All Saints Sunday: What Is Holding Us Back?

Today's Scripture Readings

Revelation 7:9-17 (NRSV)

After this I, John, looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands. They cried out in a loud voice, saying,

"Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!" And all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God,singing,

"Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.

"Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, "Who are these, robed in white, and where have they come from? "I said to him, "Sir, you are the one that knows. " Then he said to me, "These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

For this reason they are before the throne of God, and worship him day and night within his temple, and the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them. They will hunger no more, and thirst no more; the sun will not strike them, nor any scorching heat; for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of the water of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."

Psalm 34:1-10, 22 (BCP., p.627)


1 John 3:1-3 (NRSV)

See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God's children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is. And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.

 Matthew 5:1-12 (NRSV)

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

"Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

"Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. 

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. 

"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

"Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. 

Announcement

 

I have begun a new daily blog entitled Simple Reflections for A Deeper Spiritual Life.  My readers are welcome to click on that title and read the new blog.   I will continue to write this blog for Sundays and Holy Days.   Thank you for reading.   I hope you will continue reading here and at Simple Reflections.

 

 

Blog Reflection 

 

Thomas Keating in his book: The Mystery of Christ: The Liturgy as Spiritual Experience writes the following.

The beginning of the Sermon on the Mount contains a number of affirmations called the beatitudes that summarize Jesus' teaching about the truth nature of happiness. 

Hence, the emphasis in Jesus' ministry on repentance, which means "change the direction in which you are looking for happiness."  The beatitudes came out of the heart of Jesus when he looked at the multitudes  that were following him and realized with infinite compassion that "they were like sheep without a shepherd,"  all going their own way - that is, nowhere at a great rate.  "Jetting to nowhere" summarizes in modern language the projects of the first three energy centers.  The beatitudes give us some insight into how to dismantle them and to move toward true happiness (pages 94-95).

As Anglicans and Episcopalians, we believe in the world wide Communion of Saints.  Our believe is that "all saints" means exactly that.  All are saints with the potential for sainthood in the Reign of God in the here and now.  We are all part of that multitude that is beyond count in the Revelation of John. What makes us saints is the work of the grace of God in our lives.  As God's holy people, we are empowered by God's Holy Spirit live into an authentic expression of our Baptismal Vows to make a difference in the Church and society.

 

The Saints that have made up the Tradition of the Church were imperfect women and men just like we are.  They faced insurmountable challenges to live their faith while making many mistakes due to their own biases because of misinformation.  Yet, Jesus Christ was their Lord and Savior as He is ours.   It was because of the redemption brought by the Paschal Mystery of Christ that they contributed to the evolving truth about Jesus and the Church.  That same mystery of salvation empowers us today, in this moment, in this place, for the purpose in which we are right now; as we are enriched by "the great cloud of witnesses" (Hebrews 12:1) that continue to give us an example of how to live holy lives.    

I believe the readings for All Saints Day point us to what being a Saint is about.  They tell us that the path to true happiness so as to follow Jesus; is about recognizing our need for God if we are to find fulfillment in our lives.   It is about recognizing the presence of Christ in all persons, and surrendering ourselves to God's will by trusting in God even when nothing in life seems to make sense.  It is in those moments that the unconditional and all inclusive love of God is never far away.  God is always reaching out to and for us through others.   How ready are we to respond to God?

Our world is riddled with violence, depression, darkness, prejudice and injustice.  None of it is of God's doing or making.  I do not agree with those who interpret Job 1 to suggest that "nothing evil happens to us that has not first passed through the throne of God."   Yet, God works God's will for our best interests through all of these things.  

 

Through the evil of racism for example, God inspired individuals like Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King to rise up in civil disobedience to make the case that African Americans should not be regarded as second class citizens.   The families of Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown and those who want justice for their deaths carry on the legacy of the civil rights movement today.

 

A few individuals at Stonewall in 1969 rose up to say no to the police brutality of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people; and so began the movement towards a greater equality under the law.  Their historical work gave rise to the work of Harvey Milk, Louie Clay, Bishop V. Gene Robinson and more.

The parents of Matthew Shepard would not allow their grief of the brutal beating that caused his death to keep them from doing something to benefit others.   Judy Shepard's devotion to Matthew helped her to speak up for the safety of LGBT People to be kept safer through the Hate Crimes Bill signed into law just a few years ago.  She continues her advocacy today.

 

One woman who's child was killed because of a drunk driver put herself forward to begin Mothers Against Drunk Drivers (MADD).  

 

Individuals who are tired of the injustice of "illegal" immigrants being deported out of our country, are continuing to call for immigration reform.   

 

Episcopalians who have had it with schools and communities going through the horror of violence out of control at gun point have organized Episcopalians Against Gun Violence.  We do not rejoice about the violence, but we can embrace the transformational grace of God and cooperate with the Holy Spirit to bring about God's Reign of justice, equality and peace for all people.

Today, in this moment God is calling upon us to make a difference in the Church and society.  All of us have the opportunity to do our part as members of the Communion of Saints, by responding to God's movement in our lives.   Let us all pray for each other that we will have the strength to respond in obedience out of love for the honor and glory of God.  

Amen.

Prayers

Almighty God, you have knit together your elect in one
communion and fellowship in the mystical body of your Son
Christ our Lord: Give us grace so to follow your blessed saints
in all virtuous and godly living, that we may come to those
ineffable joys that you have prepared for those who truly love
you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy
Spirit lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.  (Collect for All Saints.  The Book of Common Prayer.  p.245).

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).

Tuesday in Holy Week: Injustice and Evil Meet Their Match

Today's Scripture Readings

Isaiah 49:1-7 (NRSV)

Listen to me, O coastlands,
pay attention, you peoples from far away!
The LORD called me before I was born,
while I was in my mother's womb he named me.
He made my mouth like a sharp sword,
in the shadow of his hand he hid me;
he made me a polished arrow,
in his quiver he hid me away.
And he said to me, "You are my servant,
Israel, in whom I will be glorified."
But I said, "I have labored in vain,
I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity;
yet surely my cause is with the LORD,
and my reward with my God."
And now the LORD says,
who formed me in the womb to be his servant,
to bring Jacob back to him,
and that Israel might be gathered to him,
for I am honored in the sight of the LORD,
and my God has become my strength--
he says,
"It is too light a thing that you should be my servant
to raise up the tribes of Jacob
and to restore the survivors of Israel;
I will give you as a light to the nations,
that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth."
Thus says the LORD,
the Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One,
to one deeply despised, abhorred by the nations,
the slave of rulers,
"Kings shall see and stand up,
princes, and they shall prostrate themselves,
because of the LORD, who is faithful,
the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you."

Psalm 71: 1-14 (BCP, p. 683)


1 Corinthians 1: 18-31 (NRSV)

The message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written,

"I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart."

Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, God decided, through the foolishness of our proclamation, to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God's weakness is stronger than human strength.

Consider your own call, brothers and sisters: not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are, so that no one might boast in the presence of God. He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, in order that, as it is written, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord."

John 12: 20-36 (NRSV)

Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus." Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. Jesus answered them, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor.

"Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say-- `Father, save me from this hour'? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name." Then a voice came from heaven, "I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again." The crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, "An angel has spoken to him." Jesus answered, "This voice has come for your sake, not for mine. Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself." He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die. The crowd answered him, "We have heard from the law that the Messiah remains forever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?" Jesus said to them, "The light is with you for a little longer. Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness may not overtake you. If you walk in the darkness, you do not know where you are going. While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become children of light."

Blog Reflection

Is it possible for all of the injustice in the world to make sense?   Why can't there be an end to violence, wars, poverty, prejudice and destitution?    Why does evil have to win some times?

There are no simple answers to these and other questions we might ask.  Terrible incidents such as the tornadoes hitting Dallas, Texas today, just don't have explanations.  Diseases such as Alzheimer's,  Breast Cancer, Leukemia and HIV/AIDS are products of many cells and infections.  They are not the result of anything God could bring upon humankind.  Yet, if God is so powerful and merciful, why doesn't God stop them all?

There is a thought that can bring us comfort, if we will allow our hearts and minds to go there.  God in Jesus Christ experienced what it means for injustice to win, and still managed to be victorious.   It is the message contained in St. Paul's Letter to the Corinthians.  "The message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."  None of this could make sense to and for Christians, if we did not have the example of what Holy Week means.

If we think about what Jesus is saying in our Gospel today, he is suggesting that even God lost over the powers of evil, if you will.  After all, how can God die?   Yet, the most vile of evil's in the struggle between the powers of hell and those of God, would be if God died after the most brutal of tortures.   Having been rejected, scorned, mocked, spit upon, flogged, crowned with thorns and finally hung upon the Cross, Jesus wonders why God would have forsaken him.  How could God have abandoned God's Self?   Yet, in the humanity of Christ, God departed, and Jesus still trusted that God had the power to rescue him, even if he should die.  Salvation and justice would not have known a better victory, than the Son of God giving up his life for our sins, out of his self-sacrificing love, only to rise again on Easter Day.   Sin and death were rendered a failure.

Jesus in this Gospel reading from John, is prepared for this moment.  He recognizes that only by his death, will the things he had spoken and done would make sense.  In his resurrection, would the world know how much God loved us as John wrote in chapter 3 verse 16 and 17.  The wisdom of the world that says when evil wins it is all over, was made powerless and false as God in Christ accepted death so that there may be new and unending life.

We can see in our own times, examples of how a tragedy in all of its horror and madness, still reveals the power of God in the world.  Through the tragic killing of 17 year old Trayvon Martin, individuals are rising up to call our attention to how real the evil of racism is in our Nation.  People who might have given up on any hope of calling attention to how bad the Stand Your Ground laws really are, found a reason to raise our voices in concern for those threatened by violence that results from another person's prejudice.

The insane beating and killing of Matthew Shepard, called our attention to the horrible reality of hate crimes towards youth and other individuals who are LGBT.  The grief of Dennis and Judy Shepard was turned into a movement to eventually enact the hate crimes bill signed into law by President Obama in October of 2009. 

The courage of Sandra Fluke who was willing to testify this past February in a Congressional hearing about why access to contraception is so important for women, has helped many others become active in our concerns about male privilege deciding the reproductive health care for women.  The injustice of any and all women being kept from testifying during that hearing, gave women their voice and opportunity to speak out and inspire others to exercise their voice for women's rights.

Yet, we dare not stop seeing what injustices still play out in our times.  Individuals who could lose their health care should the Supreme Court strike down the Affordable Care Act.  Seniors and those who are disabled would see poverty in their regards increase dramatically should Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid become privatized.   People in our own neighborhoods dying as a result of starvation and dehydration, as well as in third world countries all over the world.  These and other injustices need our attention too.

As we look to Jesus' example during this Holy Week, we would do well to pray for that part within all of us that has yet to die to our self-centeredness, so that we may serve Christ in others.  The Paschal Mystery that we celebrate this week, should propel us from being apathetic towards those in need, to being active in not only helping them with their basic needs, but changing the system that keeps injustice and oppression as something we can just ignore.


Prayers

O God, by the passion of your blessed Son you made an
instrument of shameful death to be for us the means of life:
Grant us so to glory in the cross of Christ, that we may gladly
suffer shame and loss for the sake of your Son our Savior
Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy
Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.  (Tuesday in Holy Week, Book of Common Prayer, p. 220).

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

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

Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany: Oh! How We Can Love

As we listen to the news of all that has happened with the revolution in Egypt, we might be asking ourselves: What is the point? Democracy? Yes. But is that really the most important thing?  I think what is important about what happened in Egypt is a genuine call to respect and love one another.  There are ways to peacefully and forcefully protest, without violence and destruction as our part of the process. What has happened in Egypt is a recognition of the dignity of every human being that lives under the oppression of a dictatorial leader.  It is possible to call for justice and equality, to be adamant and peaceful.  It is possible to be loud and determined and still move the most stubborn heart. 

As we continue reading through the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is telling us what we can do more than what we cannot do.  We are called to fulfill as Jesus did the most awesome responsibility of the Jewish Law, to love God, our neighbor and ourselves to the point that we never take one another for granted.   We are empowered by Jesus' example to love one another as God has loved us. 

Scriptural Basis

Matthew 5:21-37

Jesus said, "You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, `You shall not murder'; and `whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.' But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, `You fool,' you will be liable to the hell of fire. So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.
"You have heard that it was said, `You shall not commit adultery.' But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to go into hell.

"It was also said, `Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.' But I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

"Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, `You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.' But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let your word be `Yes, Yes' or `No, No'; anything more than this comes from the evil one.

Blog Reflection for Justice and Equality

Among the many things that has been winning me from being an arch-conservative Catholic or even a Christianist to being a progressive Episcopalian, Christian is the commitment to justice and equality while trying to maintain some resemblance of Christian Charity.  Over the past few days, I have been utterly disgusted with the rhetoric that has come from much of the corporate, conservative owned media that continues to spread lies and hate toward the Muslim people.   Some of the things that are being said in the name of sensational journalism, are down right destructive.   It hardly passes for honoring the Name of God, while perpetuating an atmosphere of dehumanization for a people who have carried out such a peaceful revolution. 

The work towards justice and inclusion for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning/queer and other marginalized persons in the Church and/or society is a long, hard journey.  We are continuing to experience many set backs as well as steps forward.  It is difficult not to become angry or vengeful towards those who use religious based bigotry towards us and our relationships. 

In the Gospel here, I do not believe that Jesus is telling us not to become angry.  Jesus is telling his audience to respect our sisters and brothers, while at the same time taking every opportunity to correct what is wrong about what is being said.  We will not achieve our goals of justice and equality by insulting our opponents unnecessarily.  "Speak the truth in love" suggests that reminding people that Westboro Baptist's continual assault on the memory and tragedy of Matthew Sheperd's murder does not represent Christian Charity, let alone graceful engagement. 

If you are having some trouble with some of what Jesus is saying in this Gospel, you are not alone.  I have a real big problem with the statements about the proper way to divorce a woman, is a matter of exchanging property, rather than recognizing women as individuals with dignity.  We need to keep in mind that the age in which Jesus would have been giving this part of the Sermon on the Mount, was a time in which women were property.  Jesus would have been influenced some by this culture.  At the same time, Jesus is calling his listeners to a recognition of the boundaries by which we are called to respect one another. 

The constant attack of anti-LGBT politics weighs so heavily upon our communities, especially our people of faith because as Glenda Russell says they begin with "homonegativity," "simplified moral constructs," "undocumented and faulty arguments," "examples of anti-gay campaigns," "affective loading of anti-gay materials,"  and last but not least they depict "LGBT people as the "other".  They violate the very personal center of LGBT individuals for the purpose of dehumanizing us, creating stress factors, divisions within our communities and internalized homophobia that is an unavoidable consequence.  The anti-LGBT equality folks love to say that the consequences of their anti-LGBT rhetoric are not because of them, but because being LGBT is such an affront to the "natural law."

Unfortunately missing from their equation is the understanding that Jesus Christ called upon all who would be followers of God in Jesus Name, to love God, their neighbor and themselves in such a way, that the fear, dehumanization of LGBT people and other marginalized persons would not even be considered.  That is why those of us who are progressive, justice and equality minded Christians need to be the alternative and true example of love and compassion.   Because without our willingness to step out of our comfort zones and become agents of God's love in the world, the negative voices against equality will be the only voices everyone hears.  What our dark world needs, is the light of those willing to love our neighbor by respecting everyone as being a beloved child of God, with whom God is well-pleased.  Realizing that no two people are made to look a like, think a like, love a like, or even believe and pray a like.  Our differences are not obstacles, but opportunities to engage our hearts of loving concern for those marginalized to work for justice and equality for everyone.  Whether by our words spoken, written or actions done.  

Oh! How we can love other people, when we work to put aside prejudice and violence and agree to work for the common good of all people.  The people of Egypt showed the world how to do it.  Whether there were Christians, Muslims, atheists, rich, poor, straight or gay among the people in that revolution.  It does not matter.  They came out, they would not go home until justice had been done.  They would not give up.  They would not give in.  They insisted that those who were creating the problem, had to be brought out of power.  As Christians who want justice and equality for all people, we can and must be willing to do the same.  There are many people who will say thank you if and when we do.  And we will have lived out the words and commandments of Jesus.

Prayers

O God, the strength of all who put their trust in you: Mercifully accept our prayers; and because in our weakness we can do nothing good without you, give us the help of your grace, that in keeping your commandments we may please you both in will and deed; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Collect for the Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany, Book of Common Prayer, page 216).

Grant, O God, that your holy and life-giving Spirit may so move every human heart, 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, page 823).

Jesus, as a mother you gather your people to you;
  you are gentle with us as a mother with her children.
Often you weep over our sins and our pride,
  tenderly you draw us from hatred and judgment.
You comfort us in sorrow and bind up our wounds,
  in sickness you nurse us and with pure milk you feed us.
Jesus, by your dying, we are born to new life;
  by your anguish and labor we come forth in joy.
Despair turns to hope through your sweet goodness;
  through your gentleness, we find comfort in fear.
Your warmth gives life to the dead,
  your touch makes sinners righteous.
Lord Jesus, in your mercy, heal us;
  in your love and tenderness, remake us.
In your compassion, bring grace and forgiveness,
  for the beauty of heaven, may your love prepare us.
(Canticle Q: A Song of Christ's Goodness, Enriching our Worship 1, page 39). 

We Are Sent Out to Heal and Feed, Not Destroy and Starve Others.

Luke 9:1-17 (NRSV)

Then Jesus called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal. He said to them, 'Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money-not even an extra tunic. Whatever house you enter, stay there, and leave from there. Wherever they do not welcome you, as you are leaving that town shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.' They departed and went through the villages, bringing
the good news and curing diseases everywhere. 

Now Herod the ruler heard about all that had taken place, and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had been raised from the dead, by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the ancient prophets had arisen. Herod said, 'John I beheaded; but who is this about whom I hear such things?' And he tried to see him. 

On their return the apostles told Jesus all they had done. He took them with him and withdrew privately to a city called Bethsaida. When the crowds found out about it, they followed him; and he welcomed them, and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed to be cured. 

The day was drawing to a close, and the twelve came to him and said, 'Send the crowd away, so that they may go into the surrounding villages and countryside, to lodge and get provisions; for we are here in a deserted place.' But he said to them, 'You give them something to eat.' They said, 'We have no more than five loaves and two fish-unless we are to go and buy food for all these people.' For there were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, 'Make them sit down in groups of about fifty each.' They did so and made them all sit down. And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. And all ate and were filled. What was left over was gathered up, twelve baskets of broken pieces. 

Christianity continues to get a bad name along with the founder of our faith, Jesus Christ.  Christianists and arch-conservative Catholics continue to pollute the internet and other media with their anti-LGBT rhetoric.  Conservative Anglicans like the Anglican Church of North America (ACNA) and CANA and the Anglican Bishop in Uganda and other countries are using rhetoric that places the worst kind of fear in the minds of questioning individuals who are trying to come to terms with their sexual orientation and/or gender identity/expression.  As a result, Jesus Christ and the Church are getting a bad name.

In today's Gospel, Jesus is painting a very different picture of what followers of Jesus are suppose to be like.  Jesus sends out the twelve Apostles to those who will receive the Good News of God's unconditional and all-inclusive love.  As the crowds become more and more hungry for the Goodness of God, they eventually come to Jesus looking to be fed in body and spirit.  Jesus has given to all of us who follow him the ministry of representing him and the Church, by leading others to the place where God can feed our bodies and souls with the Goodness of God's Holy Presence. 

God's Presence is suppose to be available to all who come with a hunger in their hearts for peace, holiness and fulfillment in their lives.  When the local Catholic Archbishop refused Holy Communion to those who were wearing rainbow colors, it was an outrageous action of a man who's duty it is to lead others to Jesus, not away from him. I was so very pleased to hear that another Priest offered Mass with those who had been rejected and fed them with the very Presence of God.  

Every individual regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, race, religions, ability or challenge, gender, language, employed or unemployed, rich or poor, healthy or unhealthy is an individual made and loved by God.  There is no child of God that is not a masterpiece of God's creative and redemptive love.  There is no daughter or son of God the Holy Spirit with whom she does not desire to look after as a Mother, comforter and consolation as we face the difficulties of our lives.   God wants to reach out and love each and every one of us.  God continues to do that through the mystery of God's Presence in the Holy Eucharist.  No person has any business refusing that Presence of God from any of God's children. 

Jesus sends all of us out to heal those who are broken, not destroy those seeking God's presence in their lives.  A youthful person who is questioning her or his sexual orientation and/or gender identity/expression is a beloved child of God trying to understand how God has created that young woman or man to love others.  The Church, parents, friends, families and whole communities need to reach out to that individual with the message that regardless of who or how you find that you are called to love, you are loved, supported and cherished by everyone who loves you.  That is the beginning of creating healthy, holy and helpful communities through which all individuals can develop who they are, as well as who and how they love others.  Suggesting that they suppress, or should change through the work of an ex-gay ministry turns Christians in to individuals who destroy and starve to death those who are searching to understand God's love in their lives.  Using the Biblical stories of Sodom and Gomorrah, Leviticus 18:20 or 20:13, 1 Corinthians 6: 9-11 and first 1 Timothy 1: 10, and Romans 1: 27 to condemn homosexuality, is interpreting the Bible erroneously, as well as committing "spiritual malpractice and doctrinal abuse."  It is a sure way to destroy and starve someone who needs to be shown their way to God who will heal and feed them with the Goodness of God's Holy Presence.

Coming out is a matter of learning how and who we will love, and being public with that knowledge.  It is a necessary step so that we are honest with God, ourselves and others around us.  It is the first of many steps forward in our lives.  Every individual needs to be allowed to make that journey freely and in their own time.  The Church and Christians should be willing to embrace and support the women and men who come to terms with their sexual and gender diversity. 

This month we remember that 12 years ago young Matthew Shepard was killed for being who he was.  His mother Judy and father Dennis continue to be examples of a family who are as devoted to their son's memory as any parent can and should be.  They have turned the pain of their lives around and use their voices and books to encourage others to accept their daughters and sons as they are and to support the cause of equality for all who are LGBTQ.  You can read more about their incredible story in Judy Shepard's book: The Meaning of Matthew. The Shepard's along with the family of Randi, Philip and Jacob Reitan show how faith and family can work together not only for their own good, but for the good of others in situations such as theirs.   Mary Lou Wallner, the mother of Anna who took her own life because of homophobia, continues to spread the message of love and acceptance through TEACH Ministries (To Educate About the Consequences of Homophobia).  You can hear more about her story and the story about the Reitan's in First Run Features For the Bible Tells Me So.  These folks are disciples of Jesus who use their lives and tragedies to help heal and feed those who would other wise be destroyed or be forced to starve to death because of religious based anti-LGBT rhetoric and behavior.

Today, let us all recommit ourselves to being sent out to heal and feed others with the Presence of God.  Let us also pray for those who misuse the Bible, the Christian Faith and their capitalist power to destroy and starve others.  Most of all let us pray for those youth who are struggling to come out that they will find good resources, and that we all will work towards creating healthy, holy and wholesome environments for all of God's children.

Lord, we pray that your grace may always precede and follow us, that we may continually be given to good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Proper 23, Book of Common Prayer, page 234-235).

O God, you have blessed us and given us dominion over all the earth: Increase our reverence before the mystery of life; and give us new insight into your purposes for the human race, and new wisdom and determination in making provision for its future in accordance with your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.  (Prayer for the Future of the Human Family, Book of Common Prayer, page 828).

National Coming Out Day 2010-God Wants Your Life to Be Fabulous

The title of this blog post: "God Wants Your Life to Be Fabulous" comes from a post by Rev. Susan Russell in the LA Diocesan Program Group on LGBT Programs.  In the post is Susan Russell's "It Gets Better" in response to the tragedies of the last few weeks.  In the post Rev. Russell said:

God who doesn’t just want your life to get better – God wants your life to get fabulous!

It is by no accident that this National Coming Out Day falls on the Episcopal Church's commemoration of St. Philip the Deacon and Evangelist.  Today's reading from Acts gives us the episode of Philip's life and ministry.

Acts 8:26-40 (NRSV)

An angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Get up and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." (This is a wilderness road.) So he got up and went. Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of the Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of her entire treasury. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning home; seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah. Then the Spirit said to Philip, "Go over to this chariot and join it." So Philip ran up to it and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah. He asked, "Do you understand what you are reading?" He replied, "How can I, unless someone guides me?" And he invited Philip to get in and sit beside him. Now the passage of the scripture that he was reading was this:

"Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter,

and like a lamb silent before its shearer,

so he does not open his mouth.

In his humiliation justice was denied him.

Who can describe his generation?

For his life is taken away from the earth."

The eunuch asked Philip, "About whom, may I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?" Then Philip began to speak, and starting with this scripture, he proclaimed to him the good news about Jesus. As they were going along the road, they came to some water; and the eunuch said, "Look, here is water! What is to prevent me from being baptized?" He commanded the chariot to stop, and both of them, Philip and the eunuch, went down into the water, and Philip baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he was passing through the region, he proclaimed the good news to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.

The eunuch in Biblical times can very easily be interpreted as the homosexuals.  There are numerous references to the eunuchs in the Bible.

Isaiah 56: 1-8

Thus says the Lord:
   Maintain justice, and do what is right,
for soon my salvation will come,
   and my deliverance be revealed.

² Happy is the mortal who does this,
   the one who holds it fast,
who keeps the sabbath, not profaning it,
   and refrains from doing any evil.

³ Do not let the foreigner joined to the Lord say,
   ‘The Lord will surely separate me from his people’;
and do not let the eunuch say,
   ‘I am just a dry tree.’
⁴ For thus says the Lord:
To the eunuchs who keep my sabbaths,
   who choose the things that please me
   and hold fast my covenant,
⁵ I will give, in my house and within my walls,
   a monument and a name
   better than sons and daughters;
I will give them an everlasting name
   that shall not be cut off.

⁶ And the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord,
   to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord,
   and to be his servants,
all who keep the sabbath, and do not profane it,
   and hold fast my covenant—
⁷ these I will bring to my holy mountain,
   and make them joyful in my house of prayer;
their burnt-offerings and their sacrifices
   will be accepted on my altar;
for my house shall be called a house of prayer
   for all peoples.
⁸ Thus says the Lord God,
   who gathers the outcasts of Israel,
I will gather others to them
   besides those already gathered.^*

Here we see God saying that the eunuch will be be given a monument and a wall of honor by the new Covenant.  This appears to be what Jesus did in Matthew 19: 11-12: 

"Not everyone can accept this teaching, but only those to whom it is given.  For there are eunuchs who have been made so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven.  Let anyone accept this who can."

In a previous blog post I wrote using the story of Philip and the eunuch I wrote:

What is this?  A story about an Apostle of the early Church associating with a eunuch?  A (gulp) homosexual? Not only a gay person, but a gay person from Ethiopia.  This just cannot be!  There it is right in the Acts of the Apostles.  A narrative about Philip the Apostle sharing the Gospel with a eunuch who would have been someone who is gay in Biblical times.  Keep in mind that the age in which the Bible was written the words heterosexual and homosexual were not part of the vocabulary of the day.  Sexuality was about the strong vs the weak.  Gray Temple addresses this at length in his book Gay Unions In Light of Scripture, Tradition and Reason.  The Bible does tell us a lot about what sexuality was like in the time in which it was written.  

In the same blog post written by Susan Russell she wrote:

And as a priest and pastor I want you to know that anybody who tells you that God condemns you is wrong.

And if anybody says to you “But the Bible says …” I want you to remember this: God gave us the Bible as a tool for us to live our lives -- not as a weapon to beat up other people – and history is full of people who were wrong about what the Bible says … using it to support slavery, to oppress women and to condemn Galileo for discovering that the earth revolved around the sun instead other way around.

And it turns out that the same people who were wrong about what the Bible said about slavery, about women’s equality and about astronomy are wrong about what the Bible says about homosexuality.

Jesus said love your neighbor – not love you neighbor unless your neighbor is gay.

Homosexuality doesn’t grieve the heart of God – homophobia does. Bullying does. Violence against any beloved child of God does.

And you are a beloved child of God. Created in God’s image exactly as God intended you to be.

Today's Gospel for this commemoration is the ever famous commissioning of the Church after Jesus' resurrection, just before his ascension in Matthew 28: 18-20.

Jesus came and said to the disciples, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

Jesus does not say in this Gospel: "Only do not baptize LGBTQ people."  Jesus tells the disciples to make disciples of all nations, which means all people, including LGBTQ.

What Susan Russell said in her blog post that "God wants your life to become fabulous" is totally true.  Coming out is about learning to love ourselves and others exactly as we are.  When we come out as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning and/or queer people we are telling God, ourselves and others around us that we are created in the image of God's graciousness and love for all people.  We carry within the beauty of who we are, the very stamp of God's approval.  Within each of us is a person so precious to God that God gave God's Son for each of us to find our way back to God, being none other than who God created and redeemed us to be.  "Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another." (1 John 4:11).

Yesterday, Dean Spenser Simrill of St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral remarked about the recent tragedies of the youths who have taken their own lives due to bullying.  Dean Spenser so correctly stated that these young people and all LGBTQ people are victims of "spiritual malpractice and doctrinal abuse".  Whenever any Christianist group or arch-conservative Catholic Bishop or anyone else for that matter makes use of the Bible to suggest that LGBTQ people are "intrinsically disordered", they are making LGBTQ people victims of "spiritual malpractice and doctrinal abuse".  Jesus certainly does not see us that way.  Jesus sees us as God's children with whom God is well-pleased.  When we come out as LGBTQ people, we are saying we will not accept "spiritual malpractice or doctrinal abuse" to denigrate who we are, or who and how we love.  We are saying we are proud of who we are, who and how we love other people including our partners.  When we come out, we empower ourselves to depend upon God for the reality of who we are and who we love.  When we come out, we live our lives in thanksgiving to God for making us who we are and for making so many wonderful people for us to love and work besides as we work towards equality.  


I really love the Collect for the Commemoration of Philip the Deacon and Evangelist.  For today, it is the only prayer I am going to use.  I want us to both listen to the words and make them our prayer for today.

Holy God, no one is excluded from your love, and your truth transforms the minds of all who seek you: As your servant Philip was led to embrace the fullness of your salvation and to bring the stranger to Baptism, so give us all the grace to be heralds of the Gospel, proclaiming your love in Jesus Christ our Savior, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Collect for Philip, Holy Women, Holy Men, Celebrating the Saints, page 635).

   Before my blog is completely finished, let us all remember today Matthew Shepard on the anniversary of his death.  Today, may we remember his family, friends as well as those who still commit acts of violence towards LGBTQ people.

How Did Jesus Identify with LGBTQ? By Getting into Trouble. By Talking About Who He Was.

John 8:47-59 (NRSV)

Whoever is from God hears the words of God. The reason you do not hear them is that you are not from God.' The Jews answered him, 'Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?' Jesus answered, 'I do not have a demon; but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is one who seeks it and he is the judge.
 
Very truly, I tell you, whoever keeps my word will never see death.' The Jews said to him, 'Now we know that you have a demon. Abraham died, and so did the prophets; yet you say, "Whoever keeps my word will never taste death." Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? The prophets also died. Who do you claim to be?' Jesus answered, 'If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, he of whom you say, "He is our God," though you do not know him. But I know him; if I would say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you. But I do know him and I keep his word. Your ancestor Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day; he saw it and was glad.' Then the Jews said to him, 'You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?' Jesus said to them, 'Very truly, I tell you, before Abraham was, I am.' So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple. 

Saint Theresa of Avila has been quoted to have said: "The foundation of any Spirituality is self knowledge."   To know ourselves is the beginning of knowing who God is to us.  For lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, questioning and queer individuals we cannot know ourselves as heterosexual or as only one gender in body and mind.  We were not made that way.  So when an ex-gay ministry attempts to suggest that they "cure" us of the gay, what they are actually attempting to do is get LGBTQ people to lie to themselves and to God.  This is why Bishop John Shelby Spong as well as myself refer to ex-gay ministries as fraudulent. (A New Christianity for a New World, page 14),  


Throughout the heated discussion in John's Gospel chapter 8 Jesus has been debating with his audience in the temple about who Jesus is.  He is throwing some major problems in the faces of those who are listening.  John's Gospel has some major problems in it, especially for those of us who condemn all attacks against the Jewish people and their religion.  I cannot condone to any degree the anti-semetism that comes from suggesting that the Jewish or the Islamic people must convert to Christianity in order to find salvation in God.  Many individuals including myself when I was part of conservative Christianity have made use of John's Gospel for such biased purposes.  And to those who may be reading my blogs that are of the Jewish or Islamic Faiths, whom my own careless rhetoric has harmed over the years, I sincerely apologize and ask your forgiveness.  I hope that somehow we can all join together in peaceful prayer for God to help us end the violence and prejudice that comes from religions based discrimination in all of it's forms, including but not limited to LGBTQ and peoples of non-Christian religions.


For those of us who are part of the Christian Faith, we can take from this Gospel that Jesus is telling those in his hearing that he is God.  If we believe that God was in Christ, then we must also believe that God has the power to save all peoples, including those who are of the Jewish and Islamic religions, because their God and our God is the same God.  Yet, because the Christian religion has fundamentalist individuals means that we have people who use Christianity as an excuse to scapegoat people of different religions, sexual orientations and/or gender identities, immigration status, races, genders, nations of origin.   Fundamentalist Christians make it their doctrine and their mission to spread the Gospel of hate, using violence if necessary. Take for example the missionaries of hate that went to Uganda to help their Parliament construct a bill that if passed would mean life in prison or death by hanging for known  homosexuals.  This is quite the contradiction to St. Francis of Assisi who said: "Preach the Gospel at all times, when necessary use words."   St. Francis' words "when necessary use words" means that our actions must help spread the Gospel and only when necessary should we speak.  Silence in the middle of doing what is right goes a lot farther, than preaching violence and prejudice with all hell, fire and brimstone.


Jesus in today's Gospel is in trouble for telling his audience who he is.   So often when LGBTQ individuals come out to their parents, friends, families, school or church communities and work places they are in trouble because they told someone who they are.   In most cases, they are in trouble before they say a word.  If woman shakes hands with someone with a tighter grip than most women, she must be a lesbian and therefore she will now face harassment because she is different.   If a young man in school enjoys more time with the drama club or learning a musical instrument, he is different, he must be gay.  That young man will face horrible discrimination just because he is assumed to be gay and may or may not be.   A youth who has trouble not having an erection in the shower at the gym in his school faces the possibility of violent bullying because he is assumed and may very well be gay.  Judy Shepard has faced individuals calling her a liar for saying that her son Matthew was in fact murdered because he was gay.  Many fundamentalists against the hate crimes law, tried to shame her and suggest he was trying to sell drugs.   As soon as an LGBTQ individual is known for who she or he is, that individual could be in trouble.  Why?  Because fundamentalist Christians believe that anti-gay bullying will help cure the gay.   Read more about that kind of thing here.  


LGBTQ people are not the only ones who get in trouble for living out who they are.  Women are also in the same boat.  GOP US Senate Candidate Sharon Angle of Nevada has been campaigning by suggesting that women who are pregnant due to rape or incest should not have abortions because it is God's will.   Since when is outrageous violence ever the will of God?   Since when is suggesting that because women are the weaker species and therefore are to accept violent sexual behavior from men suppose to be the will of God?  Just because the Bible was written from a time when this was how the culture existed?  Times do change, and so do our interpretations of what the Bible means. The longer Jesus lived the more apparent his message of nonviolent domination became better understood.  Jesus not only did not accept a culture of domination, he made every effort to avoid those who tried to dominate him.


The Episcopal Church today commemorates David Pendleton Oakerhater. A native of the Cheyenne Indians of Oklahoma.  He was converted to Christianity by an Army Captain while he was imprisoned accused of inciting rebellion.  In Oakerhater is an example of how a man who was facing horrible persecution found the peace of Jesus Christ and turned his tragedy into an opportunity to bring peace between the Indian Nation of Cheyenne and the United States.   He was a deacon and a missionary of the Episcopal Church who died in 1931.   Here is a man who faced horrible discrimination and terrible injustices.  Yet Jesus Christ entered his life and made use of the tragedies he faced to attempt to do justice with and for others.   


Today we are challenged by the Gospel and by David Pendleton Oakerhater to confess who we are and to live out who we are.  We will face challenges because we live out the Gospel as we are.  Jesus faced the ultimate sacrifice for being who he is, by giving his life for those who were cast off to the side of society and the religion of his time.  There were no unimportant people to Jesus.  There is now no individual person that is not important to Jesus.  God cares for and about all of God's children, including the Native American, the LGBTQ, the sick, the poor, those who cannot know or speak English, the African American, the Asian, those in the prisons of addiction or to keep them safe from society, women, Islam, Jewish or any other religious persuasions. All of us are important to God in Jesus.  Jesus told us that God was in him to let us know that God loves each of us, personally, unconditionally and all-inclusively.  When we are willing to live before God in all honesty about who we are, God the Holy Spirit will lead and "guide us in the way of all truth." (John 16:13).  Like Jesus we will have the task of serving and loving others as they are, because as "God has loved us, so we ought to love one another." (1 John 4: 11).

Lord of all power and might, the author and giver of all good things: Graft in our hearts the love of your Name; increase in us true religion; nourish us with all goodness; and bring forth in us the fruit of good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Proper 17, Book of Common Prayer, Page 233).

God our heavenly Father, you have blessed us and given us dominion over all the earth: Increase our reverence before the mystery of life; and give us new insight into your purposes for the human race, and new wisdom and determination in making provision for its future in accordance with your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Prayer for the Future of the Human Race, Book of Common Prayer, Page 828).


O God of unsearchable wisdom and infinite mercy, you chose a captive warrior, David Oakerhater, to be your servant, and sent him to be a missionary to his own people, and to exercise the office of a deacon among them: Liberate us, who commemorate him today, from bondage to self, and empower us for service to you and to the neighbors you have given us; through Jesus Christ, the captain of our salvation; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Collect for David Pendleton Oakerhater, Holy Women, Holy Men, Celebrating the Saints, Page 555).

Almighty God, you proclaim your truth in every age by many voices: Direct, in our time, we pray, those who speak where many listen and write what many read; that they may do their part in making the heart of this people wise, its mind sound, and its will righteous; to the honor of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.  (Prayer for Those Who Influence Public Opinion, Book of Common Prayer, Page 827).

Jesus On Trial Because He Loved Differently

Matt. 26: 57- 68 (NRSV)

Those who had arrested Jesus took him to Caiaphas the high priest, in whose house the scribes and the elders had gathered. But Peter was following him at a distance, as far as the courtyard of the high priest; and going inside, he sat with the guards in order to see how this would end. Now the chief priests and the whole council were looking for false testimony against Jesus so that they might put him to death, but they found none, though many false witnesses came forward. At last two came forward and said, "This fellow said, 'I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days.' " The high priest stood up and said, "Have you no answer? What is it that they testify against you?"  But Jesus was silent. Then the high priest said to him, "I put you under oath before the living God, tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God." Jesus said to him, "You have said so. But I tell you,
From now on you will see the Son of Man
seated at the right hand of Power
and coming on the clouds of heaven."
Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, "He has blasphemed! Why do we still need witnesses? You have now heard his blasphemy. What is your verdict?" They answered, "He deserves death." Then they spat in his face and struck him; and some slapped him, saying, "Prophesy to us, you Messiah! Who is it that struck you?

While we have spent the last two days remembering five amazing women who have inspired Christians towards a more inclusive community, the Daily Office Lectionary has been recounting for us the trial that led up to Jesus' Passion.  Here Jesus stands before those who are trying to accuse him so that he can be sentenced to death.  Yet, what stands out here at least to me is that Jesus is condemned to death because he proclaims who he is.  

Before I continue with this reflection I want to state very clearly that the Episcopal Church as well as I, condemns all suggestions that the Jewish people killed Jesus.  We also condemn all ideas that the Jewish people must be converted to Christianity in order to be saved.  Such thinking has led to anti-Judaism that has resulted in much violence and discrimination towards the Jewish people.  This kind of philosophy has no place in any worship space within Christianity.


Our sins condemned Jesus to die, ultimately.  Our pride, selfishness, arrogance and even our insistence that our will is more important, than the will of God.  Even though Jesus confessed in so many words who he was, when he replied to the High Priest: "It is you who have said so" Jesus was still condemned to die, taking onto himself the sins of all humankind.


As I read these amazing words of what happened at Jesus' trial, I am reminded of several stories of women and men who have been beaten because they are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered and/or questioning/queer.  Many LGBTQ people have been beaten by police, ordinary citizens of various colors and creeds, all because they told people that they are LGBTQ.  One such incident happened in Minneapolis in 2009 when a man was walking home from Pride weekend.  He was followed by a group of Somali boys who were yelling: "I don't like gay people."  It was harassment of the most immature kind.  There is the incredible, yet heart breaking story of Matthew Shepard who was beaten and burned by Aaron McKinney.  Last November, Jason and I attended a memorial service for more than 40 individuals who had been beaten and/or killed all over the world because they are transgendered.  Many of the individuals to date, have no name given to who they were.  The most amazing violence is endured by so many people, mostly because of who they are.  


Violence done to individuals is not limited to sexual orientation and/or gender identity/expression.  Over this past year our news has been inundated with how much racial and political violence is being pushed by the Tea Party.  One Tea Party candidate in New Hampshire who is a confessing white supremecist wants the Tea Party to be more open with their racism.  Racism is also undoubtedly behind Arizona's "papers please" immigration law.  America continues to be a place where racism, sexism, heterosexism and religious bias is very much alive and well.  We are all set as a society to do each other in because of our prejudices and the stereotypes that are in people's minds over minorities.  Yet, we are so not in a place to discuss how our bigotry towards people of different races, cultures, classes, sexual orientations, genders, gender identities/expressions cause the divisions within American religion and politics.


Jesus was ultimately condemned to die because Jesus loved everyone who was different in society and within the religious community.  Those who had been thrown aside and left out, found some one to love them in Jesus Christ.  Women who were second class citizens found a best friend in Jesus, because he saw them as women and not as throw aways.  Jesus saw value in the lepers, the blind, the deaf, the tax collector, the person who fished, those from foreign lands.   Jesus even gave a name and face to the dead, who were the ultimate forgotten people.   Because Jesus loved differently and loved those who were suppose to be unlovable, Jesus' political opponents had to work to get rid of him, because he took the focus of people off of them, and placed it where it belonged on God.  Jesus' political opponent is anyone who feels that there are people in this world who have no place in the House of God, the Church.  Those who are opponents of God's perfect revelation, are those who know that when God's love should go first, instead what has to go first are those people who make us uncomfortable.  


At the Cross though is an amazing irony.  At the Cross there is no such thing as anyone who is not welcome to be there with Jesus, except maybe those of us who are too ashamed to be caught there with everyone else who weeps at the feet of the dying Jesus in the broken-hearted, the dying, the sick, the homeless.   When we choose to allow the LGBTQ person to the altar in the Episcopal Church who has been forced to leave the Catholic church because they will not compromise who they are to join the Courage Ex-gay ministry or, will not break up their relationship to be admitted to Holy Communion, we are welcoming the crucified and risen Christ.  When we receive someone who has been rejected by the Church and others, we are choosing to be with Jesus as he is lonely, without someone to love and in need of acceptance and a place to live.  At the Cross though is also those who need to be forgiven for every time they have slammed the door in Jesus' face when he came a knocking.  It is where all failure to love God, our neighbors and ourselves finds forgiveness and an opportunity to try again. It is where everyone including LGBTQ people can stand there with Mary Magdalene who we will commemorate tomorrow, and know that we have been in the presence of God's perfect revelation, and our lives and hopefully the lives of many, many people will never be the same. 

Almighty God, the fountain of all wisdom, you know our necessities before we ask and our ignorance in asking: Have compassion on our weakness, and mercifully give us those things which for our unworthiness we dare not, and for our blindness we cannot ask; through the worthiness of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Proper 11, Book of Common Prayer, Page 231).

Almighty God, you proclaim your truth in every age by many voices: Direct, in our time, we pray, those who speak where many listen and write what many read; that they may do their part in making the heart of this people wise, its mind sound, and its will righteous; to the honor of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Prayer for Those Who Influence Public Opinion, Book of Common Prayer, Page 827).

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

Responding to Love's Request

Yesterday was a historic day. When President Obama signed the Matthew Shepard/James Byrd hate crimes bill into law yesterday the long hard work of Judy Shepard saw the goal she worked for become a reality. I am continually amazed at the fortitude of Judy Shepard. When most of us experience the murder of a loved one, we might let the anger and grief of what happened weigh us down, causing to go deep into ourselves and say the hell with the rest of the world. Judy Shepard did not do any of those things. I am sure Judy's grief over the way in which her son Matthew was murdered, followed by the local Police Department saying that they had no funding to investigate such a crime, left Judy often feeling alone and like no one would listen. However, that did not stop Judy Shepard from using her horrific situation to achieve great things. You would think that after the years of pushing for the Hate Crimes legislation in Congress only to have former President George Bush say he would veto the bill, that Judy would just give up. But no, that did not stop this mother from seeking justice for others who could experience what happened to her son. Judy continued to sign copies of her book. She continued to speak about her son's death despite people calling her a "liar". And yesterday, October 28th she saw all her suffering and efforts result in changing the laws of the land.

This is the kind of love and devotion of a woman seeking to do the right thing amidst very difficult circumstances. This is how the word of God goes beyond being an abstraction, to becoming really alive and active in the world around us. This is the word of God falling on good soil and reaping much good fruit, even with all the thorns and weeds trying to keep out the good fruit that is trying to grow.

As I read through today's Gospel of Matthew 13: 18-23, I am struck and yet troubled by some of the language there. I think all of us have those moments when the words of Jesus reach us, but there are the thorns in our life that choke what is said. Addictions, challenges, relationships, events and news that all play their role in making it difficult for God to take hold of our lives and make a difference. I also think that we have to be careful about looking at ourselves arrogantly and thinking we are the good soil, while others who are different from us are some how not good soil. Everyone has issues in their lives that can make hearing God speak to us difficult and sometimes troubling.

Clearing the issues that make it difficult for us to listen to God is a process that every person has to go through for themselves. Everyone's situation is not the same. However, because God is God and because God loves us as much as God does, then we have to conclude that there is no situation too difficult for God to work through. Through prayer, quiet times and asking God for the help to trust in God to help remove the obstacles that keep us from hearing and knowing God clearer, we can find ourselves in that place where God's grace is reaching out and healing that which is broken.

One of the many obstacles for people to draw closer to God is spiritual violence. When someone makes use of Scripture, Church authority, religious principles in an attempt to change the very essence of who someone is, that is not pastoral counseling. That is spiritual violence and abuse. This is a common experience for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people. When voices like the Catholic church speaks through ex-gay ministries like Courage and tell LGBT individuals that their "condition" is "intrinsically disordered" it is no longer good Spiritual advice. It is pastoral and spiritual violence. When ex-gay ministries like Exodus create "fix camps" to try to "change" people's orientation, even though they are doing it out of "loving concern", they are doing spiritual violence to LGBT people. When devoted Christian parents address their children after they come out saying that they will one day "grow out" of being gay, that is not a loving response.

Let's compare what I wrote above with an entirely different approach. Telling an LGBT person that they are loved as they are, and calling them to grow in a healthy respect of themselves and in their relationships, now that is good Spiritual counsel. Calling LGBT individuals to give up the unhealthy practices of promiscuity and work towards healthier relationships where they are truly loving other people as opposed to using each other is good progress. Looking at the brokenness with which LGBT youth often come to the Church and finding LGBT Priests, Pastors and members who can help them integrate their sexuality in healthy ways with their Spiritual lives, that is good Spiritual and Pastoral advice. That is helping LGBT people find ways to help them listen more clearly to God's word.

Jesus came into the world to give people who feel lost find hope and meaning. Jesus Christ through out his earthly ministry gave sight to the blind, called those on the sidelines to be included in the household of Faith. The Church that Christ calls is one that is inclusive and welcoming to all who wish to discern God's call in their lives. Jesus invites everyone to the Eucharistic table to experience the healing of God's holy presence.

What role will we play in discerning God's call in our lives? How will we help others listen for what God is saying to them? What are our attitudes towards people who are not quite like us? How do we respond to those who want to get closer to God, but have situations we do not understand?

As we continue on our journey of Faith, let us ask the Holy Spirit to guide us in our attitudes of inclusion and be sure that the Church is a "House of Prayer for all."

This we pray in the Name of God who is +Creator, Servant and Life-Giver. Amen.

Be Our Vision, O God.

Based on Matthew 13: 54-58

What is the next question we tend to ask someone after they introduce themselves? "Where are you from?" In an effort to create some intimacy with someone that we might be trying to get to know, we first make the attempt to get a bigger picture of who that person is. Where is the person from? What is their career? What are their interests or hobbies? What schools did they go to, and/or what was their course of study? As their answers come, we find common ground to talk about, or we make ourselves open to learning things that we have not known before.

When it comes to the answer about where someone comes from, it can be quite interesting as to what our attitudes might be following what we have been told. If someone is from New England as I am originally from, people might automatically think we are people who talk directly. There is no playing around. We say what we think, and we let you know where we stand. If the answer is say from Minnesota where I currently live, one might say that we are "Minnesota ice" as in "Minnesota nice." Minnesotan's have a reputation for being nice to your face, then stabbing you in the back. If someone is from the south, their personalities are very warm and hospitable, yet they too can be very direct. Interesting how we make judgments on people's character based on where they are from. Let someone do something that is off the radar of where they are from, and suddenly we might find ourselves scratching our heads and wondering "what in the world?"

That was the attitude of those who were listening to Jesus in our Gospel story today. They were listening to Jesus teach about God. Jesus taught with great wisdom and knowledge. Rather than take to heart the message of God's love revealed perfectly in Jesus Christ, all these people got wound up in where he was from, who his parents were, who his brothers were, what his father did. And all because of their preconceived notions about what all this meant, they dismissed his message and failed to believe in Jesus' message of love. That is why Jesus did not perform miracles or use his power, "because of their disbelief." (Matthew 13: 58).

This goes precisely to the problem many of us have in seeing Jesus in other people. Why don't we share our Gospel stories with people? The Gospel is not only meant to be shared through preaching and quoting, it is suppose to be lived through the stories of our own lives. The Gospel story is shared as we reach out to those who are poor, lonely, discouraged, the uninsured, those of different races, religions, classes, challenges, sexual orientations and gender identities. But, because of our preconceived notions of what such people are, where they are from, what we think they do, or are concerned about what they do not do, the Gospel story of our lives does not reach out and touch theirs. When we leave ourselves in the center of ourselves, what we do is leave our Gospel stories home in the dust covered Bible on the shelf. The cross remains an abstract dead object on the wall because we just cannot forgive someone. The Crucifixion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ remains a historical myth when we cannot reach out to someone without our preconceived thinking becoming a barrier to what God wants to do between us and the other person. We are afraid of conflict. But conflicts are a part of life. We are afraid of being guilty by association. Yet it can be through facing our own guilt by association, that we can play a role in helping people to change their attitudes towards people who are different, marginalized and stigmatized.

When God came to us in the Person of God's Son, Jesus Christ, God came to shake us up. God came to get us out of our comfort zones. Unless we are willing to take part in the change of the status quo, then the Gospel story of our lives becomes just another story that people have heard before. But when we face the things that make us uncomfortable, and we "come out" of our "lands of slavery" whether that means our closets, our homes, our beds, that bad relationship that we might be hanging on to, the addiction that we are not seeking help for. When we finally face the truth about ourselves and reach across the isle with compassion and an honest search for God, we finally open the Gospel story of our lives as we shake people up and share ourselves with others. When we do that, God reveals God's love not only to us, but to others we come into contact. The dead Gospel becomes a living story of love out of the Bible on the shelf. The crucifix becomes a living way that we die to ourselves. The Death and Resurrection of Christ becomes living action, and those who are marginalized and stigmatized are given their inclusive place within God's family.

Today, I can think of no two people who have demonstrated this better than Dennis and Judy Shepard. Dennis and Judy lost their son, Matthew who was beaten and left to die because he was gay. During the many years since the tragic death of their son, Dennis and Judy have reached out to the legal community and found very little solace. Did they let that stop them? No way. Judy Shepard went on to write about her son, and tell the story of how much she loved him. Judy, who lost her own son could have turned against the gay community through denial and shame. But no. Judy Shepard shouldered the cross of love and compassion and through the telling of her story, and her fortitude of determination, Judy pushed on making appearances and statements helped push through to yesterday's victory. When the United States Senate passed the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes bill yesterday, they acknowledged what we've known and seen in Dennis and Judy Shepard. Our United States Congress has declared that crimes due to preconceived notions about sexual orientation or gender identity are hate crimes. They cannot be tolerated. Hate crimes violate the dignity and integrity of LGBT people and any group of people due to race, class, challenge or otherwise. And they must be seen in that way. Judy did all of this, even with Religious right leaders and followers calling her a "liar" right to her face when she made appearances. Judy took her place with Jesus on the Cross, and loved her son. Judy and Dennis have never stopped loving their son for who he was. And they want to encourage others to love people for who they are, and abandon their hate and violent attitudes towards LGBT people.

When we hear Jesus speaking to us, through other people, how do we respond to him? Do we respond to God with our preconceived notions of the people we come into contact through God's intervention? Do we close ourselves off to the power of God, because we do not believe in God's transforming grace through someone who is different than us? How in those moments does our Gospel story come out of the page and into real life?

As we explore these and other questions today, let us remember that God is merciful. God has already forgiven us in Christ Jesus. All we have to do is lay our sins at the foot of the Cross, and ask for the guidance of the Holy Spirit and God will do the rest.

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