between sheep and sheep.

I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd. And I, the LORD, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them; I, the LORD, have spoken.

Matthew 25:31-46 (NRSV)

Jesus said, "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. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then 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; for 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, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.' Then 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? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?' And 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.' Then 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; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I 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.' Then 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?' Then 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.' And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

Blog Reflection

As Professor Dumbledore said at the end of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone: "Another year gone." 

Today, we mark the end of another Liturgical Year in the Church.  

Next weekend begins a new Liturgical Year and the Year of the Gospel of Mark.

This Sunday is traditionally known as Christ the King.  More modernly called The Reign of Christ Sunday.

The celebration of the last Sunday before Advent as Christ the King was determined by Pope Pius XI in 1925 "as a way of affirming the sovereignty of Christ in the midst of a troubled world.  As we know from human history, the image of king or sovereign is a "mixed bag": for some it conveys positive attributes of the ability to bring about justice and to encourage the well-being of those under the king's authority.  For others, the image of king is spoiled by dictators throughout the ages, and the patriarchal tyranny of male domination.  For this image of Christ as king to be helpful, therefore, it is important for us to understand the nature of Christ's kingship." (Welcome to the Church Year: An Introduction to the Seasons of the Episcopal Church, by Vicki K. Black, page 123).

The image of "domination" is particularly painful for us in 2011.  The presidential campaign of Rick Perry began with a prayer service led by a new brand of Christianists called the Dominionists.  These individuals want to see American politics and all world governments to be shaped into the idea that the Christian Religion is to be dominated by ultra-conservative Christianist ideals.  Abortion must be made illegal.  Homosexuality must become illegal and punishable under the law.  Any other religion including Judaism or Islam must be converted to Christianist thinking, or be suppressed or oppressed.  Serving the poor and the disenfranchised is not even on their radars. 

Reading into the Scriptures for today's feast of the Reign of Christ a little more closely, we see that Jesus is not a king or dominant figure that wishes to be known as condemning or judgmental.  Jesus Christ the King as conveyed in the readings is understood as a gentle shepherd who desires justice and equality for all of God's people.

In the reading from Ezekiel, God has some words for the shepherds who have not led God's people very well. God searches out all who have been scattered and lost because of oppression to be found and led to places where they can feed on the goodness that God has prepared for them.

Today is also the Day of Remembrance for Transgender People.  The transgender members of our society and the Church remain scattered, broken and often left to fend for themselves.  Even among the lesbian, gay and bisexual communities, the transgender communities are often marginalized and scandalized as they struggle through medical issues, extreme violence and brutality for their gender identity/expression.   Jesus Christ the King and our Shepherd seeks out transgender people and many others who are oppressed and victimized to bring healing and wholeness.  Jesus calls on all who worship and believe in the Christian expression of Faith, to embrace Jesus in the transgender women and men both young and old, by recognizing God's presence in them.  

The Gospel reading is probably my favorite.  It's words are both relieving and challenging to me and my faith life.  I understand from this awesome reading that I am among those whom Jesus challenges the Church to recognize himself in.  Yet, this reading challenges me to see Jesus in people that challenge my own sense of being comfortable in my own box.  God the Holy Spirit challenges me to open wide my Pandoras Box and see Jesus in every person who is different from me.  Jesus reminds all of us in this parable that Christ's reign is present in all people.  To fail to see another person as being the presence of Christ the King and Shepherd, is to neglect Jesus himself.

The Occupy movements that have swept the nation and the world are calling on our financial institutions to do much more than change their practices.   The Gospel message of  Jesus and the Occupy movements are about the need for a fundamental system change.  The economic hardships by which so many people are suffering as a result of financial investments that have gone bad can no longer be overlooked as if there is no need for a transformation in our markets and political institutions.  The extreme pain that people all over the world are enduring, can no longer be just a matter of the haves vs the have nots.  People are losing their homes, jobs, retirement savings, health care and equal rights protections. These and many other hardships requires that everyone from the 99% and the 1% need to come together and have the conversation about what we can all do different to make the world a more equitable place for every person.  The 1% can no longer just collect billion dollar profits at the expense of the 99% losing everything.   The 99% can  no longer site politely by and just watch everything they have worked for go down the drain, while the 1% get richer by gaining more political and financial power.

Bishop Mark S. Sisk of New York wrote in an Episcopal News Service Commentary:

But the fundamental issue is not that the laws of capitalism are flawed; the fundamental issue is that we are flawed in our attitude to them.

There can be little doubt that capitalism is a productive way to order economic life. But we need to remember, as the protestors have reminded us, that that is all that it is -- an economic system based on the entirely reasonable propositions that capital has value, and that supply and demand are the most efficient way to set prices. Capitalism is of no help at all in determining what is morally good -- that is something that must instead be determined by the community's wider values.

And there should be no question that when an economic system fails to reflect those communal values, it should be modified and governed until it does. To say, as some do, that any attempt to control or guide our economic system is neither wise nor possible is to admit that an economic system has decisive control of our lives. For a Christian, such an admission would be nothing less than to yield to idolatry. (Though I do not claim deep knowledge of other religious traditions, I suspect that this is true for them as well.) God alone is the One, and the only One, to whom we can concede such ultimate authority. For the non-theist to make the argument that the laws of economics are immutable is to concede that we have no power of ourselves to help ourselves. That is the same argument that those in the grip of various kinds of addiction make: "I am not in control, my addiction made me do it."

 The Archbishop of Canterbury also wrote an exceptional commentary about the Occupy movements.  You can read that commentary here.  

Likewise for lesbian, gay bisexual, transgender, questioning and queer people, there can be no doubt that those who are attempting to keep us from equal rights feel that they are doing a faithful and noble thing.  However, because LGBTQ people are among God's people whom God shepherds, it is not prudent nor a faithful matter to deprive us of the opportunity to marry the person we love, seek job security or protect LGBT youth from bullying in our schools.

States like Arizona and Alabama seriously threaten our national security when they write and pass immigration laws that are designed to racially discriminate against individuals just for seeking a new and peaceful home.  When an American political institution passes such laws we also fail to welcome Jesus Christ in the stranger who has come to live in our land.

As we close this Church Year that has taken us on this long and difficult journey through Matthew's Gospel, we are invited on this feast of Christ the King to know and understand Jesus as the loving and intimate revelation of God.   In Psalm 100 today we sang the words: "For the Lord is good:  God's mercy is everlasting; and God's faithfulness endures from age to age."   Jesus has communicated to all that God's goodness and mercy is present with all whom God has created and redeemed by the precious blood of Jesus.   Sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, gender, race, religion, class status, wealth status, language, employment, culture, education level etc are not there for Christians to make exceptions for who can be marginalized or oppressed.   When we truly understand that Jesus is present in all persons, then perhaps we will be more faithful in serving Christ in all people, rather than trying to convert God into our own image of how we think God should be in others who are not like ourselves. 

In the Name of God who is + Creator, Servant and Life-Giver.  Amen.


Prayers

Almighty and everlasting God, whose will it is to restore all things in your well¯beloved Son, the King of kings and Lord of lords: Mercifully grant that the peoples of the earth, divided and enslaved by sin, may be freed and brought together under his most gracious rule; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Proper 29, Book of Common Prayer, page 236).

Lord Jesus Christ, you stretched out your arms of love on the hard wood of the cross that everyone might come within the reach of your saving embrace: So clothe us in your Spirit that we, reaching forth our hands in love, may bring those who do not know you to the knowledge and love of you; for the honor of your Name. Amen.    (Book of Common Prayer, page 101).


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, page 818).

God of justice,
    Thank you for reaching through unjust leaders and systems
        to remind us that justice is still a possibility in our lives.
    Guide us as we follow your lead to build communities
        of peace, equality and justice for all. Amen (Prayerfully, Out in Scripture).

A Good Reminder for the Church

I read this outstanding commentary on Episcopal News Service and felt that I have to post it.  Some good thoughts expressed here.

The Church at Occupy Providence

By Edmund Harris, November 02, 2011

 

Since Occupy Wall Street began, Episcopalians have wondered what the church's role should be in the movement. Where would Jesus be? Some, such as the "Protest Chaplains" in New York and Boston, have embraced the chance to get involved. Others have watched the protests unfold with curiosity, while attending to church business as usual: trying to grow the church by getting people to come inside the doors.

There is an ironic sign floating around the Internet that blesses this time-tested way of being church: "Occupy the Pews of Your Episcopal Church," it proclaims. I can't deny, this is clever marketing. But it isn't Christian. Not only does it contradict the message of the Occupy movement, but the Gospels as well.

When did the Son of Man, who sent his disciples out in pairs with nothing but the clothes on their backs, tell his followers to "occupy the courts of the Temple?" The church is distracted these days by dwindling numbers, aging buildings, and strategies to get people to come inside to encounter Jesus rather than recognizing that Jesus is already present with the people on the streets. What if, instead, the church came out of the buildings and occupied the streets?

On a recent Sunday at 4 p.m. a group of laypeople and clergy from the Diocese of Rhode Island took church out the doors to hold "The Church at Occupy Providence." With less than 24 hours notice, we gathered with the people occupying Burnside Park, preached the Gospel, shared in Christ's body and blood, and experienced Christ's presence in one another. It was a powerful witness, and there were different reactions to us.

Most expressed gratitude for church outside the walls. Some were surprised to see us there. "Is that a costume?" one woman asked me, pointing to my clerical collar. "I didn't know churches supported things like this," another person said. Others expressed righteous anger. "Where've you been?" one organizer asked me. "You're the first group of Christians to set foot in this place. Meanwhile, we've been feeding hungry people and demanding justice for everyone. Aren't these the things churches are supposed to care about?"

In the Gospel proclaimed during the service, Jesus spoke about the commandments to love God, and to love our neighbor as ourselves. Jesus especially calls us to love our most vulnerable neighbors, the ones those of us with privilege easily overlook: those who suffer at the hands of the powerful, our sisters and brothers who have lost their homes to foreclosure, those who live and die without access to adequate health care, those who are "undocumented."

I believe that the church desperately needs the Occupy movement at this tender moment in its life, and that the Holy Spirit may be working through it to call the church to something new. Like the prophets, the Occupy movement may draw the church out of its complacency, and remind us that the church too is a movement, not only an institution. We are a body, not only a building with pews. If we listen to voices of Occupy, we may indeed hear Jesus speaking to us, reminding us of the work he calls us to prioritize, and to love him in the people he called us to serve first.

-- The Rev. Edmund Harris is assistant to the rector at Church of the Epiphany in Rumford, Rhode Island.

Twenty Second Sunday after Pentecost: Making the Best of What We Have

Scriptural Basis

Matthew 25:14-30 (NRSV)

Jesus said, "For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money. After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, `Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents.' His master said to him, `Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.' And the one with the two talents also came forward, saying, `Master, you handed over to me two talents; see, I have made two more talents.' His master said to him, `Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.' Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, `Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.' But his master replied, `You wicked and lazy slave! You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents. For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' "

Blog Reflection

The Gospel for today has an either/or feeling to it for me.  Either I am very happy for those who were successful with the ten or five talents, or I am feeling very sorry for the the poor guy who had only the one and was punished.  The tendency to interpret God as a psychopath from this parable is not a difficult place to arrive.  The master who is suppose to represent God sounds like the mighty investor on Wall Street who fires the one who did not invest.

Canon Richard Norman, Jr who preached at St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral today, pointed out an important word change from the Revised Standard Version to the New Revised Standard Version of this particular Parable.  The word for "trustworthy" in the NRSV use to be the word "faithful" in the RSV.   I would have to add to that with my concern over the word "slave" in the NRSV vs the word "servant" in the RSV.  These word clarifications may just be words to some, but to me they say something about what we are reading vs what we are interpreting.

If we understand the slave to be such as was well known in the culture of the time that these texts would have been written. The ownership of slaves was very common.  However, in our own culture when we understand the slave as a servant it suggests that those given something so that they could do something with it have a responsibility out of love for their master.   In a way, we can understand the fear of the slave with the one talent in the NRSV better than the fear of the servant with the one talent in the RSV.   But, when we think of those who have been given something from their masters so that they may be faithful with their talents, it does put a bit of a different meaning to what they were suppose to do.  We can easily look at the word trustworthy as being related to actual money. Where as to be faithful is related to doing the right thing out of concern for not only oneself, but for the master and those who will be helped by the master with our faithfulness in what the master has asked of us.

The point of this parable is that God gives all of us something to put to use for the benefit of others so as to bring glory and honor to God.  We get what we have from God.  We do not always get what we want.  What we do get from God is a gift and must be used for the purpose for which it was given.  Whatever that gift may be, God calls on us to use it for what it is and to make the best of it for the sake of those who can benefit most from it.  This does not mean that we will be given gifts that others will be able to appreciate and respect them as they are, and not suspect otherwise. In fact, it does mean that if we don't put what we have as it is out there and use it, it will only be returned without having done anything meaningful with the gift God gives us.

The point I have been making is why I must protest without apology to the idea of ex-gay and/or reparative or conversion therapy for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning and/or queer people. Sexual orientation and/or gender identity/expression are given to such individuals by God to use them as they are for the benefit of those they love, and to work for justice, equality and inclusion.  Diversity in all the various forms and shapes it takes is given to the individuals and the communities, to invest and enrich our cultures and communities with wonderful, holy and God ordained accomplishments.   The efforts of anti-gay groups to cause devoted women and men to change what is most essential and authentic with in them, can only serve to be egregiously destructive not only to LGBTQ people ourselves, but also to the communities that we live and serve.

To work for efforts to ban marriage equality through constitutional amendments such as what has taken place in 30 States, and now campaign efforts underway in Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina is to attempt to throw the beauty of diverse sexual orientations and/or gender identities/expressions in the face of God.   All with disastrous results on individuals, families, children and whole communities.

The efforts of many individuals to create laws that target Muslims and immigrants to be profiled and in prisoned for offenses that are prejudicial entrapment at best does not serve to better society in any way.

The movement that allows the wealthiest among us to oppress and suppress the 99% with laws, taxes. the loss of important benefits, employment and the necessities of life is an injustice towards humanity.   Such is why I support the Occupy movements all over the world.

Yesterday, the Diocese of Washington, DC got a new Bishop Mariann Budde.  She was consecrated and ordained yesterday and seated at the National Cathedral today.   In one of two Washington Post articles, Bishop Budde said the following.

“I want to build up the liberal church again so we can be a legitimate conversation partner in the public arena, because right now it’s dominated by . . . what many would call the Christian right,” Budde said this week at the diocese’s offices. “It’s legitimate for them to be there, but they’re drowning us out. They’re better at organizing churches than we are, and I’m going to change that!”" (The Lead). 

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning and queer people are given the great gift of our diversity.  Our sexual love for our partners, the way we love other people emotionally and even platonically are all part of God's great talented gift to us and the world.  It is right that we use them to call for justice, equality and inclusion.  We are totally blessed with opportunities to speak up against injustice and oppression.  We are also blessed with our own unique stories by which we can help other people understand why the inclusion of LGBTQ people and others marginalized by the Church and society must be allowed to advance toward equality.  If we do not use the only gift we have, as it is, to invest in a brighter future for LGBTQ people and many others still oppressed, we will have no one to blame for the failures, but ourselves.  Anti-equality groups can spout all the false information they want.  Let them bear the false witness.  The responsibility for that is theirs.  Our responsibility is to make the best of what we have and to be faithful to the One who made us as we are, so that young women and men can come out and become part of the efforts to help change the world for the better.

May God find all of us to be faithful with what God has given us, because we made the best of it.


Prayers

Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer, page 236).


Look with pity, O heavenly Father, upon the people in this land who live with injustice, terror, disease, and death as their constant companions. Have mercy upon us. Help us to eliminate our cruelty to these our neighbors. Strengthen those who spend their lives establishing equal protection of the law and equal opportunities for all. And grant that every one of us may enjoy a fair portion of the riches of this land; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer, page 8226).

Lord, make us instruments of your peace. Where there is hatred, let us sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. Grant that we may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.  (Book of Common Prayer, page 833).

Leo the Great: The Work of Justice and Devotion are One Vocation

Scriptural Basis

Matthew 5:13-19 (NRSV)

Jesus said, "You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot.

"You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

"Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven."

Blog Reflection

As we commemorate Leo the Great we are reminded of his many accomplishments.  The greatness of this saint is found in the wisdom Leo had to convey what our Christian faith meant in a time when there was economic, political and social chaos as the Roman Empire was falling apart.  Everything that had been built in Rome was crumbling and the barbarians would later come in to destroy as much of thecivilization as they possibly could.

Leo's great passion for the belief that Jesus is both God and human are still found in seminary libraries world wide.  Many of Leo's sermons are found in the Roman Office of Readings as part of the Liturgy of the Hours.  Among his greatest writings appears on Christmas, as Leo writes of the mystery of the incarnation of God becoming human and dwelling among us.

Among the many difficult issues we face as Christians working for justice and equality for marginalized individuals in the Church and society, comes from the notion that what Christians believe and how we deal with those different from ourselves are some how separate. One is not needed to help with the other.

As Christians we may believe that God's perfect revelation was through Jesus Christ and that the Apostles helped to establish the Church on earth.  The fulfillment of our Baptismal Covenant includes seeking to serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbors as our selves AND to strive for justice and peace among all people and respect the dignity of every human being.   Knowing these things and working for that justice, peace and respect for dignity cannot stop at an individuals sexual orientation and/or gender identity/expression or for any other reason.

The awesome things that Christians believe and pray, ought to guide us to a greater use of reason and understanding of how things in the world are, not how we might like them to be.

There are individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning and/or queer.  

There are other religions besides Christianity, many of which seek the same justice, peace and respect for the dignity of all human beings, just not under the Judeo-Christian name, bible or belief system. 

There are other cultures, languages, skin colors, expressions of self, behaviors that are not all wrapped up in the small corner called the Christian religion. 

They all have a place of importance.  They are all worthy of respect and the defense of their dignity.

There are many Christianists and arch-conservatives who believe that homosexuality, abortion, liberal and more progressive forms of Christianity, the securing of the freedoms of other religions and cultures are some how contributing to the collapse of American society.  They preach and teach that the United States that was "founded as a Christian nation" is being lost to Satan because seven States have legalized same-sex marriage and Muslims are building mosques in America.  In their opinion, their mission is to spread the Gospel through causing people to fear catastrophic destruction of places like Mississippi that just voted down the so-called "Person-hood Amendment."   If there were to be a sudden snow storm that covered Iowa, the Christianists would say it is because the Republicans did not win control over the Iowa State Senate so as to repeal marriage equality.

The problem with the kind of thinking and behaving I have written about in the previous paragraph, is that it presumes that the God whom Christians believe was in Christ just cannot and does not work in the lives of women who have had abortions or are pro-choice, LGBT people and many others.  Such thinking puts God the Holy Spirit into a nifty Pandoras Box so that God and others unlike what conservatives think people should be can be controlled, exploited, oppressed and violently manipulated.  

The God that Christians worship is not a mean angry psycho-path. 

God is a gracious, generous, merciful and loving God. 

God came to us in Christ to tell us that we do not have to be afraid to be who we are.  Jesus Christ and the life Jesus lived showed us the way to see that in God's eyes and heart, everyone is loved and can find salvation, peace and joy.  To know Jesus and the forgiveness of our sins means that LGBT people do not have to lie about ourselves to our friends, families, communities etc. We have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ to live the fullness of who God has created us to be.  Our Triune God who is Creator, Servant and Life-Giver wants us all to experience God's unconditional and all inclusive love, share in the goodness of all God has for all of God's people, and one day have eternal life.

Our sexual orientation and/or gender identity/expression are gifts of the God who we traditionally call Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Our sexuality by which we love our partners physically, and all others emotionally is a gift of the God who became human to tell us that we are cherished lights for all the world to see the glory of God.

The mission of the Christian Church, which Leo the Great helped to expand and prepare is to share the message that God is love, and there are no exceptions.


Prayers

O Lord our God, grant that your Church, following the teaching of your servant Leo of Rome, may hold fast the great mystery of our redemption, and adore the one Christ, true God and true Man, neither divided from our human nature nor separate from your divine Being; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Holy Women, Holy Men, Celebrating the Saints, page 675).


O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us through Jesus your Son: Look with compassion on the whole human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us; unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth; that, in your good time, all nations and races may serve you in harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer, page 815).