Pride and H8

      Happy Pride month everyone!  What a blessing to be created gay and a member of the LGBTQ community.  While some try to minimize, ostracize and delegitimize us, we have received an incredible grace from God in who we are.  We have a unique view, unique expressions and talents to be offered to each other and God's world.  To each, one's own gifts, talents and even responsibilities.

       I would like to focus today more on those of us that hate and those people that hate us. In reading the passage from Matthew this morning, I see the converse of everything that is said. When you hate someone, you are hating a beloved creature of God.  That is not to say the person is not errant in their thought processes or that they are perfect or loving. It just means they have perhaps a longer journey to wholeness than someone who loves the way we are intended and asked to love by God. What I see at least from this passage is that we can simply no longer hate anyone. Hate is the "H" word that should be banished from the lexicon along with the "C" and "N" words.  Useless, horrible words, all.

        I really loved the way President Obama handled his 'haters'. I think he or Michelle had said simply, 'they take the low road, we take the high road'. It is a far cry from the present scenario of adolescent name calling, pettiness, divisiveness, lies and malignant tweets. There are those that claim Mr. Trump is someone just short of  a messiah.  Franklin Graham whispers in his ear an agenda of hate, misinformation and lies. Mr Trump promptly relays almost any lie willingly and seemingly without any verification.  It would be incredibly easy to 'strongly dislike'  ( "H" ) Mr. Trump. The scenario of hate that Mr. Trump perpetuates is one that shows, by this very passage, that he is not a real man of God. Created by God, yes.  Had great potential by God's hand, es. Had lots of opportunity to do good, great responsibility to do good with his gifts but he has failed and continues to fail miserably. His actions of hate show that he actually hates God. He is a blasphemer of a very high order.

        Speaking of blasphemers, what of the 'churches' that perpetuate misinformation and hate in the policies and doctrines? Sadly I am not thinking of the Westboro Baptist Church. Their hate and faux Christianity is pretty obvious to even the minimally intelligent. But what of a larger more powerful church, more entrenched, more insidious and wrong in their doctrines , especially about the LGBTQ community?  They seem to show a disdain and hate for God in their actions by view of how they treat and judge others.

       We simply cannot afford to hate. Hate is a cancer. Hate is anathema to God's call, to a holy way of living. As the gay community, we stand on the forefront of a vision God wishes to reveal that all are loved, all are created unique, all have potential and are gifts from the Creator. Our uniqueness is a sign of love from God. Just as the rainbow is supposed to show that God will never again flood the earth as legend has it, the rainbow flag is a sign of the LGBTQ community as saviors to mankind in universal love and acceptance of God's diverse plan of salvation.

       So, NoH8. never. ever. no mas! 

    

Matthew 10:24-33,40-42

‘A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a slave above the master; it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher, and the slave like the master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household!

‘So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known. What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops. Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground unperceived by your Father. And even the hairs of your head are all counted. So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.

‘Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven; but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven.

‘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.’