On respect for each person

John 1:1-7,19-20,29-34

          I may have noted this before but my parents were divorced, my Dad moving out when I was 5 years old.  Before you let loose any Awww's, let me assure you it was a great thing. It certainly was good for each of them and it was good for us kids who no longer had to witness the hostility, anger and act as non combatants or collateral damage in the middle of a war. Best of all, my parents were actually very good people, always went out of their way to love us as if 'the other' was somehow not. I know that I feel I got more loving than most of my friends coming from non 'broken' homes.  One of things that my Dad did for me was he'd buy me books that he thought might interest me or help me in some formative way. I still remember each of them from Johnathan Livingston Seagull to A Remarkable Medicine Has Been Overlooked and The Power of your Subconscious Mind. I love my Dad even though he has been gone now for twenty years.

             In the last book i'd note that I was initiated into the thought that we are many times what we are told or worse, what we tell ourselves. Our subconscious mind listens all to well to what is being said, whether it's a bad parent saying 'you're a stupid kid' or a bad teacher who informs student 'you're good for nothing. 'You'll never amount to anything'. Of course we listen to many voices but we do listen to repetitive messages from outside and within. Oh how very much I wish we could all realize how much we are loved, how much value we hold just by ourselves and just how special God created us when he initialled envisioned our coming into existence. 

           In today's passage we have a story in which John was quite clear about who he was himself. That is, not Messiah. He did know who he was, his role and his value. When Jesus comes along and is baptized, God proclaims who Jesus is and his worth. He is God's beloved son 'in whom he is well pleased'. Whenever I taught religion and in my personal relationships to this day, I always try to show respect and instill the feeling that everyone has a unique self worth as imagined and then created by God. I always thought how wonderful it would be if I could get the children in my class to realize just how loved they are, how special they are, how gifted they are.

           It is with intense sadness that I see people demeaned, marginalized or whose character is besmirched simply for accepting their God created qualities. Of special interest to me are the kids who are gay and have to deal with the torment of classmates, the rejection of parents and family members.  How can we not weep at how Leelah Alcorn was treated by her parents and just as worse, their "religion".  I am sure God weeps in heaven for all of us and welcomed Leelah with open arms and a warm embrace. 

          Of course it is our job to be the best we can be, acknowledge our gifts and talents and use it all for God's glory. Equally as certain is that we should honour each others journey even if we do not understand it. No religion can have validity if it does not recognize this fact. It is one of the reasons so many people are flocking away from organized religion and why Face Book is filled with so many non-sectarian spiritual bouquets. 

         I pray we are gentler with ourselves and everyone else. People hear and listen to what we say.

           

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him.

This is the testimony given by John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, ‘Who are you?’ He confessed and did not deny it, but confessed, ‘I am not the Messiah.’

The next day he saw Jesus coming towards him and declared, ‘Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, “After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.” I myself did not know him; but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel.’ And John testified, ‘I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, “He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.” And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God.’