Religious self respect

Acts 19:1-10

           I had the pleasure of speaking with a learned and wise 87 year old last evening. We spent quite some time covering a wide range of topics that included religion. He shared about his search for being holy and faithful which had taken him away from organized religion. He found fault with many of the man made policies and rules and embraced the essence of what religions are. You can see why I was so captivated by him. He loves his family, is honest, compassionate and tries to never lie or cheat. He is a model. I am sure that when he meets his maker which he admits is not too far away, he will be embraced as a truly holy and beloved child.

             I am reminded of this man's journey and my own when I read the line of passage When some stubbornly refused to believe and spoke evil of the Way before the congregation, he left them, taking the disciples with him.. It is difficult for me to understand now why there are people who clearly do not or cannot live up to some of the rules and rubrics of the faith they were born into, and yet they stay. These people stay with no small amount of self loathing, embracing what some would call the "bells and smells" as if that were the comforting essence of faith. 

             It seems fundamentally wrong to not use the brains God gave us and embrace some kind of voo doo religion that discards the message of The Way for rules that I'm not sure even Jesus could imagine. I am sure that if Jesus were here today he'd be railing against the Roman Catholic Church as much as he did against the Pharisees.

            As this passage relates and I think is the only true solution, it is to leave the church for a more honest church. For me that is the Episcopal church. As an Episcopalian I can acknowledge my faults, repent, love and not hide and feel guilty about who I am. In the Roman church I would have scads of strikes against me, divorced, gay, married again ( to the man of my dreams come true ). I find many of the rules and dogmas of the Roman church highly suspect. From divorce and birth control to women Priests. I find it sadly comical how a church can rail against being gay  or monogamous gay relations while such a high percentage of Priests are gay and clearly not celibate. Heck I find celibacy highly suspect. It is wholly unnatural. I will be generous and not mention child abuse and all the cover ups. 

          Can anyone with an ounce of self respect and half a brain stay in the Roman church as it constitutes itself? There are other churches that historically are equally if not more valid than the Roman church. Why stay and have to beat yourself up? 

          I suppose in a way this a discussion against organized religion. My elderly friend found that was his solution. It is sad in a way that organized religions can do that to a person and stunting their joyful soul. I argue against anything that stunts the true message of Christ and embraces man made rules over love and intelligence.

While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul passed through the inland regions and came to Ephesus, where he found some disciples. He said to them, ‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?’ They replied, ‘No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.’ Then he said, ‘Into what then were you baptized?’ They answered, ‘Into John’s baptism.’ Paul said, ‘John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, in Jesus.’ On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. When Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied—altogether there were about twelve of them.

He entered the synagogue and for three months spoke out boldly, and argued persuasively about the kingdom of God. When some stubbornly refused to believe and spoke evil of the Way before the congregation, he left them, taking the disciples with him, and argued daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. This continued for two years, so that all the residents of Asia, both Jews and Greeks, heard the word of the Lord.

Not my Joey!

Luke 3:15-22

         When my children were very young I had a babysitter that lasted one single day. Her job was to get the kids ready for school and see them to the bus, I would get them off the bus. I came home a bit early to find food coloring all over the house. When my kids got off the bus, the interrogations began. No one fessed up (even to this day!). I decided to call the sitter whose number was pasted to the refrigerator. Alas, there was a note "your children are devil children, I am never coming back!".  She never did return, never returned a call, never returned for even that single days' pay. OMG! Suddenly I had visions of the mass murderer whose mother proclaims 'not my Joey, he's such a good boy'. Were my children devil children? Had I deluded myself?  When I met people in a store and they said 'soo you're their dad', had they meant I was the parent of the evil seeds?  I called everyone I knew, teachers, family, neighbors, clergy, all confirmed they were wonderful children. Children? Yes. Devil children?  No.

         In today's passage the moment of Jesus' baptism by John is captured. The skies open up and the voice of God is heard, You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.’ Would any of us feel any different about our own child?  Further, do you realize that God feels that way about every single one of us? It's true.

        Some of us may be a bit blinded and think our kids are too good or that they can't do anything wrong. That is not true. Being loved unconditionally and totally does not mean you cannot or have not done something wrong. I am not here to preach fire and brimstone and tell anyone they are going to hell in a hand basket. What I would and do preach is the unconditional love of God.

       God sees the innate goodness in all of us even if we have done something wrong. God loves us always, unconditionally and forever. The love the 'blind' parent has for their little cherubic 'Joey' who is hell on wheels is mirrored by that love God has. The parent sees beyond the bad stuff, the miss steps and wrong turns and sees the goodness inside and the potential.  God too looks beyond some of our weakest moments and sees how truly wonderful we are.

        God always see us a children, beloved and is well pleased with what we try to do, even when we may fail. We ARE beloved children of God.

As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, John answered all of them by saying, ‘I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing-fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing-floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.’

So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people. But Herod the ruler, who had been rebuked by him because of Herodias, his brother’s wife, and because of all the evil things that Herod had done, added to them all by shutting up John in prison.

Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.’

Some Bible Q and A

Luke 1:1-4, 3:1-14

          You may be aware of the variety of thoughts that go through my mind at times. It's akin to when I find my  husband talking to himself, he says there "a lot of people in there". Of course he's joking. I think. My thoughts today are legion as I read about Luke's intent to set down 'on paper' an account of Jesus' life. It begs me to ask some interesting questions that I would like to pose to you.  So I am going to simply write down these questions for you to research and think about and perhaps learn from. Perhaps you may come away with a healthier and more robust faith.

Q.    Are there only the 4 Gospels? Are there any others?  ( like the Gospel of Thomas or Mary? )

Q.    Of the 4 Gospels we are most familiar with, who wrote them ? ( hint: it was not Matthew, Mark,
        or Luke. Maybe John )

Q.    What accounts for the similar stories in some of the Gospels ?

Q.     When were the Gospels written ?

Q.     Are there any other, non religious accounts of the life of Jesus ?

Q.     What were the original texts of the New Testament and stories of Jesus' life written in ?
         ( hint: it was not Greek, Latin or English )

Q.     How come some Bibles have more "books" than others ?

Q.     There are so many translations of the Bible with different words for the same passages, which
         one is correct?

Q.    Did Jesus say anything about homosexuality ? 
        ( hint: the word wasn't invented until the 1800's )

Q.     Are there any references to gay people or couples in scripture ?
         ( hint:  Ruth and Naomi;  David and Jonathan; the Centurion and his "dear slave" )

Q.     Is there a fundamental message that is consistent throughout scripture?

The answer is, love. Scripture is a  rather realistic and sometimes unflattering collection of books about  humans and their relationship with God who loves them dearly. No matter what we yearn for our destiny, our creator.

         Certainly an unusual blog entry but questions that I ave come to answer and have helped me grow in understanding and faith. 

Since many have undertaken to set down an orderly account of the events that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed on to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word, I too decided, after investigating everything carefully from the very first, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the truth concerning the things about which you have been instructed. 

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah,‘The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
“Prepare the way of the Lord,
   make his paths straight. 
Every valley shall be filled,
   and every mountain and hill shall be made low,
and the crooked shall be made straight,
   and the rough ways made smooth; 
and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.” ’

 John said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, ‘You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruits worthy of repentance. Do not begin to say to yourselves, “We have Abraham as our ancestor”; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Even now the axe is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.’

And the crowds asked him, ‘What then should we do?’ In reply he said to them, ‘Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.’ Even tax-collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, ‘Teacher, what should we do?’He said to them, ‘Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.’Soldiers also asked him, ‘And we, what should we do?’ He said to them, ‘Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages.’

Can you kerfuffle?

James 1:19-27

            It is a rather gloomy morning. The sky is overcast with shades of dark gray and bluish gray. The ocean and sky seem to blend in as one. There are a few hints of brightness in the clouds and a strand of reddish blue standing out as if the sky was a marble counter top with streaks of pinks and reds running through like accent colors. I looks  somber, the sun is trying very hard to make an appearance.  It makes me feel dark too. This may also be because I witnessed a kerfuffle last evening.

          I  can hear Judge Judy as clear as day, "put on your listening ears"! Our lives sometimes seem to be the antithesis of this passage, we are slow to listen and quick to speak. When people get angry over something there is a whole dynamic set up that often precludes clear thought. Appearances,, assumptions and past prejudices all take center stage. You not only are angry over a current alleged slight but also dredging up past slights, arguments and hurts. Our penchant of speaking more and listening less makes that dynamic even worse. We seem more interested in firing our next verbal shot and making our fatal blow than really listening to what the other person is saying and responding. God forbid we should wait to respond.

          The idea of two ears and only one mouth is crucial. For an argument to be truly fruitful ( and they can be ), we not only have to hear, really hear, what the other party is saying but also listen to the emotion, the posture and all the other means we have at our disposal to truly listen. Arguments are more than hurtful words. As my wonderful father in law often says, there is the story and then there is the real story. In arguments, there is the subject and then there is often another real subject underlying.  It's like when someone is rude to you but they were really reacting to an incident that happened to them earlier. Arguing is often the same. What are you really arguing about? Only through candid discussion and true listening will you figure it out. 

           If you really listen instead of firing off those verbal shots, you may find an argument can bring better understanding and closeness.

          Assuming good faith among people, I sometimes feel this process would be good with the warring parties of issues such as marriage equality and LGBTQ rights. Wait, let me go further, how about the warring factions of our own government? How about warring factions in the world?

          One thing I do know is key, listening is more important than speaking. So, put on your listening ears. 

You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger; for your anger does not produce God’s righteousness. Therefore rid yourselves of all sordidness and rank growth of wickedness, and welcome with meekness the implanted word that has the power to save your souls.

But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror; for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like.But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act—they will be blessed in their doing.

If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world. 

'The unknown God'

Acts 17:16-34

            You may have read this before but I lived for almost fifty years with a void in my life. That's not to say I did not love. It's not t say I was not loved. It is not to say I did not live life to the full, as best I could. Still, there was a void in my life and I did not know what it was.  I tried to fill that void with my search and longing for God. I was truly blessed my entire life but I do recall one specific weekend away that particularly insightful. It was a Cursillo weekend. On that weekend when I was about 16 I came to know in my heart and every fiber of my being that God loves me.  The journey to find my void was still there but I knew that God was with me always. I knew God loves me. I know that Jesus willingly died for me.

             After my ordination, one of the fruits was the growing awareness that I was gay. Even though I still could not really put my finger on it the awareness was coming into my consciousness. Friends helped, prayers helped and most of all, a good therapist helped.  I cannot express in words the joy and sense of wholeness I felt when I uttered the words to myself  (out loud ) "I am gay". Fantastic. Wonderful. Blessed.  Being gay is a gift, it is a lens with which I see the world. It is a way in which I love the world and other people, not in sexual way but my gayness is a part of my expression of love for everyone.  Is it emotional? Sensitive? Empathetic? Perhaps all and more but it is an integral part of who I am and I am blessed all the more for it.

          That void of 50 years was filled. For many and even myself, it could have been "the unknown God". In truth though, while the magnitude of realizing I am gay was life changing, it is simply a part of who I am. It is not the end of the journey. Being gay does not say it all about me or anyone else.  It is integral but not a total description of who I am. Considering the magnitude of the discovery, I could have easily thought it was that "unknown God".  The unknown God to me is still God, the God of Abraham and Mohammed, the God who gave his son to us as a willing sacrifice for our sins, Jesus the Christ.  

         In the never ending revelation and discovery of God's infinite love, being gay is merely a part of the gift that God imparts to me and to us.  The revelations and extent of God's love for us is so pervasive and so boundless, so infinite, the unknown God is the mystery of the love we still have to live and discover, the growth we have yet to live and grow from. God is present, God is mystery, God is love and always a bit unknown. But thank God for that part of me that is revealed in my gayness and the expression of His infinite love in me. 

While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was deeply distressed to see that the city was full of idols. So he argued in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and also in the market-place every day with those who happened to be there. Also some Epicurean and Stoic philosophers debated with him. Some said, ‘What does this babbler want to say?’ Others said, ‘He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign divinities.’ (This was because he was telling the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.) So they took him and brought him to the Areopagus and asked him, ‘May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? It sounds rather strange to us, so we would like to know what it means.’ Now all the Athenians and the foreigners living there would spend their time in nothing but telling or hearing something new.

Then Paul stood in front of the Areopagus and said, ‘Athenians, I see how extremely religious you are in every way. For as I went through the city and looked carefully at the objects of your worship, I found among them an altar with the inscription, “To an unknown god.” What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. The God who made the world and everything in it, he who is Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in shrines made by human hands, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mortals life and breath and all things. From one ancestor he made all nations to inhabit the whole earth, and he allotted the times of their existence and the boundaries of the places where they would live, so that they would search for God and perhaps grope for him and find him—though indeed he is not far from each one of us. For “In him we live and move and have our being”; as even some of your own poets have said,
“For we too are his offspring.”
Since we are God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the deity is like gold, or silver, or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of mortals. While God has overlooked the times of human ignorance, now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will have the world judged in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed, and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.’

When they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some scoffed; but others said, ‘We will hear you again about this.’ At that point Paul left them. But some of them joined him and became believers, including Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris, and others with them.

Greeting the Good News

Acts 17:1-15

           I would like to suggest, heretic that I sometimes am, that the Good News is much more than the words, life and teachings of Jesus Christ. I would argue that the Good News includes any human words that try to free people from the tyranny of sin. Any words that proclaim the spirit ( or Spirit ) of Jesus' life that let us know that all people are included, all people are beloved creations of the Father and that we must resist human conventions that have a will to power and suffer men to degrading lives, suffering and marginalization.

           As with today's scripture passage, the Good News was not and is still not always met with an open mind and heart.  People do their best it would seem to fight for the status quo. For some reason people seem horribly invested in being right. They cannot possibly be wrong.  In fact I think that many people believe that salvation and God's love is for a rather exclusive club. Newcomers and strangers need not apply.

            One of the many gifts Jesus ( and by extension the early church, Peter, Paul and even Mary ) was that love is not static. God's love is constantly expanding and never ending. God's love is boundless.

             But how are the proclaimers of the Good News received? In today's passage there were some Jews that followed Paul at great lengths to suppress the Good News. Throughout history people that proclaimed knowledge, love and inclusiveness were not always met with cheers. Think of Galileo. Think of Rosa Parks. Think of those who proclaim equality of all people under God. What about those that proclaimed women's rights. How was Rosa Parks greeted? What of those that proclaim gay rights and our equality, dignity and beloved status by God?  Many within churches are suppressed and punished for the Good News of salvation for all.  Today on the web I noted a story of a Baptist church that was being stripped of it's charter (?) because that congregation would not condemn marriage equality.

        The fight to proclaim the Good News often challenges but is truly valid when it proclaims Jesus' message of love, hope, forgiveness and inclusiveness.

After Paul and Silas had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three sabbath days argued with them from the scriptures, explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Messiah to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, ‘This is the Messiah, Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you.’ Some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women. But the Jews became jealous, and with the help of some ruffians in the market-places they formed a mob and set the city in an uproar. While they were searching for Paul and Silas to bring them out to the assembly, they attacked Jason’s house. When they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some believers before the city authorities, shouting, ‘These people who have been turning the world upside down have come here also, and Jason has entertained them as guests. They are all acting contrary to the decrees of the emperor, saying that there is another king named Jesus.’ The people and the city officials were disturbed when they heard this, and after they had taken bail from Jason and the others, they let them go.

That very night the believers sent Paul and Silas off to Beroea; and when they arrived, they went to the Jewish synagogue. These Jews were more receptive than those in Thessalonica, for they welcomed the message very eagerly and examined the scriptures every day to see whether these things were so. Many of them therefore believed, including not a few Greek women and men of high standing. But when the Jews of Thessalonica learned that the word of God had been proclaimed by Paul in Beroea as well, they came there too, to stir up and incite the crowds. Then the believers^* immediately sent Paul away to the coast, but Silas and Timothy remained behind. Those who conducted Paul brought him as far as Athens; and after receiving instructions to have Silas and Timothy join him as soon as possible, they left him.

What to do, what to do...

Luke 3:10-14

            My husband and I have discussed the possibility of us using the following scenarios to extricate ourselves from a bad or uncomfortable social situation. The more likely scenario has one of us imitating Darrin Steven's mother (from Bewitched). In the face of her confusion (usually from bewitchery), she says to her husband in a penetrating voice, "Frank, I have a sick headache". Then they leave.  The other scenario we call 'good gay, bad gay'. In this scenario one of us acts normal and the other acts like a bitchy queen making a scene. And then off we go. We have never used good gay, bad gay but it has an appeal to us.

             The idea of good gay, bad gay is what comes to mind from this reading. It seems to me that no matter what or who you are, you are called always to be that 'good gay' part. Well, if you are gay. Otherwise, be the good whomever or whatever you are. 

              That presupposes that you know who you are. I mean, we can spend our whole life finding out who we are. That may be the meaning of life. But overall the meaning and intent of this passage is to be the best at whatever and whomever you are.

             Being a tax collector was not to be an excuse to live up to others lowered expectations of what a tax collector was in Jesus' time.  Soldiers, even today are not meant to live up to the worst we could think of for a soldier to be but only the best. Decent, honest, obedient, honor bound.  If you are gay or any part of the LGBTQ rainbow, be the best you can be. There is no need or room for bitchy queens so to speak.  There is no need to live up to the worst stereotypes that some people claim for the gay community.

             In all things, no matter who you are, be loving, decent and faithful. It's really that simple.

And the crowds asked him, ‘What then should we do?’ In reply he said to them, ‘Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.’ Even tax-collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, ‘Teacher, what should we do?’ He said to them, ‘Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.’ Soldiers also asked him, ‘And we, what should we do?’ He said to them, ‘Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages.’