John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” But Jesus said, “Do not stop him; for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. Whoever is not against us is for us. [Mark 9:28-40]
Whoever is not against us is for us. How different the church might have been over the past two thousand years if we took this verse seriously. Here we have two followers of Jesus who are doing deeds of power in his name. However, they are not "official disciples" and are doing "unauthorized ministry." Therefore the disciples want them to cease and desist, and ask Jesus to make them stop. Isn't it interesting that Jesus ignores their request and validates the ministries of these two unnamed disciples?
All throughout the week at Churchwide Assembly I heard the voices of my conservative brothers and sisters asking gay and lesbian pastors to stop. It didn't matter that we have fruitful ministries and are sharing the good news of Jesus with those whom we serve. They just think we're wrong and want us to stop. Let's name the demons here: power and control. The Church has wrestled with these demons since the beginning of time. We are still wrestling with them now. I believe my conservative brothers and sisters are so angry because, for the first time in their lives, they are in the minority. They've lost power and they're not happy about it. We who are LGBT know what this feels like and so we can empathize with their pain because we're been there ourselves.
However, I simply ask my conservative brothers and sisters to remember Jesus' words: " Whoever is not against us is for us." I am not your enemy. I take the Bible seriously, but not literally. I love Jesus with all my heart, soul, mind and strength. I baptize infants, equip disciples for ministry, bury the dead, pray with those who are sick, hold couples to commitments of fidelity and trust, serve the Lord's Supper, etc. What is SO different between us? Why is homosexuality such a visceral and emotional issue for some people that they become so self-righteous, hurtful and condescending? All I ask is that you judge me by the fruits of my ministry. Nothing more, nothing less. I'm not going anywhere and neither are my conservative brothers and sisters.
Is it possible that we can set aside our differences and work together to spread the gospel and heal our hurting and troubled world? To be honest with you, I'm tired of talking about this subject. I wish my blog didn't have to exist. But until we can walk together, side by side, I will continue writing and call us all to keep our eyes on the cross of Jesus. It is the only place we will find our unity as the Body of Christ.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Friday, September 18, 2009
Love Welcomes All to the Dance
He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.” Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.” -- Mark 9:35-27
Jesus' gesture of welcoming the child [our gospel lesson for this coming Sunday] must have been profoundly disturbing to the disciples because, in that time and place, children had so little status. They ranked somewhere between a woman and a slave. They had no legal rights. They could not own property. They spent their time in the care of women and knew better than to interfere in men's affairs.
For a rabbi like Jesus to take a child in his arms in the presence of his disciples was an unusual and compelling gesture. There was nothing to be gained by helping a child in Jesus' society. There were no great rewards or medals or prestige. Therefore, Jesus turned the tables on societal expectations with regards to what it meant to be successful.
We tend to think of successful people as being "on top" and unsuccessful people as being "at the bottom." Jesus was saying that there is no top or bottom and chose another image, the image of "arounders" to describe what our world is supposed to look like.
What I mean by "arounders" is that Jesus is in the center. And true inclusion in Jesus' circle involves positioning oneself around Jesus. Those around Jesus do not need to jockey for positions in the inner ring because there is room for everyone in the circle of "arounders," including children as well as anyone else who has no voice, status or position in society. Another way of saying this is "Everyone has a place at the table. There is no preferred guest list and there is always room for one more."
By welcoming the child, Jesus modeled for us a way of doing community and church that is inclusive rather than exclusive. We are not climbing Jacob's ladder. Instead we are dancing Sarah's circle. The beauty of the dance is that there's always room for someone else to join our welcoming, compassionate community. If you have felt left out of the dance for a long time because your are lesbian, gay bisexual or transgendered, I hope you'll hear the music that inclusive and welcoming churches, like mine, are playing. The celebration wouldn't be the same without you!
Jesus' gesture of welcoming the child [our gospel lesson for this coming Sunday] must have been profoundly disturbing to the disciples because, in that time and place, children had so little status. They ranked somewhere between a woman and a slave. They had no legal rights. They could not own property. They spent their time in the care of women and knew better than to interfere in men's affairs.
For a rabbi like Jesus to take a child in his arms in the presence of his disciples was an unusual and compelling gesture. There was nothing to be gained by helping a child in Jesus' society. There were no great rewards or medals or prestige. Therefore, Jesus turned the tables on societal expectations with regards to what it meant to be successful.
We tend to think of successful people as being "on top" and unsuccessful people as being "at the bottom." Jesus was saying that there is no top or bottom and chose another image, the image of "arounders" to describe what our world is supposed to look like.
What I mean by "arounders" is that Jesus is in the center. And true inclusion in Jesus' circle involves positioning oneself around Jesus. Those around Jesus do not need to jockey for positions in the inner ring because there is room for everyone in the circle of "arounders," including children as well as anyone else who has no voice, status or position in society. Another way of saying this is "Everyone has a place at the table. There is no preferred guest list and there is always room for one more."
By welcoming the child, Jesus modeled for us a way of doing community and church that is inclusive rather than exclusive. We are not climbing Jacob's ladder. Instead we are dancing Sarah's circle. The beauty of the dance is that there's always room for someone else to join our welcoming, compassionate community. If you have felt left out of the dance for a long time because your are lesbian, gay bisexual or transgendered, I hope you'll hear the music that inclusive and welcoming churches, like mine, are playing. The celebration wouldn't be the same without you!
Monday, September 14, 2009
Taming the Tongue
"No one can tame the tongue—a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse those who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this ought not to be so." -- James 2:8-10
This Scripture reading was a part of yesterday's Second Lesson. James, once again, has some challenging words for us as believers. It's a shame that Luther disliked the book of James because there is plenty of food for thought here. [Luther's problem with James was that it leaned in the direction of being saved through works rather than by grace.]
Lately, I've noticed a lack of "civility" in our discussions and disagreements both in church and state. Whether it is hurtful words spoken on the ELCA Churchwide Assembly floor or a Senator disrespecting a president during his speech, our tongues are getting the best of us. If you, my readers, were able to view the comments posted to my blog that I choose not to print, it would only further underscore my point. I've been called a lot of terrible things by others that I cannot believe come out of the mouth of those who call themselves Christian.
Our tongues get us into trouble more times than not. It doesn't matter whether we're conservative or liberal, gay or straight, hate speech has no place in the Body of Christ and no place in our society for that matter. We can disagree passionately with one another but that doesn't mean we need to resort to demonizing those with whom we disagree.
I have tried my best on this blog not to attack my conservative brothers and sisters. I will continue to do so. Hate speech leads to hate crimes. It gives some people permission to commit acts of violence against others because they see the as less than human. Brothers and sisters, we may not agree on the issue of homosexuality, but we should agree that we are all created in the image of God. As God's beloved children, let's keep our tongues in check and try to better understand one another. None of us fully understands the mind of an infinite God. Therefore, let us approach one another in humility and love, rather than hate and condescension.
This Scripture reading was a part of yesterday's Second Lesson. James, once again, has some challenging words for us as believers. It's a shame that Luther disliked the book of James because there is plenty of food for thought here. [Luther's problem with James was that it leaned in the direction of being saved through works rather than by grace.]
Lately, I've noticed a lack of "civility" in our discussions and disagreements both in church and state. Whether it is hurtful words spoken on the ELCA Churchwide Assembly floor or a Senator disrespecting a president during his speech, our tongues are getting the best of us. If you, my readers, were able to view the comments posted to my blog that I choose not to print, it would only further underscore my point. I've been called a lot of terrible things by others that I cannot believe come out of the mouth of those who call themselves Christian.
Our tongues get us into trouble more times than not. It doesn't matter whether we're conservative or liberal, gay or straight, hate speech has no place in the Body of Christ and no place in our society for that matter. We can disagree passionately with one another but that doesn't mean we need to resort to demonizing those with whom we disagree.
I have tried my best on this blog not to attack my conservative brothers and sisters. I will continue to do so. Hate speech leads to hate crimes. It gives some people permission to commit acts of violence against others because they see the as less than human. Brothers and sisters, we may not agree on the issue of homosexuality, but we should agree that we are all created in the image of God. As God's beloved children, let's keep our tongues in check and try to better understand one another. None of us fully understands the mind of an infinite God. Therefore, let us approach one another in humility and love, rather than hate and condescension.
Friday, September 11, 2009
A New Way to Remember This Day
For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline. [2 Timothy 1:7, NRSV]
Did you know that September 11th is the anniversary of Mohandas Gandhi's first act of civil disobedience, beginning a lifelong devotion to nonviolence, peace and justice? 102 years ago Gandhi refused to register with the government of South Africa as a nonwhite. Gandhi gathered a group of 3,000 Indian workers and asked them to respond to the new law, called the Black act, with nonviolent resistance. After the law was repealed in 1914, Gandhi returned to India to lead the nonviolent movement for independence from Britain. During his lifetime, Gandhi said he was influenced heavily by the teachings of Jesus.
A number of years ago I was fortunate enough to attend two hours of nonviolence training by two members of Soulforce. This training was in preparation for the advocacy work my husband & I were going to do at the churchwide assembly of the ELCA. That training definitely changed my life because I discovered there is great power in simply standing still, refusing to move, even with the threat of arrest hanging over your head. It unleashed a tidal wave of spiritual energy that radically altered the dynamics of the hall in which we were gathered. It was more effective than any angry words or negative protest signs we could have used in its place.
My encouragement to all of you who are on the front lines of the LGBT movement for equality is to read about the life and teachings of Gandhi. Furthermore, check out the fine work that Soulforce is doing all over the country and support their efforts. [www.soulforce.org] This is the way I choose to remember 9/11. I celebrate the memory of Gandhi and pledge myself to the principles of nonviolent resistance. I believe it is a power that can radically shift the hearts and minds of those who oppose us. Gandhi put it this way "Nonviolence is the greatest force at the disposal of mankind. It is mightier than the mightiest weapon of destruction devised by the ingenuity of man."
Did you know that September 11th is the anniversary of Mohandas Gandhi's first act of civil disobedience, beginning a lifelong devotion to nonviolence, peace and justice? 102 years ago Gandhi refused to register with the government of South Africa as a nonwhite. Gandhi gathered a group of 3,000 Indian workers and asked them to respond to the new law, called the Black act, with nonviolent resistance. After the law was repealed in 1914, Gandhi returned to India to lead the nonviolent movement for independence from Britain. During his lifetime, Gandhi said he was influenced heavily by the teachings of Jesus.
A number of years ago I was fortunate enough to attend two hours of nonviolence training by two members of Soulforce. This training was in preparation for the advocacy work my husband & I were going to do at the churchwide assembly of the ELCA. That training definitely changed my life because I discovered there is great power in simply standing still, refusing to move, even with the threat of arrest hanging over your head. It unleashed a tidal wave of spiritual energy that radically altered the dynamics of the hall in which we were gathered. It was more effective than any angry words or negative protest signs we could have used in its place.
My encouragement to all of you who are on the front lines of the LGBT movement for equality is to read about the life and teachings of Gandhi. Furthermore, check out the fine work that Soulforce is doing all over the country and support their efforts. [www.soulforce.org] This is the way I choose to remember 9/11. I celebrate the memory of Gandhi and pledge myself to the principles of nonviolent resistance. I believe it is a power that can radically shift the hearts and minds of those who oppose us. Gandhi put it this way "Nonviolence is the greatest force at the disposal of mankind. It is mightier than the mightiest weapon of destruction devised by the ingenuity of man."
Wednesday, September 02, 2009
Mercy Over Judgment
For judgment will be without mercy to anyone who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment. -- James 2:13
This verse is from this coming Sunday's second lesson. While the entire reading should convict us all of the way we treat the poor, this verse also seems appropriate to use in our dealings with everyone. What is our chief characteristic? Is it mercy or judgment? My experience has been that far too many Christians favor judgment over mercy. It's the reason why many people have stopped going to church. They're not switching to other denominations. They're simply dropping out.
We need to be known, first and foremost, as people of mercy. If anyone understands this, it should be the LGBT community who has received more than its far share of judgment. Hopefully the experience of being judged will make us more merciful toward others.
As a pastor who also happens to be gay, I've always had a love for "outsiders" because I know what it feels like to be on the outside. I've dedicated much of my pastoral ministry to those whom churches have cast aside for a number of reasons. I believe that if we can be known as people of mercy rather than judgment, we will change the world as we know it and call everyone into a deeper relationship with Christ. Who do you need to be merciful toward today?
This verse is from this coming Sunday's second lesson. While the entire reading should convict us all of the way we treat the poor, this verse also seems appropriate to use in our dealings with everyone. What is our chief characteristic? Is it mercy or judgment? My experience has been that far too many Christians favor judgment over mercy. It's the reason why many people have stopped going to church. They're not switching to other denominations. They're simply dropping out.
We need to be known, first and foremost, as people of mercy. If anyone understands this, it should be the LGBT community who has received more than its far share of judgment. Hopefully the experience of being judged will make us more merciful toward others.
As a pastor who also happens to be gay, I've always had a love for "outsiders" because I know what it feels like to be on the outside. I've dedicated much of my pastoral ministry to those whom churches have cast aside for a number of reasons. I believe that if we can be known as people of mercy rather than judgment, we will change the world as we know it and call everyone into a deeper relationship with Christ. Who do you need to be merciful toward today?
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