I sometimes wonder what my own father ( Pop ) would say knowing that I am gay. Knowing all that I know about the man, he might easily be one that would have dismissed me into oblivion. At the same time, he was quite learned, read the Koran as well as his own Bible and was a voracious reader. Perhaps he would understand. Or perhaps he would be like my 80 year old aunt Jeanne who said, 'I don't understand these things, but I know you are a good person' and said that she loved me. In reference to this passage today from Luke, I think there a great many things that we have 'funny' ideas about here on earth. We convince ourselves of so many "truths" and tenets of religion that we fail to see the real truths God tries to convey in Scripture and in creation. I like to think that when we die we will have an 'aha' moment when things come into a sharper focus, like getting a new pair of glasses. Of course we don't really have any idea about what the afterlife is like, our state of knowledge or consciousness. We may get to the pearly gates and laugh our asses off at what we had considered important in our earthly life.
One thing that I do know is that Jesus was telling us how important love is. I think the point was really, Jesus showed us that he loved us so much that he died for us like a gigantic exclamation point on his own life. Love is truly the most important thing and it is the arbiter of all things, especially Scripture. Holy Scripture of all religions are so varied. In the case of Judeo-Christian scripture, there are many conflicting messages, contradictions and downright evil actions seemingly taking place in the name of God. Vengeance, hate and violence are not the message God is trying to convey. I think it is more possibly a reflection of a people trying desperately to live a life in accord with God while they lived in violent times, under harsh conditions and among hostile peoples. How do you, how does anyone, find God's presence in the midst of violence, war and Godlessness? That would be the subject for another blog entry. It does speak to our opportunity if not penchant for taking Scripture literally or simply misinterpreting for our own agendas. What ensues is "religion" and a whole array of rules and rubrics and slants on creation that God never intended. As I said, the arbiter and defining element of life is love.
Perhaps we could approach all of life and indeed all religions as ' I don't understand these things, but I know the intent is love'. When we reach the pearly gates, and I believe that we all will, we may find out that all the stuff we found so important on earth are not nearly as important in the eyes, heart and mind of our Creator. I suspect we may find some souls in heaven who we will be shocked to find. If we can accept that, 'come on in and join the party'. If not, the shore of Hades awaits. Our choice, not God's. It will all depend, as does all of life, on how we are willing to love.
For loving others and accepting God's love of ourselves, we pray.
Luke 20:27-38
Some Sadducees, those who say there is no resurrection, came to him and asked him a question, ‘Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies, leaving a wife but no children, the man shall marry the widow and raise up children for his brother. Now there were seven brothers; the first married, and died childless; then the second and the third married her, and so in the same way all seven died childless. Finally the woman also died. In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had married her.’
Jesus said to them, ‘Those who belong to this age marry and are given in marriage; but those who are considered worthy of a place in that age and in the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. Indeed they cannot die any more, because they are like angels and are children of God, being children of the resurrection. And the fact that the dead are raised Moses himself showed, in the story about the bush, where he speaks of the Lord as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Now he is God not of the dead, but of the living; for to him all of them are alive.’
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