Stubborn bastards

       One of my coworkers affectionately calls me "skinny bastard". It isn't that I am so skinny, just much skinnier than I used to be and much skinnier that he is. I thought of that because this passage reminds me of another expression which is 'stubborn bastard'. I've heard this phrase used affectionately too, perhaps of a spouse or of a family member, it could be affectionate but it's really a judgment which speaks to all of us in one way or another.

         I often speak about God's invitation.  We are called and often called to do something in particular with a nudge on the shoulder by God.  If we fail to respond, God often returns to us with a baseball bat or 2x4 to get our attention. We are invited and often guided to make the right decision. In this context, I was nudged by God for years to see the truth about myself. While there are many truths about every one of us, this truth ( of many ) was that I am gay.  In retrospect, the signs were all there but so were the considerable invitations from God.  I denied, suppressed, rationalized and lied to myself. I guess you could say I was a stubborn bastard.

        It a similar vein, we all are so invited and welcomed and yet we don't allow ourselves the joy of being so close to God. By not loving others we wind up denying God herself and making ourselves less fit for heaven than the ones we judge. It is a truly ironic paradigm.  How stubborn are people who use Scripture to justify a life of hate, exclusion and judgments of others? These are some of the most malignantly stubborn. Stubborn bastard would be a step up for those people.

        The Scriptures are replete with stories of those that welcome and those that do not. From the harsh judgment rendered unto the people of Sodom and Gomorrah over their inhospitality over the two angels under Lot's care. People are so stubborn that rather than see the judgment of God over inhospitality, selfishness and superiority, whole religions have mistranslated and subverted the meaning of that Genesis passage rather than accept what God is nudging us to : inclusion, hospitality of strangers and generosity of heart and purse.

         Of course scripture often portrays things in an exaggerated light, highlighted to push us into the right direction.  How subtle is the story of the Good Samaritan?  The Priest and the Levite, the ones you would think would be less stubborn to God's will are the stubborn bastards. Then, the one you are taught is the person to avoid is the one that helps.  Further, who is it that the Samaritan helps? Is it really someone who was mugged and robbed?  Perhaps that too is a summary judgment and allegory for those that we are too stubborn to see as fit for care.  Could it have been another marginalized person for their time? Was the victim a Roman citizen? a Gentile? a person with leprosy weeping at the side of the road?  Could the person be an illegal immigrant today? or someone with AIDS? Could that victim be any range of people we are too stubborn to see and welcome as a brother or sister, a beloved child of God, certainly loved, at least as much as we ourselves are loved by God, eh?

         Our  stubbornness at invitations from God, at judgments we prefer to make rather than allowing our hearts to be transformed all the while complaining about the splinter in someone else's eye whilst clinging to the beam stuck in our own vision? We are all it seems capable of being stubborn bastards. And yet, God loves us and nudges us on to love, to be so transformed and become the radiant butterflies we are created to be.

             For stubborn bastards and our willingness to accept God's invitation of love, I pray

Mark 6:14-29

King Herod heard of it, for Jesus’ name had become known. Some weresaying, ‘John the baptizer has been raised from the dead; and for this reason these powers are at work in him.’ But others said, ‘It is Elijah.’ And others said, ‘It is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.’ But when Herod heard of it, he said, ‘John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.’

For Herod himself had sent men who arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because Herod had married her. For John had been telling Herod, ‘It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.’ And Herodias had a grudge against him, and wanted to kill him. But she could not, for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he protected him. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed; and yet he liked to listen to him. But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his courtiers and officers and for the leaders of Galilee. When his daughter Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests; and the king said to the girl, ‘Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it.’ And he solemnly swore to her, ‘Whatever you ask me, I will give you, even half of my kingdom.’ She went out and said to her mother, ‘What should I ask for?’ She replied, ‘The head of John the baptizer.’Immediately she rushed back to the king and requested, ‘I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.’ The king was deeply grieved; yet out of regard for his oaths and for the guests, he did not want to refuse her. Immediately the king sent a soldier of the guard with orders to bring John’s head. He went and beheaded him in the prison, brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl. Then the girl gave it to her mother. When his disciples heard about it, they came and took his body, and laid it in a tomb

It has always been so , it must be right.

        I am not sure that there is anyone that likes to be corrected, especially publicly. Some people will exercise extraordinary mental gymnastics to show that they were not wrong, didn't lie about something and that the correction that they may so duly deserve is nonsense. Such I suspect is the case of the current President of the United States who will deny the very words he uttered only moments before. The fact remains that not many people welcome correction.

       In today's passage it is the Jewish leaders who do not want to be corrected by Paul and Barnabas. Human nature being what it is, rather than stand corrected, they incited the 'devout women of high standing and leading men of the city' against Paul and Barnabas. Seems very true to my premise that no one likes to be shown up or corrected - especially  in public.

        The Roman church is no better of course. Think of the fact that the world is round and that the sun is the center of our solar system, not earth. It was October of 1992, 350 years later, that the Roman church finally acknowledged the errors in regard to Galileo. Talk about standing in the way of progress - at best.

           Today the Episcopal church remembers holy woman, Mary Magdalene.  One of the first witnesses to the resurrection. I am not sure if it was by some grand design that she was demeaned as a harlot and prostitute so as to diminish a woman's role as the first witness to the resurrection but it would seem to fit the male domination schema of things. It was 'an error of translation' by Gregory the Great ( 540?-604 ) that proclaimed and perpetuated the unproven assault on the character of Mary of Magdala. That leaves over 1500 years of a fine 'tradition' of error and demeaning of the first witness of the resurrection on a devout lover and follower of Jesus Christ. NO, the Roman church is no better itself at recognizing or correcting the errors of it's ways.  It is much easier to steep yourself in tradition, denial and get all cozy in fuzzy logic and errant philosophies.  

            In one of the many consultancies that came across my path in health care, I recall that we were often asked to think out of the box, come up with fresh ideas and that there were no sacred cows. Just because we 'have always done it this way' is not a reason to continue something, even when it is proven wrong.  It seems that organizations and governments are not much different than the Roman church or any of us. We often embrace what 'has always been'.

           I know that for myself, trying to be the best professional I could be, I liked to know about my mistakes. I'm not sure how I'd like it broadcast, but I liked to see where I made a mistake so that I could avoid making it a second , or third time.  In medicine, mistakes can easily mean a patient death. It behooves the professional to always seek a higher standard of care and that means recognizing and fixing mistakes.

             As individuals we make a whole lot of mistakes.  I know that there are people, again, like the current President, who would rather run with a lie than learn even a modicum of knowledge or wisdom. The fact is though, we all make errors, errors in judgment, selfish actions or whatever. We don't like to be called out. This is especially true because some people seem to believe that an acknowledgement of error is damaging to one's dignity or self worth. The idea that you can actually be a good person who made a mistake seems anathema. But we are all called to a higher level of actions, especially if we are believers. We are called to a higher standard, an ever rising bar in our efforts to be the magnificent creations we are created to be - that we actually are.

         I think it might be a wise idea once again to exercise a bit of self introspection at our our actions and try to better ourselves and thereby the world. Even if we only improve our own little corners of the world, the world will get exponentially better by effect.

      For acknowledging falsehoods and improving ourselves and the world, I pray

      

Acts 13:44-52

The next sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy; and blaspheming, they contradicted what was spoken by Paul. Then both Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, ‘It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken first to you. Since you reject it and judge yourselves to be unworthy of eternal life, we are now turning to the Gentiles. For so the Lord has commanded us, saying,
“I have set you to be a light for the Gentiles,
   so that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.” ’

When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and praised the word of the Lord; and as many as had been destined for eternal life became believers. Thus the word of the Lord spread throughout the region. But the Jews incited the devout women of high standing and the leading men of the city, and stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their region. So they shook the dust off their feet in protest against them, and went to Iconium. And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

Going for the gay gold!

       Someone in a FaceBook posting had asked the group whether they should embrace being gay. They meant, should they become sexually active and explore the sexuality and desires that were longing for?  As sexuality is such an intimate, God given part of any human being, I said go for it!  I was careful to point out that I was not advocating promiscuity. Rather, we should be willing and open to sharing one of God's most precious gifts to us in a decent, committed and loving manner. Our sex, being gay, being straight or whatever, is something that we should revel in respectfully, willingly. The big But is that it has involve mutuality and respect and not be frivolous. In my opinion. What does that have to do with today's passage?

       In today's passage Jesus as much as appointed or created his Apostles - and then he went home. Momentous and simple at the same time.  But that is what life is like.

        We are called to be the best person we can be. We are called to be the fulfillment of all that God created us to be in every aspect of our lives. That involves the ecstasy of our sex to the mundane routines of opening doors, writing checks, interacting with coworkers and cashiers at the food store. Being who God has called us to be is exciting and boring. 

         Being gay, it seems to me, is quite an exciting and wondrous gift from God.  Maybe better than being an Apostle. Maybe being an apostle of diversity, of love and joy. A set of gifts unique and unfamiliar to most, but gifts still the same. And when we are done for the day being the best  gay we can be, getting the gay gold if you will, we can simply go home like Jesus did.

           We will find that we are still the same person with the same calling. When we go home we will have the peace of mind knowing that we are gay, totally gay, being the best person God called us to be in all the magnificent facets of our being.

         Whatever your calling in life, whomever God made you to be, gay, straight or whatever. We are called to embrace it, live it in our daily lives until we get all pruny in it.  Be the best we can be, the most loving we can be. We should not be afraid to embrace those aspects of out being that are labeled as taboo, that some humans have villified. Should we be prudent in our loving? Yes. Should we fail to love, we would be repudiating the essence of whom God made us to be. That goes for everyone.

           For the richness of our created beings and sharing our essence to the full with dignity, respect and prudence, I pray.

Mark 3:7-19

Jesus departed with his disciples to the lake, and a great multitude from Galilee followed him; hearing all that he was doing, they came to him in great numbers from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, beyond the Jordan, and the region around Tyre and Sidon. He told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, so that they would not crush him; for he had cured many, so that all who had diseases pressed upon him to touch him. Whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and shouted, ‘You are the Son of God!’ But he sternly ordered them not to make him known.

He went up the mountain and called to him those whom he wanted, and they came to him. And he appointed twelve, whom he also named apostles, to be with him, and to be sent out to proclaim the message, and to have authority to cast out demons. So he appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter); James son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder); and Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

Then he went home;

Jesus came to . . . . . .

      There is a great deal to unpack here in today's passage from Mark. Right up front there is the clear and indisputable notation that Peter, ( the would be head of the 'Church' and 'Pope' ) is a married man. So much for that tradition - out the door.

       Then I see this poor woman who is laying ill in her own home when her son comes around with at least 4 of his friends which includes Jesus. Right from her sickbed she is cured and pressed into service. That is, she began to serve them as a good person would if friends came to visit.

        The story does not end here though because the reading speaks of multiple cures and the 'whole city' came to be outside this house. Quite a crowd. Jesus preaches and cures.  I suppose that is a fundamental basis of his ministry and the message here. Jesus speaks to US, teaches us by parable and especially example, and cure us of our ills. Isn't that what Jesus came to do? Cures come in many, many forms and in it's widest depth and breadth, Jesus cures us all and that is why he came. Whether you want to say He cures us of original sin or cures us from leprosy or alcoholism or selfishness or hedonism or whatever, Jesus came to cure us. The answer is The Way, His way, the way of God.

        The Way of God is all about love, compassion, hospitality, welcoming, forgiving, loving and it is outward focused to all, not just a few. It is our neighbor, again, in it's broadest senses.

         The other cute little snippet that you may have missed here is the note that Jesus went out early in the morning, before sunrise, and went to a quiet place.  I think that is a crucial point. We have to be able to listen and hear above the noises of the world. We need to have time to listen, even to ourselves. We have time aside. Sequester ourselves for self reflection, examination and time to sit and appreciate ourselves and the created world.  Quiet time that is not afforded us in this hustle bustle world filled with materialism and endless noises and beeps.

       Our self reflection and resulting thankfulness is a strong foundation for the service we are called to. So for peaceful reflection, time alone and listening for the voice of God in our lives, I pray.

Mark 1:29-45

As soon as they left the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once. He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them.

That evening, at sunset, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. And the whole city was gathered around the door. And he cured many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.

In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. And Simon and his companions hunted for him. When they found him, they said to him, ‘Everyone is searching for you.’ He answered, ‘Let us go on to the neighbouring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do.’ And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons.

A leper came to him begging him, and kneeling he said to him, ‘If you choose, you can make me clean.’ Moved with pity, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, and said to him, ‘I do choose. Be made clean!’Immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. After sternly warning him he sent him away at once, saying to him, ‘See that you say nothing to anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.’ But he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the word, so that Jesuscould no longer go into a town openly, but stayed out in the country; and people came to him from every quarter.

I will ! until. . . .

       I was closeted in many ways. Besides from the obvious, or at least obvious now, I was a closeted animal lover. I don't know whether it was some kind of triage ( because I had bigger problems ) or that it never really came up in my life. As a young family we never had any pets. At the age of 50 I fell head over heals in love with a Maine Coon cat. More dog like in many respects, he would wait at the window for me and then meet me at the door, he (sometimes) comes when I call him and he seems to understand me even if he often times shows me an aloof disinterest. In other words, a cat. And I love him so. He is my third child much to the dismay of his human siblings. My brothers said they would believe I was gay, they found it more difficult to believe I am a cat lover.

         A real love story right? Right up until he digs his claws into you because you merely touched him when he was obviously very busy simply laying there.  If you can imagine the sound of a satanic beast bellowing, that would be my boy choking up a giant fur ball, usually between 2 am and 6 am on any given night. In the morning you have to hunt to find it and often times, sadly, it is right under foot. Lastly, there are those few times when my boy isn't quite 'regular' and decides to drag his ass, literally, along the beige carpets making for yet another type of mess to address and clean up.  This is the unforeseen side of saying yes to love.

          I could also say similar things about marriage. It's all honeymoon, sex and fun until your first kerfuffle. You find out that they too seem to wipe their ass on the carpet - wait, no, that's not right. They squeeze the toothpaste in the wrong spot, hang the toilet paper wrong, leave dirty clothes strewn about or support a different candidate than you! Yikes! This is stuff we soon learn simply by living and loving, by picking up our cross as followers of Jesus Christ.

          We all have certain expectations and perhaps judgments about what something means. Often times we enter into a relationship or any decision really, not fully aware of some of the down sides of our decision. Maybe not even a down side, just something that come up as unanticipated, not always pristine or smile inducing.

           In today's passage, the Jewish community that accepted Jesus as saviour and were followers of The Way were thinking that they were perhaps the chosen of the chosen.  Now something unanticipated has happened, perhaps even unacceptable, the word is open to all - even gentiles? Willing to take up the cross but not so willing at times to accept the unforeseen. I have to love my brother ? - but even the immigrant? The sinner? You can all fill in the blanks. Love gets messy and filled with the unexpected. To love is to constantly stretch our thoughts, our ideas and our love. Not what you signed up for?

       Love is not all furry kittens and snuggles. I myself recall the days a little Maine Coon kitten would curl up on my chest and sleep, all cuddly.  Now there is even more of him to love even though it isn't quite simple at times. Try trimming his claws! 

          Following Jesus, being a part of The Way is not for the faint of heart. It is full of love and challenge. Most importantly, it is not simply about obeying rules, following rules and rubrics and submitting ourselves to a thoughtless unloving agenda. If you're a believer, you are challenged and agree to be better than that.

           For poorly squeezed toothpaste tubes and loving every single beloved creation of God, we pray.  

Acts 11:1-18

Now the apostles and the believers who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also accepted the word of God. So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him, saying, ‘Why did you go to uncircumcised men and eat with them?’ Then Peter began to explain it to them, step by step, saying, ‘I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. There was something like a large sheet coming down from heaven, being lowered by its four corners; and it came close to me. As I looked at it closely I saw four-footed animals, beasts of prey, reptiles, and birds of the air. I also heard a voice saying to me, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat.” But I replied, “By no means, Lord; for nothing profane or unclean has ever entered my mouth.” But a second time the voice answered from heaven, “What God has made clean, you must not call profane.” This happened three times; then everything was pulled up again to heaven. At that very moment three men, sent to me from Caesarea, arrived at the house where we were. The Spirit told me to go with them and not to make a distinction between them and us. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man’s house. He told us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying, “Send to Joppa and bring Simon, who is called Peter; he will give you a message by which you and your entire household will be saved.” And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as it had upon us at the beginning. And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said, “John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” If then God gave them the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could hinder God?’ When they heard this, they were silenced. And they praised God, saying, ‘Then God has given even to the Gentiles the repentance that leads to life.’ 

Thoughts along THE WAY

       Earlier this year I was challenged to read the Bible from cover to cover in 80 days. I was a daunting challenge that did not give time for real thought or reflection. The shear volume was intimidating and yes, I failed. I could not keep up.  I am not noting this so that I can enumerate yet another of my faults. What I want to convey is the number of deaths, atrocities and people 'mowed down' in the early Hebrew Scripture texts. The book goes to great lengths to spell out the incredible numbers of the Hebrew nation. It also goes to great length to tell how many people get killed, men women and children and even onto the animals of those conquered or slaughtered. It is quite revolting. Clearly that cannot be the message from God. If we were to take everything in Hebrew Scripture at face value we would be a people of hate, lust, vengeful killers who indulge in rape, slaughter, incest and countless unholy vices. No, I don't think it is the actual words that are supposed to be holy. They are really stories of how a human, flawed but faithful people are trying to find a relationship with their creator and try to live holy lives - even if they fail countless times. 

       Compare that with Jesus who has turned everything upside down. He did not use or quote Scripture ( to Him, they were no Hebrew Scripture, they were just the Scriptures ) in order to justify further sinful action. Jesus pointed to the fact that God was with the people and that God promised salvation. Hebrew Scripture ( like in today's passage ) pointed to the fact that Jesus was going to come into the world.

        Jesus' message was not one primarily of words written as he lived. Jesus just lived. The written words came much, much later. THE WAY, as Christianity was called early on, was about Jesus actions and the way he actually lived. Because of the way people tend to whip out passages, quote them and justify their lives, Jesus' life was distinct from we call the New Testament writings.

     The Way was about Jesus including the outcasts, embracing sinners, speaking to the marginalized, welcoming the soldier of the occupying army, curing that soldiers' same sex lover. Jesus' life was about showing us all a way to live without the trappings and bindings of the organized religions against which he was railed. Jesus actually railed against the hierarchy, the temple elite of Judaism.  These kinds of daily actions show that it is not the words that make us holy. Quoting Scripture old or new is not a real path to holiness. Words are meaningless without the actions of love. Love is what Jesus' life was all about. It bore witness to the negation of using Scriptures as weapons. Jesus actual life was The Way. 

      If you strip away all the trappings, the rationalizations of organized religion, take away the philosophies and hateful actions of today's televangelists and temple elite of the Roman church, you will come face to face with Jesus. Without all the fru-fru you will come face to face with a flesh and blood man-God who welcomes the foreigner, welcomed the lowly, spoke with the nobodies, welcomed the sinners and loved enormously everyone who was in his path. Jesus excluded no one. Jesus loved everyone. 

        For THE WAY which is Jesus' lived life and for a sober reflection on Scripture, I pray this day.

      

Mark 1:1-13

The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
As it is written in the prophet Isaiah,
‘See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,
   who will prepare your way; 
the voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
   “Prepare the way of the Lord,
   make his paths straight” ’, 
John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. He proclaimed, ‘The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.’
In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him.And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.’
And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness for forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him.

Jordache, judging and the Rolling Stones

     

         There is an expression in Roman Catholicism that refers to those that do not regularly attend church services. It is actually a dig aimed at those that attend only at prescribes times. The term is 'CAPE' Catholics and the letters stand for Christmas, Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday and Easter. I suppose it seems fair at face value, it seems true enough. There was a time however when regular folk were not encouraged to attend Mass and receive Communion but once a year, what with their lack of full understanding and ignorance. Of course that was a very long time ago and I think it may have been Saint Louis de Montfort who fought against this errant thought process, the one that actually promotes a lack of attendance. No, once a year is not enough. And then there are those that pride themselves as being 'daily communicants' as if to gorge themselves on the Christ. I wonder if that makes them better people, makes the world a better place or helps them hold onto God in their lives better.  A digression perhaps.

         Along with this diatribe about attendance that seems to ignite peoples arrogance, there at one time was a host of clothing Nazis who would suggest what is or is not appropriate at church while attending Mass.  I myself have seen quite a variety, especially spending a fair amount of time in Florida.  One would think people arrive to church right off the tennis or pickleball courts, attractively styled and wearing suggestive tennis shorts. My favorite of all time though ( so you know I am guilty here of which I write ), is the Easter attire one person wore which consisted of seemingly transparent white hip hugger Capri pants covering a luminescent pink thong. The upper portion of the thong looking like a whale tail from the ( well rounded ) rear of the person. It was a sight to behold. I think I still may have retinal scarring.

       All of this points to how we quite easily judge others even in their attendance and what they wear. I thought that was so 80's, you know, Jordache jeans and such? Is this kind of judgment still out there?  Or have we elevated it to a new art form where we can make judgments about others depth of faith, the sincerity of their prayers and so on?

          It certainly is an interesting read ( down below ). This passage from Matthew is quite telling, if only to say such judgments were made even in Jesus' time. It seems to me that only God can see into the hearts of people. Judgments will be made, but none will be honored except those of the Creator. God will be the one that suggests, you can spend enormous amounts of money on shoes and jeans but you come in a tattered, filthy pair of Jeans and a Rolling Stones t-shirt?   My point is that such a judgment is a human one. God may easily say simply, 'great to see you'. or 'welcome to my house'.  It is YOU I want to see and long to hear from. And then again, really? You couldn't find anything better to wear, you get more dressed up when you go to the movies!

            All this judging stuff that we do, acronyms we snobbishly spew, all point to a digression from what our real goals and intentions should be.  Judging keeps us from loving.  Judging keeps us from freely giving our love and attention to the Creator. Judging is like an opulent piece of bling that keeps us mesmerized and takes our focus from what is truly important in life. That is , OUR life, not someone else's. Focus on our own actions, our own faith, our own journey.

             For a humbleness of heart and concern more about our own actions than anyone else's. We pray.

Matthew 22:1-14

Once more Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying: ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come. Again he sent other slaves, saying, “Tell those who have been invited: Look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding banquet.” But they made light of it and went away, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his slaves, maltreated them, and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. Then he said to his slaves, “The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore into the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.” Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad; so the wedding hall was filled with guests.

‘But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe, and he said to him, “Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?” And he was speechless.Then the king said to the attendants, “Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” For many are called, but few are chosen.’

Seeing the light and bargaining for answers

       This is it, light the lights!. No that's a different story. But truly, this IS it! This is when Saul sees the light, apparently literally. It is this defining moment when the world will change forever - literally. It is Paul, the re-invented or converted Saul, that is responsible for bringing The Way to all of humanity. Jesus is a Jew. Although Jesus preached to the Jewish community, Paul grasped from His life (again, there is no "New Testament" written at this point), Jesus' lived life walking on earth was one of total inclusion. Paul argues vehemently that The Way was meant for everyone.  This may be the real beginning of Christianity. Prior to this, Jesus' followers were really a sect of Judaism. When someone says, 'I've seen the light' , it has really great meaning.

       Paul's affliction on the road to Damascus seems one of Divine intervention. It could easily have been like any of us who become afflicted by so many different things in life and pray to God for release and relief. 'God, if you will relieve me of this suffering, I will......  You can fill in the blanks for yourself. We each have a personal experience in this regard. Who has not had a headache, a hangover, a boil or a busted heart? Who hasn't tried to negotiate with God over some terror or trauma in their lives?  Paul's blindness brought him to see ( no pun intended ) that his persecution of Christians was wrong and finally that he himself was being called by God through Jesus!

           Seeing that in writing just now, I cannot help but think of the persecutions that some people level at the LGBTQ community. So many of the most vicious are found to be heavily closeted, self loathing individuals. They accept what the world may say and have hatred of self because they can't seem to grasp that what is their own nature. They rail against what is a gift from God. The haters who really are hating themselves cannot seem to see that their 'flaw' is what God has graced them with. They are trapped by someone else's definition of what being gay is. They are trapped by someone else's mistranslation and misuse of Holy Scripture is to defend and define God's creation in their own myopic and ultimately only human terms. This is NOT of God. 

         I am not one for S&M.  I don't think that Jesus was crucified because he forgot the safe word. But the things we suffer from are often not suffering at all.  Sometimes the things we judge as against God are actually gifts to us, graced moments and opportunities to love - and allowing ourselves to be loved. Again, not looking for pain, not looking for suffering, just noting that sometimes we fail to see the light in what we perceive as a problem. The problem is sometimes a judgement of the world, of man and again, not of God.

          In a lighter vein, I recall a part of Fiddler on the Roof when Tevye laments that being poor is no so sin, but it is no great honor either! It may be my imagination but I recall him adding that 'if being rich is a curse, God, please curse me rich!'  Our judgments over what is a sin, what is a judgment of God is so misguided. As humans we do not see well. We certainly do not judge well. We seek the guidance of our Creator if we are wise and we fail miserably when we think we know what God wants or says. 

          In the end, seeing God in all the moments and situations of our life is key. Perhaps being open to the possibility that what we view as an affliction may actually be a blessing. Those that we view as different, may actually have the answers to unsolved an unimagined wealth in God's love. 

         God, if you will help me in this problem, then..... NO!

          For acceptance and love in God and less bargaining in human terms, we pray.

Acts 9:1-9

Meanwhile Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. Now as he was going along and approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?’ He asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ The reply came, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.But get up and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.’The men who were travelling with him stood speechless because they heard the voice but saw no one. Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. For three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

Unspoken truths of they, their and them.

        I belong to numerous groups on Face Book that indicate my varied interests, profession and faith. It is a common practice in one such group for newcomers to greet the group and introduce themselves. "Hi, I'm Sven, I'm a brothel manager from Botswana". Ok, I made that one up. A few days ago someone introduced themselves, "Hi, I'm Matt and I am a nobody".   Heartbreaking. You never know when you'll be given an opportunity to evangelize or lift up a fellow beloved creation so off I went. 'Hi, Matt, I am a firm believer that we are all 'purpose built' , all unique, all 'queer' in our own way. Our trick is to discover it, embrace it and gift it back to the world. Do not ever sell yourself short. You are amazing if you will only accept it. Huge hugs.'

       In today's passage we have Philip interacting with an Ethiopian eunuch. If this isn't right off the page from the book of Jesus, I don't know what is. Philip is engaging probably the least likely person that the religious right would engage. The Ethiopian would be essentially unapproachable, unsaved, unsavable and not worthy of even a discussion. As the word translated as "Eunuch", we can see that to us he might very well have fit into our broad rainbow 'paradigm' of queer, gender non-conforming or some other characterization that does not fit in easily with those that are considered saved, possible of salvation or  even 'unnatural' by some 'Church' definitions.

          Just as Jesus spoke to lepers, sinners, women, Samaritans, Roman Centurions as well as their lovers, now Philip is reaching out to the foreigner, the marginalized and as we might say, 'queer'. 

       What I said to Matt a few days ago is blindly true. I don't know Matt from a whole in the wall. I may never interact with him again. The membership in that particular group covers the entire planet. He could actually be from Botswana, Mumbai, Manchester or Montana. There are truths out there that you will not find spelled out in Scripture by mere incompetent words, mistranslated and abused. There are truths that, when subverted are not just vexations of the Spirit, but a downright denial of the Spirit itself. That unspoken truth that was lived by Jesus is that we are all welcome. We are all unique, queer and robustly loved.  It is inexplicable perhaps to us in our limited understanding but it is important enough a message that the Son became incarnate, lived and died for it. We are all beloved and all worthy.

        Our job today, as always, is to love ourselves and reach out to love others, especially in ways that highlight and use our own unique talents to do so. It is sometimes said we have only one mouth but two ears to highlight our need to listen. We also have two arms to embrace and love our fellow beloved creations, our brothers and sisters, they, their and them.

      For reaching out in love and inclusion to all, we pray.

Acts 8:26-40

Then an angel of the Lord said to Philip, ‘Get up and go towards the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.’ (This is a wilderness road.) So he got up and went. Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of the Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of her entire treasury. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning home; seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah. Then the Spirit said to Philip, ‘Go over to this chariot and join it.’ So Philip ran up to it and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah. He asked, ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ He replied, ‘How can I, unless someone guides me?’ And he invited Philip to get in and sit beside him.Now the passage of the scripture that he was reading was this:
‘Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter,
   and like a lamb silent before its shearer,
     so he does not open his mouth. 
In his humiliation justice was denied him.
   Who can describe his generation?
     For his life is taken away from the earth.’ 
The eunuch asked Philip, ‘About whom, may I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?’ Then Philip began to speak, and starting with this scripture, he proclaimed to him the good news about Jesus. As they were going along the road, they came to some water; and the eunuch said, ‘Look, here is water! What is to prevent me from being baptized?’ He commanded the chariot to stop, and both of them, Philip and the eunuch, went down into the water, and Philipbaptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he was passing through the region, he proclaimed the good news to all the towns until he came to Caesarea. 

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