SOP

Colossians 3:14-17

           What a lovely passage and yet so vague.  Somewhat like the two Great Commandments.  Just enough wiggle room to make you think and have to use your conscience.

           I was talking with a coworker today, a beautiful soul, she and I discussed standards. We were both unanimous that some standards should never be lowered. Then she had to run off to the O.R. and I had much work to catch up on. We didn't get to discuss it any deeper. But since then I have been thinking about standards that we have.

          God forgive us but wars have been fought over standards. Pro-life zealots have killed physicians over not lowering their standards over the ability of women to have abortions. (seems ironic doesn't it?) There are standards out there in religion-dom that yields things like Al-Qaida and ISIS or ISIL or whatever fanatical group is out their. It's our way or the highway and there is no room for discussion or lowering of whatever standards are set.

           When I took up residence with my friend (whom I eventually married) there was some discussion over space. He was a bachelor of 40+ years in a 2 bedroom condo with little storage. I was coming out of a 30 year marriage with a great deal of baggage (of every variety). On the practical side we were struggling. My car had 'stuff' in the back seat that might make it appear that I was actually living there. Clinging onto "my space" was not really an option and compromise seemed the order of the day. Whatever things were not negotiable,  space was not one of them. If his standard was such that his space was sacrosanct, it would be a problem. One of his old friends suggested that you would never risk losing the man of your dreams over closet space. So, space was negotiable, that standard could fall.

           I might at one time held to a standard that whomever I got involved with, they had to be a Christian. I fell in love with a wonderful Jewish boy (ok, man). Could I lower my standard?  If I fell in love with a hunky arabesque man with olive skin named Jesus, would he be ok?  Jesus was Jewish, yes?  I think if being a Christian was a standard, that would fall. And, if I have to say, my husband being Jewish has enriched my life and my faith in God all the more.

           There are standards and there are standards. Some that we might think are important could bare some looking at. Others that might seem trivial can become deal breakers. I'm not talking just personal relationships here. I am speaking of life, of the world. What are our standards? What are they based on? Are they based on truth, knowledge and love or are they arbitrary "wants" or ignorant stereotypes and misinformation?

           What are your thoughts on standards? What are yours? What can be lowered and what cannot?  If a standard leads you to have to kill or behave in a non-Christian or non-loving way, can it be any standard of value?  Who is the final arbiter of all things? What is the final arbiter of all things?

        The answer is God and Love.

           

Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

The art of tearing down walls or never building them.

Acts 10:21-35

         This passage once again touches on the fact that God's love is so overwhelming, so inclusive, that it has extended to the gentiles and by extension, all of humanity.  In fact, another reading for today (Matthew 28:16-20), also speaks of the boundless message of love that Jesus offered us saying go therefore and make disciples of all nations. What this got me think about was how we as humans restrict the message that God offers us.

          Everyone, including myself, finds ways or reasons why someone is not worthy. In the beginning of the church, they were gentiles. All we have to do for ourselves is see who "they' are today. What walls have we erected to restrict God's message of love and inclusiveness?  At one time it might have been that 'they' were black, 'they' were indigenous peoples, 'they' were women and 'they' were Asians whose religion was judged barbaric. These are all human judgements for sure. There is no doubt in my mind that we are more than willing to erect even more personal walls against people when we find some perceived character flaw in someone we know or become aware of some mistake a person has made.  Surely 'they' cannot be saved. We have all manner of man made "well reasoned" excuses for putting limits on God's saving grace.  I have no doubts that many feel that by embracing being gay I am no longer worth saving. Or perhaps put in a better way, I must be redeemed before I am worthy.

         There is a flip side to this coin which I think we quite often overlook.  The other side of the coin, if you will, is easy to miss when you are erecting walls against others. That's because you really don't know the hearts of who 'they' are. 

          The flip side of the coin calls us to  search and open our minds to the beauty in everyone without any walls. Seeing goodness in every one of God's creations, fostering a respect and a sense of wonder at the variety and beauty in all of God's creations. You may not understand it all, but God's love is open to all and is expressed by all. That last part is key. We need to look past differences, look past prejudices and misunderstandings and then we, hopefully, prayerfully, will be able to see why God loves every one of his creations.  The ultimate goal is to see how God's boundless love is expressed by everyone, not just the ones we may have thought were worthy.

          

²¹So Peter went down to the men and said, ‘I am the one you are looking for; what is the reason for your coming?’ ²²They answered, ‘Cornelius, a centurion, an upright and God-fearing man, who is well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, was directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and to hear what you have to say.’ ²³So Peter^* invited them in and gave them lodging.

The next day he got up and went with them, and some of the believers^* from Joppa accompanied him. ²⁴The following day they came to Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. ²⁵On Peter’s arrival Cornelius met him, and falling at his feet, worshipped him. ²⁶But Peter made him get up, saying, ‘Stand up; I am only a mortal.’ ²⁷And as he talked with him, he went in and found that many had assembled; ²⁸and he said to them, ‘You yourselves know that it is unlawful for a Jew to associate with or to visit a Gentile; but God has shown me that I should not call anyone profane or unclean. ²⁹So when I was sent for, I came without objection. Now may I ask why you sent for me?’

30 Cornelius replied, ‘Four days ago at this very hour, at three o’clock, I was praying in my house when suddenly a man in dazzling clothes stood before me. ³¹He said, “Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your alms have been remembered before God. ³²Send therefore to Joppa and ask for Simon, who is called Peter; he is staying in the home of Simon, a tanner, by the sea.” ³³Therefore I sent for you immediately, and you have been kind enough to come. So now all of us are here in the presence of God to listen to all that the Lord has commanded you to say.’

34 Then Peter began to speak to them: ‘I truly understand that God shows no partiality, ³⁵but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.

The sign of the cross, lemons and gay rights.

1 Peter 3:17-22

          Life is pretty equal to everyone in some ways. No one is excluded from some of the crap of life. Money does not guarantee you will find true happiness and meaning in your life, no one is guaranteed to find their true love, that you won't get divorced, that you will be cancer free, that you won't get taken advantage of or any other malady that occurs in life.  The only things that you are guaranteed is the love of God and your ability to face any trials with a smile. How do you handle what comes your way?  Some people complain incessantly to the point you want to stick a hot poker in your ear. Some people face challenges with aplomb. Some people are given a lemon and they make lemonade. It's easier said than done but it is quite to the point. 

           If you are so afraid of loving that you will get hurt or be made a fool of, you are a sad sack indeed. You will always get hurt somehow and you may easily be made fun of but what better cause to get hurt in than to love? 

          Let's shake things up!  Today the church remembers the Holy Cross.  The cross that the Romans crucified Christ on, the cross that the Romans used as a threat, a sign of fear and to force obedience and submission is the sign we now use as Christians is a  sign of deliverance, hope, faith and a promise of eternal life. Now that is a turnaround!

          When I was a newly minted member of my statewide LGBTQ committee I was astounded to find out that the Q stood for more than questioning. That's what I always thought it meant. It turns out that there is a significant number that have it standing for queer. Queer is used as a badge of honor and even respect. People identify with queer even if it was used in my youth as a term of  denigration and something you just never wanted be called. In my LGBTQ prayer group we have discussed at length "queer theory". We are all "queer" in our own way and many people, myself included have come to realize that our differences and "queerness" should be accepted, celebrated and elevated.  

          Once again, what was considered bad is turned around.  To get hurt is bad but to get hurt for love? What better cause could there be?   Yesterday I officiate at the wedding of two good friends. There was a day not too many years ago when we (gays) were relegated to closets and back allies and dark bars. Now we have stepped into the light and have demanded dignity and you know what? We love like everyone else, we want our love recognized and yes, even sanctified. Wow what a turnaround.

           When life gives you lemons how do you embrace it? If there is a challenge or a roadblock, how do you handle it? We all have them, how do you handle it? I say embrace it , love it and learn from it.  Know in your hearts that the cross of fear is now the cross of celebration and hope. 

For it is better to suffer for doing good, if suffering should be God’s will, than to suffer for doing evil. For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit, in which also he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison, who in former times did not obey, when God waited patiently in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight people, were saved through water. And baptism, which this prefigured, now saves you—not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers made subject to him.

Like a cancer

Matthew 5:21-26

    

          I had a neighbor who died not too long ago. She seemed to be a very pleasant person. She was concerned for others, she prayed and seemed very likable. I enjoyed seeing her and chatting from time to time.  One day I witnessed a rather wicked display of vitriol coming from her, it was directed at another neighbor. It seemed out of character. I would hate to be judged on a moment of weakness or when I was on my worst behaviour. I am not sure if it was coincidence or not but right after I witnessed that event she found out she had cancer. It was a battle that she quickly lost.

         I often wonder the effects of malicious intent, failure to love, failure to forgive and hate on ourselves. I firmly believe that hate hurts us more than the objects of the hate. I actually wish the word hate could be eliminated from the world's vocabulary. Hate is a downright evil thing. The effect on the haters themselves cannot be minimized.  I think we know that unresolved issues of almost any kind fester within us and actually grow larger. Perhaps they loom larger than they are but they are like a cancer.

         "Like a cancer" is a good analogy because all the negative things in life that we hold in and let fester in our hearts and minds predisposes us to other bad things in life like cancer.  Negativity seems like a good growth media within ourselves for a whole array of bad things. Cancer would be pretty darn bad but in reality we also risk our eternal souls by bombarding ourselves and our very nature with negativity.

         Jesus was quite clear about loving others, loving ourselves and loving God. These two great commandments supersede the law. Today's passage solidifies that concept. Thaw shall not kill is not simply about taking physical life. It about destruction and damaging our very souls, hurting people by hateful actions and speech. You can kill someone's soul. You can kill your own soul by those same hateful actions or speech. That's why I say to live the two Great commandments is really more challenging than simply obeying the ten commandments with strictness or narrow focus. 

         The idea of brutally honest self reflection is highlighted in today's passage. The damage we do and the 'stuff' we harbour in our own hearts is damaging all around. Before you come before God we need to forgive and forget, we need to love more and never ever hate. We need to forgive ourselves and forgive others before we head to the altar to say how much we love you God. Coming to the table with hate for others, even ourselves is hypocrisy.

         Perhaps a bit preachy but we need to get rid of hate and negativity. We need to fight against it within ourselves and within the world by love, genuine love.

      Love yourself. Love others. Love God.

          I 

‘You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, “You shall not murder”; and “whoever murders shall be liable to judgement.” But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgement; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, “You fool”, you will be liable to the hell of fire. So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.

I love gay weddings

1 Corinthians 12:31-13:7

          I was at a rehearsal dinner last night for a wedding I am going to officiate at today. I knew virtually no one except for the grooms. We sat with a very pleasant couple and as often happens with me, the subject gravitates to religion and spirituality. This couple presented themselves as a mixed marriage, he Roman Catholic, she Lutheran. The same situation as the grooms in fact. As we get older I think we begin to realize what the really important stuff of life is. Consequently our image of what religion is (or is not) changes.

          No matter what restrictions a religion places on it's faithful, the overriding rule and the foundation of all religions is love. This passage is probably on of the most famous and easily quoted in Scripture for that very reason.

          But we begin to think that religion is all about the rules. Had this been a Roman Catholic wedding, three quarters of the guests would not be welcome for Communion even if they identified themselves as Christian and lived exemplary lives. At one time, not very long ago, even had the couple been heterosexual there would not be a Catholic wedding become one spouse was not Roman Catholic.  As it is, the fact that there are two grooms excludes them from a whole variety of churches that would very likely deny them outright or try to stone them. 

           This is sort of where I come in. With no particular allegiance to any formal religion*, I lean heavily on the aspect of love in a rather conservative way. I believe strongly in the two great commandments and I believe love is the foundation and arbiter of all decisions. Here we have a couple who have been together for 20+ years. The have lived in a committed, monogamous relationship and live out the Gospel message in the lives they lead.  Committed, loving, monogamous? I think that's pretty conservative.  So there I will be, later today, leading a ceremony blessing the commitment of these two souls who have found true love in each other and want nothing more than to express such in front of witnesses, family and friends alike. They are choosing to make legal, what has been a de-facto marriage for two decades.  What a joyous celebration of love. 

            These two guys exemplify today's passage and I am sure God will be smiling even more than I will. Mazel Tov!

* Although I am formally an Episcopalian and they would welcome two grooms - if at least one of them were of the Episcopal faith.

But strive for the greater gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way.

If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Hopeless?

Titus 1:7-9

          The summer before I entered the seminary we were told to read a book, a text, called the History of the Catholic church. It was fascinating reading. Much of it was not sugar coated as I suspected it would be but pulled no punches in the representations of the some of the Church's more unflattering affairs.  I had no problem really dissociating the events from the distant past from the enlightened times in which we live.  I gobbled it all up. The only problem for me arose when the string of unflattering affairs started to encroach on modern history.  Preaching that indigenous people didn't have souls or that slavery was justified and Biblically sanctioned was very problematic for me. At least there was a moment I chuckled at when I read that a Pope had pronounced that suspension bridges were evil and of the devil.  It was clear to me that the church was as flawed as any human except they portrayed themselves as having some Godly righteousness that gave them the ok to act in any way they saw fit.

           The last decade has seen an enormous amount of Bishops, including the Bishop of Rome who have aided and abetted pedophilia, lies and coverups at the hands of priests and at the expense of the victims and their families.  There seems to be no area immune from the religious rot that infests the Roman Catholic Church. Even Papal banking is infected by Mafioso.  Still, Pope Francis seems to be a good and decent man with a good heart and true faith. It seems a miracle he was elected to lead such a rotten crew.  Perhaps we should not expect more of Bishops who are clearly intensely human. If it only weren't for the fact that they try to set themselves up so high up on a pedestal, arrogant and self righteous.

            Today I read a story in the news about a young man, a boy of 16 actually, who committed suicide in Bogota after he was outed and harassed by Catholic school officials there.  The ignorance and lack of love was rampant. Sadly it is not just the Roman Catholics but a whole array of religions, politicians and even nations that forsake the Gospel message of love for hate, misinformation and scapegoating. I won't even mention forsaking scientific knowledge. The ignorance is legion.

             What happens in the world and especially a church, any church when tradition trumps the true message of the Gospel? Where is the love, the inclusiveness, forgiveness, sound Biblical exegesis and good Biblical scholarship? Where is the Holy Spirit?   Is it a blasphemy when a church abandons the Holy Spirit and denies the message that Jesus so ardently and richly lived for us?  

              How long will we endure the machinations of the ministers and clergy that inspire hate, misunderstanding and war?   I don't ask because I have any answer. I only feel sadness when I read today's Scripture passage and find church leadership so lacking and that fail to live up to what a Bishop should truly be. Someone please help me understand. Someone please help me to have a reason to hope that we as humans and we as a catholic church (small "c") will fully embrace the Gospel message. 

     A time to pray in humbleness and pray for forgiveness. 

For a bishop, as God’s steward, must be blameless; he must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or addicted to wine or violent or greedy for gain; but he must be hospitable, a lover of goodness, prudent, upright, devout, and self-controlled. He must have a firm grasp of the word that is trustworthy in accordance with the teaching, so that he may be able both to preach with sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict it.

First Vatican Council

Acts 15:1-11

           I am not a Biblical scholar and the history of the Church that I know is from 20 years of Catholic school which included 3 years in the Seminary.  Having said that, it has not stopped me from commenting on passages as the Spirit moves me. The messages from Scripture are always personal and timely. What I read twenty years ago may have a different message for me tomorrow. There are some constants and facts that can be gleaned though aside from personal direction and messages from God.

          Here we have what amounted to the very first 'Vatican Counci'. Of course the Vatican hadn't even been invented yet, formed or even thought of. This might better be considered the Council of Jerusalem. The import far exceeds that of Vatican II that most people see as a breath of fresh air to the church even if the windows have been systematically closed ever since.

          Jesus was a Jew and his Apostles were devout Jews. Perhaps they were not Pharisees or Sadducee's. Perhaps some were Essenes.  Perhaps Judas was not the only Sicarii member in Jesus' band of followers. While all that is great fodder for intriguing thought, the fact is they were all Jews. Here we have salvation being opened to the Gentiles and the arguments that were made on each side of this 'discussion' is simply highlighted here. I suspect it was a battle royal.

           Some of the same arguments that I would use to engender inclusiveness, especially of the LGBTQ people of today are highlighted right here.  Whether the tendency to argue of minutia may be a human condition that we will always have to bear, the message of Jesus is love. Jesus' life of inclusiveness is well known from scripture. While some of it may seem almost normal for us today, in His time he was a radical and a rebel.  It is no wonder he was killed. Jesus human life may have ended but the love he professed is still alive today. So we say "Jesus is risen!". The Spirit is as alive today as it was when it landed as tongues of fire on Pentecost and again when it inspired the new Church to include gentiles because the Spirit of God, the love of God told them it was right. It was the loving thing to do.

             A book I read several years ago, God vs. Gay, highlighted a simple tool for deciding what is of God or not. When making a decision, such as marriage equality lets say, the balance should always go to love.  When deciding about passages of scripture, which position falls in line with the saving grace, enthusiastic and all embracing love of God? The answer will always defer to love, not hate, not divisiveness, not arrogance or anything that is even remotely wrong or evil.  Perhaps it would be a good time to review 1 Corinthians 13. 

            That first Vatican Council if you will, was all about the Spirit alive, love and the all embracing love of our Creator. Back then gentiles, today LGBTQ. Amen

Then certain individuals came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, ‘Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.’ And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to discuss this question with the apostles and the elders. So they were sent on their way by the church, and as they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, they reported the conversion of the Gentiles, and brought great joy to all the believers. When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they reported all that God had done with them. But some believers who belonged to the sect of the Pharisees stood up and said, ‘It is necessary for them to be circumcised and ordered to keep the law of Moses.’

The apostles and the elders met together to consider this matter. After there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, ‘My brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that I should be the one through whom the Gentiles would hear the message of the good news and become believers. And God, who knows the human heart, testified to them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us; and in cleansing their hearts by faith he has made no distinction between them and us. Now therefore why are you putting God to the test by placing on the neck of the disciples a yoke that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to bear? On the contrary, we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.’