Third Sunday after Pentecost: Welcome with Humility is Something to Celebrate

Happy Pride

Today's Scriptures

Genesis 22:1-14 (NRSV)

God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am." He said, "Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I shall show you." So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac; he cut the wood for the burnt offering, and set out and went to the place in the distance that God had shown him. On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place far away. Then Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here with the donkey; the boy and I will go over there; we will worship, and then we will come back to you." Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together. Isaac said to his father Abraham, "Father!" And he said, "Here I am, my son." He said, "The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?" Abraham said, "God himself will provide the lamb for a burnt offering, my son." So the two of them walked on together.

When they came to the place that God had shown him, Abraham built an altar there and laid the wood in order. He bound his son Isaac, and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to kill his son. But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven, and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am." He said, "Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me." And Abraham looked up and saw a ram, caught in a thicket by its horns. Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place "The LORD will provide"; as it is said to this day, "On the mount of the LORD it shall be provided."

Psalm 13 (BCP., p.597)

Romans 6:12-23 (NRSV)

Do not let sin exercise dominion in your mortal bodies, to make you obey their passions.  No longer present your members to sin as instruments of wickedness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and present your members to God as instruments of righteousness.  For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

What then? Should we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!  Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?  But thanks be to God that you, having once been slaves of sin, have become obedient from the heart to the form of teaching to which you were entrusted,  and that you, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.  I am speaking in human terms because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to greater and greater iniquity, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness for sanctification.

When you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.  So what advantage did you then get from the things of which you now are ashamed? The end of those things is death.  But now that you have been freed from sin and enslaved to God, the advantage you get is sanctification. The end is eternal life.  For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Matthew 10:40-42 (NRSV)

Jesus said, "Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet's reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous; and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple-- truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward."

Blog Reflection

Reflecting on being welcoming is easy on Pride weekend.   Thinking about humility is not quite so simple.  Yet, without setting aside our self-center-ed-ness it is very difficult to be welcoming.   To exercise the ministry of hospitality that Jesus is talking about in the Gospel for this weekend, requires an abandonment of self to the point of seeking the common good of someone else, without the expectation of anything in return for ourselves.   We cannot do that freely and without reservation, unless we have that self-knowledge by which to trust ourselves into God's hands to guide us by the power of the Spirit.

Abraham was gifted by God to be the ancestor of a multitude of nations.  His offspring Isaac was God's proof to Abraham that God would carry out the promise made to Abraham.  Yet, God threw a wrench into the works.  God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac to see just how dedicated he was to trusting in God, even beyond the physical sign of Isaac.   As frightening and as questionable as Abraham must have been with the notion of sacrificing Isaac, he was willing to do what God asked.  Abraham was able through the gift of faith to see beyond the physical dimension of what he was about to do, to see that God was more important than the son of his own flesh and blood.   God honored Abraham's faith and recanted.  God saw the faith of Abraham and provided another way for him to honor God with an acceptable sacrifice,without Abraham sacrificing his son.

All too often the debate about whether or not homosexuality, bisexuality or transgender behavior is moral; people get too weighed down in the details to see the tremendous gift of faith in LGBTQ people.   The women and men who struggle with their sexual orientation and/or gender identity/expression within the context of their faith, families, communities, schools, work places, medical care, marriage, etc. are determined to be productive people giving and adding so much to society and the Church.  They come with gifts of artistic abilities including craftsmanship, administration, well thought out philosophy and personal maturity that can add so much to any place in which they dwell or work.   Though many have been so injured by religions and spiritual communities, they still believe that humankind is capable of reaching a greater potential for inclusive justice and an equal sharing of the goods present in our world.   The faith that is present can bring belief to where there is doubt.  Hope to where all seems hopeless at the point of despair.  My Christian Faith and personal experience as a gay Christian, tells me, that LGBTQ people are full of life to be lived, and love to be shared that goes well beyond whether who they sleep with, or who they really are; as written into a judges ruling or legislative bill. 

Paul's letter to the Romans is commonly used as a ploy to bring condemnation to LGBTQ people.  The words of today's reading from the New Testament is one of the most commonly used texts to suggest that "the wages of sin found in homosexuality is death."   Evangelists are quite merciless about using that as a scare tactic for LGBTQ young adults attending a Christian College or University.   However, the message in this text, is broader than the issues of sexual orientation and/or gender identity/expression.   This Epistle Reading from Romans calls those who have decided that the Christian Faith is their religious and spiritual expression is about an obedience that accepts the Cross on which Jesus died for our sins.  Obedience to Christ and His Cross calls us to respect the dignity of every human person.

It is quite possible to be zealous about helping a person to decide to become a Christian and still violate that individual's dignity or not even be conscious of it.  It is for reasons such as this, that I personally oppose sending missionaries to places to convert Jews, Muslims or other religious practices in the world.  If you ask me if I think sending missionaries to other countries feed the hungry, care for the sick to show that we are personally concerned for their humanitarian needs; I am in all agreement.   If in the course, people freely decide to become a Christian, that is one thing.  But to do missionary work for the sole sake of converting Muslims, is something I cannot in good conscious condone.  

On the other hand, with regards to the expression of human sexuality straight or gay, this reading from Romans fits very well with the Gospel.   If we rethink things and answer these readings today with a determination to respect the dignity of every human person. and that we should never use (nor condone using) another person for the sole purpose of satisfying ourselves at the expense of who such a person is; then we are living the meaning of these readings.  We are to remember that each and every person is the presence of Christ in our midst.  Jesus must be welcomed and given a cup of water to satisfy His thirst to be received without prejudice or exploitation on our part.    

To live and/or act with humility on this Pride Sunday is to welcome Christ and to serve Christ in each other with a consciousness of God's presence with reverence.  A reverence demonstrated by the arms of love outstretched on the Cross, that welcomes everyone within Christ's embrace of all human persons without distinction or self interest.  The wages of the sin of exploitation and discrimination brings about the destruction of an individual's dignity and the meaning of community.   Human dignity and seeking peace and justice on their behalf, requires us to welcome them with our eyes and minds on Christ Jesus to bring about healing and reconciliation for all persons.

Jesus is not asking us to do everything perfect.   He is not even wanting us to understand Him without question.  Jesus is wanting us be willing to see past our own prejudices and to see the face of God in those who are different from ourselves.

The final verse of Hymn #603 in The Hymnal 1982 reads as follows:

Thus freely loved,
Though fully known,
May I in Christ be free
To welcome and accept his own
As Christ accepted me.

On this Pride Sunday, may our work, our celebrating, our parades and parties draw us to a deeper relationship with God in all the diverse people, places and things in which the Spirit's presence is found.

Amen.


Prayers

Almighty God, you have built your Church upon the
foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself
being the chief cornerstone: Grant us so to be joined together
in unity of spirit by their teaching, that we may be made a
holy temple acceptable to you; through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God,
for ever and ever. Amen.  (Proper 8, Book of Common Prayer, p.230).

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).

Loving God, bless us as we gather to celebrate LGBT Pride.  We are, each of us, created in your image lesbian, gay, straight, bisexual, and transgendered, alike.  Hasten the coming of your kingdom when all are welcome and all are equal.  Anoint us with the balm of hope and send us your healing Spirit, that we may be known as a just and unified community.  We ask this in your Name, through Jesus Christ our Redeemer, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.  (I have been told this prayer can be found in the Book of Occasional Services).

 

Monday in Holy Week: The Self-Giving Love of the Cross

Today's Scripture

Isaiah 42:1-9 (NRSV)

Here is my servant, whom I uphold,

my chosen, in whom my soul delights;

I have put my spirit upon him;

he will bring forth justice to the nations.

He will not cry or lift up his voice,

or make it heard in the street;

a bruised reed he will not break,

and a dimly burning wick he will not quench;

he will faithfully bring forth justice.

He will not grow faint or be crushed

until he has established justice in the earth;

and the coastlands wait for his teaching.

Thus says God, the LORD,

who created the heavens and stretched them out,

who spread out the earth and what comes from it,

who gives breath to the people upon it

and spirit to those who walk in it:

I am the LORD, I have called you in righteousness,

I have taken you by the hand and kept you;

I have given you as a covenant to the people,

a light to the nations,

to open the eyes that are blind,

to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,

from the prison those who sit in darkness.

I am the LORD, that is my name;

my glory I give to no other,

nor my praise to idols.

See, the former things have come to pass,

and new things I now declare;

before they spring forth,

I tell you of them.

Psalm 32:5-11 (BCP., p.632)


Hebrews 9:11-15 (NRSV)

When Christ came as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation), he entered once for all into the Holy Place, not with the blood of goats and calves, but with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls, with the sprinkling of the ashes of a heifer, sanctifies those who have been defiled so that their flesh is purified, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to worship the living God!

For this reason he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, because a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions under the first covenant.

John 12:1-11(NRSV)

Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him. Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus' feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, "Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?" (He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.) Jesus said, "Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me." When the great crowd of the Jews learned that he was there, they came not only because of Jesus but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death as well, since it was on account of him that many of the Jews were deserting and were believing in Jesus.

Blog Reflection

In my blog post for the Fifth Sunday in Lent Year C I wrote the following about this Gospel reading.

All of us need to learn to see Christ in our neighbor. Each person is a sacred vessel containing the presence of Christ. We can and should serve one another with gladness and joy. To serve another, is to serve Christ. 

Being a disciple of Jesus Christ is costly.  It will demand our best and our all.   We will be challenged to let go. Turn over ourselves over and over again for the use of God's will.  At times, it will cost us that which is most precious to us. It might be that special date or time we had planned to entertain ourselves or become an entertainer.  It may cost us our popularity. It may cost us those possessions that we are hoarding all for ourselves, when others could use our excess.  It may be our intellectual pride by which we think we are smarter than others.  It may be our desire to fit in with the most powerful, wealthy and the best looking.

Mary is preparing Jesus for His final journey into Jerusalem and ultimately to the Cross.  This anointing of Jesus' feet also has another meaning.   As Thomas Keating writes in his book The Mystery of Christ: The Liturgy as Spiritual Experience:

In this remarkable incident, Mary manifests her intuition into what Jesus is about to do.  Moreover, she identifies with Him to such an intimate degree that she manifests the same disposition of total self-giving that He is about to manifest on the cross.  She had learned from Jesus how to throw herself away and become like God.  That is why this story must be proclaimed wherever the Gospel is preached. "To perpetuate Mary's memory" is to fill the whole world with the perfume of God's love, the love that is totally self-giving.  In the concrete, it is to anoint the poor and the afflicted, the favored members of Christ's Body, with this love (Page55).

We begin Holy Week with this Gospel, because this is it.  Here we are asked to make the decision to follow Jesus in real discipleship in His self-giving love, or let Him go to the Cross without following Him in our daily life.   The costly part is that we will have to live into our Baptismal Covenant in upholding the dignity of every human being even if society and the Church continue to make distinctions that are contrary to the Gospel.

That is what the Cross is all about.

Amen.


Prayer

Almighty God, whose 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 that the way of life and
peace; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives
and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever
and ever. Amen.  (Book of Common Prayer, p.220).