Genesis 2:18-24
           Community

          Then the LORD God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper as his partner."

So out of the ground the LORD God formed every animal of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. The man gave names to all cattle, and to the birds of the air, and to every animal of the field; but for the man there was not found a helper as his partner. So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then he took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Then the man said, "This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; this one shall be called Woman, for out of Man this one was taken." Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and clings to his wife, and they become one flesh.

          One of the things that just drives me crazy (not a long ride I am told) are people who take the bible literally. Perhaps worse is picking which passages to take literally and then, in reference to other passages, say that "this is what it really means". There are so many contradictions in the scriptures, just in Genesis alone.  Between transcribing errors and translational errors, can one really be sure what a passage means.?

           Rather than a literal writing of God's exact words because I think God would have made less mistakes and been quite a bit clearer, I believe the Bible are stories compiled by man, surely inspired by God, of life as lived by people who wish to follow His word. It is a compilation of many different literary styles from many different times in our history that tell of a love affair between God and his people, between a  people and their God.

           This belief allows the scriptures to come alive and to grow in manner consistant with our increases in knowledge, understanding and moral growth.  After all, some of the statements in the bible  are in direct conflict of what we now know through science, observation and moral truths from the spirit of God that still speaks to us and engages us.

          So, do I believe that the world was created in 6 days? No, absolutely not. Is it possible? yes. Is it consistent with the evidence that God gives us and shows us? Certainly not. Yet the creation stories of the bible and similar stories of many other ancient civilizations express a truth about what we believe.

           It may be a long breath of an intro but lets look at just the first line of the scripture passage from today. It is not good that the man should be alone. This is wholly consistent with our beliefs and our lives. In the secular world, we routinely gather in groups. Family feasts, birthday parties, nights out with the guys, coworkers, etc.  It is normal to try and find "your one tue love" to spend time with and to love. In any major religion, worship is a communal celebration, not solitary. In the Catholic church, all the sacraments, save reconciliation are all based on the community but even reconciliation is open to the very popular "communal penance service". We are always and forever a social creature. This truth is spoken of in this one line from Genesis.

         On another level, the creation story does speak of our search for our one true love. We search for the love and support of another. That is true whether you are straight or gay. In this respect, I find that marriage equality is not just a social construct, it is not only about civil rights, all of which is absolutely true. The creation reading makes the love of two a religious norm and right. This point would be heatedly contested by biblical literalists in reference to the gay community. I will let such arguments to John Corvino and Maggie Gallagher to duke out. 

           This reading helps me know in my heart that not only is my marriage legally recognized but recognized as a sacrament of love by my creator as well. 

           Let the love fest begin ! 

           

   

Luke 10:17-24
          Happiness

           17 The seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!" 18 And he said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.19 Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing shall hurt you. 20 Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you; but rejoice that your names are written in heaven." 21 In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. 22 All things have been delivered to me by my Father; and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him." 23 Then turning to the disciples he said privately, "Blessed are the eyes which see what you see! 24 For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it." 

            Did you ever see a child simply enthralled and entertained by a large box? What is it? a fort? A tank? a house? a cave?  God delights in their capacity to see joy in almost anything.  I think that is what God calls us to do, to be.

             But there is something else there with that child at play. They are content with what they have, they are happy. Are we happy with what we have or are we always wanting for more thinking that something more will make us happy. The phrase is "if only" and I'll let you fill in the blanks (plural).

             Coming out at 50ish and with a great deal of religious training under my belt (not to mention  degrees and ordination), I was willing to give up everything and in fact I gave away loads of 'stuff' that I had been accumulating and keeping for years. I am truly blessed to know that none of the 'stuff' made me happy. As I constantly repeat, happiness is in knowing yourself and loving others in that order.

            I have also been blessed with the love of a truly wonderful man. I came into the relationship with little of anything and without many wordly posessions. Still we are truly happy and he often has said that we could be happy anywhere in any place because we have each other ( and the love of the perfect cat). 

            It would appear I am extolling all the blessings of my life but notice that they are not material things. The happiness I have, the source of the happiness we have, is hidden from many. Everyone can surely see we are incredibly happy but others may very well seek similar happiness in 'things'. Many people live their lives trying to find true happiness in things.

            When I read this reading, I know I am blessed (even more) because I know why we are happy and we are not wanting for more to give us happiness. We have it.

             What would , or does make you truly happy?

Luke 10:13-16
          Sackcloth & ashes

          13 "Woe to you, Chora'zin! woe to you, Beth-sa'ida! for if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 14 But it shall be more tolerable in the judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. 15 And you, Caper'na-um, will you be exalted to heaven? You shall be brought down to Hades. 16 "He who hears you hears me, and he who rejects you rejects me, and he who rejects me rejects him who sent me."

          When I read this passage I get a bit fearful. "He who rejects me, rejects him who sent me". Yikes. Look around my friend, there seems to be a whole lot of rejecting going on all around us. We disrespect others and fail to listen to just about everyone from an aquaintence, to a friend to even our closest loved ones. Then look around the world, see the disrespect among hords of peoples. Nations disrespecting each other, religions disrespecting each other. Whoa to us! I am actually a bit scared .

          The reference to sitting in sackcloth and ashes is something that should be familiar to Catholics. The practice of having ashes placed on one's head goes back to this Jewish custom of repentance.

          Should we be waiting for everyone else to repent? Should we wait for nations to start respecting each other, for the major religions to start respecting each others traditions and views? I'm not so sure that will ever happen. No, the way things happen are from the bottom up. Grass roots, we start as individuals respecting ourselves, then those around us and so our little world gets better and it begins to expand from there. Sometimes the biggest change comes from the smallest decision to simply make the effort.

          I get frightened when I realize that every time we disrespect ourselves and others, this reading tells us, we are disrespecting God. Further, we will pay the price for it if we continue.

          As they say on ash wednesday, repent and be saved.   

Luke 10:1-12
          Numbers plus a little extra

1 After this the Lord appointed seventy others, and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to come. 2 And he said to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. 3 Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. 4 Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and salute no one on the road. 5 Whatever house you enter, first say, `Peace be to this house!' 6 And if a son of peace is there, your peace shall rest upon him; but if not, it shall return to you. 7 And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages; do not go from house to house. 8 Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you; 9 heal the sick in it and say to them, `The kingdom of God has come near to you.' 10 But whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go into its streets and say, 11 `Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off against you; nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come  near.' 12 I tell you, it shall be more tolerable on that day for Sodom than for that town.

          There are two themes here I'd like to pick up on. Sadly, this would make a terribly long blog entry. Terribly long to read and terribly long to write with the time I have to devote to this endeavor. So let me make my main point and make my second point at the end, however brief.

           We have the number twelve imbedded in our brains, 12 Apostles, twelve tribes of Israel, this is probably not a coincidence. Numbers have always held a significance to mankind and both Hebrew scripture and Christian scripture are no different.

           When Jesus is asked how many times we are to forgive, up to seven times? Jesus replies, not up to seven times but seventy times seven. The number seven is highly symbolic. Seven is considered the totality of the universe (3 the sky + 4 the earth). Seventy times seven then is more than 490, it represents an enormous number. So I find it telling also that Jesus appointed 70 others to go ahead. To all the corners of creation, of the created world? I find it also telling that while we are so accustomed to hearing about the twelve Apostles, here is another seventy followers who are to spread the word, prepare the way for the word. Missionaries? Preachers? Again, seventy perhaps not being so literal, simply meaning a very large number of people.

            In Jesus time there was no "Masters in Pastoral theology" degree such as I have. Being a believer, imperfect but faithful was all that was called for.  Jesus recognized we are all on a journey to wholeness, otherwise he would not have picked a group of apostles who routinely got his questions wrong, failed to get the point and asked for the true meaning of  parables and in the case of Peter ( the rock, the one to whom he entrusts the church), outright denied him three times?

            My point is this, are you, are we all part of the seventy? If we believe, try to behave, try to be faithful, is that enough for Jesus that he would entrust us to witness to others about the love and gifts he has bestowed on us? I am not talking about the preachy, self righteous, verse quoting, born again lunatics. I am speaking of living our lives in the public realm as best we can, being faithful and loving. That is true witness.

          You are loved, you are chosen.

part two.

          The last few verses of this reading today speak about hospitality or lack thereof and the ensuing threat of punishment.  "It shall be more tolerable on that day for Sodom than for that town". That section in quotes there might be skipped over by almost everyone except for someone like myself who likes to delve into matters of translation and the true meaning of bible passages, especially when they are used against the gay community. The passages of Hebrew text that speak of Sodom and Gomorrah are often used as an example of swift retribution for sexual immorality. In fact, the reading has to do with the lack of hospitality afforded to the guests of Lot.  While Lot was incredibly gracious, the people of Sodom were not. They wanted to wield power over the visitors in a demeaning way (sexual, in a subservient role and in those days that was a womanly, passive role). It had nothing to do with homosexuality as we know it today. It was not about loving relationships. This was about raping guests to show they had power. It was about the town of Sodom not being hospitable to guests that Lot clearly was caring for in his home. Read the scripture and a decent translation and you'll see.  This kind of behaviour is as foreign to true loving relationships  as rape is in a loving heterosexual marriage.

All this time this passage has been used as thee scripture to brand same sex relationships. This reading is not about relationships at all. It is about rape.  I think I should leave it there, you get the message.  

Luke 9:57-62

          No excuses ?

          57 As they were going along the road, a man said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." 58 And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head." 59 To another he said, "Follow me." But he said, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father." 60 But he said to him, "Leave the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God." 61 Another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home." 62 Jesus said to him, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God."

          This entry will clearly not be any kind of preaching, perhaps not even a reflection. It will be more of a lament or commiseration. The question that comes to my mind from the reading is what things we know we need to do and don't do them. It's the story of the wife who gives her husband a round disc. He say's what is this? She says, "it's a round tuit." A round tuit he says? what's that? I don't know says the wife but you're always saying you'll do this or that when you get a round tuit, now you have no excuses.  I know, don't give up my day job.

         We all have things we procrastinate over. I have been worse that most I think.  Some things are not that easy though. (see, another excuse).  This reading to me indicates the one thing we should never procrastinate over.  I often speak of knowing yourself and of personal growth. The truth is, we have very limited time on this earth to do that. Very often, we are reminded just how short and precious life is. A tragic accident, cancer. It seems danger looms all around as a sober reminder to appreciate what we have been given, what we have been blessed with.

          It should also be a reminder of our limited time and how much we need to address our spiritual side. After all, our time here is limited but our spirit will live on. Whether you believe in a heaven or hell I don't care to discuss right now but I do know our spirit lives on. We need to acknowledge, nourish and grow our spirituality. It is as much a part of who we are as the fact that I am tall, short, artistic, strong, gay, straight, male, female or a third gender. Our spirituality needs to be adressed in our life because it is also a part of who we are.

         I would not be the one to tell you how to do that for yourself. It would be as wrong as saying to a gay acquaintance, this is how to come out, this is what you do. Or worse - outing someone! All our journey's are different. The one thing that is constant is the actual journey and the growth. Our stories are all different.

         If you are a Christian and open to all the facets of creation, i.e. open to the many varied views we hold of God as humans, I hope this blog helps you on your journey. If you are gay, I pray I offer some additional guidance, hope and an uplifting word or two to help you realize what a precious and joyous creation you are.  Happy journey my brothers and sisters.

         This blog is evidence I have found a round tuit for myself.*

* in the interest of full disclosure and truthiness, I would not have been able to start this blog without the support of family and friends but especially my husband, my son and my daughter-in-law.
thank you.

Matthew 18:1-5, 10

          Perfect child

         1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" 2 And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them, 3 and said, "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever humbles himself like this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 "Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me; 10 "See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you that in heaven their angels always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven.

          Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? Go look in a mirror. What? You don't think so? You don't see it? It's true.

           But I know how you feel. What is standing in your way from seeing the childlike glory and beauty that is you?  Is it something you have done recently or in your past that you can't let go of? How about a disfunctional family that you are recovering from? Bad love? Overweight? I am pretty confident you can come up some reason. However, let me give you a leg up.

           This is a kind of visualization. Find a picture of yourself as a child, pure simple, all smiley faced, filled with enthusiasm.  Now, looking back, knowing what this child will see and go through, what this person will do in their life like no other person knows (except God), tell this child that it will be ok, that you will stand by this child-self for their entire lives. Who better understands yourself than you? Who else could reassure you so well? Tell this child how much God loves them and will be with them.

        It may seem a bit weird but work on it. You need to know that you are so special, so loved and the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Luke 9:46-50

        'The rules don't apply to me'

         46 And an argument arose among them as to which of them was the greatest. 47 But when Jesus perceived the thought of their hearts, he took a child and put him by his side, 48 and said to them, "Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me; for he who is least among you all is the one who is great." 49 John answered, "Master, we saw a man casting out demons in your name, and we forbade him, because he does not follow with us." 50 But Jesus said to him, "Do not forbid him; for he that is not against you is for you."

          Have you ever carried on a conversation with some one, or heard someone speak when every other word out of their mouth is some expletive, most commonly the F-bomb. It really doesn't improve whatever point they are trying to make. On the contrary, usually the message they are trying to convey is lost in the big turn off that we react with. Experts say that people who speak with such fowl language are often doing so out of a sense in inadequacy or unsureness of their subject matter. The more emphatic, they less they actually know.

          Personal humility and putting others first is very similar. It's either easy or hard. Putting others first is very difficult and contorted when you have no self respect. Therefore, you demand more respect by forcing it on others or stealing it (putting your importance above everyone else). I can't help but think of people on the road who drive like the rules don't apply to them. I think it's their way of compensating for a feeling of poor self worth - whether they recognize it or not.

          If however, you have self respect to begin with, you know your self worth and love yourself deeply inside, putting others first comes easy and natural to you. But it all boils down to knowing yourself, respecting yourself and knowing God loves you. No matter whether you are straight or gay, black or white, or whatever, you must come to love yourself and accept yourself. Then and only then can you truly put others first.