The Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ: A Messy Story

Today's Scripture Readings

Isaiah 9:2-7 (NRSV)

The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who lived in a land of deep darkness--
on them light has shined.
You have multiplied the nation,
you have increased its joy;
they rejoice before you
as with joy at the harvest,
as people exult when dividing plunder.
For the yoke of their burden,
and the bar across their shoulders,
the rod of their oppressor,
you have broken as on the day of Midian.
For all the boots of the tramping warriors
and all the garments rolled in blood
shall be burned as fuel for the fire.
For a child has been born for us,
a son given to us;
authority rests upon his shoulders;
and he is named
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
His authority shall grow continually,
and there shall be endless peace
for the throne of David and his kingdom.
He will establish and uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time onward and forevermore.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this. 

Psalm 98 (BCP., p.727).


Titus 3:4-7 (NRSV)

When the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy, through the water of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. This Spirit he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Luke 2:1-20 (NRSV)

In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for see-- I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,

"Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace among those whom he favors!"

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us." So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

John 1: 1-14 (NRSV)

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.

He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.

And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth.

Blog Reflection

It happens every December the 25th.  We as Christians celebrate the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ.  Each year we read and hear the beautiful Scripture texts about Mary, Joseph and Jesus and the Word made Flesh from St. John's Gospel.  We gather to sing beautiful Christmas Carols and hear Lessons read.  Our churches are beautifully adorned with wreaths, greens, candles, lights and (hopefully) a beautiful creche displaying the scene at Bethlehem.  We gather with our families and friends.  We make phone calls.  We wrap gifts.  We post our holiday greetings on Facebook and Twitter.  People like myself write blogs.  As Christians we adorn and adore the Christ child as we recall how He was born through the womb of Mary, wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger.

Every year, I marvel at how peaceful Christmas Day is for us, while in various places in the country and our world this day is anything but peaceful and joyous.  Way too many children and families live in poverty.  Our neighborhoods are riddled with news of gun violence and racial prejudice.  Each day and year, families are torn asunder by religious fundamentalists who have to use this Christmas Day to plaster the holiday dinner conversations with Scripture verses erroneously used to condemn lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning people, families and couples.  The same folks use the Bible as a weapon of mass destruction on health care reform, why we should not accept the Syrian refugees on the basis that they are Muslims, on women and many other minorities that could be mentioned.  Somewhere in some home, the conversations will include the condemnation of immigrants and the whole notion of helping our neighbors in need as Jesus taught us to do in Matthew 25: 21-46 is being thrown aside as being an example of socialism.

The fact of the matter is, the arrival of the Christ Child is a messy story.  There was no room for them in the inn.  Rose from The Golden Girls was right.  They should have called ahead to make reservations.  Too bad God didn't give them a cellphone.  Maybe there was no signal on the one they had.  What the story tells us, is that God comes to us as one like us, as one so vulnerable with only a manger to lay his new born human body.  The world around Him and the Holy Family was a mess.  The people of Israel were under enormous oppression from King Herod and the Roman Empire.  The religious establishment of the times were in turmoil with leaders who were more interested in their power of the people they served, than remembering that the heart of the Law is about mercy and justice for all people.  The message of the Nativity is a messy story.  There was no glittering lights, except a star.  No joyful singing with the exception of Angels who greeted the shepherds singing, Glory to God in the highest.  The glory of the moment was that God entered our human chaos; bringing the Light of God into our darkness and walking with us in that darkness.  "If I say, "Surely the darkness will cover me, and the light around me turn to night,"  Darkness is not dark to you; the night is as bright as the day; darkness and light to you are both alike." (Psalm 139:10-11, BCP, p.794).

Whatever mess your life is in.  Wherever you feel chaos, injustice, oppression, discrimination, powerlessness and/or loneliness.  Whether it is the death of a parent, a child, a spouse, anyone that you love or the loss of a meaningful relationship.  Whether it is an addiction or behavior that you feel like you have no control over.  Whether you feel like no one loves you or cares that you are hurting.  Know that God came to all of us in Christ Jesus into our messes and chaos to tell us that "God is with us, Emmanuel." (See Matthew 1:18-23).  All that matters to God, is that you know that you are loved by the God who loves us in Christ Jesus, His Beloved Son, our Lord.  He is Lord not as a slave owner as some suggest the word means.  Jesus is Lord in that He is the source of God's unconditional and all-inclusive love who will raise you up not unlike the symbol of the Phoenix.

May all of us embrace one another in this Christmas Season.  May we be the light in the midst of the darkness for the world around us.  May we be consoled and renewed by the Light who is born for us; the Incarnate Word.  His Name is Jesus the Christ.

Amen.


Prayers

O God, you make us glad by the yearly festival of the birth
of your only Son Jesus Christ: Grant that we, who joyfully
receive him as our Redeemer, may with sure confidence
behold him when he comes to be our Judge; who lives and
reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and
for ever. Amen. (The Book of Common Prayer, p. 212)

O God, you have caused this holy night to shine with the
brightness of the true Light: Grant that we, who have known
the mystery of that Light on earth, may also enjoy him
perfectly in heaven; where with you and the Holy Spirit he
lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen. (The Book of Common Prayer, p. 212)

Almighty God, you have given your only-begotten Son to
take our nature upon him, and to be born [this day] of a pure
virgin: Grant that we, who have been born again and made
your children by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed
by your Holy Spirit; through our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom
with you and the same Spirit be honor and glory, now and
for ever. Amen.  (The Book of Common Prayer, p. 213).

Almighty God, who created us in your 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 for ever. Amen. (Prayer for Social Justice, The Book of Common Prayer, p. 260).

Seventh Sunday of Easter: Jesus Prays for Us

Today's Scripture Readings

Acts 1:15-17, 21-26 (NRSV)

In those days Peter stood up among the believers (together the crowd numbered about one hundred twenty persons) and said, "Friends, the scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit through David foretold concerning Judas, who became a guide for those who arrested Jesus-- for he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry. So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us-- one of these must become a witness with us to his resurrection." So they proposed two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also known as Justus, and Matthias. Then they prayed and said, "Lord, you know everyone's heart. Show us which one of these two you have chosen to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place." And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias; and he was added to the eleven apostles.

Psalm 1 (BCP., p.585)


1 John 5:9-13 (NRSV)

If we receive human testimony, the testimony of God is greater; for this is the testimony of God that he has testified to his Son. Those who believe in the Son of God have the testimony in their hearts. Those who do not believe in God have made him a liar by not believing in the testimony that God has given concerning his Son. And this is the testimony: God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.

John 17:6-19 (NRSV)

Looking up to heaven, Jesus prayed, "I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours. All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them. And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one. While I was with them, I protected them in your name that you have given me. I guarded them, and not one of them was lost except the one destined to be lost, so that the scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to you, and I speak these things in the world so that they may have my joy made complete in themselves. I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but I ask you to protect them from the evil one. They do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, so that they also may be sanctified in truth."

Blog Reflection

Those who will be attending the 77th General Convention of The Episcopal Church might be feeling what those first Apostles did.  We have four very viable candidates to be elected as the next Presiding Bishop.  Whoever is elected to the task is the Primate for Episcopalians throughout this branch of the World Wide Anglican Communion.  There is a lot more on the plate for The Episcopal Church than just the election of the next Presiding Bishop.  Whoever is elected will be TEC's leader of the House of Bishops who helps guide us into the joys and struggles of what the General Convention decides with regards to any number of issues.  Let us all be in prayer for the Bishops and Delegates to the General Convention as they prepare for this important Convention.

As Christians, the other readings present us with some troubling words.  As Christians we profess our belief in Jesus as God's Son and the one who brings salvation to the world.  However, these many words present us with proclaiming the love of God through Jesus in a climate that still marginalizes other religions with their diverse beliefs and practices.  What we must take into account is that the writings of 1 John and this section of John's Gospel are written by Johannine communities.  The Gospel of John in particular represents a very highly intellectual view of Jesus as opposed to the narratives of the Synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke.   It is strongly believed that there were three contributors to John's Gospel; one of whom could have been St. Ignatius of Antioch, a disciple of St. John the Evangelist.  Having written that, it is important to be careful about reading too much into what Jesus says during what we call The Last Supper Discourse with a literal, face value interpretation.  We must be very careful of what we call the "Jesus only" references, especially John 14:1-5.

We can interpret 1 John and the reading from John's Gospel today from a similar view point of last weeks readings.  Jesus is praying that Christians will go beyond what we see the world is about; and respond with a reverence and respect for the dignity of every human person.  Throughout the Gospels, Jesus gives to the Disciples and to all of us the means of how we can follow Jesus in word and example.  Jesus showed us how to welcome the stranger.  He was the example of how God values every human person so that no one is left on the fringes of society and/or the Church as if they do not matter.  Jesus loved those whom others considered unlovable and received them with radical hospitality with the intention of reconciliation.  Jesus not only told the Pharisees how to purge themselves of hypocrisy and relying on visible religious piety for the sake of being seen and celebrated; He taught all of us in our own hardness of heart.  In the reading from John, Jesus is praying with earnest desire that those He has shared the Goodness of God with, will be the outstanding example of what He taught them.   I truly believe that Jesus continues to pray that prayer for all of us.

I need this prayer as a Benedictine Novice as much as anyone else who follows Jesus.  I continue to be inspired by The Rule of St. Benedict, in particular Chapter 53 about receiving guests.  However, I have to confront within myself every day those attitudes and behaviors by which I am not open to welcoming Christ in others.  I can get so wound up in what is on the outside that I forget what real Benedictine hospitality is truly about.

Ultimately, hospitality is not about the table you set, or the driveway you plow. Hospitality is about the holiest of holies. It is about the heart you make ready. Yours. (Radical Hospitality: Benedict's Way of Love. Lonnie Collins Pratt and Fr. Daniel Homan, OSB p.169).

Whether our particular practice of hospitality is a ministry of receiving the countless individuals affected by racism, sexism, heterosexism, gender bias, the poor, the sick, the lonely, the Muslim, Jewish person or Atheist.  Jesus is praying for us to be protected from the blindness that keeps us from opening our hearts to His presence with reverence and respect for every human person.  Jesus did not leave us without God's help.  Jesus sent us the gift of the Holy Spirit which we will celebrate next Sunday on Pentecost.   When we allow the Holy Spirit to help us surrender ourselves to God's will, all of us can be an answer to the prayers of Jesus in our world.  God knows how much our world needs us to be the answer to those prayers.

Amen.


Prayers

O God, the King of glory, you have exalted your only Son
Jesus Christ with great triumph to your kingdom in heaven:
Do not leave us comfortless, but send us your Holy Spirit to
strengthen us, and exalt us to that place where our Savior
Christ has gone before; who lives and reigns with you and
the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.  (Collect for the Seventh Sunday of Easter.  The Book of Common Prayer, p.226).

Grant, O God, that your holy and life-giving Spirit may so
move every human heart [and especially the hearts of the
people of this land], that barriers which divide us may
crumble, suspicions disappear, and hatreds cease; that our
divisions being healed, we may live in justice and peace;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.  (Prayer for Social Justice. The Book of Common Prayer, p.823).

Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost: Who Said Anything About Peace?

Today's Scripture Readings

Jeremiah 23:23-29 (NRSV)

Am I a God near by, says the LORD, and not a God far off? Who can hide in secret places so that I cannot see them? says the LORD. Do I not fill heaven and earth? says the LORD. I have heard what the prophets have said who prophesy lies in my name, saying, "I have dreamed, I have dreamed!" How long? Will the hearts of the prophets ever turn back-- those who prophesy lies, and who prophesy the deceit of their own heart? They plan to make my people forget my name by their dreams that they tell one another, just as their ancestors forgot my name for Baal. Let the prophet who has a dream tell the dream, but let the one who has my word speak my word faithfully. What has straw in common with wheat? says the LORD. Is not my word like fire, says the LORD, and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?

Psalm 82 (BCP., p.705)


Hebrews 11:29-12:2 (NRSV)

By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as if it were dry land, but when the Egyptians attempted to do so they were drowned. By faith the walls of Jericho fell after they had been encircled for seven days. By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had received the spies in peace.

And what more should I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets-- who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, won strength out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received their dead by resurrection. Others were tortured, refusing to accept release, in order to obtain a better resurrection. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned to death, they were sawn in two, they were killed by the sword; they went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, persecuted, tormented-- of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.

Yet all these, though they were commended for their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better so that they would not, apart from us, be made perfect.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.

Luke 12:49-56 (NRSV)

Jesus said, "I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what stress I am under until it is completed! Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division! From now on five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three; they will be divided:

father against son

and son against father,

mother against daughter

and daughter against mother,

mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law

and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law."

He also said to the crowds, "When you see a cloud rising in the west, you immediately say, `It is going to rain'; and so it happens. And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, `There will be scorching heat'; and it happens. You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?"

Blog Reflection

Well, Jesus' claim to fame for bringing peace to the Church and world just went out the window.   Forget about all that talk of the God of peace or even justice, because, Jesus here is saying that is not why He came.  Whatever hope you had for peace through Jesus, I guess it is not going to happen.

Is the problem with Jesus, or is it our understanding of the word peace as Jesus uses it means?  What kind of peace is Jesus talking about that appears to be suggesting that we will be in conflict with even our own families because of Him?

My husband Jason and I have many interesting conversations.  Just this afternoon on our way home from attending Mass, we got into a conversation about what are some of the most tiny matters of faith that have played their role in the divisions within the Christian Church.  We can go back as far as the Book of Acts and see that even then, the Church had disagreements with regards to whether the new Christians should have to live by the tenants of the Jewish law (See Acts 15).  Peter and Paul had their disagreements over what was to be the response to faith in Jesus Christ, and the requirement of circumcision to be included in the Church (See Galatians 2).   The Church has seen divisions over issues such as whether Peter is the first Pope and left successors.  Another example is the centuries old debate between the Western and Eastern Church concerning how the Filioque clause in the Nicene Creed should be worded.  The matter of whether the elements of Holy Communion become the actual Body and Blood of Christ by transubstantiation, consubstantiation, are the Real Presence, or they are only symbolic remains a strong point of conflict for Christians.   While there has been much heart ache and bloodshed over many of these matters, none has brought nearly as much as the debate over whether the Bible is the "infallible Word of God,"  the "inerrant Word of God," the "inspired Word of God," or none of the above.   The present debates over everything from women's ordination, marriage equality, health care, climate change, the role of the secular government, and even weapons regulation are being argued on the grounds of how each side of those arguments interprets the Sacred Scriptures.  

Yet, there is one argument that is missing from them all.  A point that is so crucial to what it means to live a Christian life, that it has yet to be brought up, let alone listened to.  Let me see if I can make that point while giving some thought to "who said anything about peace?".

There was a man born about the year 480.   He was born of a noble family, and had many prestigious opportunities before him.  Yet, during his college education, he found the life around his friends and culture so falling apart, that he abandoned everything and fled to a cave in Subiaco, Italy.  There he spent 3 years mediating on the Scriptures, and how he should respond to what the Holy Spirit was saying to him, and his life.  He was soon found, and many became so interested in what he was doing, that they wanted to follow his way of life.  His only close companion at that point, was a Priest named Roman who made sure he had food, water and basic needs.  He established a monastery there at Subiaco, and eventually went on to make a new community at Monte Cassino.  There, St. Benedict wrote his Rule that was a combination of the works of St. Basil the Great, St. John Cassian and others, and became a document that would last over 1500 years as Rules and other Monastic and Religious orders came and went.  Through the influence of communities established under the Rule of Benedict long after his death, through out Europe, came not only monasteries, but school, universities of higher learning, houses, infrastructure and among many things, the Anglican Communion.  Yet, for Benedict and those who still live by The Rule in whatever kind of community they observe it in, there remains his one motto: Peace.

What Benedict did, and what Jesus Christ called people to, was a life of searching for union with God through prayer and relationships with one another, to the point, that all people are to be honored as Christ, Himself.  What is missing from the many discussions around politics where religion is playing a key role in the debate, is how do we help, treat and meet Jesus Christ in those around us who are different from ourselves?  One thing that Jesus never said in all of His many sermons and prayers, was that His followers were to proselytize, to the point of destroying every other religion, sexual orientation, culture, gender, gender identity/expression, government, etc, so that it mirrored the Caucasian, Western European, male, straight, Christian dominionist model.  That was not the peace or the Gospel that Jesus Christ preached or practiced.    

Jesus said that we know how to read signs in the earth and sky, but we do not read the signs of the times.  God's Reign, is about having a peace in our lives, that is prepared to give everything up and follow Jesus Christ in His way of extending hospitality, reconciliation and healing among the lost, oppressed, hopeless and those pushed aside by violence and prejudice.  Jesus says that His way will cause conflict, because we will need to be ready to decide if setting aside our own biases to respond to the needs of the poor, sick, needy, friendless to find Jesus Christ there, and serve Him there with complete abandonment to our own will. We are called to serve in loving obedience, by serving God in all people, in all places and in all situations.  At times making such decisions will cause us conflicts within our own family and/or circle of friends.  It will stretch our comfort zones and those of others as we reach out with compassion and understanding, those whom many would prefer to remain anonymous and helpless.  Sometimes that someone will be a member of our own family, other times it will be someone we have never met before.

The decision to come out as someone who is lesbian,gay, bisexual, transgender and/or queer is one that is about following the will of God.  Many of us who have come out, experienced the loss of relationships with parents, relatives and our closest friends, because we found God's peace in being who we really are, while their understanding of the Bible says that we should be changed.   Yet, for many of us, continuing to lie to ourselves and others we love, was no longer an option.  As we developed our relationship with God, others and ourselves we discovered that what people understood the Bible to mean about being LGBT, was not only untrue, but it was down right wrong.   To lie to ourselves and others, was to do violence to ourselves, our families, but also to others who are experiencing prejudice and cruelty because of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity/expression.

What are some ways in which Jesus might be calling us to live His meaning of peace?

A couple of suggestions that I would give include being very concerned and raising our voices over the horrendous violence to LGBT people in Russia, Uganda and many countries and States.   To pray for and to call for an end to the violence that is killing Christians in Egypt.  To pray for, and call for an ending to religious based violence towards women, Muslims, Jews and people of other religions, or those who chose no religion.  That we do our part to work for justice for the disabled, the sick, the unemployed, those experience economic hardship because of the sequester, and facing the issues around racism and immigration reform.  

As long as these and others live with injustice, oppression and exclusion, who said anything about living in a world of peace?    May those who claim to be Christians never be at peace with such oppression, until we have with the help of the Holy Spirit done our part to change the world to truly be God's Reign of peace for all humankind.

Amen.


Prayers

Almighty God, you have given your only Son to be for us a
sacrifice for sin, and also an example of godly life: Give us
grace to receive thankfully the fruits of this redeeming work,
and to follow daily in the blessed steps of his most holy life;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
Amen. (Proper 15, Book of Common Prayer, p. 232).


Gracious Father, we pray for thy 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 thy Son our Savior. Amen. (Prayer for the Church, Book of Common Prayer, p.816).


Grant, O God, that your holy and life-giving Spirit may so
move every human heart [and especially the hearts of the
people of this land], that barriers which divide us may
crumble, suspicions disappear, and hatreds cease; that our
divisions being healed, we may live in justice and peace;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.  (Prayer for Social Justice, Book of Common Prayer, p.823).

The Conversion of St. Paul: Understanding Conversion as a Means, Not an End.

Today's Scripture Readings

Acts 26:9-21 (NRSV)

Paul said to King Agrippa, "Indeed, I myself was convinced that I ought to do many things against the name of Jesus of Nazareth. And that is what I did in Jerusalem; with authority received from the chief priests, I not only locked up many of the saints in prison, but I also cast my vote against them when they were being condemned to death. By punishing them often in all the synagogues I tried to force them to blaspheme; and since I was so furiously enraged at them, I pursued them even to foreign cities.

"With this in mind, I was traveling to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests, when at midday along the road, your Excellency, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and my companions. When we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, `Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It hurts you to kick against the goads.' I asked, `Who are you, Lord?' The Lord answered, `I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. But get up and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you to serve and testify to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you. I will rescue you from your people and from the Gentiles-- to whom I am sending you to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.'

"After that, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout the countryside of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God and do deeds consistent with repentance. For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me."

Galatians 1:11-24 (NRSV)

I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel that was proclaimed by me is not of human origin; for I did not receive it from a human source, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.

You have heard, no doubt, of my earlier life in Judaism. I was violently persecuting the church of God and was trying to destroy it. I advanced in Judaism beyond many among my people of the same age, for I was far more zealous for the traditions of my ancestors. But when God, who had set me apart before I was born and called me through his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, so that I might proclaim him among the Gentiles, I did not confer with any human being, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were already apostles before me, but I went away at once into Arabia, and afterwards I returned to Damascus.

Then after three years I did go up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and stayed with him fifteen days; but I did not see any other apostle except James the Lord's brother. In what I am writing to you, before God, I do not lie! Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia, and I was still unknown by sight to the churches of Judea that are in Christ; they only heard it said, "The one who formerly was persecuting us is now proclaiming the faith he once tried to destroy." And they glorified God because of me.

Matthew 10:16-22 (NRSV)

Jesus said to the twelve, "See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of them, for they will hand you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues; and you will be dragged before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them and the Gentiles. When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you at that time; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; and you will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved."

Blog Reflection

The problems I have with how the Conversion of St. Paul is told in Acts Chapter 9 along with many of his letters throughout the New Testament, is that the work of God appears to be an end in and of itself.  When reading the stories about and letters by St. Paul at face value, without taking some time to understand their meaning and apply some critical thinking to what we are reading, a more literary reading appears to back up the whole "born again" idea. The "born again" ideal adopted by many Christianists and not too few Christians of varying backgrounds, carries with it the particular danger of assuming that because God has saved us, there is nothing more to be done. It is quite okay that we submit ourselves to a culture of exploitation, where the wealth of a few is more important than the common good of all people.  After all, if God has saved us, we can just flip the bird to the needs of others around us, sit back and let everything else including our own sense of responsibility towards the presence of Christ in others, just go the way of all flesh.

This kind of reaction suggests that conversion as an end in and of itself.  One that does not convey an encounter with Christ in a way that is continuing to change our lives by a daily relationship between God and us.  It has only changed us from the point of recognizing and loving the God we cannot see, while failing to reverence and love the presence of the risen Christ in our sisters and brothers before our very eyes.  St. John alluded to this in 1 John 4: 17-21.  As did St. Paul in Romans 12: 9-21, 1 Corinthians 7 as well as Galatians 5 and 6.   It is much easier to use the Bible and the basics of our Christian Faith with it's doctrines as weapons of mass destruction, than to create an atmosphere of mutual love and respect for people who are different from ourselves without casting a huge cloud of fear of the ever allusive end of time.

Film producer Macky Alston has been working on "Love Free or Die" to appear on Sundance.  It is the story about the life and ministry of Bishop Gene Robinson.  The film will talk about how Bishop Robinson's work in the Diocese of New Hampshire which has been nothing but outstanding, has also been the source of unending tension within the Anglican Communion.  An article about Love Free or Die appeared in The Salt Lake Tribune. As soon as Macky Alston's story about his passion for creating the film appeared on YouTube, immediately in the comments below it has appeared some of the most vicious assaults on The Episcopal Church, on Bishop Robinson and those of us who love and appreciate all that the Bishop has done on behalf of LGBT people all over the world.  One of them in particular quoting the following Bible verse. "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil, that put darkness for light, and light for darkness, that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!" Isaiah 5:20.  Such poor use of the writings of the Prophet Isaiah not only demonstrates serious violence, but an encounter with Christ that has been deemed itself a counterfeit by being very self centered.

The same case can also be made by Christianists and other individuals responding negatively to President Obama's State of the Union Address.   I am frustrated with the extreme right that continues to bash the President with under currents of racism, while negatively referring to his policies as socialism.  Socialism is a means by which we understand that taking care of our sisters and brothers in the middle and lower social classes is taking care of ourselves.  We are all connected to each other.  We all need the help of one another to find work, receive help so we can go to the doctor, help children get nutrition while they are attending school and help them get a good education.   I am equally disappointed by those few progressives and our own LGBT people who are angry that President Obama invited a lesbian couple to be in attendance of the SOTU Address, but only mentioned the word gay once.  Are we really that quick to forget the Presidents who came before Obama who not only failed to enact legislation that benefited the LGBT communities, but also did not hire LGBT people into their Administrations to show that we are as capable at fulfilling our jobs with love for our country as much as anyone else?   President Obama has made those efforts and done them successfully.  Often in the face of horrible backlash, even risking his reputation as a leader among social conservatives for having done so.  Does our responses to the SOTU reflect a thankful heart for the progress made, with the commitment to keep on working?  Or do they reflect an only self seeking form of inclusion, without being willing to include ourselves in the work of justice, equality and hope for a brighter future for everyone, not just ourselves?

Conversion is not just a blast of divine energy that knocks us off the horse as St. Paul experienced.  It is the continual conversation between the Holy Spirit with ourselves and our communities around us.  Conversion is an ever moving and energizing event that turns the ordinary activities of each day and moment, into opportunities to help ourselves and others grow in our attentiveness to God in every place and activity in our daily lives.  It is the experience of the Holy Spirit who intercedes for us "with sighs that are too deep for words" (Romans 8:26) moving our hearts to forgive as well as to welcome and be participants in God's work of healing and reconciliation in our world. 

Whether our experiences of God are like the Confession of St. Peter which we celebrated last Wednesday, or more like the Conversion of St. Paul, God is at work in each of us doing something wonderful.  But confessions and conversions are just abstract words and experiences, unless they are reflected in the prayers and activities of our daily life.  We have to let go of our prejudices towards Muslims, Jews, Native Americans, Immigrants, the poor, the sick, the dying, LGBT, women and so many more.  We have to allow our Mother the Holy Spirit to transform us and our own lives, to become the real face of God transforming the world around us.

This is what I believe is the real message of the Conversion of St. Paul and the letters he wrote.  His conversion and his writings reflect an encounter with the crucified and risen Christ in his own life that results in a deep hunger to become a transforming agent in the world around him.  Even with the prejudices and limitations of his own culture and those found within himself.   God still does something wonderful and influential in and through St. Paul. 

Even with everything that is as imperfect as it is, we in no means should justify any of it, nor stop speaking up or being activists for change, but we are invited to make a contribution as a result of the transforming power of God by making choices about what we do in the here and now.  Understanding that conversion is a means, not an end.  There is always more work for God and us to do.


Prayers

O God, by the preaching of your apostle Paul you have caused the light of the Gospel to shine throughout the world: Grant, we pray, that we, having his wonderful conversion in remembrance, may show ourselves thankful to you by following his holy teaching; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.  (Conversion of St. Paul, Book of Common Prayer, p. 238, 239).

Give us grace, O Lord, to answer readily the call of our
Savior Jesus Christ and proclaim to all people the Good News
of his salvation, that we and the whole world may perceive
the glory of his marvelous works; who lives and reigns with
you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Prayer for the Third Sunday after the Epiphany, p. 215).

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). 

Fourth Sunday After Pentecost: Planting Seeds of Justice and Inclusion

The readings for this Sunday's Liturgy of the Word are filled with images of seeds, rain, sowers and the soil itself.  Traditionally these images are interpreted as meaning that the "seed" that is spoken of is the Holy Bible.  The result of such interpretations is that the Bible is the "truth in print" and therefore those who translate the Scriptures literally to mean exclusion are doing the right thing.

In our reflection we will take a small journey together to look at how the Scripture that Christians hold tight to has it's human flaws and therefore cannot be taken more seriously than the life lived by God's perfect revelation of Self in Jesus.



Scriptural Basis

Isaiah 55:10-13 (NRSV)

As the rain and the snow come down from heaven,

and do not return there until they have watered the earth,

making it bring forth and sprout,

giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,

so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;

it shall not return to me empty,

but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,

and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

For you shall go out in joy,

and be led back in peace;

the mountains and the hills before you

shall burst into song,

and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress;

instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle;

and it shall be to the LORD for a memorial,

for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.

Matthew 13:1-9,18-23 (NRSV)

Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: "Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Let anyone with ears listen!"

"Hear then the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty."

Out in Scripture suggests:

God, previously seen as oppressive in allowing the exile, is now presented as the one who liberates from it. Here God’s purposes expressed through God’s word center on life and hope. The exiles are challenged to hold on. They are promised return to their land and the abundant, extravagant, flourishing of all creation. There are no boundaries to God’s goodness, including LGBT communities.  No matter what, all belong in God’s life-giving purposes. The affirmation of God’s faithfulness emerges from their lived experience.

Christianists often make the presumption that because of a sexual orientation and/or gender identity/expression that is different, that somehow the individual(s) has/have "chosen" a life apart from God's creative and redemptive grace.

Sexual orientation and gender identity/expression comes from the soul of who a person is. Lesbian, gay, straight, pansexual, metro-sexual a-sexual, bisexual, single gender minded or transgender are all part of God's creative natural law. The soul God gives to each individual is a divine gift out of love with love as it's ultimate purpose and destiny.   That love was not created and sent with the purpose of being worthless or left on the margins of society or the Church.   It is a love given to love freely and openly.  To give as well as receive.

LGBT people seek those communities and opportunities to be able to live out their expressions of love without being scandalized by false information and senseless acts of violence.  The very freedom God offers through this word that is written about is for all people.  Not just a selected few because religion, race, culture, sexual and gender diversity, language, etc.

In the Gospel of Matthew Jesus is telling a parable. Jesus wants those listening to create a picture in their minds.  The problem with this Gospel is that it was written after the disciples would have told their stories to others, who would have retold those stories.   So, it is not at all certain that every word, meaning and conversation is really as is, but most likely is someone's translation.  Yet, what we have is not without it's applicable meaning.

Again, Christianists and those who propose an exclusionary and psycho-pathetic understanding of God, use this Gospel to suggest that if we do not hear the "infallible word of God" as such, and transcribe that into some kind of political and social enterprise by which Christianity conquers all other religions, cultures and so on, then someone has done something wrong.  A careful reading of this Gospel with some realistic understandings will suggest that exclusion is far from it's meaning.

Included within this story is a variety of people and abilities to hear and understand what God is saying.  No two people hearing the "seed that is the word" are alike. In some cases, even those that appear irrelevant, the seeds were used to do something that inspired others to think or act. Contrary to what we may think the texts are saying, those that were not planted on a particular kind of soil were not totally lost causes. Nor were they without some kind of hope.

Out in Scripture offers some additional thoughts for us to consider.

Matthew 13:3-9, 18-23 urges readers to have “understanding” or discerning “ears.” Crucial to the parable is hearing or discerning what God is like and how God acts. The parable describes God’s indiscriminate sowing or reaching out to all people, as well as the abundant, extravagant, fruitful life that follows for those who continue in relationship with God. Often distorted hearing or “closed ears” hatefully try to restrict God’s sowing by declaring exclusions from God’s work. But the parable’s reference to “hundredfold” yield offers a much bigger and more beautiful vision.

For LGBT communities, the parable points not just to “coming out” but to an abundant and fruitful life marked by, among other things, a radical inclusivity that transcends all boundaries, as well as by joy and celebration. Seeds need to be resilient to grow. But they have to move beyond survival to fruitfulness or flourishing. Discerning ears participate with wonder and awe in the goodness of God’s abundant ways.   

I would like to add to this the idea that those who were "scorched because they had no root" could very easily refer to those who interpret the word by their own literal interpretation.  Rather than applying it to an opportunity to better all people, such individuals root their meanings and action in capitalistic enterprises that are created to encourage hate and horrible violence.  

LGBT people and many others who are marginalized by society and the Church are in such great positions to be that good soil, that brings forth a hundred fold good. Because we have experienced stigmatization we know what it is to search for healing and company from others who are like us and find those who are angry and unforgiving.  We are able to understand and even become agents of healing and reconciliation where possible.

Some of the best stories told that move the hearts and minds of people, are those told by individuals wounded by oppression and violent rhetoric/behavior yet hold strong to their faith or even help to build new communities.  This kind of thing cannot be overlooked nor should it be.   

The story of a mother and father about their gay son who died in Afghanastan, who now use their experience and voices to raise awareness about the need for full equality for LGBT people do so much good for so many people.  

How could we have learned the dangers of HIV/AIDS if those affected by the disease did not come forward and show us through their suffering and even deaths, that something in our world needs to change?

Without the stories and example of a woman named Rev. Irene Monroe, we would never know what the experience of being a liberal, black, feminist, lesbian street preacher is like.

If Bishop Gene Robinson had not been elected and ordained as Bishop of New Hampshire, his experiences and devotion would not be known.  His work on behalf of LGBT people in the Anglican Communion and around the world would not be the wonderful work of the Holy Spirit that it is.

If those first protesters at Stonewall or Harvey Milk did not raise up and begin a movement, we might not have a movement towards full equality for LGBT people today.

All these things and many more happened, because someone knew the goodness of being LGBT and it was time to tell others what it is all about.  And help others understand the importance of marriage equality, the ending of Don't Ask, Don't Tell.  The ordination of LGBT individuals as Bishops, Priests, Deacons and local parish community leaders. 

I really do believe that the word that longs to take root in Christians, is not so much a book over 2 millenia old.  But the word that Jesus wants to take root and grow is a love for one another, and willingness to include and serve all people.  Not just those few that appeal to our senses.  The word that wants to grow and bear fruit is the ministry of radical hospitality and reconciliation.  A word by which no one person or group dominates another financially, politically, socially or as a matter of religion.  A word that sees all humankind as connected one to another.  To seek the goodwill and a better tomorrow for the benefit of all.  

When?  Oh when will that word take root, be nurtured, grow and bear fruit?  Who will be the first to accept that word and pass the goodness of the fruit around?  

Prayers

O Lord, mercifully receive the prayers of your people who call upon you, and grant that they may know and understand what things they ought to do, and also may have grace and power faithfully to accomplish them; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Proper 10, Book of Common Prayer, page 231).

Gracious God, 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).

Gracious God, the Power of all be-ings,
    Help us believe that
    you are the One who shields our heart
          against despair,
          against hopelessness,
          against turning cold,
          against indifference.
     Grant us the two beautiful companions of Hope:
          the sacred Anger that things are the way they are, and
          the Courage to make them the way they ought to be.
     In the name of the One who shows us
          the spirit of deep compassion and justice.
          Amen.  (Prayerfully Out in Scripture). 

Second Sunday of Lent: Are We Born Again, and Again, and Again? Enough Already?

The Gospel text for this weekend is one that is used and used and used again by evangelistic and fundamentalist preachers.  Billy Graham used it at his crusades.  Every television evangelist including the late Jerry Falwell, the present living James Dobson, D. James Kennedy and every preacher in between and beyond has used this Gospel.

The fact that it is used as much as it is, and to attempt to change lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning and queer people, means that there needs to be some revisiting to the text.  To see what it is really saying.  Not just to those few people who use it to abuse people.  But to see what Jesus is really inviting Nicodemus and all of us to consider.

Scriptural Basis

John 3:1-17

There was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. He came to Jesus by night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God." Jesus answered him, "Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above." Nicodemus said to him, "How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother's womb and be born?" Jesus answered, "Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be astonished that I said to you, 'You must be born from above.' The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit." Nicodemus said to him, "How can these things be?" Jesus answered him, "Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?

 "Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.  

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.

"Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him."

Blog Reflection


Last night I came across a blog post in the most strangest of places.  The news blog World News Daily is known for their anti-gay, anti-liberal attacks on any group that does not agree with them.   So it was quite a shock to open up the following blog story that was referred to on World News Daily, but began in Beliefnet.comBeliefnet.org.

"How I Went From Here to There: Same Sex Marriage Blogalogue."

Rod as I mentioned to you in an email, I thought it might be interesting to start our same sex marriage blogalogue by telling a bit of our stories -- about how we came to our respective positions on the issue.  So, here's my story.  I'm looking forward to meeting you at lunch tomorrow.

I have a couple of vivid memories of the family room -- we called it the "TV room" -- in the house in which we lived until I was nine.  The first was asking my mom about streaking, right during the streaking boom of 1974 -- that would have made me six-years-old.  I think I'd heard the song, "The Streak."  Having been a student at UC-Berkeley in the mid-60s, my mom was quite familiar with nudity on campus (ahem, witnessing it, not participating in it; her senior year roommate was a nudist).

The second is a similar memory.  I don't know what I was watching with my younger brother, Andrew, but the word "gay" was used.  I remember walking into the kitchen, my brother trailing me, and asking my mom what "gay" meant.

It must have been one of those moments when a parent instinctively knows that it's time for a sit-down chat, and that's exactly what she did.  I don't remember exactly how she explained same-sex love to us, but I do vividly remember one thing she said.  "Tony and Andrew," she said, looking at us intently, "I want you to know that your father and I will still love you no matter whom you love.  And you can always bring home, to our house, anyone you love."

I suppose what struck my seven-or-eight-year-old self was that her statement implied that there were families in which being gay was not acceptable, in which family members were not necessarily allowed to bring home the person they loved, particularly if the lovers were of the same gender.

From there, I didn't think much about homosexuality for many years.  I didn't know any gay kids in junior high or high school -- well, at least I didn't know any who admitted they were gay -- the Edina, Minnesota of my youth wasn't the most diverse community.

Of course, I did have gay friends, and I didn't know it.  My best friend in 9th grade, for instance, was constantly being called "fag" by others in the junior high.  I didn't think much of it, since Steve seemed not much different than I.  We spent most of our time together at church, and we were both considered leaders in the youth group.

I lost touch with Steve during high school.  Years later, our junior high pastor, Paul, told me that Steve had recently died of AIDS.  Paul reached out to Steve's family to offer condolences and offer to perform the memorial service, but Steve's dad responded to Paul with vehement anger. He told Paul that he blamed Steve's death on the church and that he would never step foot in a church again."

As amazing as this story is, the comments that follow the blog are intriguing to say the least..  Two comments giving a positive view to what is written in this article. Two additional comments suggesting that the individual who has moved from an anti-gay marriage opinion to a more accepting of gay marriage view is somehow "sick" and even "deranged."

The Gospel story of the conversation between Nicodemus and Jesus narrates for us a life changing event for Nicodemus.  The "being born from above" that Jesus mentions, is made clearer in his statement about "being born of water and the Spirit."  Jesus is clearly talking about Baptism here.  The Sacrament of initiation into the company of the Christian Faith.  It is in that Sacrament that we share in the death and resurrection of Jesus as is referenced to in Romans 6: 1-4.

For Episcopalians, the Sacrament of Baptism is preceded by a covenant of vows through which we are asked to "continue in the apostle's teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and in the prayers."  To "persevere in resisting evil and whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord."  To "proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ."  To "seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself."  And, to "strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being."   To each of these questions we respond: "We (I) will, with God's help." (See the Book of Common Prayer, pages 293, 294).

Our Baptism is a once in a lifetime event, but one thing we can see from recommitting ourselves to the Baptismal Covenant every time we have a Baptism, especially at the Great Vigil of Easter, I think it is correct to say that we are to be reborn from above all throughout our lives.  We may not go back into the waters of Baptism again and again, but we can return to, and recommit ourselves to the vows of our Baptismal Covenant as often as necessary. 

Whenever we experience a conversion in our lives and understand something we did not before, there is a kind of being born again experience that comes with it.  I believe that we are born again in Baptism. I believe we are also born again, again, and again and any time God reveals something to us that changes our lives.

I believe that coming out as a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning or queer person is a born again process. Any time we move from a place where we keep our true selves locked up to a place of self acceptance and finally allowing ourselves to love as we were created to love others, we have a born again experience.

I believe that moving from an anti-LGBTQ perspective as a Christian to an accepting individual of LGBTQ people is also a process of being born again.    When individuals move from an attitude of prejudice to a sense of accepting and loving individuals who are different than ourselves, we have experienced a grace-filled born again moment.  The Holy Spirit has been busy at work.

As whole church bodies such as the Episcopal Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and others have moved from anti-LGBT to pro-LGBT, those church bodies have had born again experiences.

Born again experiences can be individual or communal events.

I also believe that as LGBTQ people we need to be open to God's Spirit as she leads us to reform our lives.  Our coming out as LGBTQ people is a new beginning and one that can have dire consequences at one point or another.  At some point though, the Holy Spirit wants to call us to grow as LGBTQ people in ways that will challenge and inspire us and others.  To realize that all of gay life is not found in the bars, parties or even the Pride parades as glorious as they are.  A true LGBTQ life that finds meaning and hope, is one that seeks to share the gift of love that we find in and for ourselves, with someone so uniquely amazing that we want to spend the rest of our lives with that person.  A Christian way to live the LGBT life, is to live it, loving other people in the way that God has created and redeemed us to love.  We can be thankful for the gift of our sexual orientation and/or gender identity/expression, by loving others who are often thought to be unlovable.  We can grow past our own prejudices and sometimes painful memories and ask God for the grace to forgive and move on.

Are we born again, and again, and again?  Enough already?  I hope not.  Because there is so much good that God wants to do in and through us if only we will remember that God so loved the world (including LGBTQ people) that God sent God's Son in to the world.  So that everyone who believes in God's Son may not perish, but have eternal life.   For God did not send God's Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through God's Son might be saved.

I hope we have never had enough of being born again, so that we may be transformed again and again by those famous words.  Amen.

Prayers

O God, whose glory it is always to have mercy: Be gracious to all who have gone astray from your ways, and bring them again with penitent hearts and steadfast faith to embrace and hold fast the unchangeable truth of your Word, Jesus Christ your Son; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Collect for the Second Sunday of Lent, Book of Common Prayer, page 218).

Just as I am, without one plea,
But that thy blood was shed for me,
And that thou bidd'st me to come to thee,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, though tossed about,
With many a conflict, many a doubt;
Fightings and fears with in, with out,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, thy love unknown
has broken every barrier down;
now to be thine, yeah, thine alone,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come. 
(Hymnal 1982, #693).

St. Cyril of Jerusalem: The Author of Lent and Holy Week Liturgies

Scriptural Basis


Luke 24:44-48


Jesus said to his disciples, "These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you-- that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled." Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things."
Blog Reflection

Cyril is the one we have most to thank for the development of catechetical instruction and liturgical observances during Lent and Holy Week. Born in Jerusalem about 315, Cyril became bishop of that city probably in 349. In the course of political and ecclesiastical disputes, he was banished and restored three times. His Catechetical Lectures on the Christian faith, given before Easter to candidates for Baptism, were probably written by him sometime between 348 and 350.

The work consists of an introductory lecture, or Procatechesis, and eighteen Catecheses based upon the articles of the creed of the Church at Jerusalem. All these lectures (the earliest catechetical materials surviving today) may have been used many times over by Cyril and his successors, and considerably revised in the process. They were probably part of the pre-baptismal instruction that Egeria, a pilgrim nun from western Europe, witnessed at Jerusalem in the fourth century and described with great enthusiasm in the account of her pilgrimage. Many of the faithful would also attend these instructions.

Cyril’s five Mystagogical Catecheses on the Sacraments, intended for the newly baptized after Easter, are now thought to have been composed, or at least revised, by John, Cyril’s successor as Bishop of Jerusalem from 386 to 417.

It is likely that it was Cyril who instituted the observances of Palm Sunday and Holy Week during the latter years of his episcopate in Jerusalem. In doing so, he was taking practical steps to organize devotions for countless pilgrims and local inhabitants around the sacred sites. In time, as pilgrims returned to their homes from Palestine, these services were to influence the development of Holy Week observances throughout the entire Church. Cyril attended the Second Ecumenical Council at Constantinople, in 381, and died at Jerusalem on March 18, 386.

Cyril’s thought has greatly enriched the observance of Holy Week in the 1979 Book of Common Prayer. (Taken from Holy Women, Holy Men, Celebrating the Saints, page 274)

The season of Lent, Holy Week and Easter are more about our Baptism and the other Sacraments..  During Lent as we go through our fasting, acts of abstinence, prayer and alms giving, or doing things that help us build on our faith, what we are actually doing is deepening our commitment to our Baptismal Covenant. See the Book of Common Prayer pages 292-294. 

Because we are all human, we mess up.  All of us at one time or another struggle to keep the ideals of what we believe as Christians in our hearts, minds and actions.  We all need a tune-up. 

The things that happen in our lives can really stink.

What Jesus did in his death and resurrection was to help us know that no matter what we do, there is a way to return to God and receive the merciful and forgiving grace to begin over again.   The word repentance means to turn away and do something new.

We know as human beings our intention to turn away and do something new is there, until a moment comes when we are once again tempted by the need to focus on ourselves rather than God or someone else.  The Lent, Holy Week and Easter celebrations reminds us that we can always turn back and try again.  

We owe thanks to St. Cyril of Jerusalem for authoring the beautiful Liturgical celebrations that usher new individuals into the fellowship of God's Church.   Those liturgical celebrations help those of us who have been in the Church for a longer period of time remember that we never out grow our need for the transforming grace of God. 

The transforming grace of God that we are experiencing during these days of Lent, can also help us to better understand what our Baptismal Covenant calls us to. 

Shortly after I attended Creating Change 2011 I reworded the description of this blog to what it now says: "I am a gay Episcopalian who believes that to fulfill the vows of our Baptismal Covenant to "strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human person" we must pray and work together to achieve the full inclusion and equality of all marginalized persons including LGBTQ people in the church and society.  The Episcopal Church's three legged stool of Scripture, Tradition and Reason will be part of each blog meditation to inspire our movement."

Why do I think what I have said in that blog description is important?

Because when I read a story on a blog like JoeMyGod by Joe Jervis about a 28 year old guy who has been arrested because he confessed that he stoned an elderly gay man to death because the "Bible says so", I believe Christians are missing what our Baptismal Covenant is about.  

Our Baptismal Covenant and Christian Faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus is not a license to excuse or provoke such violence.   Yet there are many Christianist churches and groups that feel that the Bible is their reason to scapegoat, discriminate and if necessary kill with every justification. 

There are Christianists who feel that the Bible alone with the philosophy of literal interpretation, without attention to over 500 years of critical scholarship with attention to language, culture, history and application, means that they must oppose the rights and opportunities for LGBT people to marry the person they love.   And there are those who will kill in order to make their case.  There are those who will justify homicide for those who support marriage equality.  And claim that their faith was the reason.

This is not the message of Christianity.  This is not the message of the Bible.  This is not Christianity being the reason for such violence.  This is how individual people use the Christian religion and our sacred text as their reason for these horrific attitudes and actions.  Such is not what our Baptismal Covenant is about.

There are those who also feel that the Christian religion justifies political corruption if necessary to get their way.  To be prejudice towards another person because of their race, class, culture, skin color, gender, religion, economic status, health status etc is what the holy text of the Bible tells them to do. 

To help some understand better what the Bible is and is not, I suggest my readers also check out a terrific article by Kristin M. Swenson that appeared in the Huffington Post entitled: Five Things Everyone Should Know About the Bible.

Lent offers Christians the opportunity to put the Gospel perspective back in to our faith.  The Liturgies of Lent, Holy Week and Easter remind us what is the reason we value the dignity of every human person as we do. 

We value the dignity and integrity of every human person, because God has valued all of us.  God loves all of us just as we are and through Jesus has redeemed all of us to one day share eternal life with God forever.  It is through the mysteries that we will celebrate during Holy Week and Easter, that we have the reassurance that our Faith calls on us to regard every human person as deserving justice and inclusion. 

Prayers

Strengthen, O Lord, the bishops of your Church in their special calling to be teachers and ministers of the Sacraments, so that they, like your servant Cyril of Jerusalem, may effectively instruct your people in Christian faith and practice; and that we, taught by them, may enter more fully into the celebration of the Paschal mystery; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Collect for St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Holy Women, Holy Men, Celebrating the Saints, page 275).


Almighty God, whose most dear Son went not up to joy but first he suffered pain, and entered not into glory before he was crucified: Mercifully grant that we, walking in the way of the cross, may find it none other than the way of life and peace; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord. Amen. (Collect for Fridays, Book of Common Prayer, page 99).