Hide and seek

        Did you ever hide who you are? I might be in a crowd of people railing against state workers so I might not want to put forth that I myself was an employee of the state government for almost 40 years. Or perhaps I am in an angry mob of people railing against the Catholic church ( pick a reason ). I might not want to note my own intimate association with the church unless perhaps I had the desire to join in on the bashing. I do not, however appropriate it might be.  In spite of my queue ball head and Irish white skin, I would not fit into a Proud Boys mob as a card carrying member of the ACLU and the fact that I am gay and ultra liberal. Those are strong examples of things we might do all day long. We keep our mouths shut.  It is innocent enough.  Perhaps I don't want someone to note my expertise in something and thus be 'volunteered' for a task. Shhhh!, quiet, stealthy, don't say a word. Fly under the radar!

           For all the times the Disciples don't get the message I think Jesus may have almost choked that they passed the big test here in this passage from Mark.  They miss a great deal of the meanings of parable but they got this, Jesus is the Messiah. Yikes!  'Ok, guys, let's keep that to ourselves.' Jesus is not trying to draw attention to himself , not just yet.

          Revealing who you are can be annoying, exciting and fearful.  Sometimes we enjoy recognition of our accomplishments, our talents or our status. At other times, less convenient times, we like to simply blend in.

        If you ask a gay person for an example you might get a justified diatribe about being closeted, in life, at their job.  Very often the 'coming out' process happens every single day, over and over.  You never know how you will be received even though that first time may have been traumatic enough. Loss of family perhaps, church, friends?  It's a tough situation.  Jesus had a sense of what was going to happen, he saw it coming and he was not in a particular hurry to move the agenda along until it was the right time. Even before he was being handed over, Jesus prayed to the Father about perhaps this not being necessary but then submitted to His will.

         We often have the luxury of staying 'closeted' for any number of reasons in life.  But there are times when we need to be 'out' as a state worker defending good service, speaking against hate where we find it, defending values and truths when ignorance seem to prevail. Sometimes we are called to be the exact opposite of stealthy. We need to be a witness. We need to take up our cross and proclaim truth to power and love to hate.

          As quietly and peacefully as we like to live; as much as we are thankful for being in a country where we are indeed free to believe what we want to believe, we must also at times break out to speak loud and proud, gay or straight, to defend and promote goodness and the agenda and love of God for all people. Preachy? perhaps.  Really just a reflection of our lives playing hide and seek.

 Mark 8:27-30

 Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that I am?’ And they answered him, ‘John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.’ He asked them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Peter answered him, ‘You are the Messiah.’ And he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him.