Sunbeams and Kitty Litter: A Parable

All who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted. [Luke 18:14, NRSV]

Sunbeams and Kitty Litter, Copyright © 2011. from http://jesuslovesgays.blogspot.com.

[Permission to use this parable is granted as long as the above information appears with it.]

Jesus told a parable aimed at folks who thought they were God's little sunbeams while treating others like used kitty litter. "Two women went to church to pray. One was a charter member of the church; the other was lesbian with a wife and two kids. The first sat in her pew and prayed like this, "Father God, I thank you that I am not like some of the riff-raff who sneaked past the ushers and are sitting in the pews of my church today -- Democrats, hussies, Mexicans, liberals -- why there's even a big ol' dyke with her pretend family sitting right behind me. Disgusting. How did THEY all get in here? Anyway, I was a good little girl this week. I gave my tithe to the church. I tried to be a model of Christian virtue to the best of my ability. And I hope that you will bless me with that brand new Lexus I've been praying about. I claim it in Jesus' name. Amen."

The lesbian was leaning forward with her head in her hands, not looking up. She prayed, "God, please forgive me. I get SO angry sometimes. I know there are people in this church who don't want me here, and I'm trying my best to love them, but it's HARD. My parents and I got into a nasty fight after I told them Becky and I were going to get legally married in Massachusetts. We haven't spoken since and I don't know how to make things right between us. I didn't speak up this week when I saw a gay teenager get hassled on the street. I haven't been the most supportive wife I could be and you know how impatient I can be with our kids. I love them but sometimes they drive me absolutely crazy. Thanks for listening. Amen."

Jesus commented, "Guess what? The lesbian, and not the other woman, went home made right with God. If you put yourself on a pedestal higher than others, you're headed for a nasty fall. But if you go before God with great humility, God will lift you up." [Based on Luke 18:9-14]

We Are Blessed

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. [Matt 5:3, NRSV]

You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule. [Matt 5:3, The Message]

Today's gospel lesson is the Beatitudes from Matthew 5.  "Blessed" an interesting word. The original Greek, MAKARIOS, is usually translated into English as "blessed," "happy," or "fortunate." However, things get more interesting when we turn to the Aramaic Bible which uses the word TUBWAYHUN. This can be translated as "happy and aligned with the One," "tuned to the Source," or "healthy and healed." Furthermore, the root word TUB in Aramaic means "ripe" as in the fullness of time. Therefore "blessed" can also mean "to be in rhythm with the Holy One" or "to be in the right time, place and action with God."

When we take all of these word meanings into consideration, we get a very rich picture of the word "blessed" that challenges those who see God's blessing solely in terms of material things. Both the Greek and Aramaic are telling us that "blessing" is a spiritual thing. It is something that happens inside of us. It is the feeling that we are moving in sync with God no matter what chaotic events are happening in the world around us.

I don't know about you, but if that's what being "blessed" is all about then sign me up immediately! As a gay man who also happens to be a pastor, I am confronted from time to time with great hostility. People send me nasty letters. Some of my colleagues will not speak to me at all. We had two big rocks thrown through the front glass doors of my church. And so on, and so forth. Perhaps you've experienced similar situations.

Yet, in spite of all this, I feel blessed. I'm far from perfect, but most of the time I feel "tuned to the source," "healthy and healed." I try my best "to be in rhythm with the Holy One" and hope that all my readers out there will seek to do the same. God desires to bless those of us in the LGBT community. Let's open up our hearts and receive the gift!

I Am What I Am

"By the grace of God I am what I am, and God's grace toward me has not been in vain." [1 Corinthians 15:10]

This verse has always leapt off the page for me. It's one of my life verses. When we claim these words as our own, we are saying we've come to terms with ourselves. We know both our limitations and our potential. We've taken a long, hard look at our dark side but we've also encountered God's grace which continues to reshape and transform us each and every day.

To be able to stand before God and say "I am what I am" is a powerful thing. It means that we have value and worth for the person we are now. We feel loved and embraced by God even though we are far from perfect. We have encountered God's grace in our lives which comes as a surprise and a gift. We are God's home improvement project, and we are worth the effort.

As a gay man, I find these words comforting and reassuring. It has taken me a long time to be able to say "I am what I am" and be completely at peace with it. It has also taken me a long time to realize that God is at peace with my sexuality as well. I know God is not wasting God's time on me because I see the fruits of what God is doing in my life and in the lives of those whom I serve. I'm still learning and growing, but I'm also comfortable with where I am now.

Let the Day Begin

When I wake up in the morning I can't decide whether to enjoy the world or improve the world; that makes it difficult to plan the day. --E.B. White

Sometimes it's hard to find the right balance in life. If we spend all of our time fighting for GLBT rights, we will eventually get burned out. Likewise, if we spend all of our time focusing on what makes us happy, we will become spiritually bloated and self-absorbed. The challenge in life is to find the right balance between these two things. Self-care and service are both important pursuits. They work hand in hand with each other.

When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was he responded with two: 1) Love of God, and 2) loving our neighbors as much as we love ourselves [Matthew 22:37-40]. In this second command is the understanding that we cannot fully love our neighbor if we don't equally love ourselves. We cannot serve our neighbor if we don't equally do the things necessary to keep us spiritually, physically and emotionally fit. Eugene Peterson's "The Message" brings out the meaning of this second command loud and clear: "Love others as well as you love yourself."

So, brothers and sisters, let us plan our days wisely, that we might find the perfect balance between enjoying the world and improving the world.

The Spiritual Life

I have heard of people having life-changing, miraculous turnarounds, people set free from addiction after a single prayer, relationships saved where both parties "let go, and let God." But it was not like that for me. For all that "I was lost, I am found," it is probably more accurate to say, "I was really lost, I’m a little less so at the moment." And then a little less and a little less again. That to me is the spiritual life. The slow reworking and rebooting of a computer at regular intervals, reading the small print of the service manual. It has slowly rebuilt me in a better image. It has taken me years, though, and it is not over yet. --Bono, "U2 By U2"

I'm a big Bono fan and have listened to U2 ever since I was in college. I really like Bono's description of the spiritual life because it is true to what many other people experience as well. We would all like to have burning bush moments or neon signs from God. However, God doesn't really seem to be into pyrotechnics. God seems to favor the still small voice, the one step forward, or the slight turn of an attitude or thought.

There is an old wisdom saying that goes something like this: "The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step." We grow to become more like Jesus every time we take a step toward God and away from negative, unproductive emotions and actions: When we forgive someone who rejected us because we were gay, we take a step forward. When we can own the truth that what God thinks and what the church thinks are not always the same thing, we take a step forward. When we confront someone who utters the slur "fag" or other hateful words, we take a step forward.

The spiritual life is a journey not a destination. It is living day by day as LGBT children of God, celebrating our victories and learning from our defeats. We, like Bono, may have been really lost at one point in our lives, but we are a little less so at the moment.

I Have a Dream: MLK Day

I have a dream that, one day,
Christians of all viewpoints will be able to work together in harmony
Instead of fighting with one another over who is wrong and who is right.

I have a dream that words such as "fag" and "fairy"
Will never again wound a teenage soul.

I have a dream that it will be boring
To talk about the subjects of homosexuality and transsexuality.

I have a dream that no one will be bullied or abused
Because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

I have a dream that people will no longer feel the need
To stop me from pursuing my dreams simply because I'm gay.

What is your dream?
What are you willing to do to make that dream become a reality?

Junk Food

It is written, "One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God." [Matthew 4:4, NRSV]

It takes more than bread to stay alive. It takes a steady stream of words from God’s mouth. [Matt 4:4, The Message]

Jesus makes three statements in Matthew's version of the temptation of Jesus. Mark's version is much shorter and only mentions the event in passing [Mk 1:12-13]. The temptation in question is turning stones to bread. In the first temptation, Jesus does not give in to his own physical and personal needs. His response indicates that he is going to provide a banquet for his followers, feeding them with the Word of God.

This saying of Jesus reminds us that it is very tempting to focus solely on physical things in life: good food, big houses, comfortable cars, being entertained, etc. This is especially true for those of us in the LGBT community who have been rejected and abused by other Christians so many times that we want nothing to do with religion or the church. According to Jesus, this is a recipe for disaster. Feeding our spirits needs to be a top priority in our lives. It is the only thing that can bring us true peace, happiness and satisfaction. Material things may fill us for a moment but they are "junk food" compared to the things of the Spirit.