Messy love.

Luke 7:11-17

          One of the most astounding people of our time has to have been Mother Theresa of Calcutta. No matter what your faith is, she was recognized as  a great and holy woman. Mother Theresa was willing to touch the untouchables and the unclean. She cared for and had love for them. Not only did she do this, she encouraged and counseled others to do the same. She had quite a following if you want it call it that.  She was filled with love and not afraid of the unclean. Life is messy on so many levels and she dove right in.

           In this passage today, Jesus is touching a burial bed or what the corpse is carried on to burial. Surely he was rendering himself unclean by the customs of his people. But Jesus was filled with love and compassion and that supersedes anything.  Jesus too, to this day, has a great following. Not all are willing to reach out with such love but he gives us the template and Mother Theresa followed that template even at the risk of becoming unclean herself, at the risk of her very life.

           I am not sure how may of us are called to, willing to or capable of submitting to love and exercising such enormous love in the face of filth, disease and sin. 'Messiness'.

           I cannot help though but think of the love we express in the gay community. It is often viewed as vile, sinful, messy and unclean. If we think about how we were actually conceived it would probably be viewed as unclean and just a bit messy. Love is messy though and it can be a bit unclean. When submitting yourself and sharing the essence of yourself, cleanliness is not the goal, love is the goal. I would be the first to tell everyone to exercise caution in the face of the diseases that haunt everyone. But at the same time I have to preach that messiness and uncleanliness in the face of love is not a bad thing. The overriding factor expressed by Jesus, by Mother Theresa, a married couple or two lovers sharing the essence of who they are is love. True love. 

      Love trumps all, even messiness.

Soon afterwards he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went with him. As he approached the gate of the town, a man who had died was being carried out. He was his mother’s only son, and she was a widow; and with her was a large crowd from the town. When the Lord saw her, he had compassion for her and said to her, ‘Do not weep.’ Then he came forward and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, ‘Young man, I say to you, rise!’ The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. Fear seized all of them; and they glorified God, saying, ‘A great prophet has risen among us!’ and ‘God has looked favourably on his people!’ This word about him spread throughout Judea and all the surrounding country.