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.