Today's Scriptures
Acts 10: 44-48 (NRSV)
Psalm 98 (BCP. p. 727)
1 John 5: 1-6 (NRSV)
John 15: 9-17 (NRSV)
Blog Reflection
What a week it has been This past Wednesday when the media blitz began over President Obama's interview at which he spoke out in support of marriage equality, I could not wait for my partner Jason to get off the phone so I could tell him. It was an exciting and historic moment. One in which as Rev. Susan Russell wrote: "I don't just believe in it [Evolution], I have seen it.."
How appropriate if not prophetic that this Sunday we would read from the Gospel of John the new commandment of Jesus. "Love one another as I have loved you." What is important about this Gospel is not just the words "love one another" but also what comes after. "No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends." Here, Jesus implies a love that cannot be explained or described. It must be lived, experienced and witnessed to. Then, such love is visible and way beyond any thing human words could say or write.
The kind of love that Jesus is calling us to in this new commandment gets its background from what is written in the Hebrew Scriptures. "Love the Lord, Your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and love your neighbor as yourself" (see Matthew 22: 36-40). Jesus invites us to take that one step further today. To love another with a sense of authenticity. To love beyond just saying to someone "I love you" as beautiful as those words are. This kind of love is found in the heart, but moves beyond itself for the good of another. It is the very love by which our God gave the life of God's Son, Jesus Christ on the Cross, and then rose again from the dead to give to all of us, the hope of new and unending life. It is the love that calls for sacrifice and a total giving of self for the benefit of the other.
What is so awesome about President Obama's announcement this past Wednesday, is that at last he sees beyond the issue of whether or not homosexuality is blessed by God, but that same-sex couples like any other two people who get married, do it because of a deep abiding love for each other. A love that comes from God and is expressed through the same sexual and physical love of two people who literally lay down their lives for each other. People who mirror God's unconditional and all-inclusive love for each other and for all the world to witness to. A love that knows that we make mistakes, but we love each other any way. A love that doesn't give up, but keeps on working at it, out of our love for the other person.
Marriage equality has nothing to do with redefining marriage or family. It simply means that we recognize that the love of God is not limited to physical and romantic expressions of people of the opposite sex, but is just as beautifully expressed by same-sex. couples.
Many Christians have been evolving over the issue of homosexuality and marriage equality. It is still a very controversial subject, but the playing field is leavening. The "old leaven of malice and evil" is giving way to the "unleavened bread of sincerity and truth." and for that, let the Church say: "Alleluia." Many more are coming to the understanding that the Bible in and of itself does not condemn homosexuality and it certainly does not label LGBT people as the worst of all sinners as Christianists would have us believe. This matter was debated this week in an NPR discussion on the Morning Edition.
Among many important attributes of observing Jesus' commandment to love one another as we are loved, is to be open to better understanding one another in all of our diversity. We can "lay down our loves for one another" by letting ourselves be taught about other races, religions, sexual orientations, gender identities/expressions and so forth. As we are being led into more truths about Jesus and others, we learn to embrace one another and commit ourselves to the work of justice and equality for all people. We can actually see the face of Jesus in the poor, the challenged, the immigrant, the individual in need of what health care reform can do for them, and why we need to pray that the U.S. Supreme Court does not take it away from us. We can speak up for workers who are losing their collective bargaining rights and oppose voter ID laws, because we want everyone to have the opportunity to work for a good living wage and have a voice in our government. And last, but certainly not least, we would understand why it is such an evil for North Carolina voters to take away marriage equality rights from their neighbors who are LGBT. Not only marriage equality, but also civil protections for non-married heterosexual and homosexual individuals to defend themselves against domestic abuse.
If you are reading this blog today, I want to ask you to help the LGBT citizens in Minnesota as we face our own vote on a constitutional amendment this November. Our citizens will be voting on an amendment to place discrimination on the Minnesota State Constitution that will prevent LGBT Minnesotans from gaining marriage equality. My blog readers can help greatly with a contribution to Minnesotans United for All Families. We also call them MN-United. They are the official campaign working to defeat the constitutional amendment in November. They need all the help they can get. You will be happy to know that the Episcopal Church of Minnesota voted last October to oppose the amendment, and that St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral has joined the coalition to defeat the amendment.
"Love one another" is what Jesus said. Marriage equality is just such an example. We need all Christians and people of good will to join in the effort to gain it and maintain it, so that "love in any language" will truly be "fluently spoken here." (Love in Any Language, by Sandi Patty).
Prayers
Acts 10: 44-48 (NRSV)
While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard the word. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles, for they heard them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter said, "Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?" So he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they invited him to stay for several days.
Psalm 98 (BCP. p. 727)
1 John 5: 1-6 (NRSV)
Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the parent loves the child. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For the love of God is this, that we obey his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome, for whatever is born of God conquers the world. And this is the victory that conquers the world, our faith. Who is it that conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
This is the one who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ, not with the water only but with the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one that testifies, for the Spirit is the truth.
John 15: 9-17 (NRSV)
Jesus said to his disciples, "As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.
"This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father. You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name. I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another."
Blog Reflection
What a week it has been This past Wednesday when the media blitz began over President Obama's interview at which he spoke out in support of marriage equality, I could not wait for my partner Jason to get off the phone so I could tell him. It was an exciting and historic moment. One in which as Rev. Susan Russell wrote: "I don't just believe in it [Evolution], I have seen it.."
How appropriate if not prophetic that this Sunday we would read from the Gospel of John the new commandment of Jesus. "Love one another as I have loved you." What is important about this Gospel is not just the words "love one another" but also what comes after. "No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends." Here, Jesus implies a love that cannot be explained or described. It must be lived, experienced and witnessed to. Then, such love is visible and way beyond any thing human words could say or write.
The kind of love that Jesus is calling us to in this new commandment gets its background from what is written in the Hebrew Scriptures. "Love the Lord, Your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and love your neighbor as yourself" (see Matthew 22: 36-40). Jesus invites us to take that one step further today. To love another with a sense of authenticity. To love beyond just saying to someone "I love you" as beautiful as those words are. This kind of love is found in the heart, but moves beyond itself for the good of another. It is the very love by which our God gave the life of God's Son, Jesus Christ on the Cross, and then rose again from the dead to give to all of us, the hope of new and unending life. It is the love that calls for sacrifice and a total giving of self for the benefit of the other.
What is so awesome about President Obama's announcement this past Wednesday, is that at last he sees beyond the issue of whether or not homosexuality is blessed by God, but that same-sex couples like any other two people who get married, do it because of a deep abiding love for each other. A love that comes from God and is expressed through the same sexual and physical love of two people who literally lay down their lives for each other. People who mirror God's unconditional and all-inclusive love for each other and for all the world to witness to. A love that knows that we make mistakes, but we love each other any way. A love that doesn't give up, but keeps on working at it, out of our love for the other person.
Marriage equality has nothing to do with redefining marriage or family. It simply means that we recognize that the love of God is not limited to physical and romantic expressions of people of the opposite sex, but is just as beautifully expressed by same-sex. couples.
Many Christians have been evolving over the issue of homosexuality and marriage equality. It is still a very controversial subject, but the playing field is leavening. The "old leaven of malice and evil" is giving way to the "unleavened bread of sincerity and truth." and for that, let the Church say: "Alleluia." Many more are coming to the understanding that the Bible in and of itself does not condemn homosexuality and it certainly does not label LGBT people as the worst of all sinners as Christianists would have us believe. This matter was debated this week in an NPR discussion on the Morning Edition.
Rev . Susan Russell responded: "Jesus does say the most important commandments are "Love God" and "Love your neighbor as yourself." Given that, Russell believes if Jesus were here today, he would celebrate committed, same-sex relationships".
Among many important attributes of observing Jesus' commandment to love one another as we are loved, is to be open to better understanding one another in all of our diversity. We can "lay down our loves for one another" by letting ourselves be taught about other races, religions, sexual orientations, gender identities/expressions and so forth. As we are being led into more truths about Jesus and others, we learn to embrace one another and commit ourselves to the work of justice and equality for all people. We can actually see the face of Jesus in the poor, the challenged, the immigrant, the individual in need of what health care reform can do for them, and why we need to pray that the U.S. Supreme Court does not take it away from us. We can speak up for workers who are losing their collective bargaining rights and oppose voter ID laws, because we want everyone to have the opportunity to work for a good living wage and have a voice in our government. And last, but certainly not least, we would understand why it is such an evil for North Carolina voters to take away marriage equality rights from their neighbors who are LGBT. Not only marriage equality, but also civil protections for non-married heterosexual and homosexual individuals to defend themselves against domestic abuse.
If you are reading this blog today, I want to ask you to help the LGBT citizens in Minnesota as we face our own vote on a constitutional amendment this November. Our citizens will be voting on an amendment to place discrimination on the Minnesota State Constitution that will prevent LGBT Minnesotans from gaining marriage equality. My blog readers can help greatly with a contribution to Minnesotans United for All Families. We also call them MN-United. They are the official campaign working to defeat the constitutional amendment in November. They need all the help they can get. You will be happy to know that the Episcopal Church of Minnesota voted last October to oppose the amendment, and that St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral has joined the coalition to defeat the amendment.
"Love one another" is what Jesus said. Marriage equality is just such an example. We need all Christians and people of good will to join in the effort to gain it and maintain it, so that "love in any language" will truly be "fluently spoken here." (Love in Any Language, by Sandi Patty).
Prayers
O God, you have prepared for those who love you such good
things as surpass our understanding: Pour into our hearts such
love towards you, that we, loving you in all things and above
all things, may obtain your promises, which exceed all that we
can desire; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Sixth Sunday of Easter, Book of Common Prayer, p. 225).
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. (Prayer Attributed to St. Francis, Book of Common Prayer, p. 833).
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