Fearless

Luke 12:13-31

        Death is a funny thing. We all know in some recess of our mind that we are not immortal, at least in a human sense. We know one day our life will end. It seems easy enough to put that out of our mind. In a way we are conditioned not to think about it because we have a long history of sleeping and waking day after day after day.

        Perhaps there are some moments in our life when we come closer to death than we care to. The death of a loved one or an accident in which we narrowly escape death. I recall an event 20 years ago when an oil truck rear ended a car on wet pavement. The car took off like a croquet ball and the tanker started spinning around like it was dancing on ice and it headed right for me, stopped at the opposing stoplight. It came to rest mere feet from the front of my car, nose to nose. I giggled an uneasy giggle all day, maybe all week knowing what might easily have happened. And then there are the times we witness the death of our loved ones. I was present when my good friend Joe eased from this life into the next after a valiant fight for life. It was surreal.

        Today I am facing my own personal view of dying. I can only suspect it would be fully appreciated by someone who has cancer, someone on death row awaiting a last minute appeal or someone like myself who has a ripening aneurysm. You are facing the real possibility that you may not wake up the next morning like you always have for years on end.

       It is interesting to know that you could easily die with not much more than a moments notice. How devastating to say goodbye to the people you love so intensely. My husband, my muse, my lover, my friend. My most wonderful children and two of the most adorable grandsons that I have been graced with, my family and friends.

         I do know that Jesus knew he was going to die. I do have an inkling now how he must have felt as his gut wrenched knowing he was saying good bye to his mom, his friends, perhaps his lover? and his Apostles. Jesus enjoyed companionship as much as he enjoyed communing with his father in the desert. The transition truly is gut wrenching.

         Knowing you may meet your maker makes you fearless though. You can see the prize of heavenly reward almost in front of you. The joy of such a meeting becomes not something to be feared but something to embrace even if you have absolutely no desire to say goodbye to loved ones. In fact I would vote an emphatic NO to leave my loved ones.  Yet in the face of being graced with such a wonderful husband, children and life, isn't it selfish to ask for more?

      Such is the mental anguish of being on the edge. Working feverishly to have yourself "fixed", doing all the tests, doing all they say to do and not doing what you have been accustomed to doing, and waiting, knowing, anticipating, accepting whatever is coming. Frankly it sucks but face it you must, one way or another. Coming face to face with the real possibility you will meet your maker perhaps sooner than later. You don't take for granted the waking day after day after day any longer.

       I say all this as a form of self therapy for sure. But on a day like today when we think of those that have died before us, those who have enriched our lives and who they themselves have gone to meet their maker, it seems wholly appropriate to think about my own mortality.

       Aside from the actual moment of death, there is a freeing moment here in my life, right now, ever present that I have been so graced and to make every moment precious because it truly is. Every moment is a graced moment. Oh if we could only live our whole life that way. It certainly is freeing and it certainly makes you fearless.

      

Someone in the crowd said to him, ‘Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.’ But he said to him, ‘Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?’ And he said to them, ‘Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.’ Then he told them a parable: ‘The land of a rich man produced abundantly. And he thought to himself, “What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?” Then he said, “I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.” But God said to him, “You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?” So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich towards God.’

He said to his disciples, ‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? If then you are not able to do so small a thing as that, why do you worry about the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin;^* yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! And do not keep striving for what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not keep worrying.For it is the nations of the world that strive after all these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, strive for his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

Science, faith and love

Luke 13:31-35

          The Internet has been awash lately with the machinations within the Roman Catholic church. There appears to be at least some who are willing to tackle the tough questions (tough for the church, pretty easy for most everyone else). The Pope is being what he should be and what you would expect of a true vicar of Christ.  He seems less concerned with the rules and rubrics and more concerned with love , compassion and understanding. He may have to drag some of the Cardinals and Bishops kicking and screaming (and whining ) into the modern era. Some will never relent in their stubbornness.

          There was a Clergyman who not too long ago who presided over and blessed the marriage of his gay son. The preacher was brought up on charges within his church and convicted (it that's the correct word). That conviction as I understand it has recently been removed.

           They say that the Roman Church moves at a snails pace where centuries not days, weeks months or years are the unit of measurement. The Pope was in the news yesterday for confirming the acceptance of the Big Bang theory as well as evolution and that neither diminishes or denies the existence of God. He stated what I have always held, that such theories only make God even more magnificent. The Biblical story is absolutely correct in that it explains that God created the world. The fact that it may have been a Big Bang so to speak does not deny the fact that God was behind the Big Bang itself. God becomes even more awesome, more of a mystery than we can comprehend. 

            These battles of science and faith seems terminal in many ways. In my mind it seems so unnecessary. Science actually enriches faith. False logic, ignorance and tradition (often used in faith arguments) seem to doom formal religion. That will be sad for humanity because we do have a ingrained desire and need to search for our creator. It seems horribly sad that rules and rubrics destroy the very thing that is supposed to support and promote our natural call to our creator.

         What lies in the wings of such confusion and fights for power? All of humanity and especially the ones marginalized for one reason or another. Look throughout history for the labels of those who have been denied and marginalized by formal religions, especially the Roman church. Native Americans, African Americans, women, divorced and members of the LGBTQ community. They have suffered and continue to suffer.

         What we need is to embrace science, scholarly scriptural study and especially the love and faith that is exhibited in the Holy Spirit.

At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, ‘Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.’ He said to them, ‘Go and tell that fox for me, “Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work. Yet today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on my way, because it is impossible for a prophet to be killed away from Jerusalem.” Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you. And I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.” ’

The Calling to be all that you can be

Ephesians 4:1-16

             A very popular question you might hear is "what's your sign?" Many people give credence to astrology and the role it may play in our lives. I don't have an opinion either way except to say that perhaps God has many ways in revealing himself to us. But the question itself  calls to mind a broader question that's mentioned in this passage, lead a life worthy of the calling. 

               What is our calling? You've certainly heard the expression "he or she received the calling".  I have always been of the belief that it referred to a person being called by God to ministry. I had broadened my definition a bit when I saw how physicians and nurses worked. They work hard and long hours not dictated by a clock but dictated by a higher, broader responsibility. I believe being a physician or nurse is something more than a job then, it's a calling.

                Where does that leave the rest of us? After some thought I realize we are all called.  While we may not be called to ministry and we may not be called to serve others in medicine we are none the less all called. What are we called to?

                 That is the BIG question now isn't it.  First, being called presumes you are listening. Putting that aside for a minute, we are called by virtue of our creation. God created each and every one of us as a unique, highly loved and cherished being. Those things that make us special and unique, the fact that we are children of God, calls us to be all that we were created to be. We are called to offer all that we are to all of our brothers in sisters in the best way we can. Basically, be all that you can be, all that you were meant to be. After that, listening is key.

                I have come to great deal of self knowledge in my life. In my search for who I am, I did a great deal of listening. One of the biggest chunks of self knowledge about myself is that I am gay. I didn't come to that realization until I was about 50 years old. It is integral to who I am and how I love and serve God. But before I came to that epiphany, I was still a loved, created being of God trying to be the best I could be, listening for God's 'calling'.  This kind of listening led me to such wonderful experiences as running soup suppers, volunteering to serve food on Thanksgiving day, being involved with small Christian communities, volunteering in the Dominican Republic and hammering nails for habitat for humanity with my church.  I would  consider of all of these 'callings'. 

                 So, although my definition of 'the calling' has vastly expanded over the years, the one most important calling is the one to be whom God created  you to be. To be all you can be, all that you are.

I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.

But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore it is said,

‘When he ascended on high he made captivity itself a captive;

   he gave gifts to his people.’ 

(When it says, ‘He ascended’, what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is the same one who ascended far above all the heavens, so that he might fill all things.) The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming. But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knitted together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love.

Our lifeboat

1 Corinthians 10:15-24

          "we who are many are one body". For whatever reason all I could think of is a movie I have not seen in decades, Lifeboat. It's quite a movie and the world as it existed was a single lifeboat and it's occupants. It might be an interesting movie to watch, especially after reading this today.  What happens might be an interesting analogy to life.

           Imagine a camera and move out, way out so that what you see is a beautiful blue orb - earth. That is our lifeboat and we who are many are one body, the creations of our heavenly Father. How do we handle that? What do we do with that knowledge , that realization if you will?

           We know how we are called to act and perhaps we think about it it terms of our family, our neighbors, our coworkers, maybe as citizens of the United States. What about as citizens of the  world? 

            There is a great irony in a growing trend of isolationism. The premise is that we should spend less money and have perhaps less concern for the needs of the rest of the world and focus more on the needs here at home. Even worse, there are calls to cut many social safety nets at home and diminish help and lower taxes at home. The extreme irony of this kind of thinking is that it comes from the far right Christian conservatives when in fact such thoughts are the furthest from what Christians are called to do. This kind of thinking and policy is the furthest from what Jesus would do. This, in a country of enormous gifts.

             We amass vast fortunes here in the United States as if capitalism and business were part of our founding documents. I would not agree against being rich. Being wealthy in itself is no sin. I would however point out that hearses do not have luggage racks. The fact that we have the money and resources to help millions and have the moral and religious responsibility to do so as a nation and as individuals is quite indicting compared to what we actually do.  What we consume in every single measure as a percentage of the 'lifeboats' population and resources is simply sinful on the grandest of scales.

              Now would be the time to get Lifeboat from Netflix or some other place. How are we called to act even ( or especially ) while we recognize the evil in the world. God has great compassion and love for every single one of us, saints and sinners. Into which category do we wish to be aligned? What are our duties as citizen of earth, our 'lifeboat'? 

I speak as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ?Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. Consider the people of Israel; are not those who eat the sacrifices partners in the altar? What do I imply then? That food sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be partners with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. Or are we provoking the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?

‘All things are lawful’, but not all things are beneficial. ‘All things are lawful’, but not all things build up. Do not seek your own advantage, but that of others.

I'll show you mine if you show me yours

Luke 13:1-9

          It's curious how we count our blessings and lament the troubles we have. Perhaps it's a fine line between seeing the good in something bad and revelling in the bad. It's the difference between a masochist and a person who sees a silver lining in everything. I am certainly not looking for any trouble myself. Life seems to dole out problems as it is. Illness, violence, poverty, hatred. There is no need to to seek the wrongs that life holds. Our mission is to overcome and put our talents to work to at least alleviate the pain and suffering.

           The curious part to me is how we all handle life's problems. Some lament how bad they have it. They use it as a spotlight on themselves, an attention getter that is supposed to show how they have it worse than everyone else and that they deserve all the attention. There are people like that. Still others accept their problems but make them seem easier to bear or justified as not as bad as someone else.  'Sure I have cancer but thank God I'm not like that one that has AIDS'. Something that makes them seem better than the morally repugnant AIDS patient. 'Lord know what they did to get that!'

         I myself have had (have, had?) numerous problems in my life. Sadly I will confess, I have sometimes sunk into the depressed feeling that it is all about me. Self pity is a willing leader.  In all life's challenges, it is not about me. When someone gets cancer or AIDS or someone close dies, it is not about them. I don't wish to say that they are not deserving of compassion, charity and understanding. 

        What I like to think is that even though life is fraught with challenges and problems, it is just that, a challenge. The challenge is to rise above whatever troubles we have. Use it as leverage. Is there someone who has a more serious problem that we could comfort?  Can we possibly see some good that comes out of our trial? Are we being called to be compassionate and understanding of others?  The big one might be, are we being called to appreciate life and the fragility of it? Is it a wake up call to our own limited amount of time here on earth?

        We all have 'issues' and problems. Is mine worse than yours? Are we going to play the game of "I'll show you mine if you show me yours"? As horrible as it is is dealing with what life throws us, perhaps it is better and more befitting of believers to focus our attention outward. If we truly are believers, it isn't about me, me, me. What it really is about is how "me" can effectively love others.

At that very time there were some present who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. He asked them, ‘Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them—do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did.’

Then he told this parable: ‘A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. So he said to the gardener, “See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?” He replied, “Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig round it and put manure on it. If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.” ’

Martha, Martha, Martha and the high life

Luke 10:38-42

          There is a very pleasant woman at my work, Kathy, always friendly, a smile for everyone. As it turns out she is married to a preacher of one sort or another. I know him as well, he's a good man. Kathy and I started our friendship with "the word for the day" when one of us would come up with a word and we would think about it all day. Sort of a day long meditation if you will. Kathy sees my postings on FaceBook and knows many of the outings my husband and I go on. Trips, dinners, hikes and the gamut of our social life. She often says we are  "living the high life".  Perhaps it's true but I do not for a moment take it for granted. The fact is, we are not living beyond our means and we are quite frugal. We often do things that seem (are) exciting but cost little if no money. The excitement and pleasure comes from each other. We enjoy each others presence, companionship and love.  That elevates the ordinary to the extraordinary.  We know when it is time to work and we know balance is knowing when it is time to play. We make the time and effort.  Anyone can do what we do. I have told Kathy that too.

            Todays' reading seems timeless. I can see the same scenario played out today. People working hard at everything that's important and things that "must get done".  The end result is no time to do the truly important things. Time with God. Time with your lover (spouse?). Time with the kids. Time with yourself.  The scenario of Martha is so real.  Mary is the wise one and Jesus says she will not be deprived of it. Good for Mary.

            I often tell people they need to make time to pray. The truth is, they need to make time for many things and put aside things that are just not really that important.  My husband often quotes Tess McGill ( Melanie Griffith ) in Working Girl when she says "fringe time is crucial".  Using your time wisely is a skill that allows you to accomplish so much more and it isn't chores I am speaking of. That "extra" time you make is time that can be well spent with God, on yourself, with your spouse or kids.  Hubby has it right.

          In the meantime, all you Martha's out there, wake up and smell the coffee. You too can live the high life.  

Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what he was saying. But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.’ But the Lord answered her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.’

Sinner and Saint

Hebrews 4:12-16

          I am a sinner. Who knows the extent of my sins?  Sometimes I think I am not fully aware of the extent of my sinfulness.  I could roll out a litany of sins like I was a child in the confessional but that is passe. What is more modern and more mature is to think about how I have strayed and why I have strayed.  Who cares how many times I did what? What is it that I have done and why?

          Selfishness, arrogance, greed, lust, vanity, hatefulness. I could go on. I am fully aware of my shortcomings, past and present. I am not wearing them like a necklace to be showed off and be proud of. What do I do with this self knowledge? Do I even dare approach the altar of God or speak to God in such a state? Ever?

           First of all, this passage points out we do not have a saviour, a high priest, who is unable to sympathize. Jesus was fully human in every way. Perhaps the stories of scripture have glossed over certain aspects of Jesus. Perhaps some aspects have been intentionally omitted to suit an agenda or an approved philosophy. Whatever, Jesus was fully human. Any person worth their salt knows that Jesus therefore understood everything, and I mean everything about being human. From anger and love, to sexuality and solitude, Jesus was there. It is from this knowledge that we know God understands all that we are and all the mistakes and foibles we have entered into.  From the greatest intentions and biggest lies we tell ourselves, God understands and still loves us.

            Scripture says to approach the throne with boldness. It is boldness born of self respect and humbleness combined into one being that God so graciously created in each of us. I know there is a careful balance that must be drawn between beating ourselves up over our mistakes and mistakenly thinking we can do no wrong. In fact, some people seem to feel that an acknowledgement, public or private, of wrongdoing is detrimental to their psychological well being. It just ain't so.

           Only by acknowledging our humanity and our divinity, each to the full, can we approach the throne of God boldly without being disrespectful to God that loves us '"with reckless abandon" as I say.

          Yes I am a sinner. Find out the way, try to sin no more and by all means approach the altar of God boldly as a beloved child of God.

Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And before him no creature is hidden, but all are naked and laid bare to the eyes of the one to whom we must render an account. 

Since, then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Sower or harvester?

Luke 13:18-21

      There's nothing like the look of a small child opening presents on Christmas morning. The eye's are alight wild with exuberance and joy.  We like to see that especially if it's something we have given. We like to see the results of our actions.

      In a way I think the same is true when we go outside ourselves and give to a cause. We still like to see results. If it wasn't true there probably wouldn't be quite so many buildings, wings and programs named after their benefactors. Also, PAC's would far less funded.

       It's a bit more challenging perhaps to see the results of all the other little things we do. In reality they may be the most important because they affect people in every day situations and in their daily lives.  The good we do is not unlike the mustard seed or the leavening in bread. Sometime we have no idea what the outcome may be but it has a huge ripple effect, all good.

        No matter what situation we find ourselves in in life we can do some extraordinary good simply by being nice. If we put others first and do a good deed, the good grows exponentially. It doesn't matter the whether you are opening a door for someone,  complimenting someone or trying to please your lover more than yourself, it all makes the world a much better place.

         Every moment of our day is an opportunity to love and make the world a better place. What role will you play? Sower or harvester?

He said therefore, ‘What is the kingdom of God like? And to what should I compare it? It is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in the garden; it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.’

And again he said, ‘To what should I compare the kingdom of God? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.’

Bloom

Luke 9:51-62

         I want to find myself. That was a phrase that seemed a bit more popular back in the 60's and 70's. Hippies went about the country trying to find themselves.  A man is married for X number of years, they have children, the home, works two or three jobs to keep up and make a good life for him and his family. Perhaps his spouse works too and they are comfortable. Yet the man is not happy. Perhaps his spouse is not happy or fulfilled either. One party ditches the other or maybe has an affair. Often this is an attempt to 'find themselves'. They are trying to find wholeness, completeness or meaning to life. A high school or college graduate decides to take a year off, to travel or to discern what makes them happy, to experience life and in so doing find out who they are.

          Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head. What a precious gift to know who you are, what your gifts are and move forward in life as God wishes you too. Not everyone is so blessed. Then again, some people are not good listeners even to themselves, never mind others around them.

          Epiphanies about yourself and knowing who you are is a major portion of what we are here on this earth for. God created us as a special gift, a presence, His presence. If we are to be fulfilled, we need to know as much as we can about God but perhaps more importantly, about ourselves. The birds of the sky have their nests and know how to live life for themselves. Foxes too have their lives as do woodchuck and deer and rabbits. Do we know how to live?

          Knowing your are gay seems like it should be a no brainer. However I was one of those that did not listen to themselves. I denied who I was even to myself. I tried as hard as I could to listen to God, it is my life passion and my life force I suppose. But I did not listen to myself. When I realized and acknowledged who I am as a person, I was ever so much happier. I was at peace. Even as I worked or played or preached or sat, I knew where my head would lay, if not literally, certainly figuratively. I knew my purpose, or at least a large chunk of it. I was as happy as an animal, as confident as an Eagle in flight. Stuff could happen but I know who I am and where I am going. I love, I live and I know where I am headed.

          How about you? Will you deny yourself? Will you deny who you are with all the wonderful gifts God granted you? Or, like I did, will you not listen to the call to be whom God created you to be. Will you not listen? 

           Setting some time aside , quiet walks, prayer, meditation, whatever it takes. Analyzing your life by yourself or in therapy. Whatever it takes. Do it.

           You are gifted to us by God, bloom into the wonderful being you are meant t be.

When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. And he sent messengers ahead of him. On their way they entered a village of the Samaritans to make ready for him; but they did not receive him, because his face was set towards Jerusalem. When his disciples James and John saw it, they said, ‘Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?’ But he turned and rebuked them. Then they went on to another village.

As they were going along the road, someone said to him, ‘I will follow you wherever you go.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.’ To another he said, ‘Follow me.’ But he said, ‘Lord, first let me go and bury my father.’ But Jesus said to him, ‘Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.’ Another said, ‘I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home.’ Jesus said to him, ‘No one who puts a hand to the plough and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.’

our father WHO ( them who, that's who)

Who

        I think it would be a wonderful statement to speak about the very nature of God. We could discuss the what of who exactly God is. Is God a he? a she? more of an it?  We say we are made in the image and likeness of God so the jumping off point could bring myriad images and discussions. But the who that I am thinking of, a very timely who, is them. The them being the Roman church.

        Since they have no compunction trying to get everyone to believe that they are the one true church, the vicar of Christ on earth and that they speak directly for God, they make easy targets. But a target that even Christ himself would aim at I strongly suspect.

        There has been an incredible amount of media attention and internet traffic these past few days about conciliatory tones and statements from the Vatican about gays. I applaud the Bishops that are speaking up and focusing on hot button issues. But really, short of abandoning centuries old philosophies and tradition, nothing of substance can ever really change. It will amount to double talk or some form of circular logic that is at the heart of way too much of Roman policy already. It is not unlike the logic and policies about divorce. ' we do not allow divorce' but we do grant annulments. No matter how you explain it, it is still a divorce, Roman, religious, but still a divorce. I know because I know the reasoning's and I can spout almost verbatim what the difference is. I can say but it would still be obfuscation and lies.

        So what of the LGBTQ community and the Roman church? So there are discussion that probably revolve around half of the clergy being gay and we can't all be that bad so they must have something to offer. 'Are we nothing more that religious zealots'?  When push comes to shove, not only are a large percentage of the clergy gay, they have been excellent shepherds at times. Gay people in general have historically been great contributors to society in every realm.  You can try to deny it but it's true. The church may be getting around to discussing that we are worthy of the love and respect that any of God's creations do but that will fall short of changing policy and rules. If anything we would be relegated to second class status within the church. Until everyone, every member of the church is recognized and proclaimed as equal sinners and equally loved, there can be no moving forward for the Roman church.

        Please do not get me wrong, I am so hopeful that the movement of the Spirit in the Roman church will be allowed full movement to flourish and bring much needed light, intelligence and reform. I am hopeful. The discussions make it so even if the movement seems highly unlikely. It seems more likely ( and please forgive me ) that the Pope will be offed by some errant conservative Cardinal who sees himself as a Roman  Catholic jihadist. It would not be the first or seven second time. Many things are done in the name of God that are truly unholy.

          What is unholy also is subjugating a group of people to second class heirs to the kingdom of God. Maintaining  policies, philosophies and dogma to fit an outdated human paradigm is truly unholy.  Even if people in the LGBTQ community were recent constructs of God, they would still be worthy of no less love and respect by the church. I know that God herself loves us no less. I know God loves us with the reckless abandon that is a hallmark of her existence.

     


He was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.’ He said to them, ‘When you pray, say:

Father, hallowed be your name.

   Your kingdom come. 

Give us each day our daily bread. 

And forgive us our sins,

     for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us.

   And do not bring us to the time of trial.’

The gay death

2 Corinthians 4:11-18

         I suppose you might think this is about AIDS as it is often considered a disease of the gay community. In fact it is shared by so many, straight and gay. For if ADS is spread by promiscuity, then the straight community and their lifestyle is equally at risk as the gay community and statistics are seeing a shift that bears that out. What once was a gay disease, then Haitian, Hemophiliacs and now, equal opportunity, woman and straight men too.

        But that is not the death I speak of, it is not the death of Scripture and it certainly is not the death of Jesus Christ that we share in. Jesus' death brought new life and we are considered Easter People for that reason. We have the promise of new life, eternal and we share in the inheritance of our Father.

         As such we are not only promised new life when we stop breathing. Dying and new life is a hallmark of our existence, whether we are Baptised Christians or Buddhists or Muslim or Jews. Dying and rising is part of who we are. It is born out in the Seasons we live with. It is born out in the Sacraments we live out as Christians. In Baptism we die to the death of Original Sin (if you believe that).  In the Sacraments we often wear white signify new life in Christ.

        On a day to day basis though we die and rise. Tell any man or woman who comes out of the closet about what dying is. We face the death of family and friends who may say goodbye, adios forever. We die to the self that hid ourselves and acted differently to not give away who we truly are. We die to that old self and rise to dignity, life and self respect. 

        How about as a married couple? We die to the notion that it is all about me. It is now all about "us". We gladly offer up many things for the sake of the other. It is not sacrifice, it is love. We die though to a selfishness that we may have had and a new life of two is born and flourishes. 

        Whenever we improve ourselves a new person is born and the old dies away. It is evident in nature and we emulate it every day in our lives. Dying and new life. Always around us, always with us, it is who we are.

         Sometimes we see death ad we legitimately ask why. Why? Why did Matthew Shepard die? Why did Harvey Milk die? Why did so many die needlessly from AIDS? Why, why, why? Of course we are not always privy to the secrets of the universe. Still, we can see glimpses of love and hope (new life) out of the ashes of the sorrow of Matthew. We can see a hope of new life for countless gay people that comes from the resolve and life giving strength of people like Harvey that stood up , came out, out and proud.  Out of death is new life, always.

          We don't wish death and we certainly don't seek death in it's finality. We do see growth. We do seek love and we do seek maturity. All requires some kind of personal  death and we appreciate it and honour it.

              

For while we live, we are always being given up to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus may be made visible in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you.

But just as we have the same spirit of faith that is in accordance with scripture—‘I believed, and so I spoke’—we also believe, and so we speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus, and will bring us with you into his presence. Yes, everything is for your sake, so that grace, as it extends to more and more people, may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.

So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure, because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal.

Ex Gay

Acts 26:1-23

            There is a cohort of people who seem to think that being gay is a choice. Certainly what you do as a gay person is a choice, that goes for anyone. But being gay? not so much. This cohort seems to think that you can pray the gay away and several people have gained fame and notoriety forming organizations that will help you stop being gay. Through a variety of methods these people, mostly by fanatical right wing Christians, try to force the gay out of you. Oddly enough they call it reparative. All of these methods have been proven wrong and in fact labelled as dangerous by such professionals as the American Psychological Association, the American Psychiatric Association, the American Medical Association, the Royal College of Psychiatrists (UK), the Indian Psychiatric Society, the World Health Organisation as well as psychological societies of Hong Kong, China, Australia, The American Pediatric Association and well, need I go on?

         Bolstered by ignorance and a warped faith, this cohort continues to act on their rogue ideas at the expense of the LGBTQ community.  To me it is not unlike Paul from today's passage. Paul was a devout Jew who was guided to persecute the Christians who to him were basically errant Jews.  The LGBTQ community would be errant people I suppose.

        I am very happy to report that there are many major players in the ex-gay cohort that have realized the errors of their ways and the utter damage they have visited on good and decent human beings, created gay by our heavenly Father. Still others enraged by the movement of the Holy Spirit to have people actually see the decency in gay people....and grant them rights.....and give them marriage equality, have carried their agenda abroad and across the globe. Armed with lies, hate and misinformation they illegally promote foreign policy to nations and individuals that will listen. In so doing, like Paul before his conversion, they visit hatred and violence against people even to foreign cities. This should not be allowed. 

        At this point, all I can do aside from supporting legislation, information and living a decent life, is to pray for the conversion of hearts abroad and the movement of the Spirit in areas where hate reigns. Sadly these cohorts, as I have alluded to, have the backing of large religious organisations. This is so sad and I can surely see God crying at what is perpetuated as sure as he cried when the Romans perpetrated the crusades and the inquisition. None of this hate mongering is that far removed from each other. 

          The choice for the gay community like myself is to speak up, support change in any manner we can and to educate and convert people with our loving lives.

Agrippa said to Paul, ‘You have permission to speak for yourself.’ Then Paul stretched out his hand and began to defend himself:

‘I consider myself fortunate that it is before you, King Agrippa, I am to make my defence today against all the accusations of the Jews, because you are especially familiar with all the customs and controversies of the Jews; therefore I beg of you to listen to me patiently.

‘All the Jews know my way of life from my youth, a life spent from the beginning among my own people and in Jerusalem. They have known for a long time, if they are willing to testify, that I have belonged to the strictest sect of our religion and lived as a Pharisee. And now I stand here on trial on account of my hope in the promise made by God to our ancestors, a promise that our twelve tribes hope to attain, as they earnestly worship day and night. It is for this hope, your Excellency, that I am accused by Jews! Why is it thought incredible by any of you that God raises the dead?

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

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

‘After that, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout the countryside of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God and do deeds consistent with repentance. For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me. To this day I have had help from God, and so I stand here, testifying to both small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would take place: that the Messiah must suffer, and that, by being the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light both to our people and to the Gentiles.’

Living outside of the box. Conversion moments.

Matthew 15:21-28

          From time to time I have pondered when Jesus knew what he knew. Did he know as a child he was the son of God?  Was it the fullness of time that gave him the wisdom and knowledge or was it present from day one?

          In today's passage Jesus has somewhat of a conversion moment. Jesus was Jewish and Jesus died a Jew. He was not Christian. Here Jesus points out that he was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel. That eliminates whole groups of people, certainly Gentiles and for that matter, the rest of the world.

          At the same time Jesus professes who he has come for, he recognizes the faith of a non Jew. It seems as if a light has gone off and he recognizes the woman's faith.  There are many instances in Scripture where Jesus not only speaks to outcasts and those who would not fall into the category of even lost sheep, but proclaims them as saved and welcome in his fathers' kingdom.  In this sense Jesus was a revolutionary. Speaking to outcasts, women, lepers, touching them, loving them, curing them, welcoming them. I suppose it doesn't matter when Jesus knew what he knew, he talks the talk and walks the walk. His actions speak louder than any words ever could. 

           I spoke recently of a personal conversion moment when I went from avowed cat hater to cat and animal lover. The story is more complex that I told but the conversion was profound. In fact I still recall a brother of mine saying that he'd believe I was gay but he found it unbelievable that I loved cats! Conversions are like that sometimes. It's that old 2 by 4 that I often speak of that God whacks you with.

           Was it a bolt of lightening or God's 2 by 4 that knocked Paul off his horse and blinded him?  There is another conversion moment. In the case of Paul it resulted not only his conversion but cooperation with Jesus' plan whereby everyone can be saved, not just the Jews. More revolution!

           Hopefully we all have conversion moments. It happens a great deal to people who think (as opposed to listening to Fox News) and have open minds. People who live a bit outside their comfort zones and experience more of God's created world are more open to conversion.  It's not just thinking outside the box, it's living outside the box.

Jesus left that place and went away to the district of Tyre and Sidon. Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, ‘Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon.’ But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, ‘Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us.’ He answered, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’ But she came and knelt before him, saying, ‘Lord, help me.’ He answered, ‘It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.’ She said, ‘Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.’ Then Jesus answered her, ‘Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.’ And her daughter was healed instantly.

Our FATHER

Father

          In an effort to help the class understand, the deacon teaching our class tried to translate the word Jesus used when speaking to his Father. The word "Abba" is not an ordinary word for father.  Roughly translated, the word would be 'Daddy'.

           I was not graced with a father figure that conjured up images of Father Knows Best, Ozzie and Harriet or Make Room for Daddy. My parents separated when I was very young.  None the less my father loved me enormously. I would discover as much over the years and we would have a strong loving relationship for years before he passed. Some of my brothers did not have such a loving relationship. They were older and had 'witnessed it all'. They saw the arguments, the fighting and the drinking. The beatings continued apparently until he moved out. They were a bit scarred and I doubt that they would completely embrace the loving image of Abba (Daddy).  I presume many are similarly challenged. But for those who have been graced with the storybook version of 'Daddy' or can simply picture it from media or relatives, the image of a man who is nurturing, loving, strong and forgiving such as Daddy, we catch a glimpse of how Jesus really felt about his Father, our Father.

           I saw a note or ad campaign somewhere recently promoting fatherhood. I was the antithesis of the 'hit 'em and quit 'em' rule of life. It notes that anyone can make a baby. There are no special requirements, no license needed. But to be a father, that requires quite a bit more. It requires more than being there for more than the moment of conception. To be a father requires a full range of capabilities, commitment, emotions and strength. 

          I am not sure God is male or female but if God is a continuum like humans are, I believe God's male 'side' is the template for all that the best qualities of human fatherhood.  God did the deed in creating the world and has been loving us since day one. Enmeshed in our lives, intimately involved in who we are, how we love, supporting, nurturing, patient and a long, long list of adjectives that show just how much he loves each one of us. 

          As a meditation I am thinking it would be great to write all of the words down that express our image of Father ( God ). For some it will be a kaleidoscope of beautiful and loving words. For some there will be not so flattering words I am sure. I believe one of the attributes of our Father is that he can understand even our bad thoughts. In writing them down on paper, perhaps we can get a grasp of why we feel that way. Perhaps we can deal with those feelings. Perhaps offer them up to God. 

          

            
He was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.’ He said to them, ‘When you pray, say:

Father, hallowed be your name.

   Your kingdom come. 

Give us each day our daily bread. 

And forgive us our sins,

     for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us.

   And do not bring us to the time of trial.’

Living, loving, serving.

Romans 12:1-2,14-21

          I was speaking with a coworker the other day and discovered she too was a deacon in her church. While our churches were different denominations and our training varied, we both had some very important things in common. One was the belief that once you were ordained nothing could remove that designation from you. I always felt ordination was a formal recognition of what had already existed in you by persona and service. The other commonality we had was that we each were now in churches other than the one we had been ordained in. We discussed that at some length.

          Since neither one of us were now acting on our ministry in a specific way within our respective churches, my friend asked whether I thought we were being disobedient to God. Interesting question for sure. I don't believe we are being disobedient so much as discerning. We still live our lives as best we can in the circumstances we were each in. What the future holds is unknown. I do know God will always lead us in the right path if we listen and are intent on discerning our correct path. Too often people jump, looking for "a sign" and interpreting life with a very personal and often self serving lens. That is not what discernment is when we are speaking about our Godly missions.

           One thing I pointed out was the difference in my life after being ordained in the Roman church and my life now as a married man (married to another man who is Jewish - a double whammy according to the Roman church I am sure). In any event, I cannot conceive of going back to the frantic life I lived. My ministry was rushed, frantic and everyone suffered from me being stretched too thinly as I personally grew not so thinly (max wt: 302 pounds).  I suggested to my friend that perhaps my best and possibly my most meaningful ministry may be simply to love my husband and witness God's love to the world in that way. I still act in the holiest manner I can and try to be an outward example of God's love in our life.  Seems simple but it also seems incredibly powerful.  Someday I may discern more to do or even a different path of service but I am open to that. I also know I said yes to God once (in service in ordination) and I have no reason to believe I would say no on a second round. 

           Discerning is not so much watching for "a sign" as it is moving forward by living and always loving. God will lead the way in all important ways. And if I am not listening intently enough, as I have said before, if you don't listen when God taps you on the shoulder; have no doubt he/she will come back with a baseball bat to shake you up and let you know what you are being called to do.

          In the meantime my friend and I will live and love and in so doing discern what it is we are to do. Our mission may simply be to bloom where we have been planted, living, loving and serving.

I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’ No, ‘if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

"Our" , us and them

Our

         It's not always easy to think about who "our" is.  It encompasses everyone on this planet (perhaps beyond), every being on this planet. Still we have a capacity to dismiss whole groups of people from our consciousness. We have the uncanny ability to diminish others as if they don't count. 

         It's the adult version of who "Daddy" ( Abba ) loves best.  If we diss our neighbors, our brothers or sisters, people we disagree with or people we deem "less than intelligent" we diminish God. God loves everyone, all creatures.  The fact that we can speak in a derogatory manner about people from the US south with redneck jokes, or how Canadians speak  demeaningly of people from New Found land as "Newfies" speaks to our attempts to make us seem better than them.  Can you imagine the scenario when some one disses your sister and you pummel the person?  'You can't say that about my sister!' Why do we feel we have the freedom to speak about others in such a demeaning way?

          When people speak in disgusting terms about the LGBTQ community, quite often people are defined by an action or a perceived action instead of as a person.  In spite of the fact that this is horrendously wrong, it fails to recognize the totality of the person. It fails to recognize the goodness of a person as created by God. It fails to recognize honest loving, committed relationships where specific acts have no meaning and have no basis for judgement.

            When I say "Our", how broad a spectrum comes to mind?

            When I was in the Seminary, we were taught about philosophy, souls and levels of creation. This dismissed the idea of animals having souls and thereby diminished and demeaned animals. At the time I was an avowed cat hater. Not that I would ever do anything evil, I just disliked cats. I now know I disliked the cat owners who took their responsibilities too lightly.  After a new friends cat died things changed for me. I become a bit more enlightened. This cat, a companion of 17 years died, leaving my friend devastated. He loved this cat. The cat was a companion more than many people are.  When I recognized this and when sometime later, I met my friends new adopted kitten, I fell in love. I am hopelessly smitten. I have come to see "Our" includes the face of God in the animal kingdom.  What love and what freedom to love! I see God's divine graces in the animals all around. The woodchucks in the fields, the pets, the deer grazing in the woods. The "Our" becomes quite expansive.

           I am charged to try and recognize the brotherhood in all of God's creation. How about you?

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be your name.

   Thy kingdom come, thy will be done,

on earth as it is in Heaven.

Give us each day our daily bread. 

And forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.

Save us from the time of trial,

 For thine is the kingdom , the power and the Glory. Amen

Time off to pray the Lord's prayer

Luke 11:1-4

         Growing up I never had a real attraction or comfort level with saying rote prayers such as the Hail Mary or the Our Father. I especially was not attracted to the Rosary. I always felt more compelled to carry on a conversation directly with God.  That doesn't mean I didn't say the prayers. It doesn't mean I said them lightly, with perhaps the exception of attending Catholic grammar school when I could rattle off 20 Hail Mary's in a blistering 30 seconds (as penance after confession).

          It wasn't until I learned more about the art of praying (perhaps in the Seminary) that I realized the value and possibilities of saying the Rosary even if I still didn't feel a connection to it.

          One thing that I did discover was the joy of meditative prayer. I have spent some time praying the Our Father over weeks or perhaps months. Meditating on each word with all of it's meanings, possibilities and hopes. 

         At the same time that I am going to suggest you do it ( as I am ), I am going to make you aware that I may not be making a blog entry every day now for the foreseeable future. I may get to write each day but I may not. You can always divert to my meditation of the Our Father in whatever form you choose. Today's passage offers one form. The Romans use one form, the Episcopalians a slightly different form. Find one you like, devour it, breath it, meditate over each word and savour it. 

         One of things I am thinking as I begin this anew is my intention to meditate and pray with a focus on being gay and what that means to me and how the Lord's prayer impacts my life or the life of the LGBTQ community. The Lord's prayer speaks loudly to each of us if we choose to listen.

He was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.’ He said to them, ‘When you pray, say:

Father, hallowed be your name.

   Your kingdom come. 

Give us each day our daily bread. 

And forgive us our sins,

     for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us.

   And do not bring us to the time of trial.’

Sowing seeds of love

Galatians 5:22-6:10

            Two people do the same thing, why is one wrong and one right?  That's sort of where my thoughts are brought to.  Why is having sex outside of marriage condemned by some but within marriage it is then considered sacred and holy?  I'm not sure I want to delve into this too deeply except for that one note in today's scripture that notes about 'sowing to the Spirit'. Let me make it perfectly clear too that this kind of sowing is not the sowing of seed ( as in sperm ). Sowing is our actions, no matter what they are. Still, sex seems like a good starting point.

            As an unabashed ultra liberal, many people fail to realize that on many issues I am quite conservative.  On marriage for example, I have a pretty conservative view. Vows are sacred and to be honoured, lived up to, embraced and enjoyed to the full whether you are gay or straight.  At the same time though I know sex have been almost demonized and is full of quirky if not scary taboos.

           Our sexuality is one of God's greatest gifts to us, not a distraction of the devil and surely not simply for procreation either.  So where on the spectrum does sex outside of marriage stand with sex within marriage. Oddly enough they can be the same. It has to do with intent, commitment, love and respect. These can all be present inside and outside of marriage. The commitment of marriage perhaps makes it more likely it will be in concert with the Spirit but not guaranteed.

            When my kids were growing up they certainly did not want to hear a detailed talk on the birds and bees. (they did get some of it though whether they liked it or not. I can still recall my son moaning " oh God, oh God, oh God!") Be that as it may, I tried to instill in them that sex was in fact a good and glorious thing to be shared by two people but it had to be mutual, respectful and entered into with the seriousness it deserves based on what can happen. It is to be enjoyed but serious.

          When I hear people argue that marriage equality will lead to people marrying their dogs and their cars, I wonder if the Spirit is present at all in the marriage they are coming from. I mean, is their spouse a bystander, a means of gratification without respect or mutuality? That would be a marriage between a non-human or inanimate object. There would be no consent, no mutuality, no room for the Spirit in the 'relationship'.

           Our sexuality becomes holy when it respects each person, when it shares the essence of who we are freely and lovingly. Sexuality in concert with the Spirit elevates humans, not diminishes them.

           In any relationship where intimacy is involved the conservative beliefs in me call for a seriousness, respect and commitment. That doesn't mean you don't have a heck of a fun time. What a joyous gift sex is! It does mean giving freely, sharing mutually and respect that does not demean or cause damage of some kind, mental or physical.

           When all our actions involve love, mutuality, respect, elevates people and acts in concert with God's loving design, then the Spirit is present in what we "sow".  It makes days and lives holy and beautiful, a joy to behold.

  

By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, competing against one another, envying one another.

My friends, if anyone is detected in a transgression, you who have received the Spirit should restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness. Take care that you yourselves are not tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfil the law of Christ. For if those who are nothing think they are something, they deceive themselves. All must test their own work; then that work, rather than their neighbour’s work, will become a cause for pride. For all must carry their own loads.

Those who are taught the word must share in all good things with their teacher.

Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow. If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh; but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit. So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up. So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith. 

Of specks and planks

Luke 6:39-49

         Did you ever hear the expression, 'me thinks you protesteth too much'? As a kid it often involved having a crush on the little red haired girl, all the while denying it and saying perhaps how stupid she was. As we get older the stakes get a bit higher. Life is a bit more complicated and the lies and denials get ever more so complicated and convoluted.

         Such is the life of many anti-gay people out there, saying how evil we are, pronouncing all the faults and immoral things "they do".  So it is almost sport to uncover these people as closeted homosexuals. They are hiding their own secret and the sport is to "out" them. It is fairly common place. I don't think it's a very nice thing to do to anyone (out them) but in light of how dramatic and vicious their anti-gay facade is, it may very well be justified. There are still others that are not closeted but straight and seem to have nothing better to do than think of their own particular version of what "gays do" denouncing them, their person hood and their rights under the law.  A recent gem was the Attorney General of Florida, Pam Bondi.  She rails against marriage equality saying it will harm the institution of marriage. It was easily pointed out and argued that she had done some pretty good damage to marriage all by herself by virtue of her 3 marriages.

          I have been quick to point out myself some of the travesties of sexuality visited on humanity not by the gay community but by the heterosexual 'lifestyle'.  They say prostitution is the oldest profession, that's a straight thing. Divorce? straight thing. Bars celebrating and encouraging drunkenness and one night stands? a straight thing. The list goes on and on.  But what good is it?

          Who wins if each side in any argument seems fit to simply throw accusations and mud at each other? Is it necessary for someone to win at all? Can't we all win through mutual respect, love and understanding?

          Today's passage points out quite appropriately that we should not be telling our neighbor about the speck in their eye when there is a 2 by 4 in our own eye.  None of us are innocent.  If we entered Yom Kippur with the thought or belief that we had nothing to atone for we are sadly mistaken.  That kind of thinking is what Jesus railed against. The bar is not stationary. We do not attain holiness by simply obeying a list of rote rules and man made laws. The bar of holiness is forever being raised. We need to try hard, achieve and see how much higher we can go.  All our journeys are different but the end result is to always try and try harder again to be the best and most that we can be. 

          We have no right to point out others faults, not even if we are doing a fine job with ourselves. We need to respect other peoples journeys, faults, mistakes and attempts.  Certainly help others be holy but without judgement, hate or divisiveness. We have to much to learn for ourselves. 

He also told them a parable: ‘Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit? A disciple is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully qualified will be like the teacher. Why do you see the speck in your neighbour’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your neighbour, “Friend, let me take out the speck in your eye”, when you yourself do not see the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbour’s eye.

‘No good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit; for each tree is known by its own fruit. Figs are not gathered from thorns, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. The good person out of the good treasure of the heart produces good, and the evil person out of evil treasure produces evil; for it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks.

‘Why do you call me “Lord, Lord”, and do not do what I tell you? I will show you what someone is like who comes to me, hears my words, and acts on them. That one is like a man building a house, who dug deeply and laid the foundation on rock; when a flood arose, the river burst against that house but could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who hears and does not act is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the river burst against it, immediately it fell, and great was the ruin of that house.’

Forgotten love.

Hosea 13:4-14

        I'd like to convey the recent story of a man, a gay man, who in whatever way he could, helped raise two young boys.  These boys were not his own. As with many gay men of his age, he knew he would never have children of his own and so these boys became like his own.  At the very least he loved them, cherished them in fact. He did for them whatever he could and he had such love that many children do not get from the biologic fathers.  In the fullness of years, one young man got engaged and he did not recognize or remember the love this semi-surrogate father had. The love this gay man felt as it turns out was not remembered, if even recognized or appreciated. It was a terrible hurt for the gay man.  You do things, you love people and you have somewhat of an assumption that the love is reciprocated. No burden was ever put on these boys other than perhaps an occasional phone call or birthday reminder. 

          God led the Jews out of Egypt, fed them, loved them. We are reminded of that in today's passage. The hurt God feels when we His/Her love is not recognized, remembered or reciprocated must be intense.  

          Times do not change it seems.  You do not love to get love in return. You love out of your heart and out of the goodness that you are. In the process though, you open yourself up to incredible hurt.  You might think that surely, your love is recognized and appreciated. It is not always so. It is devastating when your love is not returned.  In fact, your love may have never been reciprocated. Again, devastating.

              If there is a reason to get hurt though, it is for love. Your heart is clean when you love and get hurt. There is in fact no better reason to be hurt by someone than to do so by loving them. Life will hurt you no matter what at times, better it be for love, a noble cause and one that embodies our very essence, the essence of God.

             As God has never and will never stop loving us even as we turn our backs or forget His love, so we should never stop loving. It may hurt at times but you have righteousness on your side. This may not seem helpful to my gay friend who is suffering the hurt of rejection but I hope and pray he will find comfort in the fact that he actually did love and that his heart is clean and clear. 

Yet I have been the Lord your God
   ever since the land of Egypt;
you know no God but me,
   and besides me there is no saviour.
It was I who fed you in the wilderness,
   in the land of drought.
When I fed them, they were satisfied;
   they were satisfied, and their heart was proud;
   therefore they forgot me.
So I will become like a lion to them,
   like a leopard I will lurk beside the way.
I will fall upon them like a bear robbed of her cubs,
   and will tear open the covering of their heart;
there I will devour them like a lion,
   as a wild animal would mangle them. 

The hope of St. Francis

Matthew 11:25-30

          I never quite understood the concept of being ostracized from a group.  Like in the book Jonathan Livingston Seagull from years ago, you are told you are persona non grata and yet expected to respect the rules anayway and to stay away. I always thought, if you are kicking me out, why should I still obey any of rules you have? 

          They gay community for far too long was told we were not worthy, we were of the devil and we certainly could not maintain any kind of meaningful relationship. We know that none of that is true but none the less countless people in the LGBTQ community were told that for generations. And so, like being ostracized, many felt no need to abide by any of the rules. The social norms were for 'them' and we had the freedom. We were free to enjoy sex without stigma. We were free to form any kind of emotional bonds and relationships we wished because we were not allowed (by law) to partake in any substantial way, the rights and obligations the law afforded. We were also free of children (for the most part) and so could devote our time and energies to work and play. By and large, what you might call the 'gay economy' had substantial amounts of money because of it.

          With the Spirit moving in it's usual and mysterious ways and what one might call the 'manstreaming ' of the gay community, we have come to discover heretofore untold treasures of humanity. For me that is that I can be a gay man and know that God loves me and that I am called as a child of God to love just as everyone is called. Ignorant religious right wing nuts aside, there is growing number of religious that have seen through scriptural bastardization to see the gay community is not the evil horde many had portrayed us to be.  Many inside and outside the gay community are realizing the true meaning of scripture that was long used to suppress the gay community and countless others I might add.

            I have always known the joy that comes from knowing God loves me. It was not a great discovery of mine from coming to terms with my sexuality. Rather, it helped me navigate the process of coming to terms with my sexuality and coming out. But there are some distinct blessings that have come as a result of my coming out. One is the joys of St. Francis. I reluctantly appeal to a Saint that my youth would have me praying to as almost a deity unto himself but I reach out to the love and life of Francis as a Holy person of God.  What a joyous gift to discover the joys of living as afforded to us by the life of St. Francis. What a joy to discover and embrace that poverty of spirit that is a means to a spiritual nirvana. What a joy to be free of the trappings of wealth and a 'keeping up with the Jones' type of mentality. What a joy to see the love of God in all His creation. Specifically the joys of our brothers and sister that grace our lives in the animal kingdom. How graced and miraculous that I can see and share the love of a cat that reveals the loving face of God. The same goes for all the animal kingdom who reveal an aspect of God that we are very often quick to dismiss or ignore.

            By accepting being ostracized and villainized, the gay community has been wrongly deprived of the joys of God's world, the joys of God's love. We may be on the winning end of enjoying God's gift of sexuality but there is so much joy in the world to be revealed by the rest of God's creation. Do not let yourselves be deprived of God's love. Do not let ignorant and hateful vitriol of some churches keep you away from the gifts God so richly grants you and wants you to have. Do not let the 'churches' of ignorance and hate win.

At that time Jesus said, ‘I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

‘Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’