The Ecstasy of God

by Daniel William Francis

Revision 0.56

The Ecstasy of God

Copyright © 2001, by Daniel William Francis

All rights reserved.

Scripture unless otherwise noted, and when marked NRSV is from: New Revised Standard Version of the Bible , copyrighted, 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America, and are used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture marked NJB is from: The New Jerusalem Bible. Copyright © 1990 by Darton, Longman & Todd Limited and Doubleday, a division of Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

Scripture marked REB is from: The Revised English Bible © Oxford University Press and Cambridge University Press 1989

Scripture marked NIV is from:THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION (NIV). Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

Scripture marked NLT is from:Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Tyndale HousePublishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

Scripture marked WEB is from:World English Bible which is in the Public Domain.

Scripture marked WEY is from:The 1912 New Testament in Modern Speech by Richard F. Weymouth, 3rd Edition. Revised & edited E. Hampden-Cooke.

Scripture marked BBE is from:The Bible in Basic English printed in 1965 by Cambridge Press in England. Public Domain

Scripture marked PHIL is from:The New Testament in Modern English by J. B. Phillips. Copyright © 1958, 1959, 1960, 1972 by J. B. Phillips. Published with permission of Mrs Vera Phillips and the J. B. Phillips estate. All rights reserved.

All readings are Copyright by their respective authors.

Writings marked DWF are my own.

A note:

I am gay. I am a child of God. I am loved by God the way the Creator has made me. Our God's love of diversity is abundantly clear over the spectrum of the universe. I write for all God's children that they may come to a deeper relationship with God through Christ but I make no apologies writing of who I am or for the queer community, I do think there is something for every seeker of God here, be they heterosexual, queer, Christian or from a different religious background. God is no respecter of mortals as Peter says in Acts, but in every place those who seek God way are acceptable as Micah told us many centuries before the days of Jesus ‘You have already been told what is right and what Yahweh wants of you. Only this, to do what is right, to love loyalty and to walk humbly with your God.’ Mic. 6:8 (NJB) Those words are so simple yet none of us have fully succeeded in this but Christ, so strive forward in Jesus example. The daily Biblical readings are focused on the gospels alone (not because God cannot or doesn't speak through other voices in the Bible and elsewhere (as Paul pointed out in Athenian discourse)), but simply because the Gospel offer the pattern and template for who Jesus wants us to be. Like the old apostle who it is said that when the venerable John could no longer walk to the meetings of the Church but was borne there by his disciples, he always uttered the same address to the Church; he reminded them of that one commandment which he had received from Christ Himself, as comprising all the rest, and forming the distinction of the new covenant, "My little children, love one another." When the brethren present, wearied of hearing the same thing so often, ask why he always repeated the same thing, he replied, "Because it is the commandment of the Lord, and if this one thing be attained, it is enough". So I say if the life of Jesus is mastered and we become the image of God by imitating Christ (2 Corinthians 4:4, 1 Corinthians 11:1) this will be enough. This will allow us to achieve the ecstasy of God.

You can visit my web page at:

http://members.aol.com/DWFrancis/sjh.html

and email me at DWFrancis@aol.com

PLEASE EMAIL me with any errors or corrections you find. I typed most of this and I am sure some errors must have slipped in, but I will correct all reported to me.

Introduction

The ecstasy of God is a seed in the soul of each one. A seed placed there by God at our creation, to which God wants to give growth and see the seed flourish for God is the ultimate gardener (John 10:10, 15:1). For all true satisfaction comes from the hand of Yahweh our God Most High (Ecc. 2:24, 25), so we can look only to God to find satisfaction. We have only to seek union with God, then the satisfaction of the heart will flow freely from God's gracious hand. The river of life flows freely from God, to those who know God and the tree of life is nestled on its banks waiting to feed and heal those whose hope is in Jesus. Heed the voice of the prophet who rings as loud and true today "Oh, come to the water all you who are thirsty; though you have no money, come! Buy and eat; come, buy wine and milk without money, free! Why spend money on what cannot nourish and your wages on what fails to satisfy? Listen carefully to me, and you will have good things to eat and rich food to enjoy. Pay attention, come to me; listen, and you will live." (Is. 55:1-3a, NJB) Therefore do not run after what cannot offer you the satisfaction of your soul, that which hinders the growth of the ecstasy of God.

Ecstasy is a wondrous gift coming in the course of communion with God. Whether this in is the experiencing of God's creation (as in an awe-inspiring beauty of a sunset), a conversation with a person that leads to a state of tranquilly, or through prayer. To some extent all of these are available at all times to all people, but I have found the most rewarding and the deepest euphoria in the presence of God during prayer.

Prayer is that great conversation with God––you speak to God and God speaks back through saints and sinners, our job is to be open to listen to what the Spirit is telling us. One aid to prayer is centering oneself in God through breath prayer. This form of prayer is simple and ancient. Breathe prayer referred to as hesychast, from the Greek word meaning quietness, prayer in the orthodox Christian tradition, developed as a way of following the call of the apostle Paul (1 Thessalonians 5:17) to prayer without ceasing. Breath prayer is quite simple and although many recommend a bodily posture of having one's head bowed slightly and eyes fixed towards the heart (the temple of the body's own throne for Christ) it is equally as effective with eyes closed or focusing on an object of devotion (whether it be a cross or some other sacred object). Breathe deeply and rhythmically allowing your mind to clear so that you may focus on God alone. Traditionally "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, Have mercy on me" (breathing in on Lord Jesus Christ Son of God and breathing out on Have mercy on me) has been the standard breath prayer and is good to start with, but don't be afraid of using what you feel most comfortable with as a mantra to help centre you. Some suggestions of ones I have heard of people using are:

The Lord is my Shepherd /I shall not want

Shalom /Yahweh

God is / Love

Seek first the /Kingdom of God

Peace / of God

In the name of the living God/Creator, Redeemer, Spirit; one

Don't concentrate or look for some hidden mystical meaning to pop out of your breath prayer whatever it may be. Pious thoughts and distractions will both come to draw you away from centering on God. Treat them as you would the buzzing of flies ignoring them and letting them pass by. The point is to enter a relaxed state so you can experience God's presence. Some people like to use a rosary to help them focus more on the prayer itself by rolling the bead in their fingers slowly. Some people like to do a set number (hence the aid of prayer beads of some form) others prefer just to continue their breathe pray until they enter a state of peace, which I find a preferable way of going about it.

I would also like to share with you the work of R.H. Bell & B.L. Battin, Seeds of the Spirit (Westminster John Knox Press, 1995, p.137), and their passage on centering prayer:

In this prayer form, a word or short phrase becomes the focus for centering oneself in God's presence. It is like a bell that calls us to remember and draws our attention back to God

In traditional centering prayer, one sits in silence, having cleared one's mind of images and thoughts and cleared one's heart of distracting emotions. In silence, one waits for a word or phrase to rise out of the depths of that silent openness, The word may be very simple: love, hope, peace, comfort, joy. It may also be a simple phrase easy to remember, as long as it is "given" and not a manipulated choice one thinks about on one's own. After the gift of the word, one sits in silence, seeking to be aware of God, willing to receive God's grace, resting in God's love. When small or large distractions arise, something that comes into this still presence, then one speaks inwardly that word or phrase as a way of returning to God, of "centering" again in the open and spacious silence and presence of God.

Centering prayer stands in a long tradition of "mantric" meditation, where a psalm is chanted or a phrase is repeated over and over, as in the Jesus Prayer, to center on the Divine. The difference found in centering prayer is that the word or phrase is not fixed but fluid. It may change from time to time.

So no matter whether you choose centering prayer or a more traditional style of breath prayer both have the same goal and you should feel free to move from one to the other as you feel led.

Next there comes the question of how one should read these readings, be they from the Bible or other authors. The whole point of a great devotional work is to offer readings that can permeate one's soul and refresh and renew and offer growth year after year. The Gospel and Biblical readings here will stand the test of time. As for my reflections on them, I hope they lead you to a deeper relationship with God, as poor as they are. Meditatively read the readings, to help, I offer the following two passages on Lectio Divina.

Lectio Divina (Spiritual Reading)

One of the oldest of spiritual disciplines, the lectio divina, takes a passage of scripture or spiritual writing and uses it as a focus for prayer. It begins with a settling time of silence [breath prayer being a good way to help]. Then it moves to reading a short passage, seeking the experience of encounter with God and the revelation of God's holy truth. In meditation, one reflects on the text, noticing what particular words or phrases stand out and letting them speak to one's heart as well as one's head. This meditation becomes a kid of conversation, a dialogue with Christ or God in which understanding may deepen. Finally words and ideas fall again into silence in which the reader and the Holy One simply sit together in communion. It has been said that this means prayer is like developing a friendship, cultivating attitudes of openness, trust, and love.

- R.H. Bell and B.L. Battin, Seeds of the Spirit

Monastico lectio is the practice of reading small passages daily–a page, a paragraph, a sentence–and then milking for meaning any word or phrase or situation that interests or provokes me.

• –Why does the word or passage mean something to me?

• –Why is this word or situation bothering me?

• –What does it mean to me, say to me?

• –What feeling does it bring out in me?

-Joan Crittister, The Illuminated Life (adapted)

The morning and evening prayers that I have included here mention sacred gestures. These could be anointing your head with oil or water, or making the sign of the cross. Such rituals are important to people and performing them can be a way of reminding you that the time coming (or just concluded) has been dedicated to knowing yourself and God, as well as God's will better. The point is not that you must perform some act but feel comfortable in what you choose, even if it is no more than bowing you head.

The morning and evening prayers are adapted from Edward Hays' Prayers For a Planetary Pilgrim (Forest of Peace Publishing, Inc. 1989, p. 26, 85). The Apostles' Creed is my own gender-neutral version and the gender inclusive 'Lords Prayer' is of unknown origin (although in the end let us remember God's Spirit guides and directs all God's servants). The readings are brief by design. Let us remember the words of Madame Guyon who said, "Whatever truth you have chosen, read only a small portion of it, endeavoring to taste and digest it, to extract the essence and substance thereof, and proceed no farther while any savor or relish remains in the passage... Those who read fast reap no more advantage than a bee would by only skimming over the surface of the flower, instead of waiting to penetrate into it, and extract its sweets."

Morning Prayer

sacred gesture

O Divine Parent, vest me in prayerfulness as I join with all the earth this morning to lift up my heart to you. With splendor , our daystar, the sun, now floods this planet with light and energy. May your presence flood my heart with light eternal as I rejoice in this dawn.

As a planetary pilgrim, I marvel that I have traveled over a million miles in space since yesterday morning. My personal journey this day will be small in distance, but I pray it will be significant and sacred in my drawing closer to you, my God, as I now enter into silent prayer.

period of silent prayer or meditation

Your Word is written large across all the universe, in the wonders of creation and in the holy books, written by the pen of your Spirit. Open my heart to your Word as I now pray.

a psalm, spiritual reading or personal prayer

May this Morning prayer and all my prayers this day be one with all this earth which you have ordained to prayer. May my day be prayerfully one with the jungles and rivers, hills and valleys and crowded cities as they raise their prayerful praise to you, Most Holy.

I dedicate this new day to you and ask as time unfolds before me, I may unfold according to your ancient dream. As I reflect upon my person needs this day, I ask the following blessing:_______. I ask that you would look upon my work this day as a sacrifice performed in solidarity with:_______, who is (are) in need of your grace and assistance.

Imprint upon my body, and upon all that I shall touch, your sacred signature as I conclude this prayer

in your Holy Name

and in the name of your Son

and of the Holy Spirit,

One God, forever and ever, ages without end. Amen.

sacred gesture

Evening Prayer

sacred gesture

O you for whom my heart hungers, the night sky is arched over me like a window that looks out onto the vastness of space. Earth, her sister planets and their moons and our great daystar are on an eternal voyage towards a cosmic mysterious destination. I too journey towards a lover’s rendezvous with you. May this time of silent prayer be a fore taste of the eternal encounter.

period of silent prayer or meditation

Invisible Lover, I know you are here even if my senses do not experience your presence. I thank you for being at my side every minute of this day that is now concluding. I sing of my gratitude for you abiding presence, as I now prayer.

a psalm, spiritual reading or personal prayer

May the hours of sleep into which I shall sink, grant me the divine gift of elasticity. May I know the gift of new wine skins, which are able to embrace the new and the untried. When I awake tomorrow I will need such flexibility to flow with the changes in my life and in the world. Such a gift is a necessity if I am a to be a faithful steward in the Spirit in these times of great transition.

I pray now for those who live in my heart, my family and my friends:_______. I pray as well for all the citizens of this earth, men and women of all races and creeds, of various political beliefs. I ask that you gift us all with the elasticity of mind and heart, so that we might create a new earth according to the design of your son Jesus’ new age.

But for now I let go of my quest for your peace and justice and surrender myself into your loving nighttime embrace.

O Guardian of galaxies,

Mother of the cosmos and

Father of stars beyond counting,

may I sleep in you tonight.

Amen.

sacred gesture

The Apostles' Creed

I believe in God, the Creator almighty,

maker of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only child, our Lord.

Who was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit

and born of the Virgin Mary.

Suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, died, and was buried.

Descended to the dead.

On the third day rose again.

Ascended into heaven,

and is seated at the right hand of the Creator.

And will come again to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,

the holy catholic Church,

the communion of saints,

the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body,

and the life everlasting. Amen.

The Lord's Prayer

Our Creator in Heaven,

Holy is Your name.

May Your Dominion come,

and may Your will be done,

on earth as it is in Heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread

and forgive us our debts and

transgressions, in the same way

that we may also forgive others.

May we not give into temptation,

and save us from all that is evil.

For to You belong; the Dominion,

the Grace and the Glory, forever.

Amen.

January

~

January 1

Reading 1

Matthew 1:1-17

“An account of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Aram, and Aram the father of Aminadab, and Aminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of King David. And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph, and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah, and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon. And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Salathiel, and Salathiel the father of Zerubbabel, and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called the Messiah. So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David to the deportation to Babylon, fourteen generations; and from the deportation to Babylon to the Messiah, fourteen generations.”

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The account of Jesus’s family tree is interesting, may seem rather boring on the surface but when you dig into the names it’s very interesting Tamer, the rape victim. Rahab, the harlot. Ruth the foreigner (and even worse a Moabite, hated because of their incestuous beginnings). The wife of Uriah (aka Bathsheba), an adulteress. Then a even stronger surprise than these unclean women is Jechoniah, the wicked king whom Jeremiah said would never have a descendant on the throne of David. What this really goes to show is mortals say many things, but God’s grace extends far beyond any legalism mortals can devise. This is good news, especially for us Queer Christians.

Reading 2

A new year is upon us, which brings many naturally to a time of reflection. Surely in the past 1900 or so years many bad things have been done by good people, many regrettable things have been done, but this reminds me of a story told by the Russian mystic Ignatius Bryanchaninov. “A brother once asked Sisoes the Great, 'Father what can I do? I have fallen into sin.' The Staretz answered him, 'Rise again.' The brother said, 'I rose up and fell' The Staretz answered, 'Rise again.' The brother answered, 'How often must I rise up?' The Staretz said, 'Until your death.'” It is a new year and a time to rise again. And remember our God is One who is merciful and loving always. I would like to present this poem that is an ancient but timeless reflection on God.

You are Above All that Is

You , O God, are all there is. These words cannot contain all that could be song of you. What hymn can ever celebrate your praise? And on what shall the mind rest since you are above the reach of all comprehension?

You only are unknowable yet all that we can think comes forth from you. All beings give you praise, those that think and those that have no thought. All that is makes prayer to you. To you every thinking creature sends up a song of silent praise. All that moves has it's motion from you. All that stays still has it's rest in you.

You are the end of all beings. You are the all and yet are nothing of what created beings are. You are not one among many and you are not the totality of all beings. You have all names there are. Yet for me it is not possible to name you for you are the only one to whom no name can be given.

Have mercy, O God! You are above all that is. These words cannot contain all that could be sung of you. -- Gregory Nazianzen (330-390)

-DWF

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In God we live and move and have our being -Acts 17:28

January 2

Reading 1

Matthew 1:18-25

“Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,” which means, “God is with us.” When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus.”

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Joseph wanted to do the right thing, do what was proper, he wished no harm to Mary but also wished not to be entangled in scandal. Too often today our church officials act like the ‘patron saint of the church’, they have compassion on those they see as sinners, but will not realize that there is no sin behind their actions. They refuse to see ‘God with us’ but only as God separated from us by sin, God only with them. The church needs to embrace Queer Christians, like Joseph held Mary, then it will learn God is with us as them.

Reading 2

Sexual Holiness

Sexual union is holy and pure, when performed in the right way, at the right time, and with the right intention. Let no one think that there is anything shameful or ugly in such union. God forbid! That right kind of union is called knowing. It isn’t called that for nothing. Unless it were very holy, it would not be called knowing.

This matter is not as Rabbi Moses Mainmonides, of blessed memory, imagined and thought in his Guide of the Perplexed, where he praises, Aristotle for stating that the sense of touch is shameful. God forbid! This matter is not as that Greek said; what he said smacks of subtle heresy. If that Greek scoundrel believed that the world was created with divine intention, he would not have said what he said. But we, who possess the holy Torah, believe that God created everything as divine wisdom decreed. God created nothing shameful or ugly. If sexual union is shameful, then are the genitals too. Yet God created them! How could God create something blemished, disgraceful, or deficient? After all, the Torah states: “God saw everything that he had made. and behold: very good!”

The evidence is clear. In the account of creation we read: “The two of them we naked, the man and his wife, yet they felt no shame.” Before they ate from the Tree of Knowledge, they were contemplating pure forms, there intention was entirely holy. To them, the genitals were like eyes or hands or other parts of the body.

When sexual union is for the sake of Heaven, there is nothing as holy or pure. The union of man and woman, when it is right, is the secret of civilization. Thereby, one becomes a partner with God, in the act of Creation. This is the secret meaning of the saying of the sages: “When a man unites with his wife in holiness, the divine presence is between them.”

Human thought has the power to expand and ascend to its origin. Attaining the source, she is joined with the upper light from which she emanated. She and he become one. Then when thought emanates once again, all become a single ray: the upper light is drawn down by the power of thought. In this way the divine presence appears on earth. A bright light shines and spreads around the place where the meditator is sitting. Similarly, when a man and a woman unite, and their thoughts joins the beyond, that thought draws down the upper light.

You should welcome her with words that draw her heart, calm her mind, and bring her joy. Then her mind will be linked with yours, and your intention with hers. Speak with her in words that arouse desire, love, and passionate union–and in words that draw her to the awe of God.

-Iggeret ha-Qodesh

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It is wonderful hearing the rabbi talk of the holiness of love, pointing out that it is an act of creation, but note it’s not creation related to procreation, but to the the creating of a presence of love with in which we dwell. It is wonderful how the last paragraph merges the spirit of God with the man’s partner. Let us learn to think of our bodies without shame and so return to God’s intention, let us never call evil what God has called good.

January 3

Reading 1

Matthew 2:1-12

“In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.” When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.’” Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.” When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.”

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A challenge to authority, blessings bestowed on another person not self. Herod could not stand to think of his position challenged much like the church today often will not tolerate any difference in opinion theologically different from it's own traditional view. I think the real lesson in this telling for Queer Christians is that blessings will flow to where God is, to where God’s people are truly shepherded aright. Worry not that officials seek your silence or banishment but rejoice that God has blessed you in a way not found by the ones claiming to shepherd the people of God. Offer your gifts to the one who brings life and hope and not to the ones who are full of fear and deceit.

Reading 2

A Tangible Saint: His reverence for God made him passionate about everything God had made. Francis's minute-by-minute desire was to follow God ever closer, as he wrote in this prayer to the members of his movement: "Almighty, eternal, just and merciful God, grant us in our misery that we may do for your sake alone what we know you want us to do, and always what pleases you; so that, cleansed and enlightened interiorly and fired with ardor of the Holy Spirit, we may be able to follow in the footsteps of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and so make our way to you."

-John Michael Talbot with Steve Rabey, The lessons of St. Francis:How to Bring Simplicity and Spirituality into Your Daily Life

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God, create in me a clean heart, renew within me a resolute spirit, do not thrust me away from your presence, do not take away from me your spirit of holiness. Give me back the joy of your salvation, sustain in me a generous spirit. I shall teach the wicked your paths, and sinners will return to you. Psalm 51:10-13 NJB

January 4

Reading 1

Matthew 2:13-18

“Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt, and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, “Out of Egypt I have called my son.” When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah: “A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be consoled, because they are no more.””

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The slaughter of the innocents offers a horrid foreshadowing of persecution. Christ is out of the reach of the Evil One, but not so the innocent. People have suffered for the sake of Christ from the moment of Jesus’ birth right up until now. Everyone called out of Egypt will suffer, for Egypt is that bondage that slavery to law and flesh, but we who have new life in Christ have freedom, we will not see destruction eternally but shall see the evil destroyed, this is good news, let us not fear fleeing evil because we know the one who keeps us safe.

Reading 2

Don't worry over me. Some people are born not to do things. I'm one of them; I never did anything at school, I never expect anything to happen now, and so I am never disappointed. You would be surprised to know what my great events are. Going to the theater yesterday, talking to you now-- I don't suppose I shall ever meet anything greater. I seem fated to pass through the world without colliding with it or moving it--and I'm sure I can't tell you whether the fate's good or evil. I don't die--I don't fall in love. And if other people die or fall in love they always do it when I'm just not there. You are quite right; life to me is just a spectacle, which--thank God, and thank you--is now more beautiful and heartening than it has ever been before." -E.M. Forster, Where Angels Fear to Tread

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Perhaps it was Forster’s pain of rejection, not living fully in the light that he drew on when he wrote this. Forster eventually came to the point where he wouldn't even deal with heterosexuality in writing any longer. How many boys did he see leading lives that had no hope simply because of who they were. Those brief encounters with other men that were typical of that era would leave pain and loneliness, ‘I can’t fall in love’, ‘I can’t even share my love.’ We are many decades removed from the writing of this yet the closet keeps people from truly living their lives, and sometimes the guilt is so great especially among the young men that they take their lives. Christ came that we might live lives in full abundance. May we break down all barriers that stop that. Amen and Amen.

and/or

Four things there are which are smallest on earth yet wise beyond the wisest:

ants, a folk with no strength, yet they prepare their store of food in the summer;

rock-badgers, a feeble folk, yet they make their home among the rocks;

locusts, which have no king, yet they all sally forth in formation;

the lizard, which can be grasped in the hand, yet is found in the palaces of kings.

-Proverbs 30:24-28, REB

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There is a saying in the Babylonian Talmud which we do well to consider: “If the Torah had not been given to Israel, we could have learned modesty from the cat, intimacy from the dove, respect from the rooster, and integrity from the ant.” Nature reveals so much of God and what God seeks for us, ants are small and weak but manage to provide for their winter needs. The hyrax (rock badger or conney, depending on translation) is such a small creature yet it manages to carve out a home in rock, even the dreaded locust have symmetry and order too them, and the lizard (or more likely translation Spider), manage to get into the most elegant and well guarded of places. All these small creatures show a lot of determination, should we do less who see their example?

January 5

Reading 1

Matthew 2:19-23

“When Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the child’s life are dead.” Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And after being warned in a dream, he went away to the district of Galilee. There he made his home in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, “He will be called a Nazorean.” ”

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We often here that you shouldn’t follow your dreams because they are vain and deceiving, true enough the people like Sirach have said, “As one who catches at a shadow and pursues the wind, so is anyone who believes in dreams. What is seen in dreams is but a reflection, the likeness of a face looking at itself. From an unclean thing what can be clean? And from something false what can be true? Divinations and omens and dreams are unreal, and like a woman in labor, the mind has fantasies. Unless they are sent by intervention from the Most High, pay no attention to them. For dreams have deceived many, and those who put their hope in them have perished.” (Sirach 34:2-7, NRSV). But as you see even this harden skeptic of dreams admits that dreams can and sometimes do come from God. We must learn to look at our dreams and what they say, for even if only reflections of self they can be important, and if divine even more so. But follow Joseph’s example he was told to return but his common sense said Judea was too dangerous to return to, and went back to Nazareth instead. Dreams, prayer over them, and common sense, a triple threat to the forces of darkness.

Reading 2

We are like the Israelites who in the midst of the hardships of crossing the desert often wished for the comforts they new in slavery in Egypt. Because of hardships of the work of liberation, we often reinforce our prison walls to preserve our comfortable lives. But as we come to taste the fresh air of freedom from our fears, we realize that we cannot settle for less than full life. And as we learn to use truth and prayer as door ways, we will find our hearts becoming gates through which love can freely flow outward and return again.

-Edward Hays, A Pilgrim’s Almanac

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What is your prison is it the closet, addiction, abusive relationships??? What ever the bondage you have been in, no matter the discomfort of the desert exodus trust God, for the freedom you will have gained will be worth it. Wonderful not for you alone but for all those who don’t have to be in the prison in the first place, because they have you as an example. Take the full life Jesus gives.

January 6

Reading 1

Matthew 3:1-12

“In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said, “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.’” Now John wore clothing of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then the people of Jerusalem and all Judea were going out to him, and all the region along the Jordan, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit worthy of repentance. Do not presume 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 ax 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. “I baptize you with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and will gather his wheat into the granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” ”

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It is interesting the the forerunner of our Lord, like Jesus accepted all who came to him but those smug self-righteous ones. People who who have been raised in a religious home often fall into the dangerous trap of self righteousness, ‘I do this’, ‘I never do that’, ‘Oh thank, God I am not one of those horrid people.’ This trap keeps love from flowing to others, they love little, and refuse to see these ‘sinners’ as God’s beloved children. Let us Queer Christians not be presumptuous but let us bear the fruit of God, that is love, then we will truly be God’s Children behaving as God wants us to.

Reading 2

I'd like you to note that Paul wrote Romans in the city of Corinth where the prevailing religion was the worship of Aphrodite. Aphrodite was a hermaphrodite with both male and female sexual organs and in the worship of Aphrodite people played the role of the opposite gender and engaged in sexual orgies with same sex prostitutes who were available in the temple. It was against these orgies that Paul wrote in the first chapter of Romans. There is an obvious connection between idolatry and homosexual practices in Romans one and what Paul says here cannot be applied to the kind of relationships created by loving homosexual partners who are making a lifetime monogamous commitment to each other. 

I don't think that [using Romans 1:26f to condemn homosexual activity is] a proper use of the Bible. Some people, including my husband [Tony Campolo], say that those who believe as I do about Romans one are stretching the passage to agree with our own a priori beliefs. They say it is arrogant to declare that 19 hundred years of church history and tradition are in error. I would remind these people that all those years of church tradition supported an interpretation of Timothy 2:11 and 12 that disallowed women from church leadership. We only know what the church fathers said because those who might have been the church mothers had no voice. 

-Peggy Campolo

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Let anyone who can hear, listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. (Revelation 2:29 NJB)

January 7

Reading 1

Matthew 3:13-17

“Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” ”

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How often are we like John, saying no Lord this isn’t the way, how many times have we witnessed the Spirit working, and said no this must not be. When we open ourselves up to allowing God to do whatever is the Divine will, we can truly hear God speaking to us, and if you hear God speak, know you are God’s child, and listen to God.

Reading 2

Anticipating the Vision

The marvelous vision of the peaceable Kingdom, in which all violence has been overcome and all men, women, and children live in loving unity with nature, calls for its realization in our day-to-day lives. Instead of being an escapist dream, it challenges us to anticipate what it promises. Every time we forgive our neighbor, every time we make a child smile, every time we show compassion to a suffering person, every time we arrange a bouquet of flowers, offer care to tame or wild animals, prevent pollution, create beauty in our homes and gardens, and work for peace and justice among peoples and nations we are making the vision come true.

We remind one another constantly of the vision. Whenever it comes alive in us we will find new energy to live it out, right where we are. Instead of making us escape real life, this beautiful vision gets us involved.

-Henri Nouwen, Bread for the Journey

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“You must change your hearts and minds--for the kingdom of Heaven has arrived!” Mt. 3:2 PHIL

January 8

Reading 1

Matthew 4:1-11

“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’” Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! for it is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’” Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.”

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The places where the Spirit leads us are not always easy but if we, like Jesus, rest in God alone, temptations will be overcome. Our emeries will leave and the angels we minister to us. Satan may be our accuser but Christ is our Advocate.

Reading 2

A Queer Reading of Acts 10:34-43

What good news is this passage for us for us who are queer. Satan is the great accuser and oppresses us through political, cultural and ecclesiastical structures that are homophobic/heterosexist/misogynistic . The good news for us in this passage is that we have healing from the oppression of the devil, but it cuts two ways.... We must stop being oppressors ourselves for Christ is no respecter of persons, Jesus sets us free; free to love free, to do good, but I ask you are we doing right when we look down on a person who differs from us. Do we look at a person and judge them with thoughts like 'what a slut' or 'bisexuality is such cop out' or even 'I can't stand drag queens'. Let us remember it is Christ who is ordained by God to judge all. Who of knows knows what insecurity (or loneliness, or what other reason) may compel a person to seek what others might call meaningless sex. Who of us, who know not of attraction for both sexes, are capable of standing in the tortuous shoes of one who dearly loves their spouse but cannot be fulfilled with in them alone. Those of us who do not happen to find cross dressing appealing should not deny it as a legitimate form of expression that needs to be fulfilled. Our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus loved us enough to die in a painful accused way, not that we should ever bring oppression but that we might bring freedom. That freedom must include freeing our oppressors from our hate and praying for them. That freedom must include us not oppressing those we do not understand and trying our best to love them and help them bear their burdens. That freedom is a call to spread the Good News and and join in the prophet cry testifying that everyone who believes in Jesus receives forgiveness of sins through Jesus name. Then truly we are fulfilling our call to be light to the world in remembering that light is made up of all colours of the spectrum, then we can truly join Jesus in doing good and healing all oppressed by the devil, for God will be with us and in us working powerfully...

-DWF

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Call down blessings on your persecutors — blessings, not curses. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in agreement with one another. Do not be proud, but be ready to mix with humble people. Do not keep thinking how wise you are. -Romans 12:14-16 REB

January 9

Reading 1

Matthew 4:12-17

“Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: “Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles-- the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned.” From that time Jesus began to proclaim, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” ”

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A friend imprisoned, fresh from the desert, Jesus gets bad news, but what John announced Christ would finish. It is in Christ that we have light, it is in Christ that the Kingdom has come near. Let us who our Queer Christians announce repentance (change of mind), for too many in the body of Christ are thinking not with the heart of Christ but with the mortal mind and view of the law. Proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and changing peoples minds is never easy and safe, but Jesus is with us always, so we need not fear.

Reading 2

Dark Night of the Soul

One Dark night,

fired with love's urgent longings

–ah, the sheer grace!–

I went out unseen,

my house being now all stilled.

In the Darkness and secure,

by the secret ladder, disguised,

–ah, the sheer grace!–

in darkness and concealment,

my house being now all stilled.

On that glad night,

in secret, for no one saw me,

nor did I look at anything,

with no other light or guide

then the one that burned in my heart.

This guided me

more surely than the light of noon

to where he was awaiting me

–him I knew so well–

there in a place where no one appeared.

O Guiding night!

O night more lovely than the dawn!

O night that has united

the lover and his beloved,

transforming the beloved in her Lover.

Upon my flowering breast

which i kept wholly for him alone,

there he lay sleeping,

and I caressing him

there in the breeze from the fanning cedars.

When the breeze blew from the turret,

as I parted his hair,

it wounded my neck

with it's gentle hand,

suspending all my senses.

I abandoned and forgot myself,

laying my face on my Beloved;

all things ceased; I went out from myself,

leaving my cares

forgotten among the lilies.

-St. John of the Cross, 1542-1591

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This beautiful homoerotic poem is one of the most moving pieces of mysticism I have come across and always reminds me of John 13:23 ‘There was at table one of His disciples--the one Jesus loved-- reclining with his head on Jesus’s bosom.’ (WEY)

January 10

Reading 1

Matthew 4:18-22

“As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea--for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him.”

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No matter the cost we must follow where Jesus leds.

Reading 2

Yes, I know what plans I have in mind for you, Yahweh declares, plans for peace, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. When you call to me and come and pray to me, I shall listen to you. When you search for me, you will find me; when you search wholeheartedly for me, I shall let you find me, Yahweh declares.

-Jeremiah 29:11-14, NJB

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God has a plan for your life, God created you for a purpose, and we can never know on this side of eternity how our actions words and behaviors have affected other people. God wants us not in strife but in God’s Shalom, which carries in the word the concept of:harmonious relationships, fellowship with God, and blessings, that peace leads us to the to realize that our future hope lies in God alone. God listens attentively for us, straining to hear our prayers, promising that all who seek find. God is glad to let us find the one who made our hears so restless in the first place. God allows us into the divine presence and only requires a wholehearted effort. The good news is the prophet who states above the need for wholehearted search is the same one who promises God will provide new hearts. Praise be to God, God have a plan and blessings for you, oh Queer Christian.

January 11

Reading 1

Matthew 4:23-25

“Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people. So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought to him all the sick, those who were afflicted with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, and paralytics, and he cured them. And great crowds followed him from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.”

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Jesus comes not merely to teach us the way, but to bring healing and good news to all, whether it is the pagan Decapolis or lands beyond Israel, Jesus’ love and healing brings followers from everywhere. If we are to be disciples of Christ, we must show love and bring healing in such a way that others will want to follow our Lord.

Reading 2

[F]rom the beginning the relationship of [Jonathan and David] went beyond that of family and social role. Jonathan loved David “as his own soul” (1Sa 18:1, 3), and David loved Jonathan “as his own life” (1Sa 20:17). Modeled here is friendship that chooses for a depth of intimacy and commitment that was not a given responsibility of family or social position. It was grounded in covenant between the two and was practiced through the loyalty each gave to and claimed from the other...

This story tells us of the ambiguity and the pain of loyalty.... Commitments of loyalty are not made in a vacuum.... Friendships always have social contexts and social consequences.... Jonathan chose against what tradition dictated as his self-interest. The challenge to find loyalty in relationships today across traditional lines of race, class, sexual orientation, and national self interest will determine the future, The church in such a time would do well to read Jonathan's story carefully.

-New Interpreter's Bible Volume II p.1136-1137

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It is interesting to note that although she deny’s the possibility of sexual contact between Jonathan and David, J. Baldwin talks about the covenant of these two being the ideal pattern for that of a marriage. Indeed the love they had was stronger than marriage of those days. May our relationships mirror the integrity and depth of love of these two....

I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan;

greatly beloved were you to me;

your love to me was wonderful,

passing the love of women. 2 Samuel 1:26

January 12

Reading 1

Matthew 5:1-12

“When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

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The blessings of God pour down on those whom the world despise and sees are cursed, the kingdom brings radical change. This is one of the most treasure pieces of the Gospel and for us Queer Christians it should be a powerful reminder that though many in the world hate us, God sees not like mortals but our Lord is the one who promised in Isaiah that the eunuch will have something better than children. The reversal of favor from the worlds ideals is not completely new with Jesus yet, but it will be brought to it’s apex in Christ in the fullness of time.

Reading 2

“ ‘Greater love than this no one has, that one lay down one's life for one's friends.’ (John 15:13) And how will you lay down your life for me, if you will not lend me a needle and thread when I need it? How will you shed your blood for me, if you think it beneath you to give me a cup of cold water, if you cannot be bothered to take your hand out of your pocket for me? If you refuse to say a good word of or for me, when will you die for me? Clearly from these little signs we can discern what progress we are making in obedience, and how far we are from the love of God and our neighbours, on which the whole law and prophets depend. Let us, therefore, obey each other, love each other, for love is the fulfilling of the law. This is why there is as much difference between a living person and a dead body as there is between one who loves and one who does not love.”

–St. Aelred of Rievaulx

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Never cease to love your Fellow-Christians. Hebrews 13:1 REB

January 13

Reading 1

Matthew 5:13-20

“ “You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot. “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

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Jesus is asking the impossible, asking us to be like pure salt, like pure light, a beacon to all on a high hill. Jesus goes on further than this to say that even the most righteous of His day are not good enough to see the kingdom. And so our hearts fall until we remember that we are a new creations in Christ, Christ will use us as salt if we let God. We will reflect the Jesus’ light if we try to follow Christ, and our righteousness is Christ's alone because Jesus is in us.

Reading 2

“The word of the LORD came to me: Mortal, say to the prince of Tyre, Thus says the Lord GOD: Because your heart is proud and you have said, “I am a god; I sit in the seat of the gods, in the heart of the seas,” yet you are but a mortal, and no god, though you compare your mind with the mind of a god. You are indeed wiser than Daniel; no secret is hidden from you; by your wisdom and your understanding you have amassed wealth for yourself, and have gathered gold and silver into your treasuries. By your great wisdom in trade you have increased your wealth, and your heart has become proud in your wealth. Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Because you compare your mind with the mind of a god, therefore, I will bring strangers against you, the most terrible of the nations; they shall draw their swords against the beauty of your wisdom and defile your splendor. They shall thrust you down to the Pit, and you shall die a violent death in the heart of the seas. Will you still say, “I am a god,” in the presence of those who kill you, though you are but a mortal, and no god, in the hands of those who wound you? You shall die the death of the uncircumcised by the hand of foreigners; for I have spoken, says the Lord GOD. Moreover the word of the LORD came to me: Mortal, raise a lamentation over the king of Tyre, and say to him, Thus says the Lord GOD: You were the signet of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering, carnelian, chrysolite, and moonstone, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, turquoise, and emerald; and worked in gold were your settings and your engravings. On the day that you were created they were prepared. With an anointed cherub as guardian I placed you; you were on the holy mountain of God; you walked among the stones of fire. You were blameless in your ways from the day that you were created, until iniquity was found in you. In the abundance of your trade you were filled with violence, and you sinned; so I cast you as a profane thing from the mountain of God, and the guardian cherub drove you out from among the stones of fire. Your heart was proud because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. I cast you to the ground; I exposed you before kings, to feast their eyes on you. By the multitude of your iniquities, in the unrighteousness of your trade, you profaned your sanctuaries. So I brought out fire from within you; it consumed you, and I turned you to ashes on the earth in the sight of all who saw you. All who know you among the peoples are appalled at you; you have come to a dreadful end and shall be no more forever.”

-Ezekiel 28:1-19, NRSV

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The judgement speech against the king of tyre is a powerful reading. Powerful because it apears to move between the earthly king and the unearthly satan. We learn a valuable leson from this reading though–no matter how much blamelessness we may possess, Pride will cause us to fall to utter ruin. Pride goes before disaster, and arrogance before a fall. -Proverbs 16:18, REB

January 14

Reading 1

Matthew 5:21-26

“ “You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not murder’; and ‘whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; 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.”

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It is interesting to note this might be the only time in the new testament Jesus mentioned hoosexual behaviour, quoting from Paul Halsall, “ this passage may be the only reference made by Jesus to homosexuality. I think think argument can be made, but not conclusively.

I consulted the Greek Text [main word roots give in transliterated form], D. Greenberg, The Construction of Homosexuality, LSJ9 [Greek Dictionary], and various English translations.

The context is of course the compilation known as the Sermon on the Mount, a series of sayings of Jesus which are taken to call for a transcending of the Torah, to get to the "spirit" if you like [although I am sure a defense could be made of the Law, that is not my concern here].

The important words are Raca/Rhaka [NRSV, insults], and Fool/moros.

Rhaka is not a Greek word. This seems to be its only occurence in a Greek text, and LSJ merely states that it is Hebrew. Most translations either ignore the word, or note it as a general term of abuse. Greenberg relying on the work of Warren Johannssen [an acquaintance of mine - and very anti-religious in fact], points out that its roots in a variety of semetic languages mean "soft" [Hebrew "rakha"] and carries a connotation of effeminacy or weakness. The Akkadian word "raq" is used to denote a woman's name or occupation, and its graphic representation in Akkadian derives from a Summerian symbol for woman. In other words it can be argued that "Raca" [applied here to a "brother"] is an accusation of "sissy", or perhaps "catamite".

This argument works better if the word Moros is considered. The word can mean "fool", but it also has the amply used connotation of sexual aggressor, or even "homosexual aggressor". LSJ9 confirms this, although Johannsen makes much more of it.

It could reasonably be argued then that Jesus words here condemn those who abuse other about their homosexuality.

In other words it could be translated as

"But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgement, and whoever says to his brother "sisseyt" will be answerable to the Sanhedrin, and whoever says "You bugger" will be liable to fiery Gehenna."

Less convincing, but still plausible, is that since the abuse of "queers" is condemned, but homosexuality itself is not mentioned [unlike the women taken in adultery story] that Jesus is defending those who engage in homosexual practice. Considering Jesus break with other mores of contemporary Judaism, equally seen in his commendation of those who are "eunuchs for the kingdom of Heaven", this is a plausible, but far from certain reading of this text.”

Reading 2

Homosexuality in the Bible.

Biblical imagery has been an enduring part of anti-homosexual polemic of both church and society in the western world. Numerous laws and court decisions through the centuries have cited biblical precedent as an authority in actions directed against homosexual activity on the assumption that the biblical tradition speaks forcefully and unequivocally against such activity.

In reality, the biblical record on this issue is subject to more than one interpretation. There are only a few specific references to homosexual activity, and their meaning and relevance for issues raised in the modern world are not agreed upon by all....

Both Old Testament and New Testament writers would certainly have assumed heterosexual relations as a social and religious norm. Heterosexual marriages were arranged early and usually without consultation with children. Biblical references to sexual activity (e.g., Gen 1-3) take for granted that they are heterosexual.

Homosexual activity associated with pagan worship and exploitative homosexual activity are clearly condemned. What is not clear, because it was not an issue in the biblical period, is whether involuntary homosexual orientation-the idea of a sexual orientation that is not voluntarily chosen is as recent as the nineteenth century-or committed, loving relationships between consenting persons of the same sex was to be condemned. Contemporary answers to theses questions are based on theological and social considerations and are not simply and directly derived from the biblical material itself.

--T. FURMAN HEWITT, Mercer Bible Dictionary

*See Appendix i below for the full text.

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We remember that “The LORD is near to them that are of a broken heart; and

saveth such as are of a contrite spirit. Evil shall slay the wicked: and they that

hate the righteous shall be desolate. Yahweh redeems the soul of God’s

servants: and none of them that trust in God shall be desolate.”(Psalms 34:18, 21-22). Our God knows the evil done to his homosexual children and how their spirit's have been crushed by those who should be leading them, how we have been made to feel sub-Christian because God made us different, they hate us because of it. But it is God's role to judge and he shall make them desolate, (asham) literally “be guilty”. Hatred and animosity, as well as violent deeds to which these emotions lead, are under the Judgment of God (see Matt 5:21-22; 1 John 2:9-11; 3:15). But praise be to God for our Lord redeems (present tense "is redeeming"); salvation is continuous as well as instantaneous, for those who trust Christ, will not be denied, even when faith is weak, for we've become part of Jesus and He will not deny Himself (2Ti 2:13).

January 15

Reading 1

Matthew 5:27-32

“ “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to go into hell. “It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.”

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We can be very self-righteous and very self-deluded, it is not that we do no evil that makes us righteous, but that we desire no evil that shows us when we are pure. It does us no good to refrain from evil if it dwells in our heart, better to ‘sin boldly’ as Luther would put it, than be self deluded about who we are. We are sinners. We strive to follow the way Christ set out for us but we fail, and we turn to Christ for forgiveness and guidance. So let us remember we are murders, as much as the one who actually draws blood, then and only then will we see the compassion that Jesus wants us to have in our lives.

Reading 2

How Virtue Drives Out Vice

1. Where there is charity and wisdom

there is neither fear nor ignorance.

2. Where there is patience an humiltiy,

there is neither anger nor disturbance.

3. Where there is poverty with joy,

there is neither covetousness nor avarice.

4. Where there is inner peace and meditation,

there is neither anxiousness nor dissipation.

5. Where there is fear of the Lord to gaurd the house (cf. Lk 11:21),

there the enemy cannot gain entry.

6. Where there is mercy and dicernment,

there is neither excess nor hardness of heart.

-Francis of Assisi, Francis and Clare

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The fifth one seems to be at odds with the symetry and flow of the others at fist but really in the end the fifth is the summery of all the others, for when love and respect for God dwells in a soul the other virtures will follow most assurdidly.Those who have been born of God do not sin, because God’s seed abides in them; they cannot sin, because they have been born of God. The children of God and the children of the devil are revealed in this way: all who do not do what is right are not from God, nor are those who do not love their brothers and sisters. 1 John 3:9-10, NRSV

January 16

Reading 1

Matthew 5:33-37

“ “Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.’ But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let your word be ‘Yes, Yes’ or ‘No, No’; anything more than this comes from the evil one.”

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We as Christians, and especially us who are Queer Christians, must live lives that are dedicated to honesty an integrity. If we can not be truthful about who we are and what we say how can the One who is Truth lie in us, we must rid ourselves of darkness and live in the light of Christ fully who Jesus made us to be. Only then will our lives be what Jesus wants them to be. Be true to yourself and to Christ, be openly who you are and lead not a double life, the closet is darkness, live in the light of Christ.

Reading 2

“[God] maketh me to lie down in green pastures, he leadeth me beside still waters”–the very beauty of this picture may serve only to hide from us the depths of it’s meaning. We seem to see only the shepherd walking before his flock through fields decked out with green and gold and all the glory of a generous God, coming at last to the silent pool with the reflection of the sky sleeping in it’s heart, and it seems as though it were for the glory of the summer and the sleeping beauty of the pool that the sheep followed the shepherd. And indeed it is for that reason that many do seek the Good Shepherd. They think of religion not as a necessity but as a luxury, not as life but as a kind of addition to life which is very nice to have but which we could quite well do without. But it is not for green and gold of summer fields that the sheep seeks to find them, but because they are good to eat. It is not for the sleeping beauty in the heart of the still waters that the flock follows on to find them, but because they are god to drink. It is not luxury that they ask of the shepherd, it is the bare necessities. And we cannot make too sure of this: that religion, communion with God, is not luxury, but a necessity for the soul. We must have God...

-Studdert Kennedy, The new man in Christ

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Necessities and love graciously flow from God, but the necessitiy truly is communion with God and not our bread. Jesus the Good Sheperd knew this and how people will go after anyone that gives tangible gifts, “Jesus replied, ‘In very truth I tell you, it is not because you saw signs that you came looking for me, but because you ate the bread and your hunger was satisfied. You should work, not for this perishable food, but for the food that lasts, the food of eternal life. ‘This food the Son of Man will give you, for on him God the Father has set the seal of his authority.’” (John 6:26-27, REB). The food that comes from God is not always tangible, and we need to come to the point where we are able to say in the face of famine, you are enough alone, oh God. Blessed is the one who realizes the blessings that are greatest are not the temporal ones. For the fig tree is not to blossom, nor will the vines bear fruit, the olive crop will disappoint and the fields will yield no food; the sheep will vanish from the fold; no cattle in the stalls.) But I shall rejoice in Yahweh, I shall exult in God my Saviour. Yahweh my Lord is my strength, he will make my feet as light as a doe’s, and set my steps on the heights. Hab 3:17-19, NJB

January 17

Reading 1

Matthew 5:38-42

“ “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.”

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If all we do is pay back tit-for-tat, we will never stop the cycle of violence, if you are verbally assaulted brush it off–‘fag’ and such are only words. We are to be unlike the world, seeking not our justice but the good of the abuser. This is not to say we should do nothing to stop such abuse, but only to say no matter what we do to stop it we must keep the abuser in mind and heart, and be willing to suffer lose if it means their redemption.

Reading 2

But the righteous, though they die early, will be at rest. For old age is not honored for length of time, or measured by number of years; but understanding is gray hair for anyone, and a blameless life is ripe old age. There were some who pleased God and were loved by him, and while living among sinners were taken up. They were caught up so that evil might not change their understanding or guile deceive their souls. For the fascination of wickedness obscures what is good, and roving desire perverts the innocent mind. Being perfected in a short time, they fulfilled long years; for their souls were pleasing to the Lord, therefore he took them quickly from the midst of wickedness. Yet the peoples saw and did not understand, or take such a thing to heart, that God’s grace and mercy are with his elect, and that he watches over his holy ones.

-Wisdom of Solomon, 4:7-15, NRSV

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‘Only the good die young,’ a platitude we often hear, that but few take it to heart. When the self-righteous sees those they call ‘sinners’ dying they sometimes unfortunately rejoice. Their fascination with sin has lead them to an inability to see the beauty of the child of God. They fail to remember we are all sinners. they have not reached a perfection and can not fathom that perfection has been reach another way than by the path they are on. But it matters not what people think of those whose life was not long for God watches over those whom God has set apart, in grace and mercy.

January 18

Reading 1

Matthew 5:43-48

“ “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

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Our call is to perfection even as God is perfect, we will fall short, but we cannot stop trying to reach for that perfection. And Jesus says in this passage such perfection is reached through love and concern to all even those who hate and abuse us. When we love only those who treat us well and who love us we are being no different from the world, Jesus tells us to love all, pray for all. Let those of us who are Queer Christians remember those who are homophobic, and those who actively persecute us and lift them up to God in prayer.

Reading 2

Be kind to each other, bear with one another, bear with the faulty as you hope God will bear with you. God loves us all, but [God] loves those best who help to make the weak more perfect....

Poor houses, poor garments, etc., are all exterior show if there is not a true spirit of poverty in our hearts. it is not always the poorest dressed and the poorest housed who are poorest before the searching eyes of God.

-Blessed Mary MacKillop, 1802-1909

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This wise words remind me especially of the hypocrisy Jesus dealt with in his day, when things were done merely for show and not for love of God. God is the true judge we are simply to bear with each others faults and love the best we can. I am the one who searches minds and hearts, and I will give to each of you as your works deserve. Rev. 2:23, NRSV

January 19

Reading 1

Matthew 6:1-4

“ “Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven. “So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”

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Jesus wants us to give for the love of those in need, give because of the great love given us. All too often we turn to receive the accolades of mortals and desire to be thought well of by them rather than by God alone. The truth of the matter is that if our deeds are good they will shine before us and not be able to be hidden even if we try, but we are never to hold out our actions as the chief ends of themselves, for the chief ends of all our actions must be the glory of God. Give for God’s glory and you will have the reward promised.

Reading 2

Prove Your Faith by Your Trust

‘Look at the birds of the air,’ says Jesus [Luke 12:24] What a splendid example for our faith to follow!

If God’s providence bestows an unfailing supply of food on the birds of the air who neither so nor reap we ought to realize that the reason for people’s supply running short is human greed.

The fruits of the earth were given to feed all without distinction and nobody can claim any particular rights. Instead, we have lost the sense of the communion of goods, rushing to turn more goods into private property.

The birds do not know famine because they do not claim anything specially for themselves and neither do they have any envy of others.

‘Consider the lilies of the field: not even Solomon in all his glory was arrayed like one of these. If God so clothes the grass which is alive today and tomorrow is cast into the oven, how much more will [God] clothe one of you!’ Listen to these stupendous and uplifting words.

With this parable of flowers and grass the Lord urges us to hope that God will also be merciful to us.

Nothing is more persuasive than a glance at unthinking creatures who have received such beautiful dress from providence. Surely we should be all the more ready to believe that human beings, if they entrust completely to God and free themselves of all their worries, will not lack anything.

-Ambrose, On the Gospel of St. Luke

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Sometimes this can be the hardest of advice to follow, worry comes so natural for many of us, and we are all to familiar with greed. We in North America know much about greed, as we hungrily consume more than our fair share. Perhaps it is this greed this wanting more that makes us overly anxious. Let’s ask ourselves what we actually need and then try to be content with that. I have learnt to manage with whatever I have. I know how to live modestly, and I know how to live luxuriously too: in every way now I have mastered the secret of all conditions: full stomach and empty stomach, plenty and poverty. There is nothing I cannot do in the One who strengthens me. Philip. 4:11-13 NJB

January 20

Reading 1

Matthew 6:5-15

“ “And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. “When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. “Pray then in this way: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not bring us to the time of trial, but rescue us from the evil one. For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

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Recognition, most all of us like to have our efforts recognized, but Jesus teaches that true recognition comes from God alone. We forgive not because we want to be magnanimous towards others but because God recognizes it and desires it of those who would follow the Divine. We pray not for others but we pray what truly is in our heart for the sake of God alone. Look to God to help you learn to forgive others, pray, but look for no earthly reward for your prayers or forgiveness given, for God alone shall be our reward.

Reading 2

I cannot pray Our, if my faith has no room for others and their need.

I cannot pray Father, if I do not demonstrate this relationship to God in my daily living.

I cannot pray who art in heaven, if all my interests and pursuits are in earthly things.

I cannot pray hallowed be thy name, if I am not striving, with God’s help, to be holy.

I cannot pray thy kingdom come, if I am unwilling to accept God’s rule in my life.

I cannot pray thy will be done, if I am unwilling or resentful of having it in my life.

I cannot pray on earth as it is in Heaven, unless I am truly ready to give myself to God’s service here and now.

I cannot pray give us this day our daily bread, without expending honest effort for it, or if I would withhold from my neighbor the bread that I receive.

I cannot pray forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, if I continue to harbor a grudge against anyone.

I cannot pray lead us not into temptation, if I deliberately choose to remain in a situation where I am likely to be tempted.

I cannot pray deliver us from evil, if I am not prepared to fight evil with my life and my prayer.

I cannot pray thine is the kingdom, if I am unwilling to obey the King.

I cannot pray thine is the power and the glory, if I am seeking power for myself and my own glory first.

I cannot pray forever and ever, if I am too anxious about each day’s affairs.

I cannot pray Amen, unless I honestly say, “Cost what it may, this is my prayer.”

-A Few Thoughts on the Lord’s Prayer, Anonymous

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This reminds me of the words of our Lord in Matthew, the seventh chapter: “‘Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord” will enter the kingdom of Heaven, but only those who do the will of my heavenly Father. When the day comes, many will say to me, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, drive out demons in your name, and in your name perform many miracles?” Then I will tell them plainly, “I never knew you. Out of my sight; your deeds are evil!”” (21-23, REB), it is not enough to believe for even the demons believe. It isn’t even enough to perform great works, for they can be down with wrong motives. What is enough is to do the will of God, and what is the will of God, well Jesus said, “I give you a new commandment: love one another; as I have loved you, so you are to love one another. If there is this love among you, then everyone will know that you are my disciples.’”(John 13:34-35, REB) Love is the will of God because it is the new commandment which supersedes and encompasses all of the old ones. As John writes, “Do not set your hearts on the world or what is in it. Anyone who loves the world does not love the Father. Everything in the world, all that panders to the appetites or entices the eyes, all the arrogance based on wealth, these spring not from the Father but from the world. That world with all its allurements is passing away, but those who do God’s will remain for ever.”(1 John 2:15-17, REB).

January 21

Reading 1

Matthew 6:16-18

“ “And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”

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Fasting is a discipline almost gone, but it is cleansing and helpful. Jesus is not here telling us that we must or should fast, but that if we fast, we must not make a show out of it, we are too let it be a discipline unto God for our spiritual growth, and not a display unto mortals for their praise.

Reading 2

Simplicity coaxes change in the core of our being as we begin to question some widely held assumptions and ask ourselves:

• What are the values that guide my actions?

• What is my fair share?

• When is enough enough?

• Why don’t I feel Good?

• How can I live more integrated faith?

• Who are my neighbours, and do I really care about them?....

Simplicity is more than slowing down. It is a life-style chosen not only for personal benefits but for the important statement it makes to the world family. In slowing our own pace of consumption we eliminate from our lives some of the excesses that keep us running to meet their needs. Simplicity is a way to take charge of our own lives and quit trying to meet the false expectations society imposes.

For many of us who have been living life on cruise control, a switch to manual requires some startling changes as we create a new vision for our life’s potential. A clearer understanding emerges: our day-to-day choices do matter; there are consequences to every action or lack of action.

Simplicity requires a conspiracy of sorts-a magnificent conspiracy with world wide implications. When people begin to embrace the gospel-not just believe it but live it out-people get fed, children find homes, and families find peace. These are just some of the gifts of simplicity.

-B & D Sorensen, ‘Tis a Gift to be Simple-Embracing the Freedom of Living with Less

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Please take a seriously look at the questions above and pray over them & remember we are all works in progress, lets go forward with God’s help.So for anyone who is in Christ, there is a new creation: the old order is gone and a new being is there to see. 2 Corinthians 5:17, NJB

January 22

Reading 1

Matthew 6:19-24

“ “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light; but if your eye is unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! “No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”

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Materialism would teach that the one who dies with the most toys wins, but few people find happiness in possessions, material wealth and possessions are fleeting and last no longer than the latest fade. If we are to be healthy and happy emotionally let us look for treasure in Heaven alone, yes even that pearl of great price Who is Jesus. We can not serve both our material desires fully and God fully, let us serve the One Who is Eternal.

Reading 2

The reign of God is like a buried treasure which someone found in a field. He hide it again, and rejoicing at his find went and sold all he had and bought that field (Matt. 13:44).The story of human existence is shot full of the notion of treasure. Each of us as sojourners on this earth seeks that elusive and valuable gem called happiness, or the fulfillment our dreams, or the kingdom of God. Not to search is not to be human....[But sadly m]ore and more we confuse the treasure we seek with the treasury of our accounts and the amassing of our assets.

-Joan Puls, O.S.F. Every Bush is Burning

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No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth. Mt. 6:24

January 23

Reading 1

Matthew 6:25-34

“ “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you--you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. “So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”

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Few people have a faith strong enough to leave all and follow Jesus, I often wish I had such faith. There is however none of us who can not leave our lives more to God’s providence and turn our worries over to God’s divine care. We tend to have such trouble with live when we take it not one day at a time but by the week, the month and the year. It is true many people have payments to make, places to be and so forth, but in the end everything is up to Gods will. As a song once said ‘[Life] slips away, and all your money won’t another minute buy, Dust in the wind, all we are is dust in the wind.’ The providential care of God is more important and greater than anything we can provide, let our anxieties all be turned over to God. As the book of Job and the season of lent both reminds us, ‘We are but dust and to dust this mortal body shall return.’ But the soul who is in Christ is alive forevermore in God. And God will help us deal with each day on this earth one at a time.

Reading 2

Being momentarily stimulated by a beautiful (or handsome) stranger is part of the human condition. Feeling momentarily infactuated by someone whose legs, face. smile, or laughter perfectly fits that mysterious sensual grid that each of us has imprinted oh his or her brain is neither wrong nor uncommon.

“Beautiful people aren't that common,” a wise friend once said to me. “Consider it one of God's little gifts when a real beauty passes by. Enjoy it like any other aesthetic experience. Pretend you're viewing a magnificent Greek sculpture or a sensual nude sketch by Michelangelo. Then go on with your life.”

I can do that now, but in those painful days when I was sexually stimulated by a beautiful man, it terrified me. I thought I was a sinful hetrosexual with an “evil obession,” when, in fact I was a natural, healthy homosexual being stimulated as God had planned it. And though I managed to conceal my desperate feelings from most people, guilt and fear followed me like the dark, grey cloud that hovers over Pig Pen’s head in the Peanuts comic strip.

- Mel White (from Stranger at the Gate: To be gay and Christian in America)

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Remember the sensual descriptions in the Song of Songs and rejoice in the beauty God has created be it a person or a flower.

January 24

Reading 1

Matthew 7:1-6

“ “Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. For with the judgment you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your neighbor, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ while the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye. “Do not give what is holy to dogs; and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under foot and turn and maul you.”

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We oh so often want to clean up everything but our own backyards, how often do we ignore our own peccadilloes and dwell on that of another. Everyone has their own road to travel and we are not in God’s place to judge anyone, except ourself alone. We must not expect anyone to follow the path God has set out for us exactly, for they are a different child of God, all unique all with different callings. We who our Queer Christians or protestants better realize that God’s creation is vast and we all have our own calling and gifts, share what you can, but seek God’s guidance in how and to whom you share. Thanks be to God.

Reading 2

A brother in Scete happened to commit a fault, and the elders assembled, and sent for Abbot Moses to join them. He, however, did not want to come. The priest sent him a message, saying: “Come, the community of breathern is waiting for you.” So he arose and started off. And taking with him a very old basket full of holes, he filled it with sand, and carried it behind him. The elders came out to meet him and said: “What is this Father?” The elder replied: “My sins are running out behind me, and i do not see them, and today I come to judge the sins of another!” They, hearing this, said nothing to the brother but pardoned him.

-The Desert Fathers

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For you will be judged by the way you criticise others, and the measure you give will be the measure you receive. “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and fail to notice the plank in your own? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me get the speck out of your eye’, when there is a plank in your own? You hypocrite!

Matthew 7:2-5, PHIL

January 25

Reading 1

Matthew 7:7-14

“ “Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for bread, will give a stone? Or if the child asks for a fish, will give a snake? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him! “In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets. “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

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We learn early in adulthood there is no such thing as a free lunch, everybody wants something, but Jesus wants us to remember back to when we were children, we desired; we asked, and good gifts were given us, how much more does God wants to give to those who ask through Jesus. Jesus doesn’t ask us to behave as children though but asks us children of God, not seeking eye for eye, but seeking love and good for all as we would wants done for us. Neither of theses are easy things, but if we are like children of God we will have no trouble on that adventurous road or squeezing in that narrow gate.

Reading 2

But apparently my Bridegroom, Eternal Truth, has wished to put me to a very sweet and genuine test, inward and outward, in the things which are seen and those which are not–the latter beyond count the greater. But while He was testing us, He cared so gently as tongue could not tell. Therefore I wish pains to be food to me, tears my drink, sweat my ointment. Let pains make me fat, let pains cure me, let pains give me light, let pains give me wisdom, let pains clothe my nakedness, let pain strip me of all self-love, spiritual and temporal. The pain of lacking consolation from my fellow-creatures has called me to consider my own lack of virtue, recognizing my imperfection, and the very perfect light of sweet truth, who gives and receives, not material things but holy desires.

-Vida D. Scudder

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Even gold passes through the assayer’s fire, and much more precious than perishable gold is faith which stands the test. These trials come so that your faith may prove itself worthy of all praise, glory, and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed. 1 Peter 1:7 REB

January 26

Reading 1

Matthew 7:15-23

“ “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will know them by their fruits. “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name?’ Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers.’ ”

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Many ‘fundamental Christians’ would call the Queer Christian movement false, but I ask you-what do you see in Queer Christian groups and churches? If you find love, devotion, and faith, you will realize that God’s Spirit is resting there. Many groups say they are fighting for God, but in the end is there freedom and love in them or merely hate, legalism and self-righteousness? If you live for God in love you will long for Jesus’ return, but I tell you even as Christ told you there will be any sent away on that day, not because their works were bad but because they bore not the fruit, that is Love.

Reading 2

[I]n [Meister] Echart's day, in the fourteenth century, we hear of an old woman who was seen coming along the streets of Strasbourg carrying a pail of water in one hand and a touch in the other? When asked what she was about, she answered that with the pail of water she was going to put out the flames of hell and with the torch she was going to burn up heaven, so that in the future [people] could love God for [God]self alone and not out of fear of hell or out of craving for reward. -D. V. Steere, Prayer and Worship p.11

***

0 Deus, ego amo te

0 GOD, I love thee, I love thee-

Not out of hope of heaven for me

Nor fearing not to love and be

In the everlasting burning.

Thou, thou, my Jesus, after me

Didst reach thine arms out dying,

For my sake sufferedst nails, and lance,

Mocked and marred countenance,

Sorrows passing number,

Sweat and care and cumber, 

Yea and death, and this for me,

And thou couldst see me sinning:

Then I, why should not I love thee, 

Jesu, so much in love with me? 

Not for heaven's sake; 

not to be out of hell by loving thee;

Not for any gains I see;

But just the way that thou didst me

I do love and I will love thee:

What must I love thee, Lord, for then?

For being my king and God. Amen.

-Prayer of St Francis Xavier, early Jesuit missionary

translated by Gerard Manley Hopkins, S.J.

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We are not in a position to rid creation of heaven or hell but we could rid our vocabulary of it (as has been done a great deal since this was written over 4 centuries ago). People who are afraid of hell or lusting over heaven might be the most scary type of Christians. Guilt induced, perhaps never really losing the fear of hell even when faith has taken root, and so growth choked by anxiety. People who pride them self on a place in heaven are the most likely to be the modern day pharisees. If we focus on God’s, love and truly sow God’s love and feel God’s love, we will do more to win a hearing for our faith than a thousand crusades preaching fire and brimstone or promising 5000 square feet in heaven. We must remember in the final judgment Christ says to miracle working, religious people “I never knew you. Out of my sight; your deeds are evil!” Matthew 7:23 REB

January 27

Reading 1

Matthew 7:24-29

“ “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell--and great was its fall!” Now when Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.”

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Jesus taught not on the authority of Moses but on His own Divine authority, in a similar way we who our Queer Christians rest not on the authority of ecclesiastical history but on the power of God’s indwelling Spirit. If we are following the Spirit we need not fear, for the house will stand up against the forces of hell itself.

Reading 2

Union with God

“Behold I call My creature, even thee

The poor, the frail, the sinful and the sad;

And with My glory, I will make thee glad;

Come unto Me, My friend, come unto Me!”

Even so the voice from heaven I heard, and came

And veiled my face and plunged into the flame.

Last night I lived a mean and abject thing

Content in bondage, glad and prison-bound,

With greedy fingers, blindly groping round

For such brief comfort as the hour might bring.

To-day I am the North wind on the wing

And the wild roaring of the clamorous sea,

And the huge heaven’s calm immensity.

And all the bloom and music of the spring

I lived and loved. how is it life or death

Here in this vast world wherein I move?

How when the winds of heaven are my breath,

And the great sun whereby I see?

I live not in myself, only in Thee.

Last night I loved. This morning I am love.

-An Arabian Mystic’s Poem,

translated by Sir Cecil Spring-Rice

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This beautiful poem shows wonderfully the beauty of God’s seeking us, and how in God’s being we have our existanece. As John says ‘We love because [God] first loved us.’ (1 John 4:19, NRSV). God loved us first, now we can be love, even as God is love.

January 28

Reading 1

Matthew 8:1-4

“When Jesus had come down from the mountain, great crowds followed him; and there was a leper who came to him and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you choose, you can make me clean.” He stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I do choose. Be made clean!” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed. Then Jesus said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.” ”

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A time for everything, Jesus done teaching for now leaves, but draws not away from the people but goes forth into the world. And healing goes with Him. Jesus heals this leper and asks not for praise for self but simple for praise for God alone, as set out in the Jewish religious rules. Be made clean, not for my sake but for yours, don’t tell people you are clean, show yourself clean. In the same way we Queer Christians are not so much to tell others we are clean and loved by God but show we are clean and loved by God. You shall be a light unto others if you only allow your life to reflect Christ and His love.

Reading 2

“Remember this and consider, recall it to mind, you transgressors, remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, “My purpose shall stand, and I will fulfill my intention,” ”

-Isaiah 46:8-10, NRSV

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Oh, Queer Christian God’s intention for you is a happiness in the Divine Child, Jesus Christ. We know that our God is cognizant of all things at all times. But more wonderful than that is the knowledge that our God has power to make all things happen that is in the Divine’s good will. We know that that good will includes life to the full, life to full abundance and so we praise our God now and always, for all things. Amen.

January 29

Reading 1

Matthew 8:5-13

“When [Jesus] entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, appealing to him and saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, in terrible distress.” And he said to him, “I will come and cure him.” The centurion answered, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only speak the word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and the slave does it.” When Jesus heard him, he was amazed and said to those who followed him, “Truly I tell you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith. I tell you, many will come from east and west and will eat with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the heirs of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” And to the centurion Jesus said, “Go; let it be done for you according to your faith.” And the servant was healed in that hour.”

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What a wonderful lesson here, faith is found not always where you expect it but sometimes where you least expect it. God’s kingdom does not go to God’s grandchildren (as if faith could be inherited), but to God’s children. God’s children are those who place their faith in God alone, and such faith is never misplaced but shall lead to the Glory of God. We will not be in the mournful darkness but in the healing presence of the light of the world.

Reading 2

The lives of other asetics [Anthony the Great] knewbecame the training ground for his own practices:

He observed the graciousness of one, the earnest prayer in another; studied the even temper of one, and the kindness of another; fixed his attention on the vigils kept by one and one the studies pursued by another; admired one for his patient endurance, another for his fasting and sleeping on the ground; watched closely this person’s meekness and the foreberance shown by another; and in one and all alike he marked especially devotion to Christ and the love they had for one another. (Life of Anthony)

-Mary Penrose, Roots Deep and Strong

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We need to look at those in the Bible and fellow saints alive and dead to draw encouragement and example to follow. Each one has their own path to follow but we can learn something from everyone, following any path, valuable lessons if we open our heart to the teaching of God’s Spirit. With this great cloud of witnesses around us, therefore, we too must throw off every encumbrance and the sin that all too readily restricts us, and run with resolution the race which lies ahead of us, our eyes fixed on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the sake of the joy that lay ahead of him, he endured the cross, ignoring its disgrace, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-2, REB

January 30

Reading 1

Matthew 8:14-17

“When Jesus entered Peter’s house, he saw his mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever; he touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she got up and began to serve him. That evening they brought to him many who were possessed with demons; and he cast out the spirits with a word, and cured all who were sick. This was to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah, “He took our infirmities and bore our diseases.” ”

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Jesus was not merely one who healed but one who got inside each one and took on the sickness and healed us. This is the difference between a doctor healing us and a doctor taking on our illness in order to heal us. No one would expect the later but that is what of great Messiah Jesus did. Even as He came in the flesh, He bore our our sins and wickedness Himself on the cross. Jesus touch is not merely comforting but it is healing relief.

Reading 2

The charity that begins at home cannot rest there but draws one inexorably over the threshold and off the porch and down the street and so out and out and out into the world which becomes the home wherein charity begins until it becomes possible, in theory at least, to love the whole of creation with the same patience, affection, and amusement one first practiced, in between the pouts and tantrums, with parents, siblings, spouse, and children.... God enters the world through those of us who are willing to let God participate fully in our lives, our sufferings as well as our celebrations. Through suffering with us, God empowers us to carry out the will of God: that we assume full responsibility not only for our own suffering but for the suffering of others. We are not pitiful creatures huddled helplessly beneath a blizzard of miseries blown down by some capricious power amusing himself at our expense. God is with and within each of us, and to the extent that we recognize and honor God’s presence in one another, we form and dwell in the community of God.

-Nancy Mairs, Ordinary Time

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As Paul says in his great hymn on love, “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. Love never ends.” (1Cor 13:4-8), and because of the nature of Love, it leads us to compassionate and causes us to look on how our actions are causing the suffering of those around us. When we do that we can heal and become the unified family of God that God wants us to be. Be humble always and gentle, and patient too, putting up with one another’s failings in the spirit of love. Spare no effort to make fast with bonds of peace the unity which the Spirit gives. There is one body and one Spirit, just as there is one hope held out in God’s call to you; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. -Eph 4:2-6, REB

January 31

Reading 1

Matthew 8:18-22

“Now when Jesus saw great crowds around him, he gave orders to go over to the other side. A scribe then approached and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” 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.” Another of his disciples said to him, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” But Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.” ”

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We all need time to escape, get away and renew ourselves spiritually and physically. Jesus followers need that too. But Jesus calls us not with eyes closed but with eyes wide open. Do not follow Jesus for a home on earth, for He has none. Do not follow Jesus wanting to carry on as if nothing has changed, for everything has. The call is to Go where Jesus goes, do what Christ would do, all other things will fall in place in God’s providential care.

Reading 2

Surely it is the nature and quality of a relationship that matter: one must not judge it by its outward appearance but by its inner worth. Homosexual affection can be selfless as heterosexual affection, and therefore we cannot see that is in some way morally worse.

Homosexual affection may of course be an emotion which some find aesthetically disgusting, but one cannot base Christian morality on a capacity for disgust. Neither are we happy with the thought all homosexual behaviour is sinful: motive and circumstances degrade or ennoble any act, and we feel that to list sexual acts as sins is to follow the letter rather than the spirit, to kill rather than give life. --Towards a Quaker View of Sex (p. 41, 1963).

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[God] has given us the competence to be ministers of a new covenant, a covenant which is not of written letters, but of the Spirit; for the written letters kill, but the Spirit gives life. -2 Corinthians 3:6

February

~

February 1

Reading 1

Matthew 8:23-27

“And when [Jesus] got into the boat, his disciples followed him. A windstorm arose on the sea, so great that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. And they went and woke him up, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, you of little faith?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a dead calm. They were amazed, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?” ”

***********************

Jesus falls into the arms of sleep and rests amidst the chaos of the storm. Jesus’ trust in God was so great (as well perhaps being so tired) that not even the storm disturbs His rest. Awaken from His slumber He offers rebuke for the disciples lack of trust in God’s providence, but does more, quiets the storm, and amazes them. If you faith keeps you calm during life's storms, it may offer faith and amazement to those around you.

Reading 2

Love with Integrity, not guilt or shame....

Dennis Altman observes: Like the black, the homosexual suffers a self-fulfilling stereotype. Tell people long enough that they are inferior, and they will come to believe it. Most of us are niggers because we believe that we are in large part what society constantly brands us as; in response we come to exhibit the characteristics that justify our stigma.There are a large number of neurotic, unhappy, compulsively promiscuous homosexuals whom on might regard as “pathological.” This pathology is however, the result of social pressures and the way they have internalized these, not of homosexuality itself. If people are led to feel guilty about an essential part of their own identity, they will in all likelihood experience considerable psychological pressures......The insistence on the objective sinfulness of all homosexual relationships is precisely the type of moral thinking that psychologically destroys the ability of many homosexuals to enter into a permanent and fruitful relationship. The only certain substantive conclusion that follows from the scientific data is the terrible cost in terms of human suffering and degradation that has followed on the mistaken moral judgments and prejudices of the past which are still invoked to support the prejudices of the present.

-John McNeill, The Church and the homosexual 4th ed

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The one who thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and has human approval. Let us then pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding. Romans 14:18-19 NRSV

February 2

Reading 1

Matthew 8:28-34

“When [Jesus] came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demoniacs coming out of the tombs met him. They were so fierce that no one could pass that way. Suddenly they shouted, “What have you to do with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?” Now a large herd of swine was feeding at some distance from them. The demons begged him, “If you cast us out, send us into the herd of swine.” And he said to them, “Go!” So they came out and entered the swine; and suddenly, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and perished in the water. The swineherds ran off, and on going into the town, they told the whole story about what had happened to the demoniacs. Then the whole town came out to meet Jesus; and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their neighborhood.”

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Leaving the comfort of home territory Jesus enters into a gentile region, but His acts of mercy and power are not limited to the ‘in crowd’, Jesus saw two poor souls in bondage suffering greatly and healed them. This healing came but the people seeing what happened ask Jesus to leave. It occurs even this day, lives are changed, but changed lives are not always good for business, what good is a consumer content with the bare essentials. Christ even this day is really never welcomed, but as followers of Jesus our job is to spread the good news and bring change everywhere we go, even if we are not welcomed, peoples wholeness is more important than others comfort.

Reading 2

Whenever I felt the beauty of the world in song or story, in the material universe around me, or glimpsed it in human lovem I wanted to cry out with joy. The Psalms were an outlet for this enthusiasm of joy or grief–and I suppose my writing was also an outlet. After all, one must communicate ideas. I always felt the common unity of our humanity; the longing of the human heart is for this communion. If only I could sing, I thought, I would shout before the Lord, and call upon the world to shout with me, “All ye works of the Lord, bless ye the Lord, praise Him and glorify Him forever.”.....Joy and sorrow, life and death, always so closely together!

-Dorthy Day, The Dorthy Day Book

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Some unknown person once wrote,

“What goes around comes around.

Work like you don't need the money.

Love like you've never been hurt.

Dance like nobody's watching.

Sing like nobody's listening.

Live like it's Heaven on Earth.”

And the sentiment of this unknown poet is very true for Christians and all children of God, many of us have no voice for singing, but I have always taken solace in the fact we were told to ‘make a joyful noise unto the Lord’ not necessarily perfect harmonies. Our work should be for the glory of God alone and so we have resources to share with the less fortunate. Love is not an option but a command from God, and if the Spirit moves us to anything, even dancing we should not stop or worry what others will think. We must all join in praising the Lord because God’s kingdom is breaking into the world, if Christians live like Christ it can be like Heaven on this earth. Even when we are in sorrow we will find joy in God, in death new birth and eternal life, Thanks be to God.

February 3

Reading 1

Matthew 9:1-8

“And after getting into a boat he crossed the sea and came to his own town. And just then some people were carrying a paralyzed man lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.” Then some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” But Jesus, perceiving their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Stand up and walk’? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”--he then said to the paralytic--“Stand up, take your bed and go to your home.” And he stood up and went to his home. When the crowds saw it, they were filled with awe, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to human beings.”

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How often have you heard phrases like, “Queer Christians are deceived by the devil.” or such, but the power of the Holy Spirit is displayed in our lives through love and other gifts of the Spirit, yet we like Christ are accused of a sort of blasphemy, but the good news is just as the man walking away with the pallet was a sure sign of God’s presence. The blessings God pours down on Queer congregations and ministries is a sure sign of God’s love for us. Our sins our forgiven because it is Jesus desire to do so, just as it is Christ’s desire for us to follow after Him in loving service to all, that truly gives glory to God.

Reading 2

Simplicity: You don't need to be an itinerant or a monk to follow God's call to simplicity. Francis describes a third, more mainstream model:practicing equality in a world of savage disparity. Not all wants are bad or destructive. But a life consumed by fulfilling all our wants is a recipe for frustration and unhappiness. If we seek to practice simplicity, distinguishing between wants and needs will help us prune our lives and cut away the things that hinder our growth. Simplicity is God's grand antidote to a culture of money and madness, enabling us to begin living freely, sharing generously, and loving deeply.

-John Michael Talbot with Steve Rabey, The lessons of St. Francis:How to Bring Simplicity and Spirituality into Your Daily Life

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Teach me, O LORD, to follow every one of your principles. Give me understanding and I will obey your law; I will put it into practice with all my heart. Make me walk along the path of your commands, for that is where my happiness is found. Give me an eagerness for your decrees; do not inflict me with love for money! Turn my eyes from worthless things, and give me life through your word. Reassure me of your promise, which is for those who honor you. Psalm 119:33-38 NLT

February 4

Reading 1

Matthew 9:9-13

“As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth; and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up and followed him. And as he sat at dinner in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came and were sitting with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” But when he heard this, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.” ”

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It is a sad fact that sinners, those who break the rules come more easily and please God quicker than the righteous. It truly is not that God wants some antinomianism, where there is no law, but the law God wants is mercy (in the Hebrew concept a steadfast love), not sacrifice. Sacrifice seems noble but all too often all it does is put pride in the hearts of mortals and actually separates us from God. And what is the mercy desired of us by God but to show love, for God fully, and neighbours as self. The righteous of Jesus day were welcome, but unfortunately they often were unable to get past their own righteousness, to see all people as their equals. Let us not make the same mistake.

Reading 2

Sexual Spirituality

For the Spiritual Pilgrim, all life is wrapped in awe, wonder and grandeur of the Divine Mystery. That halo of the holy should surround our sexuality.... Because of an anti-sexual, anti-female theology, Christianity lacked a wholesome sexual spirituality. Sanctity was thought to be fully attained only by those who had renounced sexual desires...This discrimination against sexual pleasures did not come from a biblical source but from the influence of certain Greek philosophy upon the early church.... However Hebrew spirituality, from which the spirituality of Jesus came, viewed sex as a life-giving, healing continuation of the artistic creation of God... The Last Supper embodies the conditions by which lovemaking becomes ecstatic and creative. At that sacred supper Jesus says, "This is my body...given in love for you." Each time that we love, giving the gifts of body, blood, spirit, life– the all of who we are– we are taken beyond our limited selves and returned again to the mystery from which all life comes... Pious persons may be shocked, but sex should happen more than once or twice a week; rather, it must be a constant activity. The giving of themselves in expression of affection, service and kindness is the ceaseless love-making of all true lovers. Such passionate abandonment finds expression in doing the laundry, wiping dishes, listening to each other, being as intimate as possible at all times. All such simple acts of love are creative and liberating.... Luther a former Augustinian friar who married, found the art of lovemaking not only delightful but sacred... Luther goes on to state that the best place to be at Christ's Second Coming is to be united in the act of making love. Such a bold statement by a great religious genius supports the spirituality that this chapter has proposed....These reflections are a simple and incomplete beginning. With trust in our capacity to hear with the inner ear –the ear of the heart– we can find our own spirituality in regard to love and sexuality, once we have moved beyond our old religious prejudices and our contemporary lack of awe....Every human carries the fundamental pain of separation and alienation which requires the touch of both human and divine love to be relived. The wisdom–filled words of our Creator-God in the Garden contained rich implications for all seeking a secular sanctity in this age: "It is not good for one to be alone."

-Edward Hays, Secular Sanctity

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Drink water from your own well--share your love only with your [spouse]. Why spill the water of your springs in public, having sex with just anyone? You should reserve it for yourselves. Don’t share it with strangers. Let your [spouse] be a fountain of blessing for you. Rejoice in the [spouse] of your youth. [That one] is a loving doe, a graceful deer. Let [their body] satisfy you always. May you always be captivated by [their] love. Proverbs 5:15-19 NLT [gender neutralized]

February 5

Reading 1

Matthew 9:14-17

“Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?” And Jesus said to them, “The wedding guests cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old cloak, for the patch pulls away from the cloak, and a worse tear is made. Neither is new wine put into old wineskins; otherwise, the skins burst, and the wine is spilled, and the skins are destroyed; but new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved.” ”

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There is a time and place for all things, just as we ‘bury’ the Alleluias in lent and other penitential times, so Jesus dose not say that there is no place for fasting but that it’s time was not now. Make sure you do not try to force your timing on other people, but let everyone follow the drummer they hear, then God may be glorified in the diverseness of all creation and all shall be held safe in Christ.

Reading 2

But Ruth said,

“Do not press me to leave you

or to turn back from following you!

Where you go, I will go;

Where you lodge, I will lodge;

your people shall be my people,

and your God my God.

Where you die, I will die—

there will I be buried.

May the LORD do thus and so to me,

and more as well,

if even death parts me from you!”

-Ruth 1:16-17, NRSV

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This passage is one of the most lovely passages of commitment in the Bible, used in many a wedding ceremony as a cry of ultimate love. It is true it is love, a love between women, it may have been just what it seems on the surface, but it may well have been so much more. Two women without means in a world of patriarchy. It is not surprising that getting a husband for Ruth was a priority, although the way it was gone about is suspect. “Get him drunk uncover his genitals (feet were a euphemism for genitals), and sleep beside them.” Boaz did the honorable thing, and Ruth and Naomi got a home. Whether you are a Queer Christian or not, in a relationship or not, let your love be inspired by Ruth, be steadfast in your friendships.

February 6

Reading 1

Matthew 9:18-26

“While [Jesus] was saying these things to them, suddenly a leader of the synagogue came in and knelt before him, saying, “My daughter has just died; but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.” And Jesus got up and followed him, with his disciples. Then suddenly a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his cloak, for she said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be made well.” Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And instantly the woman was made well. When Jesus came to the leader’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion, he said, “Go away; for the girl is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him. But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl got up. And the report of this spread throughout that district.”

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Queer Christians can identify with this woman, for so often we have been made to feel by society unclean, we are told we must not approach the holy for we are profane, but thanks be to God, like Jesus who knows the woman’s presence Jesus knows all who are His, Jesus loves His queer children, and seeks wholeness for them even as for this woman. We will like this woman, and like Jacob of old steal a blessing if it will not be given openly, and our Lord rewards such bold faith, even as Jesus did this woman.

Reading 2

There are also tears that are not bitter. They are like the dew of the morning, gentle, silent, springing from the depths of the heart, we know not why. They do not have a name; they have no cause. Sometimes these are tears of joy, a quiet joy, from the depths, far deeper than our superficial feelings, tears are born from the silence of solitude when suddenly the life of stillness takes on a luminous intensity–or rather, we become aware of the intense reality of the life in which we are immersed. Why weep? I do not know. Perhaps it is because of utter graciousness of life, of being, which we experience moments, like the occasions when we know what it is to be loved, truly, deeply, for ourselves. Such a gift is so beautiful, so grand! They are tears of gratitude, of wonder, of love. These tears can be entirely interior, as they arise from the ground of the hidden heart, or they may be exterior as well. It very much depends on the temperament and cultural conditioning.

-a Carthusian, The Way of Silent Love

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Tears tend to express intensity and the Christan life is an amplification of life, it a life to a full richness as God wants you to have. Whether you tears are internal or extrenal know that your depth of feeling is a gift, and treasure it. Now that you have purified your souls by your obedience to the truth so that you have genuine mutual love, love one another deeply from the heart. 1 Peter 1:22, NRSV

February 7

Reading 1

Matthew 9:27-34

“As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, crying loudly, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!” When he entered the house, the blind men came to him; and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord.” Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith let it be done to you.” And their eyes were opened. Then Jesus sternly ordered them, “See that no one knows of this.” But they went away and spread the news about him throughout that district. After they had gone away, a demoniac who was mute was brought to him. And when the demon had been cast out, the one who had been mute spoke; and the crowds were amazed and said, “Never has anything like this been seen in Israel.” But the Pharisees said, “By the ruler of the demons he casts out the demons.” ”

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We have our Lord doing wonderful miracles, good deeds, yet He is maligned. In the same way we Queer Christians often are maligned even if we do good. There always are people who are unable to see past the color of a persons skin or their sexuality. But just as the people looked on Jesus with awe, we shall have God to look on us and make true judgment, for all. Gay, straight, black, white, poor, wealthy, all children of God.

Reading 2

If we pray and act in the name of Jesus the Good Shepherd, the we are already coming to a deeper understanding of all our brothers and sisters, and to more compassion and generosity towards them, and especially towards those who are like lost sheep, those with whom nobody falls in love, and who first need great love, encouragement, and respect before we can expect a satisfying response.

-Bernard Häring, Prayer:The Integration of Faith and Life

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As Queer Christians when we reach out, especially to those in the queer community, we must remember the above paragraph. We are called to love, and there are many who need our love. So we may be workers for Christ who came that we might have the full and abundant life. And when [Jesus] saw the crowds he felt sorry for them because they were harassed and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers to his harvest.’ Mat. 9:36-37, NJB

February 8

Reading 1

Matthew 9:35-38

“Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” ”

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Wherever we go we find those lost helpless people, without shepherd, abused by world and also by hired hands. We must like Jesus have compassion on all of them, even as our Lord does. The call to harvest is not limited to Peter, John and the other disciples, the call goes out to you, whether you are a CEO of a company or a young hustler living on the streets. Let us answer the call of our Lord the best we can, each in our own way.

Reading 2

“The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff--they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD my whole life long.” Psalms 23, NRSV.

***

In a consumer-oriented society, it is extremely difficult to hear the simple but radical message of Psalm 23:God is the only necessity of life.....Driven by greed rather than need, we can hardly imagine having only the necessities of life–food, drink, shelter/protection. Cleaver advertiser’s have succeeded in convincing us that what former generations considered incredible luxuries are now basic necessities. To say in our prosperous context that God is the only necessity of life sounds hopelessly quaint and naive Then again, the words of Jesus also strike us as naive: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear.....But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:25-33, NRSV.... God will provide, and God’s provision is grounded in the reality of God’s reign.... “The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.” To say that means to live humbly and gratefully as a child of God..... God is with us, but God is not ours to own; the God who shepherds us to give us life also gives life to the world; the table at which we are hosted is one to which the whole world is invited.

-J. Clinton McCann Jr., New Interpreter’s Bible Volume IV

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Ah grace the sheer grace, God’s providence for us is enough, and God’s family is wider than anyone feels comfortable with, may we do our best to be able to sit with our enemies now, as well as in God’s kingdom.

February 9

Reading 1

Matthew 10:1-16

“Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness. These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon, also known as Peter, and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him. These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment. Take no gold, or silver, or copper in your belts, no bag for your journey, or two tunics, or sandals, or a staff; for laborers deserve their food. Whatever town or village you enter, find out who in it is worthy, and stay there until you leave. As you enter the house, greet it. If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town. Truly I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town. “See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.”

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We have Jesus discussing Sodom and Gomorrah, but where are the words of damnation of homosexuality or sexual perversion? They are no where to be found, but merely condemnation of inhospitality and rejection of peace. These are abominations, these are the reason for destruction and damnation not only in the days of Lot or Jesus, but here in our own. Are your willing to accept God’s messengers and help them, or are you rejecting and judging them as unfit? O Queer Christian listen to Christ, hold in your mind the wisdom and craftiness of the serpent, but let you hearts be innocent, white and as peaceful as a dove.

Reading 2

Gen 19....It seems clear enough that the attempted assault on Lot's guests threatens homosexual violation of them. The full meaning of the episode may be less obvious, however. References to Sodom and Gomorrah elsewhere in the Old Testament use the cities either as a simile for total destruction (e.g., Jer 50:39-40; Deut 29:22-23; Isa 1:9; 13:19), or as a standard of comparison regarding false worship, social injustice, or general lawlessness (Isa 1:10-17; Eze 16:48-50). None of the references cite homosexuality as defining the wickedness of Sodom.

Three central features of the episode outside the door of Lot's house can be stated Simply. First, the evil portrayed is not homosexuality per se, but an attempt at gang rape. Second, Lot's offer of his daughters to the mob, in place of his guests, seems outrageous from any perspective. It also suggests there is a social pattern working at some level that subordinates women to the perceived interest of men. In this connection, it must be pointed out that Abraham and Isaac, are willing to put their wives at risk for the sake of their own welfare (Gen 12:12-13; 20:11; 26:7).

The third noteworthy feature of the assault on Lot's guest is no mere stereotype of lust run amok, but a more troublesome "type scene". What is dramatized is the cruel practice--attested from time to time in human society--to subject strangers and new comers to homosexual humiliation as a way of impressing upon them their subordinate status. Thus the particular act threatened in vv. 4-9 is that of a proud and self righteous citizenry (cf. v. 9).

--Bruce T. Dahlberg, Mercer Bible Commentary

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This is Good news to the Queer Christian, but although the above view of the case of Sodom is common, among conservatives we are still attack with this story. Thank God for who you are, and pray for the sodomites who commit all kinds of acts of inhospitality (at least that is what Jesus remembered it for) and by their social injustice and proud self-righteousness.

February 10

Reading 1

Matthew 10:17-36

“Beware of them, for they will hand you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues; and you will be dragged before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them and the Gentiles. When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you at that time; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; and you will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next; for truly I tell you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. “A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a slave above the master; it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher, and the slave like the master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household! “So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known. What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops. Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. And even the hairs of your head are all counted. So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows. “Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven; but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven. “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and one’s foes will be members of one’s own household.”

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Many queer people have known the rejection of family because of who God made them, but even as the disciples we told that rejection would come, we remember even Christ was rejected and scorned. God loves us infinitely because we have become Children of the Divine. God loves and actively helps the oppressed and downtrodden. Have no fear, shout who you are from the highest peak with pride, for God made you who you are. There is no way to hide from God, so live in the light that is Christ, division may well come but the unity of the Divine is found in Christ alone.

Reading 2

There are various ways of being happy and every [person] has the capacity to make [one’s] life what it needs to be for [one] to be have a reasonable amount of peace in it. Why then do we pesecute ourselves with illusory demands, never content until we feel we have conformed to some standard of happiness that is not good for us only but for everyone? Why can we not be content with the secrect gift of hapiness that God offers us, without consulting the rest of the world? Why do we insist, rather, on a happiness that is aproved by the magazines and TV? Perhaps because we do not believe in a happiness that is given to us for nothing. We do not think we can be happy with a happiness that has no price tag on it.

If we are fools enough to remain at the mercy of people who want to sell us happiness, it will be impossible fo us to ever be content with anything. How would they profit if we became content? We would no longer need their new product.

The last thing the sales[person] wants is for the buyer to become content. You are of no use in affluent society unless you are always just about to grasp what you can never have.

The Greeks were not as smart as we are. In their primitive way they put tantalus in hell. Madison Avenue, on the contrary, would convince us that Tantalus is in heaven.

God gives us freedom to make our lives within the situation which is the gift of His love to us, and by means of the power His love grants us. But we feel guilty about it. We are quite capable of being happy in the life He has provided us, in which we can contentedly make our own way, helped by His grace. We are ashamed to do so. For we need one thing more than happiness: we need approval. And the need for approval destroys our capacity for happiness. “How can you believe, who seek glory from another?”[John 5:44]

For the United States, approval has to be bought-not once, not ten times, but a thousand times over every day.

Leond Bloy remarked on this characteristic of our society: A businessman will say of someone the he knows him if he knows he has money.

To say of someone “I do not know him” means, in business, “I am not sure that he will pay.”

But if he has money, and proves it, then “I know him.”

So we have to get money and keep spending it in order to be known, recognized as human. Otherwise we are excomunicated.

--Thomas Merton, conjectures of a guilty bystander.

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We brought nothing into this world, and we can take nothing out; if we have food and clothing let us rest content. Those who want to be rich fall into temptations and snares and into many foolish and harmful desires which plunge people into ruin and destruction. The love of money is the root of all evil, and in pursuit of it some have wandered from the faith and spiked themselves on many a painful thorn. ~ Do not live for money; be content with what you have, for God has said, ‘I will never leave you or desert you.’ So we can take courage and say, ‘The Lord is my helper, I will not fear; what can man do to me?’ Remember your leaders, who spoke God’s message to you. Keep before you the outcome of their life and follow the example of their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and for ever. 1Timothy 6:7-10~Hebrews 13:5-8, REB

February 11

Reading 1

Matthew 10:37-42

“Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. “Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous; and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple--truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.” ”

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This is the dichotomy of the true economy of the universe: nothing is kept by holding it tight, but by letting it go, nothing must come between us and God, even if that means severed relations. New relations will form and those relations shall be as if with the Divine, our reward is not lost because we look on people as Jesus does, equals, all deserving compassion and love. Seek to do the good and not to neglect God, where ever you may find God.

Reading 2

True Silence is a suspension bridge that a soul in love with God builds to cross the dark, frightening gullies of its own mind, the strange chasms of temptation, the depthless precipices of its own fears that impede its way to God.

True silence is the speech of lovers. For only love knows it’s beauty, completeness, and utter joy. True silence is a garden enclosed, where alone the soul can meet it’s God. It is a sealed fountain that [God] alone can unseal to slaken the soul’s infinate thirst for [God].

True silence is a key to the immense and flaming heart of God. It is the beginning of a divine courtship that will end only in the immense, creative, fruitful, loving silence of final union with the beloved.....

One of the first steps towards solitude is a departure. Were you to depart to a real desert, you might take a plane, train or car to get there. But we’re blind to the “little departures” that fill our days. These “little solitudes” are often right behind a door which we can open, or in a little corner where we can stop to look at a tree that somehow survived the snow and dust of a city street....

Deserts, silence, solitude. For a soul that realizes the tremendous need of all three, oppotunities present themselves in the midst of the congested trappings of all the world’s immense cities.

-Cathrine de Hueck Doherty, Poustina:Christian Spirituality of the East for Western Man.

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Zechariah said: “Let all mortals be silent in the presence of the Lord!” Silence is so very hard for us, we fill our lives with constant music and endless chatter, but in silence God comes. In the silence of the desert shepherd, God came and spoke to Moses in a burning bush, in the calm silence after a storm God came and spoke to Elijah. But we need not climb in a cave or sit on a deserted mountainside to hear God, we need only quite our selves and our surroundings. One place you might have the best success is at night as you are laying in bed, or in the first moments when you are wake. Think not about the worries of the day past or the coming day, but let your mind rest in God. Sit in your room silently undistracted by anything, and if utter silence is impossible some very soft instrumental music or a chant recordings to drowned out the nearby world. Or perhaps you can make your solitude in the shower, with only the sound of the water caressing your skin. Wherever and whenever you find your desert, spend time with God there–as you would cherish time with a lover. Trust in the Lord and do good; settle in the land and find safe pasture. Delight in the Lord, and he will grant you your heart’s desire. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. He will make your righteousness shine clear as the day and the justice of your cause like the brightness of noon. Wait quietly for the Lord, be patient till he comes; do not envy those who gain their ends, or be vexed at their success. -Psalm 37:3-7, REB

February 12

Reading 1

Matthew 11:1-19

“Now when Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and proclaim his message in their cities. When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me.” As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind? What then did you go out to see? Someone dressed in soft robes? Look, those who wear soft robes are in royal palaces. What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written, ‘See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.’ Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John came; and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. Let anyone with ears listen! “But to what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to one another, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not mourn.’ For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon’; the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.” ”

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It is wonderfully comforting to hear that John the Baptist faith faltered, one whom Jesus said, “was the greatest among mortals”, but being a messenger for God has never been safe, full of violence. All rejected, those who fast as lunatics, those who feast as gluttons or drunkards. Queer Christians are this day maligned because of sexual activity, now it is true enough anyone can abuse sex, or use it improperly, but people who reject us for our sexuality are the same types who reject the Baptist, and Christ. Wisdom is our mother even as Christ is, therefore us who are children of God will be vindicated by Jesus alone.

Reading 2

Surrendering to violence and revenge leads to death of the moral person that a victim once was. The desire to choose life is the catalyst that moves a victim to positive action, By deliberately choosing to prayer for the offender, by reaching out to others in acts of goodness that engage and change one’s thoughts to thoughts of love and peace–by such responses–one clears the air of violence and turns in the direction of healing and former-well-being. Violence crucifies us all, but every time someone responds with love and forgiveness, that person and all humankind are raised up to a new vision and quality of life. This is salvation. This is mirroring the God who makes good come out of evil. This is the beginning of the end of violence.

-Carmelites of Indianapolis, Hidden Friends

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It is so easy to want revenge it seems so natural but as Christians we must not look for that, revenge is the justice of the world, and can only promote more violence and hatred. When fundatmentalist’s attack queers and especially Queer Christians, the thing they want most is hatred and reaction to help justify their own hate. When we learn to show love to them and pray for them we become more Christ like and attain a more healthy spirituality.

February 13

Reading 1

Matthew 11:20-24

“Then he began to reproach the cities in which most of his deeds of power had been done, because they did not repent. “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the deeds of power done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, on the day of judgment it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? No, you will be brought down to Hades. For if the deeds of power done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I tell you that on the day of judgment it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom than for you.” ”

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This reproach is powerful the religious are not accepted, why because they have rejected the One who seeks them. To use modern US cities as an example, it’s not Colorado Springs that is saved but it is San Francisco, it’s not because of lack righteousness but because of self-righteousness and rejection of those who truly are God’s Children.

Reading 2

Covenant

These I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples. Thus Says the [Sovereign] God, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, I will gather them besides those already gathered.

Isaiah 56:7-8

"These" is a reference to foreigners and eunuchs. We are the foreigners, the eunuchs, the outcasts. We are those alien to the mainstream culture. We are those who may not bear children. We are those cast out from society and religious institutions.

Through Isaiah, God assures us that we who worship, do what is right, love God, and hold fast to God's covenant with us will always have a place and be given an everlasting name. God will give us joy, our offerings will be welcomed, and our prayers will find a home. Jesus quoted this scripture when He passionately cleared the section of temple set aside for you and me.

We have a place of joy, a home of prayer, thanks to you and your covenant, Sovereign God, our creator and redeemer.

- Chris Glaser, The Word is OUT, April 7

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The foreigner who has given his allegiance to the Lord must not say, ‘The Lord will exclude me from his people.’ The eunuch must not say, ‘I am naught but a barren tree.’ These are the words of the Lord: The eunuchs who keep my sabbaths, who choose to do my will and hold fast to my covenant, will receive from me something better than sons and daughters, a memorial and a name in my own house and within my walls; I shall give them everlasting renown, an imperishable name. Isa 56:3-5, REB

February 14

Reading 1

Matthew 11:25-30

“At that time Jesus said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” ”

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Rest for your souls, what a wonderful promise, knowledge for the simple rather than those in the know. God’s ways are beyond our willingness to accept as proper, yokes are hard, burdens heavy, but our Lord completely changes everything nothing is what it seems and so the yoke is comfortable, the burden is light, simple now, and the gentle and humble rather than the proud pushy ones find rest in God’s Kingdom. Rest, rest for the soul, is in the One who created the soul, as Augustine said, “Thou hast made us for Thyself, and our heart is restless till it rests in Thee.”.

Reading 2

Keep your passion alive -

it will warm you when the

world aroung you grows cold.

It will not allow comfortable

famililarity to rob you of that

special glow that comes with

loving deeply. It can lift

you over stone walls of anger

and carry you across vast

deserts of alienation. But its

greatest gift is that of touch -

for passion cannot dwell in

solitude - it thrives best in

loving embrace. So keep your

passion alive - hold one

another as a tree holds the

Earth and your love will

bear the fruit of many,

many seasons!

-Atimah

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God is Love, and our most true lover, God wants us to know the passion of divine love, but also for most of us God’s will is that we know human love and share it fully and faithfully. Bear the fruit of love always.

February 15

Reading 1

Matthew 12:1-14

“At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the sabbath; his disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. When the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, “Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the sabbath.” He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him or his companions to eat, but only for the priests. Or have you not read in the law that on the sabbath the priests in the temple break the sabbath and yet are guiltless? I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of Man is lord of the sabbath.” He left that place and entered their synagogue; a man was there with a withered hand, and they asked him, “Is it lawful to cure on the sabbath?” so that they might accuse him. He said to them, “Suppose one of you has only one sheep and it falls into a pit on the sabbath; will you not lay hold of it and lift it out? How much more valuable is a human being than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the sabbath.” Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and it was restored, as sound as the other. But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him.”

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Mercy, that is steadfast love is the desire of our God, not sacrifice, not obedience to rules with which we hope to prove ourselves righteous. Rules are good, but they are never more important than people, there are exceptions to every rule. And many rules are no longer viewed as applicable to us like dietary laws. Whenever you threaten the comfort of the legalist, you will be persecuted, so let it not surprise you when you see Queer Christians hated, for our Lord was hated for the freedom and life He brought.

Reading 2

So, [friend], journey on the road of life in harmony with your conscience. Do so always. Do not say “I will begin on such and such a day,” but start right now. Remember that everything can be retrieved except time with which we see our life is passing. Time rushes on, carrying your life with it, yet you let it go. It is a common saying that everything passes with time. I do not think the loss is so grievous when things of the flesh flee with time, for they are temporal and not meant to endure, but if your spiritual advantage slips by, that is a great misfortune.

-Francisco de Osuna, The Third Spiritual Alphabet

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Jesus several times offered advise on the importance of the truly enduring things verses wealth and treasures here on earth. That pearl of great price is worth more than all else we have, no corruption will touch it, nor a thief steal it. The fool says that there is plenty stored away for life but does not realize that life, the only thing of enduring value, is immediately being taken away. We as Christians do not look for enduring items on this planet, for we know perfectly well that God alone is all we need, as the prophet says, “(For the fig tree is not to blossom, nor will the vines bear fruit, the olive crop will disappoint and the fields will yield no food; the sheep will vanish from the fold; no cattle in the stalls.) But I shall rejoice in Yahweh, I shall exult in God my Saviour. Yahweh my Lord is my strength, [God] will make my feet as light as a doe’s, and set my steps on the heights.” (Hab, 3:17-19, NJB). Even in utter famine one’s only response can be to rejoice in the Lord, even Jesus discourages worry about worldly needs in favor of trust in God alone. When it looks dark, when the forces of oppression and need arise, stop, for Jesus is with us and that is all we need, and find peace in God alone.

February 16

Reading 1

Matthew 12:15-21

“When Jesus became aware of this, he departed. Many crowds followed him, and he cured all of them, and he ordered them not to make him known. This was to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah: “Here is my servant, whom I have chosen, my beloved, with whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles. He will not wrangle or cry aloud, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets. He will not break a bruised reed or quench a smoldering wick until he brings justice to victory. And in his name the Gentiles will hope.” ”

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Jesus flees from those looking to harm Him, martyrdom is not something to be sought but embraced only when there is no other option, that will keep our conscious clear. Jesus also did not seek fame, but encouraged the people not to spread His name. Humility, never seeks to raise up self but God alone. Is it any wonder this is the One in whom we hope?

Reading 2

“Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and do testify that the Father has sent his Son as the Savior of the world. God abides in those who confess that Jesus is the Son of God, and they abide in God. So we have known and believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love. We love because he first loved us. Those who say, “I love God,” and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also.”

-1 John 4:7-21, NRSV

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Learn the lesson that is Love, learn that God requires of you Love, learn that the Spirit given you is Love. We know God is Love, and that if we our in love with God, we shall show love to all, even those who hate us. We fear not in the presence of the divine beacuse the Love shown for us and planted in us release us from all fear. you are born of god, born of love, born in the lovw that is our Salvation. Let love be perfected in you, Queer Chriatian, and God shall live in you.

February 17

Reading 1

Matthew 12:22-37

“Then they brought to him a demoniac who was blind and mute; and he cured him, so that the one who had been mute could speak and see. All the crowds were amazed and said, “Can this be the Son of David?” But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons, that this fellow casts out the demons.” He knew what they were thinking and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand? If I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your own exorcists cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come to you. Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his property, without first tying up the strong man? Then indeed the house can be plundered. Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. Therefore I tell you, people will be forgiven for every sin and blasphemy, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come. “Either make the tree good, and its fruit good; or make the tree bad, and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers! How can you speak good things, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person brings good things out of a good treasure, and the evil person brings evil things out of an evil treasure. I tell you, on the day of judgment you will have to give an account for every careless word you utter; for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” ”

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People look to others actions and end up condemning or applauding based not on the good of work but over prejudiced opinions, for no one is in a position to judge anyone but God alone and we our own self. Our words are brought forth from our heart, and God wants us to be true to our heart and to the Divine, we must be careful not to deny God’s power in anyone or any group, for then we risk, sinning against the One who lives to make intercession in our hearts, with sighs too deep for understanding.

Reading 2

Shout for joy, you upright; praise comes well from the honest. Give thanks to Yahweh on the lyre, play for him on the ten-stringed lyre. Sing to him a new song, make sweet music for your cry of victory.

The word of Yahweh is straightforward, all he does springs from his constancy. He loves uprightness and justice; the faithful love of Yahweh fills the earth.

By the word of Yahweh the heavens were made, by the breath of his mouth all their array. He collects the waters of the sea like a dam, he stores away the abyss in his treasure-house.

Let the whole earth fear Yahweh, let all who dwell in the world revere him; for, the moment he spoke, it was so, no sooner had he commanded, than there it stood!

Yahweh thwarts the plans of nations, frustrates the counsels of peoples; but Yahweh’s own plan stands firm for ever, his heart’s counsel from age to age. How blessed the nation whose God is Yahweh, the people he has chosen as his heritage.

From heaven Yahweh looks down, he sees all the children of Adam, from the place where he sits he watches all who dwell on the earth; he alone moulds their hearts, he understands all they do.

A large army will not keep a king safe, nor his strength save a warrior’s life; it is delusion to rely on a horse for safety, for all its power it cannot save.

But see how Yahweh watches over those who fear him, those who rely on his faithful love, to rescue them from death and keep them alive in famine.

We are waiting for Yahweh; he is our help and our shield, for in him our heart rejoices, in his holy name we trust. Yahweh, let your faithful love rest on us, as our hope has rested in you.

-Psalm 33, NJB

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We are told in this psalm that God moulds the heart, and keeps watch on the faithful. The trappings of power and machines of power are not to be trusted in for dilverance. This is liberateing good news for Queer Christians, God is stronger than any force of oppression and will keep us, but better than that, God can start moulding the hearts of those who hate us to think differntly. Pray for your enemies that they may have new hearts cast to love and see as God does.

February 18

Reading 1

Matthew 12:38-45

“Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to him, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so for three days and three nights the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth. The people of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the proclamation of Jonah, and see, something greater than Jonah is here! The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and see, something greater than Solomon is here! “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it wanders through waterless regions looking for a resting place, but it finds none. Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ When it comes, it finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and brings along seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and live there; and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So will it be also with this evil generation.” ”

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It is sad but true that some will never accept others, no matter how much proof is given. Jesus had done many wonderful works but it wasn’t enough, it couldn’t meet their preconceived notion. In a similar way many Christians won’t accept Queer Christians because we are not what they expect, and no matter how many signs are shown many will never believe. Love and the power of the Spirit displayed, will not satisfy, and so those who have found it enough, will be the judge of those unable to accept what is from God. Thanks be to God, the One who is all wisdom has come and it He in Whom we exist.

Reading 2

Whether we are sick or healthy, lowly or powerful, poor or rich, base or honorable, hungry or filled, let us do all things in the name of the Lord with patience and long suffering. Then will be fulfilled that word of Scripture “All things work together for good for those who love God.” [Rom. 8:28]....

Titus, the son of Vespasian...who entered Rome in triumph after destroying Jerusalem is reported to have been so virtuous that, late one night after dinner, when he remembered that he had done nothing good that day, said to his friends:“Today I wasted the day.” Do we realize that we are wasting the hour, the day, minutes, time, seasons when we utter a careless word for which we must render account on the day of judgment? [Mat 12:36]. If Titus said this by nature and did it without having been instructed by the Law or the Gospel, with having the Savior or the apostles’ teaching, what ought we to do?....

There is a story about John the Evangelist when he was a very old man living in Ephesus. He was so weak that his disciples could hardly carry him to church and he had difficulty speaking several words together in a connected thought. It became his practice to utter nothing except this simple sentence: “My little children, love each other.” His disciples who lived with him became bored hearing the same words again and again and finally asked him:“Master, why do you always say this?” He answered with a saying worthy of John: “Because this is the Lord’s command. If that alone is done, it is enough.” This he said because of the exhortation of the apostle in the text which is before us [Gal. 6:10]: “Let us do good to all and especially to those who are of the household of faith.”

-St. Jerome, Commentary on Galatians

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Everyone who knows what is the right thing to do and does not do it commits a sin. (Jam 4:17, NJB). Who of use does not know that Jesus commanded us to love. yet well fail to do it. We know that if we simply loved God with out whole being and our neighbours as ourselves, we would fufill the law totally. We know the golden rule of do unto others as you would have it done to you. We fail all of these tasks even though they are not burdensome, but thanks be to God who gives us the strength to get up from failure to try again and we remember that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. God has loved us all with an infinate love, surely we can pass it on.

February 19

Reading 1

Matthew 12:46-50

“While [Jesus] was still speaking to the crowds, his mother and his brothers were standing outside, wanting to speak to him. Someone told him, “Look, your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.” But to the one who had told him this, Jesus replied, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” And pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” ”

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The strongest tie of Jesus’ time (as for many today) was the family, but Jesus saying what He did says there is a new family, a family by choice, those who follow God’s will, are family. Queer people often refer to each other as family, replacing the one that has been lost through hate, or simply expanding the one into which they were born, in a similar vain Jesus does the same, by linking the doing of the will of God (loving God fully and neighbour as self), with being in the family of God. Our actions, and not blood or profession, shows whether or not we are in God’s family.

Reading 2

Julian of Norwich was not the first person to present Christ or the triune God as mother, but no Christian writer before Julian elaborated the image so powerfully and comprehensively.... Contemplating God as both mother and father leads to an appreciation of the fullness of divine reality in the inexhaustible fecundity and energy of [God’s] mystery. Seeing God as both mother and father is a way of hinting at possibilities and realizations beyond all ordinary limits, a way of describing the indescribable perfection of God. God is always more than everything we can say about the divine totality, yet God never ceases to be utter simplicity.

-Charles Cummings, The Motherhood of God According to Julian of Norwich

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We are many things to many people, all at the same time. We have many hats to wear, so to speak, but we have only one head, we are one, even though we maybe: lover, friend, child, and parent. God is far beyond us, without form or gender. God can not be put into any firm classification but perhaps always-loving. As Love, God can be easily referred to as Mother or Father because who can be more loving than a parent? But even when we have had less than ideal situations with parents here on earth, we still have a God who can be all things to us, and who is always loving.’One Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father [and Mother] of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But each of us has been given a special gift, a particular share in the bounty of Christ. Eph 4:5-7, REB altered.

February 20

Reading 1

Matthew 13:1-23

“That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Let anyone with ears listen!” Then the disciples came and asked him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” He answered, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For to those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. The reason I speak to them in parables is that ‘seeing they do not perceive, and hearing they do not listen, nor do they understand.’ With them indeed is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah that says: ‘You will indeed listen, but never understand, and you will indeed look, but never perceive. For this people’s heart has grown dull, and their ears are hard of hearing, and they have shut their eyes; so that they might not look with their eyes, and listen with their ears, and understand with their heart and turn--and I would heal them.’ But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. Truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it. “Hear then the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.” ”

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The good news of this parable is that we can safely say that no type of soil here is unredeemable, weeds can be plucked out, stones can be removed and paths maybe diverted. Let God into the garden that is your soil to tend and do all that is required, I dare say not any are good soil, today too many thorns and rocks are in the path that is our life, but God will change us, gather the stones and cast them away, remove the thorns, and put up a boundary around our heart. We may have little choice as to how our hearts started out but as we encounter God more and more deeply we can allow the ‘Great-Gardener,’ to tend to the soil which is our hearts, if we do the growth will be phenomenal, just as in the parable.

Reading 2

Trusting in the Fruits

We belong to a generation that wants to see the result of our work. We want to be productive and see with out own eyes what we have made.But that is not the way of God's kingdom. Often our witness for god does not lead to tangible results. Jesus himself dies as a failure on a cross. There was no success there to be proud of. Still, the fruitfulness of Jesus' life is beyond any human measure. As faithful witnesses of Jesus we have to trust that our lives too will be fruitful, even though we cannot see their fruit. The fruit of our lives may be visible only to those who live after us.

What is important is how well we love. God will make our love fruitful, whether we see that fruitfulness or not.

-Henri J. M. Nowen, Bread for the Journey: August 11 meditation.

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Faith is our guide, not sight. 2 Corinthians 5:7 REB

February 21

Reading 1

Matthew 13:24-30

“[Jesus] put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?’ He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The slaves said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ But he replied, ‘No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’” ”

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The focus now shifts from the of ground to plants, as Jesus often said a plant is known by the fruit it bears, so I ask you Queer Christian what fruit are you bearing? Paul tells us that the fruit of the Spirit are: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, fidelity, tolerance and self-control (Gal 5:22-23, Phil). The fruit Jesus seeks is loving compassion, one who thinks of others first and self secondarily. A plant may not be able o change the fruit it bears, but we can allow God to graft into us the fruit God wishes for our lives, if you see yourself as a weed, let God’s power transform you to the plant God wants. In the end if we don’t it will not be the joyous end we all desire.

Reading 2

“A good name is better than precious ointment, and the day of death, than the day of birth. It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting; for this is the end of everyone, and the living will lay it to heart. Sorrow is better than laughter, for by sadness of countenance the heart is made glad. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth. It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise than to hear the song of fools. For like the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of fools; this also is vanity. Surely oppression makes the wise foolish, and a bribe corrupts the heart. Better is the end of a thing than its beginning; the patient in spirit are better than the proud in spirit. Do not be quick to anger, for anger lodges in the bosom of fools. Do not say, “Why were the former days better than these?” For it is not from wisdom that you ask this. Wisdom is as good as an inheritance, an advantage to those who see the sun. For the protection of wisdom is like the protection of money, and the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom gives life to the one who possesses it. Consider the work of God; who can make straight what he has made crooked?”

-Ecclesiastes 7:1-13, NRSV.

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God has made all things as God’s divine wisdom saw fit, we naturally seek the finer, more pleasant things in life, but the teacher tells us to seek not riches-so called happiness or the good old days, but to seek wisdom alone, to embrace the times of sorrow even more fast than that of joy. When people fail to mourn, or acknowledge loss the body builds up pain that will eventually burst like a damn. When we seek to avoid people that are going through troubles we show that we are unwilling to be an ambassador of Christ to them. A life that is full is one that is balanced. Indeed the young prince Gautama whose life had been separated from all sorts of pain, went out to alleviate pain and seek wisdom, which he found. Riches may seem to offer protection from the world but while it perishes wisdom remains, and the wisdom of God brings life.

February 22

Reading 1

Matthew 13:31-35

“[Jesus] put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.” He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.” Jesus told the crowds all these things in parables; without a parable he told them nothing. This was to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet: “I will open my mouth to speak in parables; I will proclaim what has been hidden from the foundation of the world.” ”

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God’s kingdom is infectious, like the mustard plant which was very weed like in it's growth, like yeast spreading through out dough, so God’s kingdom comes in seemingly insignificant ways into our lives and lives of others, but when it comes it quickly spreads to all parts of us, grows beyond belief. This truly is good news.

Reading 2

Suffering is what happens when we realize that we and the rest of the world are not yet whole. It makes us conscious of the fact that we will not become whole without one another and without God. Transformation happens when we decide that we want to be whole so much, want to be finished so much, that we follow Jesus to the death were “It is finished,” and where resurrection and new life begins in a way we cannot imagine.

-Elizabeth Meluch, OCD

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An anonymous Carmelite once wrote, “When I am in pain, I think of prisoners who have no voice concerning their food, medicines, or the temperature of their cells. My discomfort becomes the occasion to pray for those who know no comfort.” There is an amazing solidarity of the Christian with all of creation because all is beloved by God and the pain and suffering is shared by Christ and if we are joined to Jesus we too will suffer as He is. The writer of Hebrews does a wonderful job describing this, “Remember those in prison, as if you were there with them, and those who are being maltreated, for you are vulnerable too.” (Heb 13:3, REB), all life is from God and so all life shares a mystical bond of communion. Once we can celebrate the world and all people in the way St. Francis did, we can realize “that the sufferings we now endure bear no comparison with the glory, as yet unrevealed, which is in store for us.” (Rom 8:18, REB), and then we can love aright.

February 23

Reading 1

Matthew 13:36-43

“Then [Jesus] left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples approached him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen!”

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Tares and wheat look almost identical when young, but eventually they are shown up by the fruit they bear. Our Lord is gracious allowing opportunity right up till the end for the tare to turn to wheat, something no earthly plant could do, but nothing is impossible for one touched by God. In the field that is the church, there are many of both plants, our job is to show ourselves wheat, by loving all, then we fear no danger of being thrown away like weeds burned up in an oven, for God knows who are God’s own.

Reading 2

If we think that we cannot pray, it is a sign that we have not yet properly understood what it is to pray. Prayer is to look to the omnipresent God and to allow oneself to be seen by him. What is now easier and more simple than to turn our eyes upward to see the light which surrounds us on all sides? God is far more present to us than the light. In Him we live, we move, and we are. He penetrates us, he fills us, he is nearer to us than we are to ourselves. To believe this is simply as well as one can. that is prayer. How can it be difficult to allow oneself to be looked after by so kind a physician who knows better what is troubling us than we ourselves know?... We must not say anything to God or allow him to see anything other than what is in us. What will be is what he wills. If you find yourself disturbed, dark, with no spiritual experiences, simply tell God, and let him see your suffering; then you have prayed properly. Is there a natural laziness of diffidence at hand? Take heart but a little turn again with humility to God. If one can remain awake standing better than kneeling, let one keep vigil in such a way; if one can do so better by reading [prayers] in a book, this is not forbidden.... Deny your own will and desires and you will pray properly and easily. For the Lord will work prayer in your soul through his grace.

-Gerhard Tersteegen, A letter

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“O LORD, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my every thought when far away. You chart the path ahead of me and tell me where to stop and rest. Every moment you know where I am. You know what I am going to say even before I say it, LORD. You both precede and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to know! I can never escape from your spirit! I can never get away from your presence! If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the place of the dead, you are there. If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me. I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night-- but even in darkness I cannot hide from you. To you the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are both alike to you. You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous--and how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. How precious are your thoughts about me, O God! They are innumerable! I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up in the morning, you are still with me! O God, if only you would destroy the wicked! Get out of my life, you murderers! They blaspheme you; your enemies take your name in vain. O LORD, shouldn’t I hate those who hate you? Shouldn’t I despise those who resist you? Yes, I hate them with complete hatred, for your enemies are my enemies. Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.” -Psalms 139:1-24, NLT.

February 24

Reading 1

Matthew 13:44-46

“ “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.”

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Count not the cost, though it takes everything you have buy that good treasure beyond price, secure what will never be wrenched from you possession. This is what is need for those who would be possessed by the kingdom of God. No longer let earthly things possess you but God alone.

Reading 2

My study of Gandhi convinced me that true pacifism is not nonresistance to evil, but nonviolent resistance to evil. Between the two positions, there is a world of difference. Gandhi resisted evil with as much vigor and power as the violent resister, be he resisted with love instead of hate. True pacifism is not unrealistic submission to evil power, as [Reinhold] Niebuhr contends. It is rather a courageous confrontation of evil by the power of love, in the faith that it is better to be the recipient of violence than the inflicter of it, since the latter only multiplies the existence of violence and bitterness in the universe, while the former may develop a sense of shame in the opponent, and thereby bring about a transformation and change of heart.

-Martin Luther King Jr., My Pilgrimage to Nonviolence

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If Queer Christians want to stop the violence (be it spiritual, emotional or physical) against us and others we will only do it through love and non-violence, for this reading is a call to non-violence, also reminds us of Paul’s words: Call down blessings on your persecutors — blessings, not curses. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in agreement with one another. Do not be proud, but be ready to mix with humble people. Do not keep thinking how wise you are. Never pay back evil for evil. Let your aims be such as all count honourable. If possible, so far as it lies with you, live at peace with all. My dear friends, do not seek revenge, but leave a place for divine retribution; for there is a text which reads, ‘Vengeance is mine, says the Lord, I will repay.’ But there is another text: ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; by doing this you will heap live coals on his head.’ Do not let evil conquer you, but use good to conquer evil. -Rom 12:14-21, REB.

February 25

Reading 1

Matthew 13:47-52

“ “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. “Have you understood all this?” They answered, “Yes.” And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.” ”

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Let us be like those trained for God’s kingdom, those who hold on to the true treasure from the past but equally welcome the new treasure that comes along. To do God’s will is to be a child of God, God truly gathers all into the Kingdom, but holds to the loving Divine bosom only those who are the children of God. Love as Jesus loved and show yourself a child of God.

Reading 2

“Do not be silent, O God of my praise. For wicked and deceitful mouths are opened against me, speaking against me with lying tongues. They beset me with words of hate, and attack me without cause. In return for my love they accuse me, even while I make prayer for them. So they reward me evil for good, and hatred for my love.....With my mouth I will give great thanks to the LORD; I will praise him in the midst of the throng. For he stands at the right hand of the needy,to save them from those who would condemn them to death.”

-Psalm 109:1-5, 30-31 NRSV

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This psalm reminds me of how the Church has treated Queer Christians and others who they have judged as sinners. How many people have been expelled because they have been divorced, how many ejected, because the beloved sunday school teacher or pastor turned out to be queer? Even as many of us Queer Christians prayer for reconciliation and the Spirit's moving to change thier hearts, they bring down curses and emotional (and even stir people to physical) violence. But the good news in this psalm is how it ends it ends with the asurance that God is on our side, because they seek to oppress us, God will be with us. So Queer Christian, no matter how much evil people offer up against you hold your head up, cry in your heart unto God asking their forgiveness, and know God is with you, now and always.

February 26

Reading 1

Matthew 13:53-58

“When Jesus had finished these parables, he left that place. He came to his hometown and began to teach the people in their synagogue, so that they were astounded and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these deeds of power? Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all this?” And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “Prophets are not without honor except in their own country and in their own house.” And he did not do many deeds of power there, because of their unbelief.”

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The danger of being a ‘hometown hero’, someone of renown, is that those who know you best will be the lest likely to accept you. People may say that is only because they know us better than others, this is true, but there is a tendency to have contempt for those we have seen all our lives, rather than rejoice at how God is using people, we fill ourselves with envy and contempt. If this was the experience of our Lord who was without sin, how much more for us feeble sinners? Seek honor form no one but God alone.

Reading 2

Gay Self-Esteem is Important!

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· Nurture self through meditation and spiritual development.

· Nurture the body through rest and relaxation, proper nutrition, and exercise.

· Read gay-positive literature.

· Be a positive role model for younger gay people.

· Discourage use of gay negative language.

· Confront your own homophobia and hetrosexism.

· Educate yourself regarding the facts rather than myths and stereotypes.

· Educate yourself regarding political issues associated with homosexuality. Speak out.

· Affirm yourself as a gay person daily. Developing positive gay self-esteem involves utilizing a proactive response to external events and taking responsibility for one' own thoughts, feelings, and behaviours.

-Waston & Ross, Gay self-esteem...on the rise.

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Remember this always that God loves you, just the way God made you.

February 27

Reading 1

Matthew 14:1-12

“At that time Herod the ruler heard reports about Jesus; and he said to his servants, “This is John the Baptist; he has been raised from the dead, and for this reason these powers are at work in him.” For Herod had arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because John had been telling him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.” Though Herod wanted to put him to death, he feared the crowd, because they regarded him as a prophet. But when Herod’s birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced before the company, and she pleased Herod so much that he promised on oath to grant her whatever she might ask. Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter.” The king was grieved, yet out of regard for his oaths and for the guests, he commanded it to be given; he sent and had John beheaded in the prison. The head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, who brought it to her mother. His disciples came and took the body and buried it; then they went and told Jesus.”

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Herod is an example of faith gone awry. He believed the message of John but would not accept it so silenced him with imprisonment. Then when his wife’s child demanded death; Herod kept his word, saved face, rather than do what he knew to be right. But the disciples of John collected the body and buried it, in spite of the danger of showing favor to a dead prisoner. Both Herod and John’s disciples believed John was a prophet, but only the disciples showed fidelity to their faith. We too can be either Herod, or disciples, we will take risks or play it safe and do what is most convenient. Few fault us for doing the convenient thing, but as an old saying goes the path to hell is paved with good intentions, your intentions maybe good but are you following through?

Reading 2

Creating Space to Dance Together

When we feel lonely we keep looking for a person or persons who can take our loneliness away. Our lonely hearts cry out, “Please hold me, touch me, speak to me, pay attention to me.” But soon we discover that the person we expected to take our loneliness away cannot give us what we ask for. Often that person feels oppressed by our demands and runs away, leaving us in despair. As long as we approach another person from our loneliness, no mature human relationship can develop. Clinging to one another in loneliness is suffocating and eventually becomes destructive. For love to be possible we need the courage to create space between us and to trust that this space allows us to dance together.

-Henri Nouwen, Bread for the Journey

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HN creates a beautiful picture of relationship, not where we cling but where we mutually embrace and let go when appropriate. Even when there is no clear dance partner around we can like be like David, “wearing a linen ephod, and he danced with abandon before the Lord”(2Sa 6:14, REB), and dance with God. A time for tears, a time for laughter; a time for mourning, a time for dancing. A time for throwing stones away, a time for gathering them; a time for embracing, a time to refrain from embracing. Ecc 3:4-5 NJB

February 28

Reading 1

Matthew 14:13-21

“Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them and cured their sick. When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” Jesus said to them, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” They replied, “We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish.” And he said, “Bring them here to me.” Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.”

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Do not be worried about showing grief O Christian, for even Jesus wept at the death of dear Lazarus and withdrew for private time when He heard of the death of John. There is no shame or a sign of lack of faith with grief. Mourning is natural. Let Jesus’ grief be a sign of how we should act, He went off to grieve, but when confronted but those in need He set it aside to do for them, what was needed. In this period of grief we see that Jesus performed His most well known miracle the feeding of the five thousand, the only miracle, save the resurrection, recorded in all four gospel accounts. You may not do great works in your sorrow, but know God can use you even in the depths of your sorrow.

Reading 2

DRINKING FROM MY SAUCER

I've never made a fortune

And it's probably too late now

But I don't worry about that much

I'm happy anyhow

And as I go along life's way

I'm reaping better than I sow

I'm drinking from my saucer

'Cause my cup has overflowed

Haven't got a lot of riches

And sometimes the going's tough

But I've got loving ones around me

And that makes me rich enough

I thank God for his blessings

And the mercies He's bestowed

I'm drinking from my saucer

'Cause my cup has overflowed

Oh, Remember times when things went wrong

My faith wore somewhat thin

But all at once the dark clouds broke

And sun peeped through again

So Lord, help me not to gripe

About the tough rows that I've hoed

I'm drinking from my saucer

'Cause my cup has overflowed

If God gives me strength and courage

When the way grows steep and rough

I'll not ask for other blessings

I'm already blessed enough

And may I never be too busy

To help others bear their loads

Then I'll keep drinking from my saucer

'Cause my cup has overflowed

-Dave McKeen

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What a wonderful use of the image of the most beloved psalm, ‘my cup runneth over’. This poem reflects true blessedness. The word ‘blessed’ is first applied to God, and means more than “happy”, as it has sometimes been translated. Happiness comes from earthly things; blessedness comes from God. To be blessed is to have that trancending peace and joy in spite of ones circumstances. “Blessed be God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all the spiritual blessings of heaven in Christ.” Eph 1:3 NJB

February 29

Reading 1

Matthew 14:22-36

“Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.” Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret. After the people of that place recognized him, they sent word throughout the region and brought all who were sick to him, and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it were healed.”

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Time alone to go to God and renew one’s self is important as Jesus shows us here. The crashing waves against the boat disciples afraid and all alone. Jesus comes to His own, walks on the water towards them (whether He intended to pass by as it says in Mark’s account or whether He was coming to them in their distress). He comes and offers comfort, and even answers Peter’s request to allow him to join Jesus on the water. It’s not the miricles that should prompt our worship but the love God shows God’s own. Even when Jesus comes to gentile regions, He heals, and power flows so freely that even those who touch the clothes on His back find healing. So when we recognize Jesus, healing comes to us. We are no longer alone but God is with us, Emanuel, God is with us when Christ is with us.

Reading 2

Better two than one alone, since thus their work is really rewarding. If one should fall, the other helps him up; but what of the person with no one to help him up when he falls? Again: if two sleep together they keep warm, but how can anyone keep warm alone? Where one alone would be overcome, two will put up resistance; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

-Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, NJB

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This passage beautifully illustrates the benefits of friendship in general, but especially in relationship. Work is more rewarding when there is someone there to share the joys of the labors with. Mutual support is something most of us seek. God’s desire is for us to have it, seek God and you will find the friends and the lover God wants for you.

March

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March 1

Reading 1

Matthew 15:1-9

“Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands before they eat.” He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? For God said, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever speaks evil of father or mother must surely die.’ But you say that whoever tells father or mother, ‘Whatever support you might have had from me is given to God,’ then that person need not honor the father. So, for the sake of your tradition, you make void the word of God. You hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied rightly about you when he said: ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching human precepts as doctrines.’” ”

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People have a lot of rules they treat as divine ordinances, but they are more often than not, nothing more than rules of people. Queer Christians are often accused of breaking the rules the God has set up, but again those rules are so often set up by the churches and mean nothing for the Church of God here and now. The rule that counts is love, Jesus offers us a new command to love. If we follow the command to love as Jesus did, we will have fulfilled the will of God.

Reading 2

A true and faithful friend of God....will have [a heart] strengthened....to be able to carry the cross of Christ. All that such a person suffers is Christ’s suffering and not out own. For we are one body in Christ in many members, united and bound together by the bond of love. Christ accepts such a person as part of his own body. He witnessed to this when he said...“whatever you do to the least of these my own, you do to me.” The affliction of Christ must be fulfilled in every member until the suffering Christ is brought to completion. Just as Christ is the lamb who was slain since the beginning of the world, so he will also be crucified until the end of the world. In this way the body is perfected in length, width, depth, and height in the love of Christ. This passes all understanding, for in this Christ will be filled with all the fullness of God.

-Hans Hut, Early Anabaptist Spirituality

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The 13th chapter of Revelation Describes Jesus as the lamb slain from the foundation of the world. This is in some ways a great mystery for we are temporal and not eternal beings. When one who is eternal enters the temporal, that time in the temporal returns with Christ who is beyond time, therefore bringing salvation and redemption from Adam to the culmination of time. Jesus’ suffering goes on not only because we suffer but because His suffering covers once and for all, bringing redemption to creation and we share in that suffering because of our position in Christ’s body. As Paul writes, “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. So you should not be like cowering, fearful slaves. You should behave instead like God’s very own children, adopted into his family--calling him “Father, dear Father.” For his Holy Spirit speaks to us deep in our hearts and tells us that we are God’s children. And since we are his children, we will share his treasures--for everything God gives to his Son, Christ, is ours, too. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering. Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will give us later. For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. Against its will, everything on earth was subjected to God’s curse. All creation anticipates the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. And even we Christians, although we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, also groan to be released from pain and suffering.” Rom 8:14-23, NLT

March 2

Reading 1

Matthew 15:10-20

“Then [Jesus] called the crowd to him and said to them, “Listen and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles.” Then the disciples approached and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees took offense when they heard what you said?” He answered, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if one blind person guides another, both will fall into a pit.” But Peter said to him, “Explain this parable to us.” Then he said, “Are you also still without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth enters the stomach, and goes out into the sewer? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles. For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile.” ”

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A pure heart is what God looks for, evil desires, whether it is murder theft, sexual immorality, or lying start first in our minds, our hearts. Whom we love is not what defiles us, but using people sexually, lying, or taking what is not ours shows we are not loving like Jesus asked us to. Love does others no wrong, and has nothing to do with external things that we are told will defile us.

Reading 2

Living the spiritual life means living life as one unified reality. The forces of darkness split, divide and set in opposition. The forces of light unite. Literally, the word “diabolic” means dividing. The demon divides; the Spirit unites.

The Spiritual life counteracts the countless divisions that pervade our daily life and cause destruction and violence. These divisions are interior as well as exterior: the divisions among our most intimate emotions and divisions among the most widespread social groupings. The division between gladness and sadness within me or division between the races, religions and cultures around me all find their source in the diabolic forces of darkness. The Spirit of God, the Spirit that calls us the beloved, is the Spirit that unites and makes whole. There is no clearer way to discern the presence of God’s Spirit than to identify the moments of unification, healing, restoration and reconciliation. Wherever the Spirit works, divisions vanish and inner as well as out unity manifests itself.

-Henri Nouwen, The Life of the Beloved

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Queer people know about divided lives, many of us have lived closeted in the past, leading a life of who we are and one of who we want to express ourselves to be, there is a Greek word used in the Bible for wearing this different masks, it is: hupokrites, hypocrites. Very few people can say they are without guile, expressing themselves truly at all times, but all to often the mask we put on is not even close to who we are. This division of self is unhealthy, and it is why I urge Queer Christians, to live open and honestly, embrace the truth of who God made you to be. Seek unity, the rainbow flag is a wonderful symbol of unity in diversity, that beauty of a rainbow is united white light whose unity has been shattered, but thanks be to God they cling together because they are all of the light. We are called to be children of God, let us live as such. I, the prisoner in the Lord, urge you therefore to lead a life worthy of the vocation to which you were called. With all humility and gentleness, and with patience, support each other in love. Take every care to preserve the unity of the Spirit by the peace that binds you together. There is one Body, one Spirit, just as one hope is the goal of your calling by God. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of all, over all, through all and within all. Eph. 4:1-6, NJB

March 3

Reading 1

Matthew 15:21-28

“Jesus left that place and went away to the district of Tyre and Sidon. Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon.” But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, “Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us.” He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” He answered, “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus answered her, “Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed instantly.”

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Here is a woman who took a risk, talking to a strange man, and a Jew at that all for hope beyond hope her daughter would be healed. But Jesus seems to want not to deviate from his agenda to the people of Israel, but her faith will not go unrewarded, her persistence pays off and she gets what she desired her daughter is healed. In the same way, we need to be persistent even when things seem to be discouraging. You never know when something will happen instantly.

Reading 2

It is no small consolation in this life to have someone you can unite with you in an intimate affection and the embrace of a holy love, someone in whom your spirit can rest, to whom you can pour out your soul, to whose pleasant exchanges, as to soothing songs, you can fly in sorrow... with whose spiritual kisses, as with remedial salves, you may draw out all the weariness of your restless anxieties. A man who can shed tears with you in your worries, be happy with you when things go well, search out with you the answers to your problems, whom with the ties of charity you can lead into the depths of your heart; . . . where the sweetness of the Spirit flows between you, where you so join yourself and cleave to him that soul mingles with soul and two become one.

–St. Aelred of Rievaulx

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“Some friends play at friendship but a true friend sticks closer than one’s nearest kin.” Proverbs 18:24, NRSV.

March 4

Reading 1

Matthew 15:29-39

“After Jesus had left that place, he passed along the Sea of Galilee, and he went up the mountain, where he sat down. Great crowds came to him, bringing with them the lame, the maimed, the blind, the mute, and many others. They put them at his feet, and he cured them, so that the crowd was amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel. Then Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion for the crowd, because they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat; and I do not want to send them away hungry, for they might faint on the way.” The disciples said to him, “Where are we to get enough bread in the desert to feed so great a crowd?” Jesus asked them, “How many loaves have you?” They said, “Seven, and a few small fish.” Then ordering the crowd to sit down on the ground, he took the seven loaves and the fish; and after giving thanks he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And all of them ate and were filled; and they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full. Those who had eaten were four thousand men, besides women and children. After sending away the crowds, he got into the boat and went to the region of Magadan.”

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Jesus fame spreads and so crowds build, but Jesus still has compassion on them, cures them and feeds them. We too must try never to tire of doing good, for it leads to praise of God, but even though one might say that Jesus had won over the crowd, moves on to new territory, in the same way we should not rest on our laurels and past victories, but continue to push on where ever God calls us.

Reading 2

Joy: Joy is an essential ingredient to surviving and thriving in a world full of darkness and bad news. Trying to control life and manufacture happiness leads to frustration, sadness, and anger. But Francis taught that joy comes from abandoning ourselves into the hands of God. Ironically, this submission to God doesn't result in a life that is defeatist, pessimistic, or separated from the rhythms of life. Instead, it connects us to life more deeply and more passionately. Learn to forgive, thus freeing yourself from the illusions of both control and victimization.

-John Michael Talbot with Steve Rabey, The lessons of St. Francis:How to Bring Simplicity and Spirituality into Your Daily Life

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But let the godly rejoice. Let them be glad in God’s presence. Let them be filled with joy. Sing praises to God and to his name! Sing loud praises to him who rides the clouds. His name is the LORD--rejoice in his presence! Father to the fatherless, defender of widows--this is God, whose dwelling is holy. God places the lonely in families; he sets the prisoners free and gives them joy. But for rebels, there is only famine and distress. O God, when you led your people from Egypt, when you marched through the wilderness, the earth trembled, and the heavens poured rain before you, the God of Sinai, before God, the God of Israel. You sent abundant rain, O God, to refresh the weary Promised Land. There your people finally settled, and with a bountiful harvest, O God, you provided for your needy people. The Lord announces victory, and throngs of women shout the happy news. Psalm 68:3-11 NLT

March 5

Reading 1

Matthew 16:1-4

“The Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test Jesus they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. He answered them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” Then he left them and went away.”

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We who are religious so very often can be spiritually blind, we see things clearly all around us everyday life, but can easily miss the power of the Spirit in our midst, this is especially the case with churches and Queer Christians, they cannot even fathom God is working in us, so they reject us, for not concerning to their preconceived signs. Let us like Jesus not be afraid to leave those who accept us not. I say leave but if you leave remember them in prayer constantly for that too is our calling from God.

Reading 2

The [second] commandment asserts that creation is unable to make God visible or available. God’s sovereign mystery is discontinuous from everything and anything in creation. The propensity to encapsulate God in creation leads to an attempt to retain for ourselves control over some piece of creation. The clearest, most extensive treatment of this confusion in the Bible is Rom. 1:20-25 [Ever since the world began his invisible attributes, that is to say [God’] everlasting power and deity, have been visible to the eye of reason, in the things [God] has made. Their conduct, therefore, is indefensible; knowing God, they have refused to honour him as God, or to render him thanks. Hence all their thinking has ended in futility, and their misguided minds are plunged in darkness. They boast of their wisdom, but they have made fools of themselves, exchanging the glory of the immortal God for an image shaped like mortal man, even for images like birds, beasts, and reptiles. For this reason God has given them up to their own vile desires, and the consequent degradation of their bodies. They have exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and have offered reverence and worship to created things instead of to the Creator. Blessed is he for ever, Amen. (REB)]. To imagine that anything in creation could possibly embody the creator God is a result of “futile thinking” and “senseless darkened minds” (Rom 1:21). The out come is false worship based on a lie instead of the truth (v.20).

In contemporary Church discussions, this powerful, polemical, doxological statement has often been side-tracked and related only to issues of homosexuality. The confusion of creator-creation, however, is much more profound and ominous than an argument about sexuality. Attempts to “image God” by taking creation into our own hands are much more evident in technological abuse of creation and in military exploitation, by which “God as power” comes into play without any restraining awareness that “God as power” is also “God as Holy Mystery.” It may in the end be the case that the “shameless acts” men commit with other men (cf. Rom. 1:27-28) are not sexual as much as they are military and technological. The Mosaic prohibition against idols and images has profound sociopolitical implications, for the practice of worshiping idols and images is never simply a theological or liturgical matter but also spills over into social, ideological, and political practice....

- Walter Brueggemann, New Interpreter’s Bible Volume I

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A radical but interesting reinterpretation of Romans 1:27f, the idea that the idols that we set up are our real shame talked about. It is true, we have many idols in our world these days. Some of them are more obvious like wealth, political ideology at the expense of the poor, or even the Bible. Creation may not be God, but just as a painting can tell us something about the artist, so God’s creation tells us about God. We must stop using creation to try to become God’s, or looking for God in creation, but simply join in with all creation praising God. Let everything that breathes praise Yahweh. Alleluia! Ps 150:6 NJB

March 6

Reading 1

Matthew 16:5-12

“When the disciples reached the other side, they had forgotten to bring any bread. Jesus said to them, “Watch out, and beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” They said to one another, “It is because we have brought no bread.” And becoming aware of it, Jesus said, “You of little faith, why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not perceive? Do you not remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you gathered? Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many baskets you gathered? How could you fail to perceive that I was not speaking about bread? Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees!” Then they understood that he had not told them to beware of the yeast of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

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Legalism is infectious and dangerous, there is a fine line drawn between saying ‘be careful’ and ‘you shall not’. Just as the disciples misheard the warning of Jesus then we too can mishear the warning today, many good Christians live lives bound by legalism, yet believe themselves to be living free. Laws end up being added to laws, never have legal libraries grown smaller in content, never do we live by more rules more freely. We do have two laws, but these laws are love of God and love of neighbour, every rule past that point is, as Hillel said, simply commentary.

Reading 2

Thus says Yahweh: Make fair judgement your concern, act with justice, for soon my salvation will come and my saving justice be manifest. Blessed is anyone who does this, anyone who clings to it, observing the Sabbath, not profaning it, and abstaining from every evil deed. No foreigner adhering to Yahweh should say, ‘Yahweh will utterly exclude me from his people.’ No eunuch should say, ‘Look, I am a dried-up tree.’ For Yahweh says this: To the eunuchs who observe my Sabbaths and choose to do my good pleasure and cling to my covenant, I shall give them in my house and within my walls a monument and a name better than sons and daughters; I shall give them an everlasting name that will never be effaced. As for foreigners who adhere to Yahweh to serve him, to love Yahweh’s name and become [God’s] servants, all who observe the Sabbath, not profaning it, and cling to my covenant: these I shall lead to my holy mountain and make them joyful in my house of prayer.

-Isaiah 56:1-7 NJB

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The Lord is gracious including those excluded under the law of Moses and tells us plainly fairness and justice are to be the concerns of those would do God’s will and the blessing is that God leads us out joyfully. This passage is a wonderful one for all Queer Christians, God speaks to the eunuch’s, those accused under the law, separated from God. God tells these ‘sexual abnormals’ that those who do the will of God, are honored by God. Worry not that legalists say “You must not have sex or be who God created you or do this or that” God says do my will and you will live, not only live but live joyously. And we know from the Gospel that God’s will is for us to love God fully and neighbours as self.

March 7

Reading 1

Matthew 16:13-20

“Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.”

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Who do you say Jesus is, that is the key to all of life, if He is a a good teacher alone, He is an example to follow, if He was the Christ, the Son of the living God, He deserves more than our attention as a teacher, He deserves our worship. For those who know Jesus as Lord, Jesus gives the assurance that the gates of hell prevail not against us, and that is why we hope even when all manner of evil befalls us.

Reading 2

Growing into Our True Freedom

True freedom is the freedom of the children of God. To reach that freedom requires a lifelong discipline since so much in our world militates against it. The political, economic, social, and even religious powers surrounding us all want to keep us in bondage so that we will obey their commands and be dependent on their rewards.

But the spiritual truth that leads to freedom is the truth that we belong not to the world but to God, whose beloved children we are. By living lives in which we keep returning to that truth in word and deed, we gradually grow into our true freedom.

-Henri Nouwen, Bread for the Journey

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[God] destined us for adoption as [God’s] children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of [God’s] will, to the praise of [God’s] glorious grace that [God] freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. It is for freedom that Christ set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and refuse to submit again to the yoke of slavery. Eph 1:5-6, NRSV Gal 5:1, REB

March 8

Reading 1

Matthew 16:21-28

“From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you.” But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.” Then Jesus told his disciples, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life? “For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyone for what has been done. Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.” ”

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No one in this mortal flesh has or ever can follow the will of God perfectly, there was but One who did and that was Jesus. How quickly Peter goes from embracing the truth of Jesus to rejecting God’s will for Christ. We in mortal flesh are as weak, and all to prone to saying, ‘NEVER! No it can’t be, that is not what I think of as being right.’ God’s ways are higher than ours and if we want to go beyond the response of the human heart to following the will of God, we have to accept where the Spirit leads us. If we are to see the kingdom of God in our lives we must be open to God fully. There is no male or female, slave or free, Jew or Gentile, Queer or Straight, but all are in God, all welcomed in God’s Kingdom, just be careful not to stand in the way of God’s will and so become an agent of evil.

Reading 2

The Bride Speaks of Her Love

Our flowery bed is safely

hidden among the lion caves,

under a purple tent

erected in a deep peace

and crowned with a thousand shields of Gold..

Young girls wander about

the roads seeking a sign from you

in the falling lightning

or in the spiced wine

which emanates a holy balm.

Deep in the winevault of

my love I drank, and when I came

out on this open meadow

I knew no thing at all,

I lost the flock I use to drive.

He held me to his chest

and taught me a sweet and living knowledge.

Instantly I yielded all

I had–keeping nothing-

and promised then to be his bride.

I gave my soul to him

and all things I owned were his:

I have no flock to tend

nor any other trade

and my ministry is love.

If I’m no longer seen

following sheep about the hills,

say that I am lost, that

wandering in love I let

myself be lost and then was won.

-St. John of the Cross, from The Spiritual Canticle

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Anyone who wants to save [one’s] life will lose it; but anyone who loses [one’s] life for my sake will find it. What, then, will anyone gain by winning the whole world and forfeiting [one’s] life? Or what can anyone offer in exchange for [one’s] life? Matthew 16:25-26 NJB

March 9

Reading 1

Matthew 17:1-13

“Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!” When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Get up and do not be afraid.” And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone. As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, “Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.” And the disciples asked him, “Why, then, do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” He replied, “Elijah is indeed coming and will restore all things; but I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but they did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of Man is about to suffer at their hands.” Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them about John the Baptist.”

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This transfiguration experience was an epiphany, no longer are the scales on their eyes but they know even as they are known, Moses and Elijah need no introduction, and Jesus face is as pure light. Like the disciples when we have an epiphany we often don’t want to leave, we want to capture it forever, but just as no photograph can capture of aspects of a sunset fully, neither can we capture and keep that experience the same forever. Our visions are also often for ourselves, if we feel compelled to talk about them and share them do, but otherwise meditate on them and tell no one before it is time. Even Paul had ecstasies beyond what he was ever permitted to tell. Sometimes God gives us ecstacy to feed our soul alone, then we may go out to others, rather go out to show God’s love.

Reading 2

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear: our presence automatically liberates others.”

-Nelson Mandela

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Child of God begin in the light of liberation and remember, you can do all things through God who strengthens you. (see Philip. 4:13)

March 10

Reading 1

Matthew 17:14-23

“When they came to the crowd, a man came to [Jesus], knelt before him, and said, “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and he suffers terribly; he often falls into the fire and often into the water. And I brought him to your disciples, but they could not cure him.” Jesus answered, “You faithless and perverse generation, how much longer must I be with you? How much longer must I put up with you? Bring him here to me.” And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and the boy was cured instantly. Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.” As they were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised.” And they were greatly distressed.”

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The disciples lacked faith, all things may be possible for God (though not necessarily in God’s plans or will), but our faith is small, smaller than the most insignificant of seeds, for if we simply had a grain of faith the most power miracles would be performed by us. People can be healed by a good doctor, but there comes a time when medical science can do no more and the only hope is faith. I do not say that faith will save every mortal life, but that mortal life shall be transformed to immortal, pure and powerful through faith. The truth of bad news is distressing but the good news is that in God nothing is impossible for us.

Reading 2

“Who told you that you were naked?” an answer could be, “My conscience!” The challenge at the dawn of a new millenium is to find true freedom of conscience. This involves a rejection of the simple solution of letting others determine for you what is morally right or wrong. Mature spirituality requires entering faith’s firey furnace to forge your own contemporary conscience. Such a conscience involves more than sexual morality; it includes social, ecological and political issues. The Second Vatican Council declared a generation ago that “...only in freedom can people direct theselves towards goodness...authentic freedom is an exceptional sign of the divine image within humanity...” (Church in the Modern World)....

True conscience, the Spirit’s guiding voice, is constantly being formed by a prayerful reflection on the teachings of the Gospel, the wisdom of the Church and past ages, and God’d voice heard with in your own heart. True freedom of conscience requires the silent prayer of listening as an integral part of the process. It can also be aided by an honest consultation with someone qualified in such matters. Then, when the many voices in your heart harmonize into a healthy, holy and single voice, have the courage to follow it–regardless of how it might first sound. That voice is more than a barometer of conscience about what is right or wrong, it is a radio beacon intended to bring you Home.

That voice of true conscience is an alarm clock gently awakening you to live in the wholeness and beauty of God’s creation–and in freedom and love. It reminds you, regardless of what you may have heard in church or in old childhood tapes [of dos and don’ts], that at the end of each day of creation God looked upon what had been created and said, “Hmmm, that’s Good!”

-Father Edward Hays, Holy Fools and Mad Hatters

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This sounds radical but is Christ like, remember when Jesus refused to rebuke (perhaps even encouraged the breaking of sabbath rules), when his disciples were breaking the rule of not collecting food on the sabbath. People are more important than rules laid down by mortals, no matter how pious they may be, love of people and God will set the course. I shall set my law within them, writing it on their hearts; I shall be their God, and they will be my people. Jer. 31:33

March 11

Reading 1

Matthew 17:24-27

“When they reached Capernaum, the collectors of the temple tax came to Peter and said, “Does your teacher not pay the temple tax?” He said, “Yes, he does.” And when he came home, Jesus spoke of it first, asking, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do kings of the earth take toll or tribute? From their children or from others?” When Peter said, “From others,” Jesus said to him, “Then the children are free. However, so that we do not give offense to them, go to the sea and cast a hook; take the first fish that comes up; and when you open its mouth, you will find a coin; take that and give it to them for you and me.” ”

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Jesus, even though He knows that He is free and so is Peter from paying the tax, will not make Peter a liar, nor look to give offense unnecessarily. The Lord provides in a most unusually way, but this is similar in our lives too, God’s providence rarely works out as we would have thought. It is also a lesson in not giving offense, we should never be bound by legalism but truly it is sin, to display your freedom out of shear spite with no need. We as Queer Christians should feel no guilt in what we do with our partners, but anything more than a kiss or holding hands in church leads beyond practicing freedom to flaunting our freedom and causing offense needlessly. You are free, but be kind and think of your weaker siblings in Christ.

Reading 2

O God, reform, renew and preserve us!

We are participating in the continual reformation of the Church. We are called to be true to the Word and the one Gospel. Let us grasp from the hand of Satan the Bible verses he has used against us. Let us restore their true meaning and so bring reformation and renewal. So that in the Church truth may reign in love and not the hate of lies. Let us remember God is our Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer. Created us, gay and straight, male and female, of a rainbow of colors of skin. Christ redeems us through His glorious resurrection to take away our sin, not our sexuality. And the Holy Spirit Sustains and renews us. May She bring illumination to the Church, as we strive together in love. We know the truth of God's love, and in that I shall live, and so I hope you will as well.

-DWF

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We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming. But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love. Eph 4:14-16 NRSV

March 12

Reading 1

Matthew 18:1-9

“At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a child, whom he put among them, and said, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me. “If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were fastened around your neck and you were drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world because of stumbling blocks! Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to the one by whom the stumbling block comes! “If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to enter life maimed or lame than to have two hands or two feet and to be thrown into the eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into the hell of fire.”

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The world is turned upside down by the kigdom of hevean, it isn’t the powerful, or the smart, or the wealthy who are first; but the children those who, epseically in Jesus’ time were of little value or consequnce. Childern who posses true humilthy, pure love, and no guile. If we are not able to become as cildren we can’t be part of God’s kingdom, and even worse when we cause them to stumble we are endager of cutting ourself off from God. Even to the point where we say if part of myself causes me to stumble I must rid my body of it. Look not with eny on that new car, step not intentially on people as you climb the corperate lader, better to be a beggar in the streets crippled than a greedy, cruel person. The saddest thing is that many of these people think they are getting to first place in their striving for more, striving for power, in the end it is nothing more stable than a house of cards in wind storm, ready to be swept into the fire.

Reading 2

WHAT EVERY BOY KNOWS

Every boy knows what it’s like

when he is really alone,

When it’s safe to jack off with a passion,

When it’s safe to take off his clothes

and prance around

And parade his lubricating cock

before every mirror in the house,

Safe to cry out and talk dirty

while jerking it,

Really scream “I’m coming!”

when he comes,

Really stand on his head

and jack off in his face

if he wants,

Yes, every boy knows

when it’s safe.

At the country picnic the 12 year old boy

wanders of into the woods,

he knows the perfect spot.

On his study-hall break to the library

the 13 year old stops in the empty john,

just enough for a quickie.

The 14 year old boy-scout waits till he is sure

every one in the tent is sleeping,

quietly, slowly he plays with his dream.

The 15 year old runs home from school,

half-way he’s already hard,

His heart is pounding

when he opens the front door,

He knows he’s got a full hour

before his sister or parents return,

Enough time to give himself

a real work out in the bathtub.

The 16 year old wakes up in the snowy night,

he watches himself with a flashlight

magically masturbate under the comforter.

The 17 year old puts Leaves of Grass aside,

leans back on the chair with his feet on the wall

in the basement at home where he studies,

He likes poetry, but right now

He needs a good hand job

before he can continue...

No one can see me now, the boy chuckles to himself,

And I’m not fool enough anymore to think God

is watching me horrified

and will sentence me to hell.

If God doesn’t love to watch boys jack off

as much as boys love to watch themselves jack off

he doesn’t exist.

The 18 year old boy licks his lips

as he jacks off in the hay loft,

If anyone saw me they’d think I was nuts

he thinks as he squirms and groans,

His devilish lasciviousness to make love to himself

makes the monkeys at the zoo seem prudes,

There is no posture, no expression on his face,

no possible method of touch he won’t try

to make it feel more Wow.

The voluptuous 19 year old knows

he’s got the whole beach to himself today,

He basks naked in the sun till baked,

then floating on the bosom of the lake

gives himself the best hand-job of his life.

The 20 year old mountain climber still digs the thrill

of doing it on top of a mountain alone,

He never tells anyone about it, it’s a secret

he keeps to himself,

He still smiles remembering the first time

he jacked off from a cliff,

Ecstatic boyhood semen spurting and spurting

tumbling thousands of feet

into the valley below...

-Antler, Gay and Lesbian Poetry in our Time

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This may seem like an odd poem at first to include as a reflection for a time of prayer. ‘Antler’ expresses beautifully an almost praise for masturbation, the wonderfulness of innocence reborn (or not yet lost), naked and unashamed recognizing that God is more delighted in seeing a child experiencing pleasure than angry at him. Love making has been called a form of prayer, and if so this poem celebrates an almost Franciscan approach to prayer, praying with all five senses. Indeed it was Rev. Robert Warren Cromey, who said, “Sexual ecstasy can be religious ecstasy,...God is in and through our sexuality as God is in and through all creation. God consecrates and hallows sexuality as it reflects affection, compassion and love, as it celebrates the joy of being alive in God’s wonderful creation.”! This poem encompassing an eight year period may remind us here and there of our own youth, and lead us back to a state of wholeness. “When we learn to reunite sex and Spirit in our lives, we will experience change and healing beyond our wildest dreams.” -Matthew Fox

March 13

Reading 1

Matthew 18:10-14

“ “Take care that you do not despise one of these little ones; for, I tell you, in heaven their angels continually see the face of my Father in heaven. What do you think? If a shepherd has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. So it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost.”

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God wants all the sheep safely in the fold of the Divine love, we must be very careful never to look down on anyone. The angels of God, take special care as the old saying goes of fools and little children. Perhaps that is because the fool is seen with no more insight than a child, but the childlike nature is what brings greater praise from God. May we never be like goats chasing sheep away, or in anyway causing one of God’s little lambs to get lost.

Reading 2

SEEING GOD

I asked again, "Do the angels and saints who live in the highest spheres of heaven, always look on the face of God? And, if they see Him, in what form and state does He appear ?" One of the saints said, "As the sea is full of water, so is the whole universe filled with God, and every inhabitant of heaven feels His presence about him on every side. When one dives under water, above and below and round about there is nothing but water, so in heaven is the presence of God felt. And just as in the water of the sea there are uncounted living creatures, so in the Infinite Being of God His creatures exist.Because He is Infinite, His children, who are finite, can see Him only in the form of Christ. As the Lord Himself has said,"He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father" (John 14:9). In this world of spirits the spiritual progress of any one governs the degree to which he is able to know and feel God; and the Christ also reveals His glorious form to each one according to his spiritual enlightenment and capacity. If Christ were to appear in the same glorious light to-the dwellers of the darkened lower spheres of the spiritual world, as he; appears to those in the higher planes, then they would not be able to bear it. So He tempers the glory of His manifestation to the state of progress, and to the capacity, of each individual soul."

Then another saint added, "God's presence can indeed be felt and enjoyed but it cannot be expressed in words. As the sweetness of the sweet is enjoyed by tasting, and not by the most graphic descriptive phrasing, so every one in heaven experiences the joy of God's presence, and every one in the spiritual world knows that his experience of God is real, and has no need that any should attempt to help him with a verbal description of it."

- Sundar Singh, Visions

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In the presence of God once inperfections of this age or life has passed away knowledge will be complet as the prophet says “No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, “Know the LORD,” for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the LORD; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.” (Jer 31:34).

March 14

Reading 1

Matthew 18:15-20

“ “If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.” ”

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We sometimes seem to love pointing out others faults, note clearly that is not what happens here. IF you are being sinned against, do not keep bitterness but tell that one-you are being harmed, if they can not agree with you take others with you, if they agree with you the offense against you is perhaps true, but if the offense is only in your mind, perhaps you need to pray for new eyes, and ask that one for forgiveness. Forgiveness is one of the most divine things one human can offer another. And where there is agreement of hearts God will be there amongst them.

Reading 2

Night after night on my bed I have sought my true love; I have sought him, but I have not found him. I said, ‘I will rise and go the rounds of the city through streets and squares, seeking my true love.’ I sought him, but could not find him.

The watchmen came upon me, as they made their rounds of the city. ‘Have you seen my true love?’ I asked them.

Scarcely had I left them behind when I met my true love. I held him and would not let him go till I had brought him to my mother’s house, to the room of her who conceived me.

I charge you, maidens of Jerusalem, by the spirits and the goddesses of the field: Do not rouse or awaken love until it is ready.

-Song of Songs 3:1-5, REB

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The Song of Songs (or Song of Solomon), is a wonderful poem of love, which has been allegorically aplied to the Church and Christ, and also to a husband and wife (although the text makes not even a hint at there being married). I would like to offer a little queer interpreation to this 5 verses, Endless nights of desire for a husband have not yeilded me a lover, I went out into the streets seeking him, but was in vain, I even asked for help finding him but they were of no help. But then when hope was fading he appeared, and I didn't let him go till he became like family, be patient, love will come when it’s ready. That is how the Spirit speaks to me of those verses of love, for all those who like me long for a lover, may this give hope.

March 15

Reading 1

Matthew 18:21-35

“Then Peter came and said to him, “Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times. “For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him; and, as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, and payment to be made. So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt. But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat, he said, ‘Pay what you owe.’ Then his fellow slave fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ But he refused; then he went and threw him into prison until he would pay the debt. When his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. Then his lord summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?’ And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured until he would pay his entire debt. So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.” ”

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We unfortunately are too like that wicked slave, we want unlimited forgiveness from God but the petty offenses of everyday life committed against us we do not truely forgive. To forgive is not merely to say I forgive you, but to say I shall remember no more that you wronged me, it is blotted from my mind even as our sins our blotted from the mind of God. If we refuse to forgive fully how can we experience truly the full and utter forgiveness of God’s great love?

Reading 2

It is perhaps not so hard to forgive a single great injury. But to forgive the incessant provocations of daily life–to keep on forgiving the bossy mother-in-law, the bullying husband, the nagging wife, the selfish daughter, the deceitful son–how can we do it? Only, I think, by remembering where we stand, by meaning our words when we say our prayers each night “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” We are offered forgiveness on no other terms. To refuse it is to refuse God’s mercy for ourselves. There is no hint of exceptions and God means what He says.

-C. S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory and Other Messages

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And so we remember that Jesus said to Peter “Then Peter went up to him and said, ‘Lord, how often must I forgive my brother if he wrongs me? As often as seven times?’ Jesus answered, ‘Not seven, I tell you, but seventy-seven times.” (Mt. 18:21-22). I know from personal experience it is easy to let the insults and wrongs of the stranger be forgiven but when family or friends wrong us it hurts deeply, this too must be forgiven. Queer Christians are often hurt deeply by family and friends but sometimes they do not even realize they are doing it. Learn to forgive all wrongs and all people. It is not always easy but thanks be to God who will give us the strength to do it. “There is nothing I cannot do in the One who strengthens me.” Philip 4:13, NJB

March 16

Reading 1

Matthew 19:1-12

“When Jesus had finished saying these things, he left Galilee and went to the region of Judea beyond the Jordan. Large crowds followed him, and he cured them there. Some Pharisees came to him, and to test him they asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause?” He answered, “Have you not read that the one who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” They said to him, “Why then did Moses command us to give a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her?” He said to them, “It was because you were so hard-hearted that Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for unchastity, and marries another commits adultery.” His disciples said to him, “If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.” But he said to them, “Not everyone can accept this teaching, but only those to whom it is given. For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let anyone accept this who can.” ”

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The unions God seeks for us are not to be temporary but permanent. We have hard hearts and often times fail to cleave to our partners, but this must not be seen as proof that God would not desire us to be united fully with the proper mate. The disciples move on to say better a Eunuch then, a powerful statement especially when you realize that rabbis of that time used eunuch not only in it’s literal sense, but also as a euphemism for what we would call a gay man, this makes most sense out of Jesus saying that some have been born eunuch’s (although that is never to deny that some people do possess a gift for celibacy).

Reading 2

Ethics for a New Age

Our society no longer requires a civil contract to be sworn "in the name of the Lord," so that if broken, the offending party would be guilty of "taking the Lord's name in vain." Today contracts are signed into legal documents and enforced by the courts. Without that defining context, we have begun to suggest that this third commandment has something to do with profanity. Profanity may be either blasphemous or in poor taste, but it has nothing to do with taking the name of the Lord in vain."...

Literal biblical texts quoted in the past to uphold slavery, to battle against the way illnesses were treated, and to prevent women from being ordained, holding them in the status of second-class citizenship. We seem to forget that defenders of each of these archaic ideas also claimed to be acting according to "the clear teaching of scripture."...

The Bible, [Professor Walter Wink] wrote, condemned the following sexual activities, which we also condemn: incest, rape, adultery, and intercourse with animals. But the Bible also condemned, Dr. Wink continued, the following practices, which we today either generally allow or at least do not universally condemn:intercourse during menstruation, celibacy, marriage to non-Jews, naming sex organs, nudity under certain conditions, masturbation, and birth control....

Finally, Dr, wink noted that the Bible permitted theses behaviours that we today condemn: prostitution, polygamy, levirate marriage, sex with slaves, concubinage, treatment of women as property, and very early marriage (for the girl aged eleven to thirteen). He went on to say that "while the old testament accepted divorce, Jesus forbade it." In conclusion, Dr. Wink observed that "of the sexual mores mentioned here, we only agree with the Bible on four of them and disagree with it on sixteen."....

The Bible is an ambiguous document about specific sexual practices. Perhaps that is what those who think of themselves as "Bible believers" have so much difficulty accepting. A real knowledge of scripture does not issue in certainty. Even one of the biblical instances that is quoted to demonstrate the Bible's clear denunciation of the "sin of homosexuality" (Rom. 1) confronts us with the strange idea that if we fail to worship God properly, God will punish us with homosexuality! That is an idea so bizarre as to merit immediate dismissal even if it does appear to have been uttered by the apostle, Paul. No longer is it deemed adequate to assert "but the Ten Commandments state" or "but the Bible teaches." Those claims settle no debate in our time. All the do today is to proclaim that the one who uses this tactic has nothing worthwhile to say to the current ethical dilemmas....

When the value of human sexuality is repressed, it returns as pornography. When we take sex away from love, we sucked only in taking love away from sex. Ethics and morality must go beyond this false dichotomy.....

Christian ethics are not found in a system of behaviour control. They are found in a call to the fullness of life. The business of the Church is, therefore, not to judge life, but to enhance consciousness, to expose ignorance and prejudice, and to remove the barriers to life in all of it's fullness. The Church's task is to assist it's people in plumbing the depths of their own humanity, where transcendence, mystery, being, and even love are discovered, and to bring those qualities found in the center of life into the world. I name that center of life God.

-Bishop John Shelby Spong, Why Christianity Must Change or Die

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Although I cannot embrace or recommend the theology of Bishop Spong’s book wholeheartedly, chapter 10 struck a cord in me, and reading Spong one is definitely challenged, and so I follow the apostles advice “Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise the words of prophets, but test everything; hold fast to what is good;” 1 Thessalonians 5:19-21, NRSV.

March 17

Reading 1

Matthew 19:13-15

“Then little children were being brought to him in order that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples spoke sternly to those who brought them; but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.” And he laid his hands on them and went on his way.”

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This is one of the most beautiful images in the gospels, the Son of God taking those of little importance to the world and blessing them. The disciples would have separated Jesus from them, after all He wasn’t their father, what concern were they to Him. In the same way no one is insignificant or to unimportant to go to God and find warm welcome and blessing. May you offer blessing to all you meet, and so be like your Lord.

Reading 2

Patrick, Bishop and Patron Saint of Ireland

As Patrick approached the palace of Loegaire, the High King of Ireland, chanted the brave song which is called Saint Patrick’s Breastplate, or the Deer’s Cry. For the king had caused [people] to lie in ambush on Patrick’s road to destroy him and his followers, and Patrick aware of the danger, sought strength and courage from the thought of Christ’s nearness. ‘If Christ be with me’, he thought to himself, ‘of whom shall I be afraid?’ Tradition says that when Patrick and his monks passed by, they appeared to [the people] in ambush as wild deer with a fawn following in the mist. And this was the brave and noble song which Patrick chanted as he went bravely to preach Christ in the royal palace of Tara:

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,

Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,

Christ on my right, Christ on my left,

Christ in breadth, Christ in length, Christ in height,

Christ in the heart of every [one] who thinks of me,

Christ in the heart of everyone who speaks of me,

Christ in the eye that sees me,

Christ in every ear that hears me.

Patrick failed to persuade the king to become a Christian, but received his permission to preach the Gospel in his country.

-Phyllis Garlick

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The story of St Patrick reminds me of the story of St. Francis who went to convert the Sultan, and although he failed received control of most of the Christian sights in the holy land. We will not always succeed fully in our endeavors to share God, but if we are honest and true to our call God will make even our enemies to be at peace with us and God will work what is planned. When the ways of people please the LORD, he causes even their enemies to be at peace with them. (Pro 16:7, NRSV) For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there until they have watered the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.(Isa. 55:8-11, NRSV)

March 18

Reading 1

Matthew 19:16-30

“Then someone came to him and said, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.” He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; Honor your father and mother; also, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” The young man said to him, “I have kept all these; what do I still lack?” Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” When the young man heard this word, he went away grieving, for he had many possessions. Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astounded and said, “Then who can be saved?” But Jesus looked at them and said, “For mortals it is impossible, but for God all things are possible.” Then Peter said in reply, “Look, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man is seated on the throne of his glory, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold, and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”

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What can I do to be saved? Follow the law perfectly Jesus says, and if you think you have followed it perfectly, give all away and follow me (Jesus). The rich young man thought he had followed things perfectly but his love of money proved him wrong. What could have been a blessing overflowing from the abundance of his wealth turned out to be a chain dragging him away from God. Riches were seen as blessings to the disciples so they wondered how anyone could be saved if not this rich and righteous man, but the good news is our love and sacrifices are saw by God and rewarded in God’s own way, and there is hope for all for all things are possible with God.

Reading 2

Naked We Came into the World Naked We Shall Leave It

It may seem an extraordinary thing to do, to sell all you have and give the proceeds to the poor. Actually, however, it is a natural action. It is like going back to creation, to our own birth itself.

When Job had lost all his possessions he did not think what had just happened to him was anything abnormal. He soothed his pain by saying: ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I shall return.’ [Job 1:21] As if to say: ‘All that has happened is that I find myself as I was when I was born.’

It is natural for human beings to be deprived of everything, to end up with nothing but their own bodies.

But it becomes much greater than something simply natural is someone does it voluntarily, for the love of God. It is like death. To die for love of God is martyrdom.

When Adam and Eve were created they did not possess anything. Not only had they no wealth: they did not even have any clothes. They were like a child which comes naked from it’s mother’s womb. They were in the position Job describes. They were as Paul has said: ‘We brought nothing into this world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.’ [1Tim. 6:7]

Let people look at their beginning and their end, and try to be like that also during the time between.

-Philoxenus of Mabbug, Homily 9

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Well despite many people acting like they can take it with them, the happy truth is hearses are not designed to pull a U-HAL. Most of us do not relish the concept of losing everything we have, let alone giving it up, but how about starting in a small way. Next time you see a new shirt, book, or whatever you have plenty of, stop and remind yourself you aren’t going to take it with you, if you decide you can live without it why not think bout giving that money to charity, or volunteering your time at a local organizati on. Then perhaps we can be like St. Francis who asked that he might be striped and left on the bare ground so that he might die with nothing as Christ had on the cross. You must each make up your own mind as to how much you should give. Don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. For God loves the person who gives cheerfully. 2Cor. 9:7.

March 19

Reading 1

Matthew 20:1-16

“ “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the laborers for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard. When he went out about nine o’clock, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace; and he said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ So they went. When he went out again about noon and about three o’clock, he did the same. And about five o’clock he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, ‘Why are you standing here idle all day?’ They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard.’ When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, ‘Call the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and then going to the first.’ When those hired about five o’clock came, each of them received the usual daily wage. Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received the usual daily wage. And when they received it, they grumbled against the landowner, saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? Take what belongs to you and go; I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ So the last will be first, and the first will be last.” ”

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God plays no favorites but richly offers life to all who come to the Divine service, life in Christ. We worry not about how much better honor we might have in the life after but glorify God for the generosity of giving all of us servants life eternal, life in our Lord’s presence. The first and the last are the same because God wants us all to as the psalmist says be a ‘calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; my soul is like the weaned child.’ Let us fly to the bosom of Christ, knowing Jesus and being known by Jesus. Grumble not at God’s grace, but rejoice and spread the good news, God’s life is for all.

Reading 2

We know from our own experience of pain, that it can free us for creative transformation, or it can embitter us to the point of rebellion by it’s lack of meaning. It can be destructive or creative, Whether suffering becomes a source of creativity depends in part on how the individual treats it and reacts to it. One of the outstanding marks of a mature person is seeking value in the face of suffering. Never to seek the suffering, but its meaning when suffering seeks us! For suffering is a meaning. The instance of this that will forever be our hope is Christ’s despairing cry and prayer from the cross, “My God, why have you forsaken me?” and that utterly tender surrender, “Into your hands I commit my spirit.” This is the one who on the very night that he was betrayed gave himself for us. Betrayal can break a person, but Jesus accepted being broken and told us plainly: “This body which is broken is given for you.”

-Miriam Elder, OCD

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For the longest time queers have been associated with artists & writers, it may well be our suffering that allows us to draw upon and develope our creative sides. Someone once wrote a song saying that “sometimes the closet is an artist studio”, and it is a sad, but not too unusal, thing when a person can only express themselves in a creative medium, but thanks be to God, the sharing of those creations can be the source of great healing. A healing that not only alieves the suffering but brings to enlightenment others so that suffering might not take place. My favorite example of this is Marsha Stevens’ beautiful hymn, “You said You’d Come”, which was wrote years before she came out but deals with her struggles and shows how beautifully that God shares our pain, and that sharing becomes a balm of healing.

You said you'd come and share all my sorrows

You said you'd be there for all my tomorrows

I came so close to sending you away

And just like you promised, you came there to stay

I just had to pray.

(refrain)

And Jesus said, Come to the water, stand by my side,

I know you are thirsty, you won't be denied.

I felt every teardrop when in darkness you cried,

And I strove to remind you that for those tears I died

Your goodness so great I can't understand,

And, dear Lord, I know that this was all planned.

Saviour, you're here now, and always will be.

Your love is so great and always so free,

Jesus and me.(refrain)

Jesus, I give you my heart and my soul.

I know, without God I'd never be whole,

Saviour, you opened up all the right doors,

And I thanks you and praise you from earth's humble shores.

Take me, I'm yours.(refrain)

I have come that they may have life, and may have it in all its fullness. John 10:10, REB

March 20

Reading 1

Matthew 20:17-19

“While Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside by themselves, and said to them on the way, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death; then they will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified; and on the third day he will be raised.” ”

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Jesus made His approaching death no secret but although many had died no one spoke of being raised after three days, prophets are often martyred but to rise from the dead, that is the stuff of the day of the Lord, and not the life of a simple prophet. We often time here things over and over but refuse to believe, it’s too difficult to believe, to simplistic to believe, let us listen attentively to Jesus and simply believe.

Reading 2

All is change in the world of senses,

But changeless is the Supreme Lord of Love.

Meditate on him, be absorbed in him,

Wake up from this dream of separateness.

Know God and all fetters will fall away.

No longer identifying yourself

With the body, go beyond birth and death.

All your desires will be fulfilled in him

Who is One without a second.

Know him to be enshrined in your heart

Always. Truly there is nothing more

To know in life. Meditate and realize

The world is filled with the presence of God.

-Mundaka Upanishad

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Long ago you laid earth’s foundations, and the heavens were your handiwork. They will pass away, but you remain; like clothes they will all wear out; you will cast them off like a cloak and they will vanish. But you are the same and your years will have no end. Psalm 102:25-27 REB

March 21

Reading 1

Matthew 20:20-28

“Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to him with her sons, and kneeling before him, she asked a favor of him. And he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Declare that these two sons of mine will sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.” But Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.” He said to them, “You will indeed drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left, this is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.” When the ten heard it, they were angry with the two brothers. But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. It will not be so among you; but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave; just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.” ”

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Here once again we see it's not in the grasp for power that greatness is to be found, but it is in service that greatness is displayed. Jesus Lord of all creation came as a servant and gave His life for it’s redemption. So posturing that John and James try to enact is pointless, it is through their service that greatness shall be found and it that alone.

Reading 2

“Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you have had from the beginning; the old commandment is the word that you have heard. Yet I am writing you a new commandment that is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. Whoever says, “I am in the light,” while hating a brother or sister, is still in the darkness. Whoever loves a brother or sister lives in the light, and in such a person there is no cause for stumbling. But whoever hates another believer is in the darkness, walks in the darkness, and does not know the way to go, because the darkness has brought on blindness. I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven on account of his name. I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young people, because you have conquered the evil one. I write to you, children, because you know the Father. I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young people, because you are strong and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one. Do not love the world or the things in the world. The love of the Father is not in those who love the world; for all that is in the world--the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eyes, the pride in riches--comes not from the Father but from the world. And the world and its desire are passing away, but those who do the will of God live forever.”

-1 John 2:7-17, NRSV

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Truly we live forever if we live in love.

March 22

Reading 1

Matthew 20:29-34

“As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. There were two blind men sitting by the roadside. When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they shouted, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” The crowd sternly ordered them to be quiet; but they shouted even more loudly, “Have mercy on us, Lord, Son of David!” Jesus stood still and called them, saying, “What do you want me to do for you?” They said to him, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.” Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes. Immediately they regained their sight and followed him.”

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Never let people discourage your life with Jesus, many different people will say different things, from perhaps a friend who thinks of your faith being foolish, to Christian saying a practicing queer person can’t be a Christian. But when we have heard the response to our pleas and the love of healing flows over us, let us be always like these two, eyes wide open jumping up to follow Jesus, for our Lord deserves no less enthusiasm ever.

Reading 2

Joy is the net of love by which we can capture souls. God loves the person who gives with joy. Whoever gives with joy gives more. The best way to show our gratitude to God and to people is to accept with joy. Joy Can thrive in the heart burning with love.

We wait impatiently for the paradise where God is, but we have it in our power to be in paradise with Him, right now; being happy with Him means:

To love as He loves.

To help as He helps.

To give as He gives.

To serves as He serves.

-Mother Teresa of Calcutta, The love of Christ

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Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work. As it is written, “He scatters abroad, he gives to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.” He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way for your great generosity, which will produce thanksgiving to God through us; for the rendering of this ministry not only supplies the needs of the saints but also overflows with many thanksgivings to God. (2Co 9:7-12, NRSV)

March 23

Reading 1

Matthew 21:1-11

“When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, just say this, ‘The Lord needs them.’ And he will send them immediately.” This took place to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet, saying, “Tell the daughter of Zion, Look, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, “Who is this?” The crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.” ”

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Do you fully recognize Jesus or like this people see only one aspect? Jesus was a prophet, but more than a prophet, God incarnate, Sovereign, Savior, and our truest Lover. Jesus takes not the mount of a proud king, coming in victory-on the back of a mighty horse, but a humble mount, a creature that kings road to show that they came in peace. Our Lord comes not to conquer our souls with violence, but to win them with peace. To hold us tight as a lover, but also with the same freedom. We cry out to this day for salvation from the Son of David, the good news is He freely gives it, and so we join in in proclaiming, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!’

Reading 2

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom then should I go in dread? When evildoers close in on me to devour me, it is my adversaries, my enemies, who stumble and fall. Should an army encamp against me, my heart would have no fear; if armed men should fall upon me, even then I would be undismayed. One thing I ask of the Lord, it is the one thing I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple. For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of misfortune; he will conceal me under cover of his tent, set me high on a rock. Now my head will be raised high above the enemy all about me; so I shall acclaim him in his tent with sacrifice and sing a psalm of praise to the Lord. Hear, Lord, when I call aloud; show me favour and answer me. ‘Come,’ my heart has said, ‘seek his presence.’ I seek your presence, Lord; do not hide your face from me, nor in your anger turn away your servant, whose help you have been; God my saviour, do not reject me or forsake me. Though my father and my mother forsake me, the Lord will take me into his care. Teach me your way, Lord; do not give me up to the greed of my enemies; lead me by a level path to escape the foes who beset me: liars breathing malice come forward to give evidence against me. Well I know that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and brave, and put your hope in the Lord.

-Psalm 27, REB

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This psalm reminds me of the famous “I have a Dream Speech.”, in which Martin Luther King Jr. tells of his vision of a land of unity, without prejudice, justice for all, equality for all and freedom for all. There unfortunately is still racial bigotry but all peoples have greater freedom and equality too now. Women’s liberation, racial liberation, and queer liberation are in some ways inseparable liberations, for one is not truly free untill all are free. David finds his freedom and security in the God alone, going as far as saying though family has forsaken him, he knows he is still in God’s care, and because of that patience, hope, and strength will not be lacking. Queer Christians struggle both in secular and religious circles, but it is good to remember that although struggles go slow, God is on our side, for God is always on the side of the oppressed as the prophets show us again and again. We seek God’s presence for God has been our help and is our ultimate hope.

March 24

Reading 1

Matthew 21:12-17

“Then Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who were selling and buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer’; but you are making it a den of robbers.” The blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he cured them. But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the amazing things that he did, and heard the children crying out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they became angry and said to him, “Do you hear what these are saying?” Jesus said to them, “Yes; have you never read, ‘Out of the mouths of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise for yourself’?” He left them, went out of the city to Bethany, and spent the night there.”

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God desires mercy not sacrifice, and the people who sold these animals for sacrifice, showed no mercy but only greed and contempt. They sold animals that were of low quality and charged high prices, and gave poor exchange rates for the ‘clean’ temple money. Is it any wonder our Lord received cheers from the people, from these who where like children under an abusive parent. Jesus did something and so must we, we much remember the words of the prophet, “O mortal, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”(Micah 6:8, NRSV). Then we shall walk the road Jesus did.

Reading 2

Gay liberation is deeply suspicious of attempts, however well intentioned, to address the issue of homosexuality in the Bible. The issue is not one of homosexuality and whether the Bible sustains, condemns, or is neutral about it. Neither canonical testament carries any authority for gay liberation on the subject of homosexuality. Gay liberation interprets scripture, not the other way around.

- Robin Gorsline (Let Us Bless Our Angels)

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More fundamentalistic individuals might be horrified by that, but this taking a scripture, and letting it speak to current situations is exactly how the apostles and even Jesus dealt with the scripture. “Let anyone who can hear, listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.” Rev. 2:29 NJB

March 25

Reading 1

Matthew 21:18-22

“In the morning, when [Jesus] returned to the city, he was hungry. And seeing a fig tree by the side of the road, he went to it and found nothing at all on it but leaves. Then he said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” And the fig tree withered at once. When the disciples saw it, they were amazed, saying, “How did the fig tree wither at once?” Jesus answered them, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only will you do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ it will be done. Whatever you ask for in prayer with faith, you will receive.” ”

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Frustration is not sin, even Jesus gets frustrated as we see here. We may say why did He kill a tree innocently sitting there with no fruit when none should be expected? But lesson here is not the miraculous cursing of the fig tree but that we never know when Jesus will come to us, we must be prepared to give our fruit at anytime we are asked. We receive in prayer only in accordance to our faith, but we are all of little faith, and so place our confidence and hope in Christ alone.

Reading 2

[“For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.” Hosea 6:6, NRSV.] In Hosea 6, the word translate as “steadfast love” is a special term used in the Hebrew Bible to express unshakable loyalty that should bind together two parties of a covenant. Israel is what it is only as a covenant people, and the covenant means that in [God’s] steadfast love, God has committed [God]self unstintingly to the covenant, for [hu]man’s sake, asking in return the “steadfast love” which means that [a hu]man gives [one]self completely to [God]. This was an act of God’s overwhelming grace and love–to want to belong to [mortals] as [God] wants [mortals] to belong completely to [God].

Couldn’t this be the finest image of what faith ought to be? Faith is more than a compendium of the writings of learned theologians. Repeating the Apostles’ Creed a thousand times is no guarantee that you are a Christian or will become one, even though you may understand clearly the theological and philosophical implications of your words. Words are important, as the work of the prophets testifies, but they are not enough. It is important to note that, in addition to “steadfast love,” this verse of Hosea requires “knowledge of God.” Here again the English translation is inadequate. What is meant is not something to be recited in a catechetical class, important though that may be. Nor is this “knowledge” the fruitful reward inevitably granted to those who read the complete Bible once each year. The kind of “knowing” we encounter frequently in the Old Testament in a statement like, “Adam knew his wife,” or in the New Testament we are told that Joseph knew not his wife Mary. All of us are aware that these are references to sexual union. This most intimate kind of knowing is a knowing, not merely with one’s mind, but with one’s whole person. Only in genuine love can one really “know” another....

-Hagen Staack, Prophetic Voices of the Bible

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This is a wonderful news, God isn't looking for a servant to simply obey or supply things, but God wants us as lovers. It is true lovers have give and take of obedience and constantly give to one another in many ways, but this is out of love not out of duty alone. Christians of time past has sought God as lover, from the church fathers who interpreted the Song of Solomon allegorically as Christ and his Church, to St. John of the Cross, to the writings of modern Queer Christians like Chris Glasier. When you go to spend time with God go with as much excitement as you would go to a encounter with a lover. Seek out how you may please God, as you would loving to satisfy a lover. Treasure words of Scripture as the words of your lover. Know God wants you for a lover, cling to One who is the Lover of your Soul.“Jesus, lover of my soul, let me to Thy bosom fly, While the nearer waters roll, while the tempest still is high. Hide me, O my Savior, hide, till the storm of life is past; Safe into the haven guide; O receive my soul at last.” -Charles Wesley

March 26

Reading 1

Matthew 21:23-27

“When [Jesus] entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” Jesus said to them, “I will also ask you one question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?” And they argued with one another, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ we are afraid of the crowd; for all regard John as a prophet.” So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”

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A straight forward question is asked, ‘what is your authority?’, but Jesus won’t answer because they will not accept the Truth. Jesus is the way the truth and the life, but Truth has no fellowship to a lie. Jesus proves the falseness of their hearts by asking a simple question of them, it’s not that they have no answer but that they refuse to say what they believe for political reason, for reasons of safety. Are Queer Christians any different when we ask to be treated with respect and equality yet allow ourselves to be safely in the closet, out of view, out of harms way? If you are not willing to state openly what you believe, expect no one else to be able to deal equitably with you.

Reading 2

I have known the balm of solitude at all times–ever since I was twenty years old and could enjoy it. Even in the days when I was not a believing Christian, I relished the solitude of nature and now I do so all the more. I appreciate that, deprived of human company, one is never alone. The soul is not made for noise, but for quiet meditation, and life must be a preparation for heaven, not only by worthwhile actions but by contemplation of God. (Charles de Foucald)

-R. V. Courtenay Bodley, The Warrior Saint

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The psalmist and Jesus both knew God’s presence in solitude. In the 23rd Psalm it says: “Even were I to walk through a valley of deepest darkness I should fear no harm, for you are with me”, God is present, one need not worry, as Jesus states outside the tomb of his dear friend “I know you, [GOD], always hear me”. We need not search for God for as Paul says to the Athenians, “[God] is not far from each one of us” But if Jesus needed to seek solitude to spend time with God in communion, how much more should we seek that precious solitude.

March 27

Reading 1

Matthew 21:28-32

“ “What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ He answered, ‘I will not’; but later he changed his mind and went. The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, ‘I go, sir’; but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him.”

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Love is the desired work Christ has for us, and so when we fail to show that love He asked of us, we show that we neither know God nor are with God. In the flesh we cannot love perfectly, but with the Spirit’s help our love shall increase till it over flows for all people, now and forevermore. Let us not say we love, but let us actually love in word and deed, to God’s glory.

Reading 2

The dying man motioned to me to give him his rosary. I found it in one of his pockets; and from, that moment he held it pressed to his breast. Then some strength returned to him, and in a voice one could hardly hear he asked me for absolution. His face became more at peace, he smiled even. Although I realize I had no right to accede over-hastily to this request, it was quite impossible in the name of humanity and friendship to refuse him. May I add that I was able to discharge this duty in a spirit which need leave you with no possible misgivings.

The priest was still on his way, and finally I was bound to voice my deepest regret that such delay threatened to deprive my comrade of final consolations of our church. He did not seem to hear me. But a few moments later he put his hand over mine, and his eyes entreated me to draw closer to him. He then uttered these words almost in my ear. And I am quite sure that I have recorded them accurately, for his voice, though halting, was strangely distinct.

“Does it matter? Grace is everywhere....” I think he died just then.

-Georges Bernanos, The Diary of a Country Priest

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“Does it matter? Grace is everywhere....”, that line is the truth of the Ecstasy of God. Even should we be excommunicated from church by mortals, or condemned by them for heresy, what does it matter? You are a child of God, many people have been put out of fellowship because they are Queer Christians, but what does it matter? The truth is that God’s grace is everywhere and nothing on earth or in heaven can separate us from the love of Jesus. That love is what allows us the freedom to live as God calls us to live, who we are, to live in love. What does it matter, God’s grace is everywhere. “With all this in mind, what are we to say? If God is on our side, who is against us? He did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all; how can he fail to lavish every other gift upon us? Who will bring a charge against those whom God has chosen? Not God, who acquits! Who will pronounce judgement? Not Christ, who died, or rather rose again; not Christ, who is at God’s right hand and pleads our cause! Then what can separate us from the love of Christ? Can affliction or hardship? Can persecution, hunger, nakedness, danger, or sword? ‘We are being done to death for your sake all day long,’ as scripture says; ‘we have been treated like sheep for slaughter’—and yet, throughout it all, overwhelming victory is ours through him who loved us. For I am convinced that there is nothing in death or life, in the realm of spirits or superhuman powers, in the world as it is or the world as it shall be, in the forces of the universe, in heights or depths — nothing in all creation that can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:31-39, REB

March 28

Reading 1

Matthew 21:33-46

“ “Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenants and went to another country. When the harvest time had come, he sent his slaves to the tenants to collect his produce. But the tenants seized his slaves and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. Again he sent other slaves, more than the first; and they treated them in the same way. Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him and get his inheritance.’ So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the harvest time.” Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the scriptures: ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is amazing in our eyes’? Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom. The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls.” When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they realized that he was speaking about them. They wanted to arrest him, but they feared the crowds, because they regarded him as a prophet.”

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All to often we listen to God’s word and praise it for itself, but fail to apply it to ourselves, and then when that word is applied to us by another, even when done properly-bitterness can grow, even as it grew in the chief priests and the Pharisees, when they heard this parable applied to them. It is good news that God gives the Kingdom not by birth but by love, but we must always be willing to hear the Spirit when it speaks, even when those words are about ourselves and cut deep, may that pain be a balm to heal you. I do not say apply the scriptures to another for God alone is the one who judges, but pray if you will, to have the ears of others opened to God’s voice, wherever it may come from.

Reading 2

It would be too much to say that the world needs another movement such as that which drew these [hermits] into the deserts of Egypt and Palestine. Ours is certainly a time for solitaries and for hermits. But merely to reproduce the simplicity, austerity and prayer of these primitive souls is not a complete or satisfactory answer. We must transcend them, and transcend all those who, since their time, have gone beyond the limits which they set. We must liberate ourselves, in our own way, from involvement in a world that is plunging to disaster. But our world is different from theirs. Our involvement in it is more complete. Our danger is far more desperate. Our time, perhaps, is shorter than we think.

We cannot do exactly what they did. But we must be as thorough and as ruthless in our determination to break all spiritual chains, and cast off the domination of alien compulsions, to find our true selves, to discover and develop our inalienable spiritual liberty and use it to build, on earth, the Kingdom of God. This is not the place in which to speculate what our great and mysterious vocation might involve. That is still unknown. Let it suffice for me to say that we need to learn from these [people] of the forth century how to ignore prejudice, defy compulsion and strike out fearlessly into the unknown.

-Thomas Merton, The Wisdom of the Desert

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There are some people who decry Queer Christians as not having a historical past, although this is not fully true and we have long been in the Church, the point is God often calls people to new and unknown territory as we further hasten the coming of God’s kingdom here on earth. It is a matter of being faithful to God’s call no matter how dark the path may seem at times. John the Baptist had a vocation he fulfilled even though it lead to his untimely death, but the whole of the truth is only in being true to God’s call for our lives can we find true liberty that shall last. As Jesus said to the those bound in religious legalism, “If I make you free you shall be free indeed” No matter if our time is short or lengthy we must live in the freedom Christ died to give us. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to set us free from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen. (Gal. 1:3-5, NRSV)

March 29

Reading 1

Matthew 22:1-14

“Once more Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come. Again he sent other slaves, saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited: Look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding banquet.’ But they made light of it and went away, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his slaves, mistreated them, and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. Then he said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore into the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.’ Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad; so the wedding hall was filled with guests. “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe, and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?’ And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.” ”

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One could easy say all are called and many of the ‘favored ones’ are rejected out of hand, by their wrong priorities, then good and bad alike are yet called, but some (in this case) one refused to accommodate to the occasion and so was cast out. Let us apply this parable to the church. We long for the invitation until it means commitment, when we reject it, others all called, this is good news, but yet they too may go on even farther yet still end up rejecting the call. The body of Christ is not dead but constantly growing and changing, when we refuse the leading of Christ we are refusing to follow the invitation, we are refusing to change our clothes, and others will take our place. It is not that few can be chosen, it is that few allow the power of God to so overcome them as to allow God to choose them.

Reading 2

What got through on the repetition of the same application [comparing God’s repeated questioning of Job with Jesus’ repeating his application of caly to the blind man’s eyes so he could see more clearly in Mark 8:25] was that God cared. [God’s] persistance revealed to Job [God’s] concern behind [God’s] power. Through his involvement with God in terms of the marvels of creation, Job begain to hear–to see–he gospel of [God’s] love. ob’s respones demonstrates his relationship betwen being cared for and being able to look at oneself. God’s love is not called forth by its object, for it is its own stimulus. Therefore, there is no preasure upon the object– in this case, Job–to justify himself. The basis for pastoral care is in its demonstration of this divine acceptance– in its involvemtn in the good news that God cares. It is this gospel rather than the law (the thou shalts and thou shalt nots) that produce ethical commitment. Yet like Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, we still seem to labor under the impresion that the law produces repentance, that morality come comes out of moralizing, and that change in character come through threats of consequential punishment.

God answered none of Job’s questions. In fact [God] indicates that they were the wrong quesetions, based on erroneous and even preseumptuous preconceptions. Instead, he involved Job in the expreience of knowing [God] through [God’s] creative activity. Job questions about the ways of God could not be answered apart from knowing God.... Through the expereience of knowing, Job’s entire perspective canged. The same is also true of Human relationships. The impressions one may have of another from observing [a person] or hearing about [a person], may change completey after you get to know [that person]. To attempt to understand a person’s behavior aprat from knowing that [person] is to ignore the difference between a person and a thing– an it and a thou.

Psychiatrict Viktor Frankl is fond of quoting Nietzche’s saying, “[One] who knows the why can bear any how.” Out of this conviction Frankl has developed his logotherapy whihc places the need for meaning, the logos- as the fundamental human need. Job takes us beyond Frankl. During his dialouges with the three friends, he also expressed the convivtion that if he knew the why of his calamities, he could endure them. “I will say to God...let me know why thou dost contend against me.” Consequently he desired an encouter with god. At times he even believed he could convince God of his arguement. “Behold I have prepared my case; I know that I shall be vindicated.” At other times he felt he had no chance with God. “God has made me faint; the Almighty has terrified me; for I am hemmed in by darkness, and thick darkness, and thick darkness caovers my face.”

After his encounter Job still does not know the why. Yet he seems to accpet the how. The reason–he knows the Who. One who knows the Who, therefore can bear with any how even though [one] knows not the why. Knowing the Who without knowing the why leaves no room for faith. It brings security without have answers. The expereience of love makes pressing questions less pressing.

...The word love is not mentioned, but the account that Job gave of his new relationship with god is discriptive of the security of love.... Job described his change as one of seeing rather than hearing. “I’ve heard of thee by the hearing of my ear, but now my eye sees thee.”

-William Hulme, Dialouge in Despair:Pastoral Commentary on the book of Job

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“The LORD answered Job from the whirlwind: “Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorant words? Brace yourself, because I have some questions for you, and you must answer them. “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me, if you know so much. Do you know how its dimensions were determined and who did the surveying? What supports its foundations, and who laid its cornerstone as the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?......Do you realize the extent of the earth? Tell me about it if you know! “Where does the light come from, and where does the darkness go? Can you take it to its home? Do you know how to get there? But of course you know all this! For you were born before it was all created, and you are so very experienced! .....Are you able to restrain the Pleiades or Orion? Can you ensure the proper sequence of the seasons or guide the constellation of the Bear with her cubs across the heavens? Do you know the laws of the universe and how God rules the earth? ...... Then the LORD said to Job, “Do you still want to argue with the Almighty? You are God’s critic, but do you have the answers?” Then Job replied to the LORD, “I am nothing--how could I ever find the answers? I will put my hand over my mouth in silence. I have said too much already. I have nothing more to say.” Then the LORD answered Job from the whirlwind: “Brace yourself, because I have some questions for you, and you must answer them. Are you going to discredit my justice and condemn me so you can say you are right? Are you as strong as God, and can you thunder with a voice like his? All right then, put on your robes of state, your majesty and splendor. Give vent to your anger. Let it overflow against the proud. Humiliate the proud with a glance; walk on the wicked where they stand. Bury them in the dust. Imprison them in the world of the dead. Then even I would praise you, for your own strength would save you. .........Then Job replied to the LORD: “I know that you can do anything, and no one can stop you. You ask, ‘Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorance?’ It is I. And I was talking about things I did not understand, things far too wonderful for me. “You said, ‘Listen and I will speak! I have some questions for you, and you must answer them.’ “I had heard about you before, but now I have seen you with my own eyes. I take back everything I said, and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance.” ” -from Job 38-42, NLT.

March 30

Reading 1

Matthew 22:15-22

“Then the Pharisees went and plotted to entrap him in what he said. So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality. Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?” But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin used for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. Then he said to them, “Whose head is this, and whose title?” They answered, “The emperor’s.” Then he said to them, “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away.”

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We see a very unflattering view of the Pharisees here, not only do they seek to entrap Jesus but they won’t even do it themselves but send others. The point of the questioning maybe very straight forward, give to all what is their due. If we truly wish to live with God in accordance to the truth, we will go forward in our own conviction, and give all what is due them, as loving neighbours.

Reading 2

The man brought me back to the entrance of the temple, and I saw a spring of water issuing towards the east from under the threshold of the temple; for the temple faced east. The water was running down along the south side, to the right of the altar. He took me out through the north gate and led me round by an outside path to the east gate of the court, and I saw water was trickling from the south side. With a line in his hand the man went out eastwards, and he measured off a thousand cubits and made me walk through the water; it came up to my ankles. Again he measured a thousand cubits and made me walk through the water; it came up to my knees. He measured another thousand and made me walk through the water; it was up to my waist. He measured another thousand, and it was a torrent I could not cross; the water had risen and was deep enough to swim in, a torrent impossible to cross. ‘Take note of this, O man,’ he said, and led me back to the bank. When I got to the bank I saw a great number of trees on each side. He said to me, ‘This water flows out to the region lying east, and down to the Arabah; it will run into the sea whose waters are noxious, and they will be made fresh. When any one of the living creatures that swarm upon the earth comes where the torrent flows, it will draw life from it. Fish will be plentiful, for wherever these waters come the sea will be made fresh, and where the torrent flows everything will live. From En-gedi as far as En-eglaim fishermen will stand on its shores and spread their nets. All kinds of fish will be there in shoals, like the fish of the Great Sea. Its swamps and pools will not have their waters made fresh; they will be left to serve as salt-pans. Beside the torrent on either bank fruitful trees of every kind will grow. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail; they will bear fruit early every month, for the water for them flows from the sanctuary; their fruit is for food and their leaves for healing.

-Ezekiel 47:1-12, REB

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Like that great river in Ezekiel freedom starts out small but builds and builds and where it flows life is not only safe, but abundant. That freedom brings healing and food for the soul that never is in short supply. Oh Queer Christian, live in this freedom spread this freedom, love fully as even God has loved you fully, bear fruit through your life and may your words bring healing to all you encounter.

March 31

Reading 1

Matthew 22:23-33

“The same day some Sadducees came to him, saying there is no resurrection; and they asked him a question, saying, “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies childless, his brother shall marry the widow, and raise up children for his brother.’ Now there were seven brothers among us; the first married, and died childless, leaving the widow to his brother. The second did the same, so also the third, down to the seventh. Last of all, the woman herself died. In the resurrection, then, whose wife of the seven will she be? For all of them had married her.” Jesus answered them, “You are wrong, because you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is God not of the dead, but of the living.” And when the crowd heard it, they were astounded at his teaching.”

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The point of Jesus statement here is not in my opinion so much on our sexual nature after death but a question of our lives. Marriage in Jesus time was very much about owning a woman, being owned by your father first and then your husband. Jesus here declares freedom from the oldest form of slavery. At resurrection each person is their own being unto God as the angels are. Our God came that freedom might abound, that we might truly start living.

Reading 2

Meditation

Each morning, in my cozy study at home, I open my daily office book.... My mind wonders a lot when I read. My friends, family, and parishioners creep into my mind as I pray...I think of Rodney a gay man with AIDS. He is terrified with dying. He has hallucinations that someone is trying to get into his small, neat apartment. I pray for him. My mind wanders to people who read the Bible and want to pursue, indict and harm Rodney. He has some right to his paranoia. Self-righteous people are persecuting him. These folks use the Bible as a weapon... I am sad so many Christian’s spend massive amounts of time needlessly judging the behavior of others, often led on by ministers of churches, who muster support by pandering to the bigotry and prejudice of the self-righteous and by using Bible quotes out of context to bash people they hate.

As my mind wanders some more, I think of Pastor Jim, a fundamentalist Presbyterian minister, who came to see me. He wanted to minister to people with AIDS. I asked him if part of his ministry would involve telling people that homosexuality was sinful. Jim said yes,..he said he could love the sinner but condemn the sin. I told him as gently as I could that I would not let him minister to any people with AIDS I know...

As I try to focus on Scripture, another image floats into my mind. It is of Pope John Paul II who issued a statement condemning homosexuality, and said people should not be surprised that violence would erupt when people went against traditional thinking about homosexuality... I try not to think hostile thoughts during my meditation. But I confess my failure.

I read my Bible, the same Bible the Pope and the fundamentalists use. I studied Scripture in seminary for three years. I preach using Bible texts. I see a book that tells the story of how God loves his creation, how God loves his people and asks them to obey some basic laws. They disobey; their lives become a reck; they repent, are forgiven and are promised new life.

The biblical witness shows how we humans fail to love and forgive and so discover pain. The Jesus story says we are loved and cared for by God. That is grace given. We do not even have to earn salvation, health and wholeness. All we need to do is open ourselves to God’s love and to serve our neighbours and we are promised wholeness.

As my meditation continues, I recollect how the Bible has been interpreted and reinterpreted thousands of times over the centuries...I remember that the Bible, if taken literally, clearly condemns usury, the lending of money at interest...[But] good Christian people have been lending money at interest since the renaissance.

I yawn, walk around the room and feel the red Indian carpet under my feet. Those carpets are made by people who are paid slave wages.... People used the Bible to, the Epistle to Philemon and other passages, to justify slavery.... I bring my wandering mind and body back to my...chair and sit down....

I muse about the...seminary.... In [which] we discovered the deep religious, spiritual and theological meanings in the ancient stories and myths. We saw the Bible as a library of history, poetry, gospel, letters and prophesy.

Adam and Eve are not historical persons. They are archetypes of all human beings. We, too, lust after the knowledge of good and evil. When we get the answers to our questions, nothing changes. We still have troubles and joys, but we go on lusting for the truth. For me to stay hung up on the issue of whether or not Adam and Eve are historical persons robs me of the deeper meaning of the myth...

[Thinking of the Bible, I think to myself] how often this book tyrannizes people. How often this book about God’s love and Jesus’ life puts fear and hostility into people’s consciences. The Bible is the central and most important book for understanding Western civilization and the basic human condition, [but] the Bible is not a rule book, although there are many laws in it. When people use it as a rule book they turn it into a club to beat others into submission and obedience. Such people become fanatics!...

Often at Trinity [Episcopal Church, San Francisco] we have Bible study groups... There are people at the groups who have been raised as fundamentalists. They want me, the expert, to give them the answers. They want me to give the right interpretation. It is hard for them to hear that the interpretation of the Bible changes and varies with new learning and insight....

I muse on this book I love. We read it rightly as a book of loving caring, forgiveness, community–a book proclaiming new life and a new being for all people. Sadly, it remains a mostly unread rule book interpreted by a few fanatics. It used to exclude and persecute. The Church I love, whose book is the Bible, continues to be seen as cruel, irrelevant, lacking in passion, pleasure and love.

I get up again, my morning mediation done. I look out the window at the palm tree in the backyard. What a queer-looking tree. It is mentioned in the Bible. In fact each Palm Sunday at Trinity, we cut some branches off that tree to use in the procession. A lot of gay people wave those palm branches. They are good Christians waiting with me for the Church to reawaken to Christ’s teaching that all people are welcome in the Body of Christ. No one is excluded.

-Robert Warren Cromey, In God’s Image

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Reading about Reverend Cromey’s prayer life is insightful, he shows us that our minds rarely stay focused on the task at hand, but that each thought can be integrated into our prayer life. That is when prayer becomes more what it is intended to be a dialogue between you and God, lifting concerns and needs to our loving Father (or Mother if you prefer), whether they be about friend or foe. First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be offered for everyone, for sovereigns and for all in high office so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life, free to practise our religion with dignity. Such prayer is right, and approved by God our Saviour, whose will it is that all should find salvation and come to know the truth.~~~All inspired scripture has its use for teaching the truth and refuting error, or for reformation of manners and discipline in right living, so that the [child] of God may be capable and equipped for good work of every kind. -1Ti 2:1-4~~~2Ti 3:16-17, REB

April

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April 1

Reading 1

Matthew 22:34-40

“When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” ”

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The Jewish lawyers had decided that there were in the books of Moses not only the 10 commandments, but also laws adding up to 613 total, of which many numerous rules or precepts were drawn. Jesus doesn’t mince words but basically says that you do wrong in looking to find the most important in the laws you have, you need to distill it down to the essence, and that is love of God fully and love of self. These are two commands but on them rests all of the ‘law’ and all of the people who speak for God.

Reading 2

When faith is completely replaced by creed, worship by discipline, love by habit; when the crisis of today is ignored because of the splendor of the past; when faith becomes an heirloom rather than a living fountain; when religion speaks only in the name of authority rather than with the voice of compassion–it's message becomes meaningless.....Our task is to bring back God into the world, into our lives. To worship is to expand the presence of God in the world. To have faith in God is to reveal what is concealed.

-Abraham Heschel, God in Search of Man

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Are you revealing God, does you life speak of the love of the Most High? Can you say you are doing the work of your God? Jesus does not want or expect all of us to be Mother Teresa, but are you truely being compassionate to all you meet? I say this not in judgment of you alone, I am guilty of not living up to what God calls for but let us rise up for our fallen state and try again. We need to lead a life of faith, faith overflowing with compassion. Does your life sound anything of the hope God provides in the prophet Isaiah: “For you have been a refuge for the weak, a refuge for the needy in distress, a shelter from the storm, shade from the heat; for the breath of the pitiless is like a winter storm. Like heat in a dry land you calm the foreigners’ tumult; as heat under the shadow of a cloud, so the song of the pitiless dies away.” (Isa 25:4-5, NJB), if not reach out for there is someone in your life who needs your compassion and love now, reach out to that person and give them hope.

April 2

Reading 1

Matthew 22:41-46

“Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them this question: “What do you think of the Messiah? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.” He said to them, “How is it then that David by the Spirit calls him Lord, saying, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet”’? If David thus calls him Lord, how can he be his son?” No one was able to give him an answer, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.”

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The past few days we have looked at Jesus answering questions of those sent by the Pharisees, now Jesus turns the table and brings questions to them, we who are Queer Christians must not only answer questions asked of us but learn to confront those who come to us and ask them questions. If we are lead by the Spirit we shall in the end silence our opponents, just as Jesus does here.

Reading 2

Do not look for the cross of Christ in Palestine alone. See it right among us! Do not look for the cross of Christ in the past alone, in the year of our Lord 30. See it in the present, it is standing among us! The black sky brooding over Golgatha is arched above us too. The tempest and the earthquake which terrified Jerusalem terrifies us also. Do not envision the cross of Christ as something far away. It is as near and contemporary as anything can be. Even though it is certain that Christ died only once, in the year 30, on Calvary’s hill, so far away, and will never die again, it is just as certain that He has not ceased to suffer with [hu]mankind. There is no human distress which He does not share. There is no human despair which He, too, does not feel. For when hunger torments one of us He says, “I am hungry.” When one of us suffers thirst He says, “I am thirsty.” There is no nakedness of which Christ does not say, “I am naked.”; no sickness, of which He does not say, “I am sick.” (Mat. 25:35ff). Thus Christ’s suffering and human suffering go on together through the ages. And the crucified Lord comes to us in the sorrow that is ours and in the suffering that our neighbors.

The cross of Christ stands among us–in our nation, in our city, in our calling. No one can say that [they are] not standing under the cross of Christ. If it is terrible that Christ’s suffering has not come to an end, it is inconceivably gruesome that those for whom He died on Calvary are the very ones who are still crucifying Him. For He does not merely say, “Your misery is My misery, your cross is My own cross,” but he also says, “Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to Me.” Do not look for the crucifiers in Palestine alone. See them among us! Do not see them only in the Jews and Romans of the year 30. Discover them also among us. Just as the cross of Christ stands among us, so also there stand among us those who still torment, ridicule, taunt, and crucify Him.

-Edmund Schlink, The Victor Speaks

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When ever a person suffers from HIV, it goes to show Christ is HIV+, when ever a Queer Christian is expelled from worshiping or denied ordination, it is Christ who is reject and shown inhospitality. When ever people beat up a person for who they are be it racially different or queer, Christ suffers. Christ is indeed crucified continually in every age, “from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary”, to the blood of Matthew Shepherd; and all blood will be held accountable by those who partake in it’s taking. You, oh Queer Christian, are perhaps not better, do you walk past the hungry Jesus begging a few coins for you to eat? Do you stay away from your fellow people dying of AIDS simple because you want not to associate or to bear with the suffering of another? Christ may suffer and be crucified in every age but pray that you are not a crucifier, pray to Christ to help you to lessen His suffering.

April 3

Reading 1

Matthew 23:1-12

“Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat; therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them. They do all their deeds to be seen by others; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long. They love to have the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have people call them rabbi. But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all students. And call no one your father on earth, for you have one Father--the one in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Messiah. The greatest among you will be your servant. All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.”

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Truth is to be respected and followed even when it pours forth from dubious sources, but we are not to follow hypocritical examples. No we who would follow God’s will will realize we are all fellow students and in so doing will turn to God and seek how to best serve the Divine, and not only that but to also serve the children of God here and now. Queer Christian do not despise all those who hate us, but draw from them only what is good and true disregard the rest and pay no attention to behavior but be innocent in the sight of God walking humbly as a servant of God, even as Christ so walked.

Reading 2

Solitude: For Francis and other saints, monastics, and mystics down through the ages, the desire for solitude isn't an effort to flee from the world; it's an attempt to run toward God, to know God better, to hear God's voice amid the din. There is nothing magical about solitude, God is everywhere. But by practicing the discipline of solitude, we are creating a space in our lives where God can be with us. And overtime, as that space grows, so can our relationship with the living God.

-John Michael Talbot with Steve Rabey, The lessons of St. Francis:How to Bring Simplicity and Spirituality into Your Daily Life

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Like the desire of the roe for the water-streams, so is my soul’s desire for you, O God. My soul is dry for need of God, the living God; when may I come and see the face of God? My tears have been my food day and night, while they keep saying to me, Where is your God? Let my soul be overflowing with grief when these things come back to my mind, how I went in company to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with the song of those who were keeping the feast. Why are you crushed down, O my soul? and why are you troubled in me? put your hope in God; for I will again give him praise who is my help and my God.-Psalm 42:1-5 BBE

April 4

Reading 1

Matthew 23:13-36

“ “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you lock people out of the kingdom of heaven. For you do not go in yourselves, and when others are going in, you stop them. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cross sea and land to make a single convert, and you make the new convert twice as much a child of hell as yourselves. “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the sanctuary is bound by nothing, but whoever swears by the gold of the sanctuary is bound by the oath.’ You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the sanctuary that has made the gold sacred? And you say, ‘Whoever swears by the altar is bound by nothing, but whoever swears by the gift that is on the altar is bound by the oath.’ How blind you are! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? So whoever swears by the altar, swears by it and by everything on it; and whoever swears by the sanctuary, swears by it and by the one who dwells in it; and whoever swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by the one who is seated upon it. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. It is these you ought to have practiced without neglecting the others. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel! “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may become clean. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which on the outside look beautiful, but inside they are full of the bones of the dead and of all kinds of filth. So you also on the outside look righteous to others, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous, and you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ Thus you testify against yourselves that you are descendants of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of your ancestors. You snakes, you brood of vipers! How can you escape being sentenced to hell? Therefore I send you prophets, sages, and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town, so that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. Truly I tell you, all this will come upon this generation.”

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Jesus seemingly links legalism and hypocrisy, and it is sad but probably usually right that although legalists want to look pure all to often it’s only an external facade covering a putrid interior. It’s not that Jesus doesn’t want us to share our faith but that God wants us to share a healthy vibrant faith and not one that leads to becoming a child of Hell. Hypocrisy and legalism bring death and judgment, was it the Jews who killed Jesus, yes the hypocritical ones, just as it is the hypocritical religious of our day who continue to crucify Christ, then, now and till the end of time.

Reading 2

Theocracy is of all dictatorships the most terrible. Never is absolute power so ruthlessly exercised as in the hands of a [person] who honestly believes that [they are] giving voice to the will of God, as John Calvin and Adolph Hitler have made abundantly clear. -E. F. Tittle, Christian in an Unchristian Society p.58

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Perhaps the Sanhedrin is the best example as they killed Jesus, epecially since this had been their history:‘Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build the sepulchres of the prophets and decorate the tombs of the upright, saying, “We would never have joined in shedding the blood of the prophets, had we lived in our ancestors’ day.” So! Your own evidence tells against you! You are the children of those who murdered the prophets! Matthew 23:29-31

April 5

Reading 1

Matthew 23:37-39

“ “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you, desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.’ ” ”

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We are like Jerusalem, Jesus longs to gather us to God in a mothers love, but we kill and reject all those coming in the name of God. It is for us are able to say blessed is the one who comes in the name of God, that will be gathered to Christ our Mother.

Reading 2

Many years ago there was a fire that consumed a barn. As the farmer went out the next morning to survey the damage he came across what he thought was a pile of smoldering hay. Wanting to make sure there was no fire lingering there he gave is a gentle kick, only to see several chicks scurry out from under the charred mass. During the fire the mother hen gathered her chicks under her and protected them from the flames with her own body. Oh how Jesus longs to show us a mothers love, even as it was His will to show us the Fathers love (see John 14:21). And how Jesus did, for us, like a parent gave up His life that we might live. He bore the pain of sin that we need not feels its ultimate effect. And then we think how great was His love for His followers but then we are reminded by the very context that those he is longing to do this great act of love to are those who have constantly killed and rejected the prophets. And that is grace that while , “Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior.” But God brought reconciliation through the death of Christ. And longs to gather (see Ephesians 1:10) all-- those who cry out “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.” But our deliverance is not in sorrow like that of those chicks who escaped with there life at the expense of their mother, for Christ rose like a phoenix from the ashes of death to life, but unlike the phoenix eternally dying to rebirth every half millennia Christ’s body rose imperishably that we might also have life to the full.

-DWF

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How often have I longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you refused! Mat 23:37, NJB. O Lord we thank you that Christ came to show us a mothers love. We know that a mothers love is so strong that she will give her life for her children. Help us to be true siblings of Christ’s and show this hurting and hostile world a mothers love, by giving of our selves through Your power and love which you have showered on us for Christ’s sake. Amen.

April 6

Reading 1

Matthew 24:1-22

“As Jesus came out of the temple and was going away, his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. Then he asked them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly I tell you, not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.” When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” Jesus answered them, “Beware that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Messiah!’ and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not alarmed; for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places: all this is but the beginning of the birth pangs. “Then they will hand you over to be tortured and will put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of my name. Then many will fall away, and they will betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because of the increase of lawlessness, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the world, as a testimony to all the nations; and then the end will come. “So when you see the desolating sacrilege standing in the holy place, as was spoken of by the prophet Daniel (let the reader understand), then those in Judea must flee to the mountains; the one on the housetop must not go down to take what is in the house; the one in the field must not turn back to get a coat. Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing infants in those days! Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a sabbath. For at that time there will be great suffering, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. And if those days had not been cut short, no one would be saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.”

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Jesus is coming back but we need not seek Him, Jesus told us that the problems of this world will continue, even increase as a woman's labour pains, till the second advent. The point is we are always to be ready for Jesus and when the time comes for the call of God we must not go back for anything. We will be saved but only because of God’s great grace.

Reading 2

Petty people are ugly people. They are people who have lost their vision. They are people who have turned their eyes away from what matters and focused, instead, on what doesn't matter. The result is that the rest of us are immobilised by their obsession with the insignificant.

It is time to rid the church of pettiness. It is time the church refused to be victimized by petty people. It is time the church stopped ignoring pettiness. It is time the church quit pretending that pettiness doesn't matter....

Pettiness has become a serious disease in the Church of Jesus Christ–a disease which continues to result in terminal cases of discord, disruption, and destruction. Petty people are dangerous because they appear to be only a nuisance instead of what the really are–a health hazard.

–Mike Yaconelli, The Wittenburg Door, Dec. 1984/Jan. 1985

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“Blind guides! You strain your water so you won’t accidentally swallow a gnat; then you swallow a camel!” Matthew 23:24, NLT.

April 7

Reading 1

Matthew 24:23-35

“Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look! Here is the Messiah!’ or ‘There he is!’--do not believe it. For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and produce great signs and omens, to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. Take note, I have told you beforehand. So, if they say to you, ‘Look! He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look! He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather. “Immediately after the suffering of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see ‘the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven’ with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.”

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Heaven and earth will pass away but God’s words, are eternal. This is good news, we need not run after Jesus seeking Him here or there, but realize the presence of the divine is no more able to be hid than lightning. We are lost sheep who will not find our Master but shall be gathered to the Good Shepherd by Angels. Jesus shall return but worry not about finding Him on this earth, Christ will bring you to God’s presence from where you are now.

Reading 2

“If therefore they shall say to you, Behold he is in the desert: go ye not out. Behold he is in the closets: believe it not. For as lightning cometh out of the east and appeareth even into the west: so shall also the cowling of the Son of man be.” (Matthew 24:26-27.)[Douay Rheims Version]

CHRIST, Who will come unexpectedly at the end of time-and no one can guess the moment of His coming-comes also to those who are His own at every moment of time, and they cannot see or guess His coming. Yet where he is, there they are. Like eagles, they gather by instinct, not knowing how, and they find Him at every moment.

Just as there is no way of saying with certainty where and where He will appear at the end of the world, so too there is no way of saying with certainty where and when He will manifest Himself to contemplative souls.

There are many who have sought Him in the desert and have not found Him there and there are many who have hidden themselves with him in reclusion and He has refused Himself to them. To catch Him is as easy as catching the lightning. And like lightning He strikes where He pleases.

All truly contemplative souls have this in common: not that they gather exclusively in the desert, or that they shut themselves up in reclusion, but that where He is, there they are. And how do they find Him? By technique? There is no technique for finding him. They find Him by His will. And His will, bringing them grace within and arranging their lives exteriorly, carries them infallibly to the precise place in which they can find Him. Even there they do not know how they got there, or what they are really doing.

As soon as a [person] is fully disposed to be alone with God no matter where [that one] may be- in the country, the monastery, the woods or the city. The lightning flashes from the east to west, illuminating the whole horizon and striking where it pleases and at the same instant the infinite liberty of God flashes in the depths of that [one]’s soul, and [that one] is illumined. At that moment [one] sees that though [one] seems to be in the middle of [one’s] journey, [one] has already arrived at the end. For the life of grace on earth is the beginning of the life of glory. Although [one] is a traveler in time, [one] has opened [one’s] eyes, for a moment, in eternity.

-Thomas Merton, Thoughts in Solitude

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“Surely, this commandment that I am commanding you today is not too hard for you, nor is it too far away. It is not in heaven, that you should say, “Who will go up to heaven for us, and get it for us so that we may hear it and observe it?” Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, “Who will cross to the other side of the sea for us, and get it for us so that we may hear it and observe it?” No, the word is very near to you; it is in your mouth and in your heart for you to observe.” Deuteronomy 30:11-14. Seek here and now, because that is where you will find God.

April 8

Reading 1

Matthew 24:36-51

“ “But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left. Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour. “Who then is the faithful and wise slave, whom his master has put in charge of his household, to give the other slaves their allowance of food at the proper time? Blessed is that slave whom his master will find at work when he arrives. Truly I tell you, he will put that one in charge of all his possessions. But if that wicked slave says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ and he begins to beat his fellow slaves, and eats and drinks with drunkards, the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour that he does not know. He will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

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Life goes on in the midst of Jesus coming, we must not be discouraged and abuse or take advantage of people because we do not see our Lord at the door. We must always do what is pleasing to God. Even if we do not live in this mortal flesh to see our Lord’s return, at anytime we could be called to the bosom of our Loving Parent, working in the field one moment with a dear friend, next minute with God, so let us always live as God would have us live, then there is no reason to ever fear our reunion with our Creator.

Reading 2

If philosophy brings knowledge of death, Christian ascesis offers the art of going beyond it and thus anticipating the resurrection. Indeed, death is entirely in time. For those around a dying person,....death is dated, but for the one who has just died, it has no date, for [that one] already finds himself [or herself] in another dimension. Just as the end of the world will have no earthly tomorrow, death is not a day on the calendar for anyone, this is why the death of each one, like the end of the world, is for today. Likewise it is not tomorrow but the very day of the eucharistic repast when on enters into the [kingdom].

-Paul Evdokimov, The Struggle with God.

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“Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same intention (for whoever has suffered in the flesh has finished with sin), so as to live for the rest of your earthly life no longer by human desires but by the will of God. You have already spent enough time in doing what the Gentiles like to do, living in licentiousness, passions, drunkenness, revels, carousing, and lawless idolatry.” (1 Peter 4:1-3, NRSV).We don’t often like talking about self-discipline (ascetics), but there is a time for everything, one discipline we must build up if we are to grow spiritually is the discipline of prayer. The discipline we need to seek is not a total denial of pleasure, but a healthy point of not allowing one to be ruled by pleasure, seeking the good God would gladly give us. Once we were with the world but since we are in Christ and dead to the world we are like one who has passed on from this mortal coil and are no longer in time. It is somewhat of a paradox as we still live in time, but with more and more time spent in prayer we can come to realize that our true existence is not in time, but in God who is timeless. To the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. (Jude 25 NRSV)

April 9

Reading 1

Matthew 25:1-13

“ “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise replied, ‘No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’ And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut. Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I do not know you.’ Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”

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This is a hard story because it would appear to tell us not to share in crisis, but the real point of this parable is that no one else other than ourselves can equip us properly, God may sell without cost, but to be given you must ask, to find you must seek, we must be prepared for any hour four we have no idea when we will encounter our God, and it will be great sadness if we keep not awake.

Reading 2

Bring to mind my misery and anguish; it is wormwood and gall! My heart dwells on this continually and sinks within me. This is what I shall keep in mind and so regain some hope: Surely Yahweh’s mercies are not over, his deeds of faithful love not exhausted; morning they are renewed; great is his faithfulness! ‘Yahweh is all I have,’ I say to myself, ‘and so I shall put my hope in [God].’ Yahweh is good to those who trust [God], to all who search for [God]. It is good to wait in silence for Yahweh to save.

-Lamantations 3:19-26

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We all have those bitter times of sorrow when life seems like it should not continue. But in those times we we must not lose hope for Yahweh our God is the One who we trust. It is not easy but sometimes after all we can do has been done there is nothing left to do but hope, and wait in silence for God to save.

April 10

Reading 1

Matthew 25:14-30

“ “For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ And the one with the two talents also came forward, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me two talents; see, I have made two more talents.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ But his master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy slave! You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents. For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ ”

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Resources were given according to ability and God expected return accordingly. That is not to say all is lost if the resources are lost but that the true sin is to do absolutely nothing with what you have. John tells us in his first letter than faith casts out fear. If we are fearful of losing possession, God has not entrusted them to us, but we have allowed ourselves to become mastered by them. We are no longer being used for God but allowing ourselves to be used for what we possess. Is it any wonder that our Lord takes away from those who are possessed by their possessions and gives it away to one who will make full use of possessions?

Reading 2

My friend Miles Krumbine tells this story about the late Wallace Perry, a great soul and truly great preacher. One summer Dr. Perry was chaplain at Chautauququa when [Toyohiko] Kagawa, the best know Japanese Christian, was lecturing there. He went one afternoon, with a university senior, to hear Kagawa. They listened to the great man for an hour and a half. As they walked away, the student said, “Even you, with all your kindness, will have to admit that the lecture was pretty atrocious. Not one fresh, vital, stimulating thing did Kagawa say. Platitudes, platitudes, platitudes! You know perfectly well that if he had not be Kagawa and if you had not felt the obligation of courtesy, you and I would have walked out on him.” After a moment of silence, Dr. Perry said, “I guess you are right. It was pretty awful.” They walked on. Then the student said, “You know, as Kagawa was lecturing, I noticed those thick lenses covering his eyes. I remembered that he is going blind from trachoma. He got trachoma by living among the poor in the great cities in his country. I couldn’t forget that. I guess, Dr. Perry, when a man is hanging on a cross, he doesn't have to say very much.” I have a suspicion that one day, who knows how soon, Kagawa will be hearing a kind voice saying to him, “Well done, good and faithful servant: thou has been faithful over a few things, I will set you over many things; enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.”

-John G. Fleck, A sermon “Ordered to Duty”

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During World War II, Toyohiko Kagawa was imprisoned for his pacifistic views. He repeated over and over three prayers in prison: “Father, forgive.” “God, let me live to serve.” “O God, make me like Christ.” Those brief petitions reveal the spirituality of this truly Christian man. They also reach out to say that a person need not be eloquent or verbose in prayer. Prayer is a communion with God, communion requires mutal presence but not necessarily many words. Sometimes it’s suffering that quiets us but no matter what we know that God is always there for us to turn to and help us bear our cross. “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the all-merciful Father, the God whose consolation never fails us! He consoles us in all our troubles, so that we in turn may be able to console others in any trouble of theirs and to share with them the consolation we ourselves receive from God. As Christ’s suffering exceeds all measure and extends to us, so too it is through Christ that our consolation has no limit. If distress is our lot, it is the price we pay for your consolation and your salvation; if our lot is consolation, it is to help us to bring you consolation, and strength to face with fortitude the same sufferings we now endure. And our hope for you is firmly grounded; for we know that if you share in the suffering, you share also in the consolation.” 2Co 1:3-7

April 11

Reading 1

Matthew 25:31-46

“ “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’ Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’ Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” ”

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Compassion shown to all, we who are Queer Christians may be better able to show compassion because of how we have been treated in the past. We treat people with compassion because it is the command of God, ‘Love your neighbour as yourself’, but the reward we are given is unexpected, in fulfilling this law we are loving Christ, and gaining life eternal. These goats may have had no ill thoughts about their brothers and sisters, but they did nothing to help them, perhaps never even prayed for them, and in that neglect, their Lord was neglected. Love Christ by loving the street person who asks you for money, by helping the elderly person across the street, wherever you are needed be there for people, for then you are there for Christ, who is always there for you.

Reading 2

We long for heaven where God is, but we have it in our power to be in heaven with Him at this very moment. But being happy with Him now means:

Loving as He loves,

Helping as He helps,

Giving as He gives,

Serving as He serves,

Rescuing as He rescues,

Being with Him twenty-four hours,

Touching Him in His distressing disguise.

-Mother Teresa (quoting Teresa of Avila?)

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“Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’ And he will answer, ‘I assure you, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’ ” Mat 25:44-45

April 12

Reading 1

Matthew 26:1-5

“When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, “You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.” Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, and they conspired to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him. But they said, “Not during the festival, or there may be a riot among the people.” ”

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The Pharisees are acting a lot like you’d expect the KKK or gay bathers to act. They want Jesus silenced, dead, but they want to do it secretly, so they start to conspire, and figure out how to ‘get the job done’ without any trouble. People who remain silent as evil moves and works are in effect joining it, let us fight in the Spirit of the Lord, and stand up for those who evil would silence.

Reading 2

The Martyrdom of St. Chicken

[In] 1471 a chicken in Basel, Switzerland laid colored eggs as beautiful as any we dye at Easter time. But the people of Basel were horrified that this chicken in their midst was transgressing the "natural law." The strange chicken became the subject of an ever growing tide of tattle-talk and accusation. Since chickens are only supposed to lay white or brown eggs, this chicken was thought to be "the devil in disguise!" "Yes, the chicken is possessed of the devil," was the ready accepted answer to it's unique conduct.

So the citizens of basel had the chicken put on trial, the evidence of its diabolical possession presented before the religious judges. The chicken was found guilty and condemned to be burned at the stake. As the fire burned down, leaving only a pile of ashes, the townsfolk returned home, secure in the knowledge that Satan had been purged from their midst.

We shake our heads today at such fearful logic, and may even find the story humorous. But how often have we treated persons as possessed by the devil simply because they were different? Joan of Arc was burned at the stake in Rouen, France in 1431 as a heretic, as one possessed of the devil-like the chicken in Basel. Yet we have canonized her as a saint.

St. Joan, like the colored-egg-laying chicken, was also found guilty of behaviour contrary to the "natural law." it wasn't "natural" for a woman to wear a soldier's armor or lead an army into battle-or to have extraordinary results. It wasn't "natural" that she heard voices in her garden when she prayed. She was considered possessed when she said that they were "heavenly voices" telling her to lead the French army to victory over the English forces. In 1456, twenty-five years after her death, the proceedings of her trial were annulled by the pope, and she was finally canonized a saint in 1920.

What is the purpose of this reflection on a chicken And a young French girl, both burned at the stake for being possessed by the devil? St. Joan's martyrdom at the stake was in 1431, and this is the end of the twentieth century; we don't burn heretics or chickens at the stake any longer. But like the citizens of Basel and Rouen, do we not pass judgment on those who are different or whose behaviour we consider a violation of the natural law? And our harmful actions and words which follow such judgments-will they be viewed in the year 2600 as we view the deeds of 1431 or 1471?

-Edward Hays (A Pilgrim's Almanac)

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Contray to nature, remember even God acts contray to nature in our Salvation! “And even those of Israel, if they do not persist in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again. For if you have been cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these natural branches be grafted back into their own olive tree. (Rom. 11:23-24), the exact same phrase in the Greek that Paul used in the start Romans. Natural law is not what concerns God but love in Christ bring life.

April 13

Reading 1

Matthew 26:6-16

“Now while Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very costly ointment, and she poured it on his head as he sat at the table. But when the disciples saw it, they were angry and said, “Why this waste? For this ointment could have been sold for a large sum, and the money given to the poor.” But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? She has performed a good service for me. For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me. By pouring this ointment on my body she has prepared me for burial. Truly I tell you, wherever this good news is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in remembrance of her.” Then one of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What will you give me if I betray him to you?” They paid him thirty pieces of silver. And from that moment he began to look for an opportunity to betray him.”

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The disciples see waste rather than love in this act, and Judas can not stand it, and decides to make the best out a situation seemingly going down hill fast. We often times are very hard on this the ‘traitor’ but perhaps he thought Jesus will finally be forced into His kingdom or perhaps he assumes Jesus will evade them like so many times before. Or maybe this talked of burial is just too much for him, and he wanted a way out, to start over once his Master was gone. Let us not look for those easy ways out, for if we do we might just end up like Judas; experiencing short term gain for long term loss.

Reading 2

Since today, Lord, I your priest have neither bread nor wine nor alter, I shall spread my hands over the whole universe and take it’s immensity as the matter of my sacrifice. Is not the infinite circle of things the one final Host that it is your will to transmute? The seething cauldron in which the activities of all living and cosmic substance are brewed together–is not that the bitter cup that you seek to sanctify?....Let creation repeat to itself again today, and tomorrow, and until the end of time, so long as the transformation has not run it’s full course, the divine saying: “This is my body.”

-Teilhard de Chardin, The Prayer of the Universe

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The first book in our holy scriptures tell us in the beginning God created, and saw all was good, although the statement ‘all good things must end’ is in no way a truism, the goodness and order of creation did end. But this end is only for a time for behold in the last book of our scriptures it says: “The One who sat on the throne said, ‘I am making all things new!’ (‘Write this down,’ he said, ‘for these words are trustworthy and true.’) Then he said to me, ‘It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water from the spring of life as a gift. This is the victors’ heritage; and I will be their God and they will be my children.” (Rev. 21:5-7, REB), since we are a holy priesthood unto God let us offer all as sacrifice to God in Christ Jesus. Rid yourselves, therefore, of all malice, and all guile, insincerity, envy, and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow into salvation— if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God’s sight, and like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 2:1-5, NRSV

April 14

Reading 1

Matthew 26:17-30

“On the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where do you want us to make the preparations for you to eat the Passover?” He said, “Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, My time is near; I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.’” So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover meal. When it was evening, he took his place with the twelve; and while they were eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.” And they became greatly distressed and began to say to him one after another, “Surely not I, Lord?” He answered, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that one by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that one not to have been born.” Judas, who betrayed him, said, “Surely not I, Rabbi?” He replied, “You have said so.” While they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will never again drink of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.” When they had sung the hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.”

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One of you will betray me, Jesus said to the disciples, but although it may have been Judas who betrayed Jesus most, all betrayed Jesus by fleeing from the garden. We betray Jesus even as we deny it, we know in our heart betrayal has come to our Lord from us, but after that betrayal after each betrayal we make, Jesus comes to us and says take eat of me; take, drink of me, for in this is life and forgiveness of sins. So we can go out and sing in the presence of our Lord, because Jesus has already forgiven us on the cross.

Reading 2

And this is why we experience Joy: we yearn, rightly, for that unity which we can never reach except by ceasing to be the separate phenomenal beings called “we.” Joy was not a deception. Its visitations were rather the moments of clearest consciousness we had, when we became aware of our fragmentary and phantasmal nature and ached for that impossible reunion which would annihilate us or that self-contradictory waking which would reveal, not that we had had, but that we were, a dream.

-C. S. Lewis, Surprised by Joy

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Paul’s words to the Romans (8:18, REB) “In my estimation, all that we suffer in the present time is nothing in comparison with the glory which is destined to be disclosed for us” hints at the realization that C.S. Lewis talks about that are lives are so much more than the existence we live here and now, that once eternity has come to past we will realize this life was of little more worth than a dream. That joy, that pure unsullied consciousness that rings such peace when it breaks into out lives now is the true reality. Our physical existence is changing always in this world but God seeks us to have a new rapturous existence in unchanging existence, in true existence. Perhaps when we experience the joy of sex we are coming a little bit closer to true existence, to the breaking down of preparation to the realization of unity, to a state of terrifying consciousness that is pure and undefiled. Thanks be to God we are not what were, and we are not what we are going to be, thanks be to God for the Joy brought to us in the Spirit who fills us with the love of Christ.

April 15

Reading 1

Matthew 26:31-35

“Then Jesus said to them, “You will all become deserters because of me this night; for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ But after I am raised up, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.” Peter said to him, “Though all become deserters because of you, I will never desert you.” Jesus said to him, “Truly I tell you, this very night, before the cock crows, you will deny me three times.” Peter said to him, “Even though I must die with you, I will not deny you.” And so said all the disciples.”

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Vows made here shall soon be broken, I can’t help think of relationships, how easily wedding vows are broken, but just as Jesus said return to me, we must return to others even when vows have been broken. It is true perhaps there are times when the gulf is too wide to cross, but let us be like Jesus and when one we love breaks a vow, say ‘Return to me, and may God give you strength.’ All vows made on wedding days are usually broken, even only if in the mind, but if we are to be like Jesus we must call back the scattered one to home once again.

Reading 2

“O LORD, my heart is not lifted up, my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me. But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; my soul is like the weaned child that is with me. O Israel, hope in the LORD from this time on and forevermore.”

-Psalms 131:1-3, NRSV

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We often times allow ourselves to be so over run with the worries and concerns that our beyond are ability to deal with. We can not save every life, the world would continue without us. God’s concern for us is to rest in that Divine Love. Such action will give us the clarity and direction we need to move where God would lead us. We must all be like a new Israel in this desert known as the world, when the cloud or fire moves we must move but when it rests we shall rest. This is the only way we can have that calm peace which the Lord wishes us to have. Then we can be like the freshly weaned child resting in it’s mothers bosom, for we will be resting and living in God.

April 16

Reading 1

Matthew 26:36-46

“Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane; and he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and agitated. Then he said to them, “I am deeply grieved, even to death; remain here, and stay awake with me.” And going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not what I want but what you want.” Then he came to the disciples and found them sleeping; and he said to Peter, “So, could you not stay awake with me one hour? Stay awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Again he went away for the second time and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.” Again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. So leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words. Then he came to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Get up, let us be going. See, my betrayer is at hand.” ”

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Perhaps the humanity of Jesus shows up here clearer than other areas, the disciples flesh was weak, even as Jesus Spirit longed to do the Fathers will, yet His own flesh pulled back from doing it. The disciples sleep because their flesh overcame their will. But rest will be removed from the disciples not through the Spirit but through the adrenaline rush of fear, for the betrayer is at hand.

Reading 2

Just as little do we think of God’s creative agency, as merely that of a First Cause, linked to the universe from the outside by innumerable sequences of causes and effects. Nature in her entirety is as much [God’s] creation today as she ever was. The dynamic ubiquity of God, as efficient energy, is to be affirmed. God is still All and in All, but this in a way sharply distinguished from pantheistic views, whether of the universe as God, or of God as the universe. Of [God’s] own freedom [God] creates, so that Gnostic theories of natural and necessary emanation are left far behind. Not only have the “carpenter” and the “gardener” theories — with, of course, the architect or world-builder theory of Plato — been dismissed; not only has the conception of evolution been proved harmonious with creative end, plan, purpose, ordering, guidance; but evolutionary science may itself be said to have given the thought of theistic evolution its best base or grounding. The theistic conception is, that the world — that all cosmic existences, substances, events — depend upon God.

-James Lindsay, International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1915)

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Since it is in [God] that we live, and move, and exist, as indeed some of your own writers have said: We are all [God’s] children. (Acts 17:28, NJB) This beautiful text which Paul spoke in Athens is something to keep in mind. We are God’s children, more so those of us who have found adoption through Christ (see Eph 1:5). God is around us, swells with us and loves us, whether we are at a gay bar, at church, at work, at home or at a park. We do not escape God because God created all things, but the greatest news is the fact God looks on creation and says that is good, because we are God’s children. Child of God, know you are loved now and always, and let the wonder and mysteries of God’s creation inspire you always.

April 17

Reading 1

Matthew 26:47-56

“While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, arrived; with him was a large crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people. Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man; arrest him.” At once he came up to Jesus and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed him. Jesus said to him, “Friend, do what you are here to do.” Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and arrested him. Suddenly, one of those with Jesus put his hand on his sword, drew it, and struck the slave of the high priest, cutting off his ear. Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place; for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the scriptures be fulfilled, which say it must happen in this way?” At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest me as though I were a bandit? Day after day I sat in the temple teaching, and you did not arrest me. But all this has taken place, so that the scriptures of the prophets may be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples deserted him and fled.”

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This scene concludes with minimal violence (true, an ear was lost but Luke tells us it was restored by Jesus). Jesus will not have violence perpetrated in His name, for as He points out, armies of angels are always at our Lords disposal. Those who would live life by the sword will die by it. Hindu’s would call it karma, but Jesus offered it no name but simply displayed a passiveness. In the same way Queer Christians are not to start mud slinging or such in our Spiritual battles but to pray for our enemies, bring healing to them, and look for fulfillment of God’s will even in our dire straits.

Reading 2

The means of violence are inherently unsuited to achievement of any good end... The use of violence involves two assumptions. One that I am rational but you are not. The other is that you are a sinner but I am not.... The means of violence are tragically incompatible with the nature and purpose of God. For the nature of God is love and the purpose of God calls for the development of human beings who will freely choose what is true, right, and good....It may, however, be doubted that this is a tenable position. Christians, of course, have no moral right to acquiesce in injustice; they are morally bound to condemn it and to do all they can to correct it. But surely they are not bound, in their attempt to correct it, to use methods that seem to them to be unwise, unchristian, and ultimately ineffectual.

-E. F. Tittle, Christian in an Unchristian Society p.35f

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I think back to reading a book by Tony Campolo where he takes about how he came to be excluded from military service. Telling the recruiter he would have to ask himself if dropping bombs is what Jesus would do, to which the army official replies of course Jesus wouldn’t. Pacifism was the only option for St. Francis in following Jesus (and for many saints before him too). Churches want to remain in favor with the governing powers, and when “Church” was the governing power it used war often. Read and study the Gospel, and ask yourself are able to live the Gospel and support war?

April 18

Reading 1

Matthew 26:57-68

“Those who had arrested Jesus took him to Caiaphas the high priest, in whose house the scribes and the elders had gathered. But Peter was following him at a distance, as far as the courtyard of the high priest; and going inside, he sat with the guards in order to see how this would end. Now the chief priests and the whole council were looking for false testimony against Jesus so that they might put him to death, but they found none, though many false witnesses came forward. At last two came forward and said, “This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days.’” The high priest stood up and said, “Have you no answer? What is it that they testify against you?” But Jesus was silent. Then the high priest said to him, “I put you under oath before the living God, tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.” Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you, From now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “He has blasphemed! Why do we still need witnesses? You have now heard his blasphemy. What is your verdict?” They answered, “He deserves death.” Then they spat in his face and struck him; and some slapped him, saying, “Prophesy to us, you Messiah! Who is it that struck you?” ”

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The “powers that be” will condemn and persecute all that threatens them. Truth spoken will be called blasphemy, and words and actions will be taken out of context to build monsters that can be slain heroically. Queer Christian look not at what people say or do to you but look to Jesus alone and know if the One who was with out sin suffered, how much more will you suffer, but be of good cheer as Jesus overcame the word, so you can too through God.

Reading 2

Closely connected wit the message of the imminent rule of God is the message of the will of God. Jesus seemed to be a wandering rabbi. But a rabbi teaches that “Moses said.” Jesus seemed to be a prophet. But a prophet usually says, “Thus saith the Lord.” Jesus uses neiter form in order to assert his authority, He uses the unprecedented words, “Verily I say unto you.” This is typical of the enigmatic and extraordinary way in which he expounds the law; “he taught as one who had authority, and not as the scribes” (Matthew 7:29). But he did not reserve this soverign freedom for himself as his prerogative. In his exposition of the law, it is truem he sharpend it to an infinite degree. The cure must begin, not where the sore gathers and bursts, but in the hidden seat of impurity. Murder is accomplished in the heart, before it is accopmlished by the hand–even without it’s being accomplished by the hand. This radical view means a liberation from anxious or refined casuisty, a liberation to do the will of God. It also means a liberation in the sense of disinguishing between what is important and what is trivial, so that you do not strain out a gnat and swallow a camel. It is not a sign of freedom to be meticulous about rules of purity and not to know where the source of impurity is. It is not a sign of freedom to break the Sabbath in an emergency when an ox has fallen into a well, but to let your neighbor wait, whom you could help give joy to, for the sake of what you call God’s will. To be pious and be lacking in love, to maintain the law of God in principle and in general, but to ignore it’s concrete demands–these are no signs of freedom. The freedom which Jesus took for himself and which he gave to others, in full authority, are inextricably connected. He taught the will of God in such a way that we are impelled to say, Yes, this is how it is. We are given courage to believe, and that means. courage to be free.

-Gerhard Ebeling, The Nature of Faith

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This courage to be free, the freedom from legalism of mortal’s rules, is the reason we Queer Christians stand up and fight against oppression. Jesus died for us and in that death brought freedom, and love. We are to live free and bring freedom to others, and most of all are to live in love of others and love of God, which is truly the will of God. Jesus came to bring this freedom and abundance let us not ignore such a great gift as that. But let us remember the words of St. Paul “For it is not against human enemies that we have to struggle, but against the principalities and the ruling forces who are masters of the darkness in this world, the spirits of evil in the heavens.” (Eph. 6:12, NJB) and keep violence out of the picture for it was Jesus who said ““Put away your sword,” Jesus told him. “Those who use the sword will be killed by the sword.” (Mat 26:52, NLT), our goal is not to cause suffering but the alleviate it. We are called to give our lives for Christ, not take lives for Him, and in that is true freedom.

April 19

Reading 1

Matthew 26:69-75

“Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. A servant-girl came to him and said, “You also were with Jesus the Galilean.” But he denied it before all of them, saying, “I do not know what you are talking about.” When he went out to the porch, another servant-girl saw him, and she said to the bystanders, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.” Again he denied it with an oath, “I do not know the man.” After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “Certainly you are also one of them, for your accent betrays you.” Then he began to curse, and he swore an oath, “I do not know the man!” At that moment the cock crowed. Then Peter remembered what Jesus had said: “Before the cock crows, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.”

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Fear is powerful and easily overcomes us without the help of the Spirit and faith. This story reminds me of a show I once saw where a gay man is beat up, bashed by three men, one of whom is a closeted individual who has had relations with him (who simply watched, the other two). Peter like that man, was sorry for the actions done, but we all to often are like that closeted man or like Peter, scared about what speaking out will mean, scared for our safety in the face of evil. Be not afraid to be identified as who you are, for there need be no fear in truth, but only in the lies we fear to be true.

Reading 2

Truth

Truth never looks at me crookedly

but always straight on.

Sometimes in my small humanness

I try to turn my gaze.

Truth maybe too bright,

too garish,

without pity.

Sometimes truth seems to be not beautiful.

But more and more

with the passage of years

I find that I can turn my gaze

directly into the face of truth.

And more and more

I perceive with quaint surprise

that the truth I thought to be ugly

is more beautiful than the lie

that I feared was true.

-Charles Doss

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Saint Paul says Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light, so it is easy enough for his agents to masquerade as agents of good. (2Co 11:14-15). So it is no small thing that the Church displays hypocrisy and hate, but the good news is that the masquerade will not go on forever even now legalism and dogmatic rules of mortals are peeling away. Many us knew dark days when we heard and feared the lie that we were evil simply because of how God created us. But if you are reading this thanks be to God, the Truth has set you free. Now live the abundant life Christ came to give you.

April 20

Reading 1

Matthew 27:1-10

“When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people conferred together against Jesus in order to bring about his death. They bound him, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate the governor. When Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he repented and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. He said, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” But they said, “What is that to us? See to it yourself.” Throwing down the pieces of silver in the temple, he departed; and he went and hanged himself. But the chief priests, taking the pieces of silver, said, “It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, since they are blood money.” After conferring together, they used them to buy the potter’s field as a place to bury foreigners. For this reason that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah, “And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of the one on whom a price had been set, on whom some of the people of Israel had set a price, and they gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord commanded me.” ”

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Sometimes even though we are earnestly sorry, repenting as Judas did, there still ends up being consequences. Theologically most say Judas died unrepentant, but in the end Judas changed his mind about what he had done and saw how worthless, his reward was, Judas killed himself but Judas was more repentant than a great many people. We see stark contrast in this to these religious leaders who could care less about an innocent one dying; for that trouble maker was being silenced, their problem was not how to help this tormented man but how to treat the defiled money. We too are like those priests sometimes we have no more ‘use’ for a person, and all that is left is to decided what to do with items left behind. This is a grave sin, ignoring the treasure of God (the person) and pondering the treasures of mortals. We all go to the cross with Jesus but are we ministering in our sufferings, or dividing up the garments?

Reading 2

The spiritual life is like a dance with a partner who has a fertile imagination and who leads. We must be alert, responsive to the slightest indication of his intention, supple, ready to adapt to the movements with which he woos us.

-a Carthusian, The Way of Silent Love

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[King David] was wearing a linen ephod, and he danced with abandon before the Lord 2Sa 6:14, REB. Jubilant David returning with the Ark of the Covenant burst forth into an ecstatic dance, praising God, in a sense not so much dancing for God as with God. Dance is a wonderful thing, it allows two people to move with intimate closeness as one being (at least if you are good), we also often hear remarks like “horizontal tango”, and in a way sex truly is like a dance, when done properly sex is two people acting as one, for the purpose of mutual pleasure, of sharing closeness. Closeness is very important for people to experience, dancing can allow that closeness with an absolute stranger. Guided by the rhythms of the music. If we learn to take Christ as our partner and follow Jesus’ lead and follow the rhythm of music the Spirit brings into the world, that rhythm of love and harmony, we can fall into deeper love with God, which I assume most of us would desire.

April 21

Reading 1

Matthew 27:11-26

“Now Jesus stood before the governor; and the governor asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus said, “You say so.” But when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he did not answer. Then Pilate said to him, “Do you not hear how many accusations they make against you?” But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed. Now at the festival the governor was accustomed to release a prisoner for the crowd, anyone whom they wanted. At that time they had a notorious prisoner, called Jesus Barabbas. So after they had gathered, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you, Jesus Barabbas or Jesus who is called the Messiah?” For he realized that it was out of jealousy that they had handed him over. While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, “Have nothing to do with that innocent man, for today I have suffered a great deal because of a dream about him.” Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus killed. The governor again said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas.” Pilate said to them, “Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?” All of them said, “Let him be crucified!” Then he asked, “Why, what evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Let him be crucified!” So when Pilate saw that he could do nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took some water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to it yourselves.” Then the people as a whole answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!” So he released Barabbas for them; and after flogging Jesus, he handed him over to be crucified.”

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It is never so easy as to wash guilt away as to wash ones hands, it is not something we have the power to do, but Jesus blood washes away our sins. We also can not speak for others and accept blame for them, even though they cried for the blood to be on their children, as the Lord spoke through Jeremiah, all die for their own sins and not their parents sins. Let us not follow the crowds and the influential people, for they will often call for the wrong, but let us cry for Jesus alone, even if our voice does not prevail now, it shall one day, even as Jesus prevailed on Easter Sunday morning.

Reading 2

In those days they shall no longer say:

“The parents have eaten sour grapes,

and the children’s teeth are set on edge.”

But all shall die for their own sins; the teeth of everyone who eats sour grapes shall be set on edge.

The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt—a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the LORD. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, “Know the LORD,” for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the LORD; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.

-Jeremiah 31:29-34, NRSV

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That glorious change has started and will be brought to completion, when all things are renewed. Paul describes the laws departure and that coming unity.“Let me put it another way. The law was our guardian and teacher to lead us until Christ came. So now, through faith in Christ, we are made right with God. But now that faith in Christ has come, we no longer need the law as our guardian. So you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have been made like him. There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female. For you are all Christians--you are one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:24-28, NLT, and also Paul says, “ And as for you, it is plain that you are a letter that has come from Christ, given to us to deliver; a letter written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, written not on stone tablets but on the pages of the human heart.

It is in full reliance upon God, through Christ, that we make such claims. There is no question of our having sufficient power in ourselves: we cannot claim anything as our own. The power we have comes from God; it is he who has empowered us as ministers of a new covenant, not written but spiritual; for the written law condemns to death, but the Spirit gives life.

The ministry that brought death, and that was engraved in written form on stone, was inaugurated with such glory that the Israelites could not keep their eyes on Moses, even though the glory on his face was soon to fade. How much greater, then, must be the glory of the ministry of the Spirit!”-2 Corinthians 3:3-8, REB

April 22

Reading 1

Matthew 27:27-31

“Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s headquarters, and they gathered the whole cohort around him. They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and after twisting some thorns into a crown, they put it on his head. They put a reed in his right hand and knelt before him and mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” They spat on him, and took the reed and struck him on the head. After mocking him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.”

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Lord of creation, Word Eternal, beaten and mocked crowned in pain with a mocking crown. Just as these men had no compassion, and mercilessly beat this One whom they would later lead off and crucify, I can not help but think of the countless gay men beaten to death, for the truth of who they are. The countless women burned at the stake for being different, being independent of the patriarchy. Christ suffered that horrible day but Christ continues He suffers because those in the Body suffers, from Stephen stoned for his witness of Christ to the young Queer Christian Matthew Shepherd hung up like a scare-crow on barbed wire left to die, a truly modern day crucifix. Those soldiers led Jesus away to be crucified, but let us not be in the company of the soldiers but in the company of the the women following with Christ whatever the cost.

Reading 2

No [one] is an island, entire of itself; every[one] is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friend's or of thine own were: any[one]'s death diminishes me, because I am involved in [humanity], and therefore never send to know for whom the bells tolls; it tolls for thee.

- John Donne (Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions & Death's Duel)

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If one part suffers, all suffer together; if one flourishes, all rejoice together. 1Co. 12:26

April 23

Reading 1

Matthew 27:32-44

“As they went out, they came upon a man from Cyrene named Simon; they compelled this man to carry his cross. And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall; but when he tasted it, he would not drink it. And when they had crucified him, they divided his clothes among themselves by casting lots; then they sat down there and kept watch over him. Over his head they put the charge against him, which read, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.” Then two bandits were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by derided him, shaking their heads and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking him, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he wants to; for he said, ‘I am God’s Son.’” The bandits who were crucified with him also taunted him in the same way.”

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The One who was the friend of all humanity, has few friends now, even a stranger has to be compelled when the burden of the cross becomes to much for our Lord. Everyone mocking and no one showing any kindness. When you experience that suffering that has become so great you can no longer bear it remember Jesus bore the scorn of almost all those around Him, with only a pittance of His followers and His mother, you may find yourself with even fewer supporters, but when you do remember God is with you, Jesus is suffering with you and will never leave you.

Reading 2

[Defending his work as an astronomer Kepler writes:]...Does one desire something of importance? Nothing is greater and larger than the universe. Does one desire something of dignity? Nothing is more precious, nothing more beautiful than our bright temple of God. Does one want to gain mystical insight? Nothing in nature is or was more mysterious and more deeply hidden. There is only one reason why my subject will not interest all and everybody: it’s value will not appeal to the thoughtless. Here is treated the Book of nature which is so highly praised by the Holy Scriptures. Paul presents it to the heathens so that they may see God in it just as the sun can be observed in water or a mirror. Why should we Christians take less pleasure in contemplating this since it is our task to honor God in the right way, to worship and admire Him? Our worship is all the more deep, the more clearly we recognize the creation and it’s greatness. Indeed how many songs did David sing, the true servant of God! He received the idea for his songs from admiring observation of the skies. “The heavens declare the glory of God,” he says....

I do not want to stress that I present important evidence of the creation of the universe–and evidence which has been denied by philosophers. Nevertheless here we see how God, like a human architect, approached the founding of the world according to order and rule and measured everything in such a manner, that one might think not art took nature for an example but God...Self, in the course of [God’s] creation, took the art of [humans] as an example, though [humanity] was to appear only latter on....

Painters are allowed to go on with their work because they give joy to the eyes, musicians because they give joy to the ears, though they are of no other use to us.... What insensibility, what stupidity, to deny the spirit an honest pleasure but permit it to the eyes and ears!....Do we ask what profit the little bird hopes for in singing? We know that singing in itself is a joy to him because he was created for singing. We must not ask therefore why the human spirit takes such trouble to find out the secrets of the skies. Our creator has given us a spirit in addition to the sense, for another reason than merely to provide a living for ourselves. Many types of living creatures, in despite of unreasonableness of their souls, are capable of providing for themselves more ably than we. But our creator wished us to push ahead from the appearance of the things which we see with our eyes to the first causes of their being in growth, although this may be of no immediate practical avail to us. The other creatures and the body of [people] are kept alive by taking food and drink. But [people’s] soul is something quite different from the other part of [a person], and the soul is kept alive, enriched and grows by that food called knowledge. The [person] who does not long for these things is therefore more a corpse than a living being. Now nature sees to it that there is no shortage of food for the living beings. We are therefore well justified in saying that the variety of the phenomena of nature is so great, the hidden treasures in the dome of of the universe so rich, that nature should never run short in material for the human spirit....

-Jonannes Kepler, Letter to Baron von Herberstein, 1596

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Science is not an enemy of faith but truly is an ally in contemplation. For the more we realize the complexity and wonder of the universe around us the more we have to praise God about. God’s universe is so complex and well ordered that many scientist, even agnostics like physicist Steven Hawkings, can say that the universe’s design proves it had a creator. We who are Christ’s know that creator is our loving God. Science leads to many progresses, near miraculous recovery of desert land, health and hope where there was only sickness. It is not that God performs no miracles, but it is in the grace of allowing us to understand God’s creation better that allows the ‘modern day miracles of science’ to take place. Franciscans have taught that God is best experienced with all ones senses, and so in appreciating any aspect of creation may be a religious experience whether it be viewing the stars or the beauty of another human. God is truly in the details of creation, if you cannot see God there, how will you see God anywhere? “Happy is [one] who has the God of Jacob for his help, Whose hope is in Yahweh, [one’s] God: Who made heaven and earth, The sea, and all that is in them; Who keeps truth forever; Who executes justice for the oppressed; Who gives food to the hungry. Yahweh frees the prisoners. Yahweh opens the eyes of the blind. Yahweh raises up those who are bowed down. Yahweh loves the righteous. Yahweh preserves the foreigners. He upholds the fatherless and widow, But the way of the wicked [God] turns upside down.” Psalms 146:5-9, WEB.

April 24

Reading 1

Matthew 27:45-56

“From noon on, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And about three o’clock Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, “This man is calling for Elijah.” At once one of them ran and got a sponge, filled it with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink. But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.” Then Jesus cried again with a loud voice and breathed his last. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, and the rocks were split. The tombs also were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised. After his resurrection they came out of the tombs and entered the holy city and appeared to many. Now when the centurion and those with him, who were keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were terrified and said, “Truly this man was God’s Son!” Many women were also there, looking on from a distance; they had followed Jesus from Galilee and had provided for him. Among them were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.”

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With power our Lord dies, crying out Psalm 22, and make no doubt it is with power. The thick curtain separating the holy from the people is torn from top to bottom, and not even death will hold God away from the saints, they rise and follow our Lord to the Father for there is no longer separation, creation is redeemed and God’s people join Jesus in God’s presence. Even on the earth Jesus divinity can be hid no longer for one of centurions who crucified Him, who saw nothing but the cross, realized this truly was God’s Son. May we join with Jesus in that great train of freedom to heaven and learn to always proclaim here on earth truly Jesus is the Son of the Most High.

Reading 2

What can we gain by sailing to the moon if we are not able to cross the abyss that separates us from ourselves? This is the most important of all voyages of discovery, and without it all the rest are not only useless but disastrous.

-Thomas Merton, Wisdom of the Desert

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Separation is the chief result of sin. It is not only a separation from God but also a separation of ourselves, for sin deludes and keeps us from looking on ourselves as we are. Was the sin of Babel so much that they were striving for the heavens or the fact that they thought themselves not in need of God? God humbled them with confusion, but we as Christians are humbled by the love of Christ. Christ loved perfectly, led a life utterly abandoned to God, He was not an ascetic like John the Baptist, but was one often labeled glutton, drunkard, and encourager of wrong. If we are not able to discover that we are separated from all including God by lack of love we will be hopeless lost no matter how great our achievements. Let us seek for the love of Christ to dwell in us always. With [your glory] in mind, then, I kneel in prayer to the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name, that out of the treasures of his glory he may grant you inward strength and power through his Spirit, that through faith Christ may dwell in your hearts in love. With deep roots and firm foundations may you, in company with all God’s people, be strong to grasp what is the breadth and length and height and depth of Christ’s love, and to know it, though it is beyond knowledge. So may you be filled with the very fullness of God. -Eph 3:14-19, REB

April 25

Reading 1

Matthew 27:57-61

“When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who was also a disciple of Jesus. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus; then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. So Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn in the rock. He then rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb and went away. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.”

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Sadness fills this passage-laid to rest in the tomb of this rich man, but could any tomb be good enough for our Lord? And the women who followed Jesus standing vigil almost anticipating our Lord’s resurrection or perhaps just unable to let go of one so dear. Now there is a stone, a rock between Jesus and His followers but soon just as the temple veil was torn this rock shall be moved and nothing shall separate us from our Lord every again.

Reading 2

It may do no good, but I must go on with my boasting;I come now to visions and revelations granted by the Lord. I know a Christian man who fourteen years ago (whether in the body or out of the body, I do not know — God knows) was caught up as far as the third heaven. And I know that this same man (whether in the body or apart from the body, I do not know — God knows) was caught up into paradise, and heard words so secret that human lips may not repeat them. About such a man I am ready to boast; but I will not boast on my own account, except of my weaknesses. If I chose to boast, it would not be the boast of a fool, for I should be speaking the truth. But I refrain, because I do not want anyone to form an estimate of me which goes beyond the evidence of his own eyes and ears. To keep me from being unduly elated by the magnificence of such revelations, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan sent to buffet me; this was to save me from being unduly elated. Three times I begged the Lord to rid me of it, but [God’s] answer was: ‘My grace is all you need; power is most fully seen in weakness.’ I am therefore happy to boast of my weaknesses, because then the power of Christ will rest upon me. So I am content with a life of weakness, insult, hardship, persecution, and distress, all for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

-2 Corinthians 12:1-10, REB

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Paul was blessed with visions but these blessings came with a price, a heavy one, but that price, that thorn in the flesh is never stated. Many Queer Christians have seen this thorn as homosexual desire, others have seen it as migraines, but no matter what it is, it was not removed. It is not because God wanted suffering for Paul but because the suffering allowed God’s power in Paul’s life. Let us look not to alleviating all our own sufferings but to drawing on the power of God in our weakness to go through it. Life is so often a form of suffering, but we go through it with God’s power. When we realize that we will posses the humility to do the work of God.

April 26

Reading 1

Matthew 27:62-66

“The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate and said, “Sir, we remember what that impostor said while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ Therefore command the tomb to be made secure until the third day; otherwise his disciples may go and steal him away, and tell the people, ‘He has been raised from the dead,’ and the last deception would be worse than the first.” Pilate said to them, “You have a guard of soldiers; go, make it as secure as you can.” So they went with the guard and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone.”

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The hard of heart still refuse to believe, and so go to prevent anything improper from being done. Who was this One so powerful that even the tomb that held him had to be guarded? But not even an army of guards or the tightest of seals would contain our risen Lord.

Reading 2

Solitude precludes the empire building that attaches to property, physical or mental (your or someone else’s); solitude rules our security and physical stability that rely on legal agreements, which if you are poor, will invariably lead to exploitation.

Solitude is disengagement from human power struggles in order to have the detachment and clear-sightedness to undertake true political action with integrity. Solitude is living simply and, for the likes of me, singly, through doing for yourself as opposed to having an elaborate network of people to support an artificial enclosure and an artificial image.

Solitude seeks the humility of vulnerability....

Sometimes solitude is like a balancing on the edge of a razor blade, with a meadow full of wild flowers on the one hand, and madness on the other.

Or, solitude is like a tea ceremony, the celebration of life in all it’s homely movements taken out of time. The wonder of the commonplace; the mystery of the ordinary life; eating sleeping, reading listening to God’s secrets and jokes, a sense of delight, of dance, of coming fruition, learning that solitude is not something we need to scramble to fill up, but that it is full and over flowing if we can learn to accept the familiarity of insecurity and let go....

No one can take you into the desert. You must find the path yourself. Plunge into your loneliness, your hunger, your thirst. In the desert you will be purified and tempted; God will speak to your heart and angels will come and minister to you.

- Maggie Ross, The Fire of Your Life:A Solitude Shared

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Solitude is so important for Spiritual growth, yet each one must find their own path there. Jesus sought it (see Mat 14:23), as did the desert fathers and many since then too. Carlo Carretto was a modern day desert mystic who in the words of Robert Ellsberg “Showed that a life of prayer was consistent with a passion for social justice. At the same time he reminds social activists of the need to preserve a place of stillness, to listen to the word of God and to find renewal. Essentially, he showed that is was possible to live a contemplative life in the midst of the world, in the desert that is ultimately everywhere. The challenge of the Gospel according to Carretto, was to make an oasis of love in whatever desert we find ourselves.” It is in that desert we find the spiritual renewal, and the will of God that allows us to continue to work against the dark forces.

April 27

Reading 1

Matthew 28:1-10

“After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.’ This is my message for you.” So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.” ”

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The shinning angels of God appear at our Lords birth to tell of it to the simple shepherds in the field and now the simple women witness glorious angels at our Lord’s birth to a new body, so powerful is the birth pangs of our lord that the the earthquakes, God is reborn, born in power. But not only is the good news of Jesus being raised proclaimed but Jesus comes to these women and tells them to fear not. It is interesting that over and over again in the Bible when angels of God or Jesus appears the admonition is fear not, this perhaps is the best news of all the Bible there need be no fear in the presence of our God or God’s servants.

Reading 2

Cultivate a special devotion to God's Word, whether studied privately or in public; always listen to it with attention and reverence, strive to profit by it, and do not let it fall to the ground, but receive it within your heart as a precious balm, thereby imitating the Blessed Virgin, who “kept all these sayings in her heart.” Remember that our Lord receives our words of prayer according to the way in which we receive His words in teaching.

You should always have some good devout book at hand, such as the writings of [the Saints]; and daily read some small portion attentively, as though you were reading letters sent by the Saints from Paradise to teach you the way there, and encourage you to follow them. Read the Lives of the Saints too, which are as a mirror to you of Christian life, and try to imitate their actions according to your circumstances; for although many things which the Saints did may not be practicable for those who live in the world, they may be followed more or less.

-Francis de Sales, Introduction to the Devout Life

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The advise of Francis de Sales is wise and I pray that this book can help you in some small way. Letting the word of scripture, the lives of saints, and their writings into our heart is the first step to allow God molding us as a potter molds the clay. God will use words to break your heart of stone and replace it with the heart of flesh. But this process is not something we need collect volumes of books over, if we possess nothing more than a Bible we can read, and pray over the text and meditate on it in our hearts, this will be enough. It is arrogance though to think that our opinion, experience or interpretation is all that counts though, for God has been speaking to many over millennia, and we must not utterly despise what God has said to other people, for they are God’s children, who could be moved by the Spirit too. Do not stifle inspiration or despise prophetic utterances, but test them all; keep hold of what is good and avoid all forms of evil. May God himself, the God of peace, make you holy through and through, and keep you sound in spirit, soul, and body, free of any fault when our Lord Jesus Christ comes. He who calls you keeps faith; he will do it. -1Th 5:19-24, REB

April 28

Reading 1

Matthew 28:11-15

“While they were going, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests everything that had happened. After the priests had assembled with the elders, they devised a plan to give a large sum of money to the soldiers, telling them, “You must say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ If this comes to the governor’s ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this story is still told among the Jews to this day.”

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Even unto this day there are many who cannot believe our Lord has risen, which is easier to believe though, that Jesus rose or that Jesus was stolen away while under a guard of Roman soldiers? Soldiers who failed their guard duty did not live to speak of it. These people so afraid of losing their power would rather propagate a lie than believe the truth. Unfortunately religious leaders are no better today, they would rather believe hateful lies rather than accept Queer Christians. Lies are kept alive by greed and fear of loss of power but the good news is no lie shall overcome God’s Truth!

Reading 2

~This is a gay bar Jesus

It looks like any other bar on the outside, only it isn't. Men stand three and four deep at this bar–some just for feeling a sense of belonging here, others making contacts for new partners.

This isn't very much like a church, Christ, but many members of the church are also here in this bar. Quite a few of the men here belong to the church as well as to this bar. If they knew how, a number of them would ask you to be with them in both places. Some of them wouldn't, but won't you be with them, too, Jesus?

-Malcolm Boyd, Are you running with me, Jesus? A Spiritual Companion for the 1990s

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And remember, I am with you always, day by day, until the Close of the Age. Mt. 28:20 WEY

April 29

Reading 1

Matthew 28:16-20

“Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” ”

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This is wonderful news, some doubted, with all the proof anyone could hope for, some still doubted, but rather than be upbraided for the doubt, Jesus comforts them with the words ‘I am with you always, to the end of the age’, and so even when we doubt we know Jesus is with us, until that day, that great wedding day, when the Kingdom shall be consummated.

Reading 2

High Flight

Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth

And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;

Sun ward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth

Of sun-split clouds - and done a hundred things

You have not dreamed of - wheeled and soared and swung

High in the sunlit silence; hov'ring there,

I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung

My eager craft through footless halls of air.

Up, Up the long, delirious, burning blue

I've topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace

Where never lark, or even eagle flew -

And, while with silent lifting mind I've trod

The high untrespassed sanctity of space,

Put out my hand and touched the face of God.

Jon Gillespie Magee, Jr.

Pilot Officer, RCAF

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Several months before his death, he composed his immortal sonnet "High Flight," a copy of which he mailed to his mother in the United States. While perhaps not very religious this poem is very spiritual. The young pilot obviously took great delight in his work and found it so strikingly profound as to compare it with touching the face of God. Next time you are overcome by the beauty of sunset, the perfection of a rose, reach out and touch the face of God, for you are experiencing God through God’s creation.

April 30

Reading 1

Mark 1:1-8

“The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in the prophet Isaiah, “See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way; the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,’” John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. He proclaimed, “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” ”

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I doubt John would ever have been accepted, today he would be called crazy, in his day it was said he had a demon. But to those who march to different drum beats we can learn valuable lessons. It wasn’t the priests who know Jesus was coming but this “madman” living in the wilderness eating insects. It was this one given over to the Spirit who cried out for a change of heart, who baptized but clearly stated that water was not what was actually going to wash us but the Spirit of the Holy, the good news of Jesus begins with a holy fool, so we should never be worried about appearing a fool for Christ, for the wisdom of the world perishes but what is Jesus’ lives forever.

Reading 2

"Only the Church..."

[Albert Einstein says:] Having always been an ardent partisan of freedom, I turned to the universities, as soon as the revolution broke out in Germany, to find there the defenders of freedom. I did not find them. Very soon the universities took refuge in silence.

I then turned to the editors of powerful newspapers who, but lately in flowing articles, had claimed to be the faithful champions of liberty. These men, as well as the universities, were reduced to silence within a few weeks.

I then addressed myself to the authors individually, to those who passed themselves off as the intellectual guides of Germany, and among whom many had frequently discussed freedom and its place in modern life. They were in their turn silent.

Only the Church opposed the fight which Hitler was waging against liberty. Till then I had no interest in the Church, but now I feel great admiration and am truly attracted to the Church which had the persistent courage to fight for spiritual truth and moral freedom.

I feel obliged to confess that I now admire what I used to consider of little value.

-Julius Rieger, The Silent Church: The Problem of the German Confessional Witness

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Although he was not a Christian, this renowned scientist came to appreciate the Christian Church during the days of Hitler and the Nazis. “Though you once were darkness, now as Christians you are light. Prove yourselves at home in the light, for where light is, there is a harvest of goodness, righteousness, and truth. Learn to judge for yourselves what is pleasing to the Lord; take no part in the barren deeds of darkness, but show them up for what they are.” Eph. 5:8-11 REB

May

~

May 1

Reading 1

Mark 1:9-13

“In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him.”

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This wondrous epiphany drove Jesus to contemplation, to the desert. It wasn’t unspoiled fellowship with God Jesus found, but temptation. So to when we have had an epiphany we can go off in the wilderness, but often time the devil will come to tempt us, take away the gift that has been given, but though the wild animals surround us we will not fear for God’s angels are there to serve us, for God’s love has revealed we are: beloved and children of God.

Reading 2

A letter by Mary Griffith to her son Bobby...

Dearest Bobby,

It’s been almost three years since you moved in with God. As a religious hard-nosed Bible thumper for 21 years, I almost rested on the cliche “God’s will be done.” We were thoroughly indoctrinated to believe that as a homosexual person your way of life would be corrupt and sinful. As a result of these beliefs, a terrible injustice was done to you.

Since the Christian church came into being, it has continued to remain in it’s ignorance, homophobia, prejudice, and pride. I am sorry your family went along in blind agreement with the church’s view concerning the gay and lesbian community. I am happy to see a few churches are opening their hearts to God’s gay and lesbian children. It’s a start in the right direction. I have since learned the correct interpretations in the Bible where the issue of homosexuality is mentioned. It is obvious to me now that we have all been tragically misinformed. We have been listening to man’s interpretation of the Bible and not God’s!

I remember you said to me, “You won't bend , will you? You won’t listen to my side of the story.” You were right, Bobby. Like my parents I thought I knew it all. As this letter will testify, I am listening now, and I like what God is teaching me.

What I am about to say to you, Bobby, will be considered blatant heresy. However, as the late Thomas Huxley said, “It is the customary fate of new truths to begin as heresies.” I believe the writer of the Old Testament (Moses) misinterpreted same-gender relationships, and in so doing so excluded homosexuals from God’s plan of creation. Moses failed to interpret same-gender relationships as an indigenous part of God’s creation.

God’s gay and lesbian children have been robbed of their human decency, integrity, and dignity.

Well, Bobby, I am a firm believer it is never too late to make things right with you or anyone else I may have wronged unknowingly. I am trying to bind the wounds of God’s gay and lesbian children, hopefully strengthening them with the oil and wine of God’s love. I thank you, Bobby, and God, for bringing this family out of the dark ages.

We were not aware (at first) of the conflict that was slowly breaking your spirit and that this conflict would continue to torment you for the next seven years. So much so that living would become a daily victory. It is fact that there are an alarming number of teenage suicides happening, and no one knows why the teenager is choosing death instead of life. Could some of them be Bobbys or Janes? Our Church and society do not give the young person a realistic answer, much less a humane solution to their discovery of being a gay person.

You were the apple of God’s eye just as you were. If we had only known.

Out of the many discussions we had, the one phrase that comes back to me is the age -old chant, “You can change if you want to.” How that must have angered and hurt you. You began to feel you did not fit into your family anymore. You wanted to believe that you were not the person the Bible had interpreted you to be. You were at the mercy, as we all are, of the false interpretations in the Bible concerning homosexuality. The social stigma and the stereotypes presented you as a menace to society.

I have done a lot of heart searching with God. I could not rely on the Bible as i had done in the past. I knew God would reveal his truth concerning our gay son. God’s truth heals despair and hopelessness in the spirit.

In and of itself, divinely inspired love is neither male nor female, and follows only one rule as it searches for another lonely heart. Love must be true to its God-given nature, be it homosexual or heterosexual.

When God views a loving and caring heart he is pleased and all is well with him. He is not concerned with our sexuality, but with the vast numbers of humanity who are not being loved and cared for; those living in physical poverty of the soul and spirit. I feel what the Apostle Paul must have felt on the road to Damascus when God pierced his conscience. Paul’s life was flooded with God’s Holy Light, causing him to be blinded for three days so that his error in persecuting the Christians might be revealed to him. The scales fell from Paul’s eyes and he was converted to Christ.

My Soul was flooded with darkness so that my error might be revealed to me. I believed I was doing right in the name of Christ. I did not know my soul; my conscience was in bondage to the people and ministers who stand in God’s stead. I went along in blind allegiance unwittingly persecuting, oppressing gay and lesbian people–my own son. The scales of ignorance and fear that kept my soul in the darkness have fallen from the eyes of my soul, my conscience. I have been set free to have faith in, trust in the dictates of my conscience.

I no longer believe that an entity called Satan has the power to guide my conscience. This belief was very, very intimidating to you. There are those who will claim that I have been listening to Satan, that I have become a heretic. I would rather be a heretic while helping a child of God out of the gutters of this world, where church and I have thrown them, than to pass by on the other side muttering under our breath, “The wages of sin is death.” Rather than look away from pain and humiliation of a child lying helpless.

The heart that hungers and thirsts for God’s love will find it in the Bible. It has been said that the eyes are the mirror of one’s soul. When we look into God’s mirror [the Bible] will we see God’s reflection of love gazing back? Or will we see an evil rejection of man’s inhumanity?

-Leroy Aarons, Prayers for Bobby, A mother coming to terms with the suicide of her gay son

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This letter of a mothers pain, who truly believe she killed her son, with her “Christian love” speaks more eloquently then I ever could. “Their reverence of [God] is worthless; lessons they teach are nothing but human commandments. ~ At the same time, we must recognise that the interpretation of scriptural prophecy is never a matter for the individual. For no prophecy ever came from human initiative. When people spoke for God it was the Holy Spirit that moved them.” Mark 7:7~ 2 Peter 1:20-21 NJB. Let us read the Bible prayerfully that the Spirit may guide us.

May 2

Reading 1

Mark 1:14-20

“Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.” As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea--for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.” And immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets. Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him.”

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People leaving jobs, and family for the sake of following Jesus. Leaving the security of a job is one thing but turning your back on your own father, that is a big move. The call from God is always powerful, and we must try to be like theses disciples drop whatever is at hand, leave everybody for the sake of Jesus, and being true to God’s calling. God calls us in many and various ways, we can cling to the comfort of what we know, or we can step out in faith no matter the cost. When we do that we will see that the kingdom of God is near.

Reading 2

We have not grasped the ultimate seriousness and sacredness of a single human act because we have not understood how absolutely unique every human being really is, To be unique is not a matter of peculiar differences but of outstanding fidelity. When all is said and done that is what spiritual life is about, fidelity: to myself and the god who calls me to become more and more gracefully myself, my very best self; not in isolation but in communion with the whole human race, My passion must go on mounting until I am so faithful that God will look on me and say: “This is my beloved [child]” (Mt. 3:17).

-William McNammara, Mystical Passion

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God has plan and purpose for you as you were created, you will learn what it is but not when you are trying to be what you are not, but only when you are trying to be the best “you” you can be. And only in that way can you fufill God’s purpose for your life. If you are Queer do not mourn that fact but look to the way in which God has called you to work in the Church (and/or world). St. Paul brings out this point clearily in his comparison of the human body to the body of believers, A body is not a single organ, but many. Suppose the foot were to say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,’ it belongs to the body none the less. Suppose the ear were to say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,’ it still belongs to the body. If the body were all eye, how could it hear? If the body were all ear, how could it smell? But, in fact, God appointed each limb and organ to its own place in the body as he chose. If the whole were a single organ, there would not be a body at all; in fact, however, there are many different organs, but one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I do not need you,’ or the head to the feet, ‘I do not need you.’ Quite the contrary: those parts of the body which seem to be more frail than others are indispensable, and those parts of the body which we regard as less honourable are treated with special honour. The parts we are modest about are treated with special respect, whereas our respectable parts have no such need. But God has combined the various parts of the body, giving special honour to the humbler parts, so that there might be no division in the body, but that all its parts might feel the same concern for one another. If one part suffers, all suffer together; if one flourishes, all rejoice together. 1Co 12:14-26

May 3

Reading 1

Mark 1:21-28

“They went to Capernaum; and when the sabbath came, [Jesus] entered the synagogue and taught. They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, and he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, “What is this? A new teaching--with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” At once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee.”

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Demons know Jesus as Son of God, people see a new type of teaching never before seen, people are cured and the fame of Jesus spreads through out the region. But fame is a double edged sword, Jesus has the demons keep quiet not because they are wrong but because humility is a greater virtue. People expect something of the famous often and are then disappointed, Jesus wants people to accept Him on the merits of what they see not what they hope to see. Today we are not unlike those demons anxious to shout out ‘Look who’s here!’, but not being overjoyed by the person but by what we expect to find. If we are to be faithful to Jesus we need not share the great things God has done for us so much as we need to share the love God has showered on us.

Reading 2

Humility: Try to realize the dignity God has conferred on you. He created and formed your body in the image of his beloved Son, and your soul in his own likeness. How we treat others, particularly others who we view as somehow less important than ourselves, is a crucial test of our humility. Pride makes us hate our equals because they are our equals; our inferiors for fear they may equal us; our superiors because they are above us.

-John Michael Talbot with Steve Rabey, The lessons of St. Francis:How to Bring Simplicity and Spirituality into Your Daily Life

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Before I was humbled I went astray, but now I keep your word. You are good and do good; teach me your statutes. The arrogant smear me with lies, but with my whole heart I keep your precepts. Their hearts are fat and gross, but I delight in your law. It is good for me that I was humbled, so that I might learn your statutes. The law of your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces. Your hands have made and fashioned me; give me understanding that I may learn your commandments. Those who fear you shall see me and rejoice, because I have hoped in your word. I know, O LORD, that your judgments are right, and that in faithfulness you have humbled me. Psalm 119:67-75

May 4

Reading 1

Mark 1:29-34

“As soon as they left the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once. He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them. That evening, at sundown, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. And the whole city was gathered around the door. And he cured many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.”

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Jesus comes to bring life abundantly not merely survival. A marsh has water but it's not the same as a large lake. Jesus did not just cure this woman but gave her back her strength, for she serves them right away. When we receive new strength from God we in gratitude must serve right away, and when we do it, it is not to repay a debt, but as a way of saying thank you. Jesus kind acts are not limited to the owner of the house in which He was staying though, for all the town brought people to be healed, the good news traveled fast, and we read that no one who was turned away. ‘Charity’ (or more accurate in todays vernacular, love) may begin at home but from home it spreads out to everyone around you, bringing the kingdom of God where it goes.

Reading 2

Alleluia! Praise, servants of Yahweh, praise the name of Yahweh. Blessed be the name of Yahweh, henceforth and for ever. From the rising of the sun to its setting, praised be the name of Yahweh!

Supreme over all nations is Yahweh, supreme over the heavens his glory. Who is like Yahweh our God? His throne is set on high, but he stoops to look down on heaven and earth. He raises the poor from the dust, he lifts the needy from the dunghill, to give them a place among princes, among princes of his people. He lets the barren woman be seated at home, the happy mother of sons.

-Psalm 113, NJB

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What a wonderful God, truly Yahweh deserves our praise all day long. It is hardly surprising to feel this way about “God”, for most feel that way about their God no matter who they think their ‘god’ to be. The wonderful thing about our Lord God Yahweh, and God incanate Jesus (literal name meaning ‘Yahweh saves’) is God as Christians know is not looking for the stroing, rich, and powerful. The Lord does not expect use to climb to the heights of heaven but stoops so low, raising from the ground those who have nothing to offer, going through the sewage to find those in need of any kind, and blessing the one who society calls cursed. This is the work of our God, this is the good news of God’s Kingdom. This is also the task also of those who choose to follow God’s Child Jesus. Our values are far differnet from the worlds because our God is far differnt from the idols the world treats as gods.

May 5

Reading 1

Mark 1:35-39

“In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. And Simon and his companions hunted for him. When they found him, they said to him, “Everyone is searching for you.” He answered, “Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do.” And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons.”

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Jesus slipped away for a quiet moment with God, how much more do we mere mortals need to spend time alone with God; whether it is in a quiet corner, or in a park, or in the bathroom if you can find no other place of quiet. Jesus is quickly missed by the crowds, but does not say to Himself, ‘I knew I shouldn’t have gone off to pray.’ but simply says, ‘Okay lets get moving, there is good news to share.’ But the sharing Jesus offers up is not mere words of comfort but actions of power, so when we spend time with God in pray we are suddenly equipped not only to speak the words of God but to actually do the will of God, and that is truly Good News.

Reading 2

Above all, strive by holy thoughts, as well as by prayers, to fulfill in daily life what you profess orally; and may the Holy Spirit who speaks to you upon your lips also deign to dwell in your hearts. It is truly good and pleasing enough to God when the tongue devoutly chants the Psalms, but it will be better still if your life is in harmony with the words on your tongue. Our words and our lives should be in agreement. Let not our words bear testimony against our evil habits, and let not our tongue refute our lives. If one thing is uttered with our mouth, and something else appears in our actions, what the tongue seems to build up our evil life immediately destroys. For your part, dear Christians, may the sense of a Scripture passage hold your attention as well as the pleasantness of the sound. If, when a person chants the Psalms, [one] only pays attention to the sweetness of the sounds and the arrangement of the words, but does not heed what should be understood in them, [that one’s] ears receive passing nourishment, but the Word of God does not reach [that one’s] heart. In a certain sense, such a one chews pure wax, but does not taste the sweetness of the honey at all.

-Caesarius of Arles, Sermon 75

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If we want the full sweetness of life rather than the blandness of the bee’s wax we must lead lives of integrity. The pray book version of the psalms renders 84:11 “No good thing will the LORD withhold from those who walk with integrity.” Many people lead double lives hiding who they are, and we all do to a certain extent, but if the Spirit of Truth dwells in us we must live truthfully, leading lives of who God created us to be. Now that my rant against the evils of the deception of the closet is done I would like to turn to another point in this reading. The Christian life is not about beautiful music, powerful sermons or eloquently read prayers, but it is about lives changed. It is wonderful to appreciate beauty but if that appreciation never sinks into our being what better is it than throwing snow on your sidewalk to cover a crack? God’s word enters us, enlivens us and brings us to lasting growth, and thanks be to God that growth is eternal. “By the grace of God which was given to me, I laid the foundations like a trained master-builder, and someone else is building on them. Now each one must be careful how he does the building. For nobody can lay down any other foundation than the one which is there already, namely Jesus Christ. On this foundation, different people may build in gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay or straw but each person’s handiwork will be shown for what it is. The Day which dawns in fire will make it clear and the fire itself will test the quality of each person’s work. The one whose work stands up to it will be given his wages; the one whose work is burnt down will suffer the loss of it, though he himself will be saved; he will be saved as someone might expect to be saved from a fire. Do you not realise that you are a temple of God with the Spirit of God living in you? If anybody should destroy the temple of God, God will destroy that person, because God’s temple is holy; and you are that temple.” 1Co 3:10-17, NJB

May 6

Reading 1

Mark 1:40-45

“A leper came to [Jesus] begging him, and kneeling he said to him, “If you choose, you can make me clean.” Moved with pity, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, and said to him, “I do choose. Be made clean!” Immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. After sternly warning him he sent him away at once, saying to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.” But he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the word, so that Jesus could no longer go into a town openly, but stayed out in the country; and people came to him from every quarter.”

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Few were feared more in the day of Jesus than the leper, but Jesus does not merely heal him but reaches out to this untouchable and touches him, His pity, the compassion of God stretches out to give this man not merely healing but also the very much needed touch of another human. All too often today people (sadly enough, even among Queer Christians too) treat HIV+ people as the ‘new lepers’, new untouchables. We fear we might contract this dreaded disease or even worse we fear the pain of losing a friend, so never create the friendship. But if we are to be like Jesus we will reach out to all no matter the cost to us emotionally or physically. If all those who call themselves Christians did so people truly would stream from the four corners of the Earth, racing to embrace our Lord Jesus Christ.

Reading 2

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, sparkling like crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the city’s street. On either side of the river stood a tree of life, which yields twelve crops of fruit, one for each month of the year. The leaves of the trees are for the healing of the nations. Every accursed thing shall disappear. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and his servants shall worship him; they shall see him face to face and bear his name on their foreheads. There shall be no more night, nor will they need the light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will give them light; and they shall reign for ever.

-Revelation 22:1-5, REB

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This vision of the life God wants for the renewed creation is so wonderful. Life giving water springing from God who is also the source of light. The vision of this massive tree surrounding the river bearing fruit continually, offering healing for all. This is a wonderful vision but it is more than a vision it is our destiny, the destiny for all the servants of God. God’s time is mysterious, God is coming soon, but from the point of view from eternity what is soon? Whether God brings total re-creation today or in many more centuries matters not. The good news is that God’s goal is not destruction but reconstruction and purification of all creation.

May 7

Reading 1

Mark 2:1-12

“When [Jesus] returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. So many gathered around that there was no longer room for them, not even in front of the door; and he was speaking the word to them. Then some people came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. And when they could not bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him; and after having dug through it, they let down the mat on which the paralytic lay. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, “Why does this fellow speak in this way? It is blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” At once Jesus perceived in his spirit that they were discussing these questions among themselves; and he said to them, “Why do you raise such questions in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Stand up and take your mat and walk’? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”--he said to the paralytic-- “I say to you, stand up, take your mat and go to your home.” And he stood up, and immediately took the mat and went out before all of them; so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!” ”

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Christ wanted not to heal merely body’s or heart’s but the whole of a person, one’s soul, so He let it be known that even as He could restore the flesh He could purify the spirit of a mortal. This brought talk of blasphemy but then whenever there is true freedom powerful healing the legalist will cry blasphemy. Crowds will exclaim, ‘Well I never!’, but in the end God will be glorified and that is all that matters. The traditionalist says, ‘You must have sex only in the bounds of marriage and only heterosexually’, the liberal says, ‘Sex, be it queer or heterosexual, is a gift from God, to be respected, enjoyed without shame, between consenting individuals.’ To that you hear cries of blasphemy or that this is ‘new and unchristian’, but the truth is it is the power of God breaking forth into lives, and God is receiving glory from it, people are finding wholeness, thanks be to God.

Reading 2

[The Spirit prays] in us when we do not know what to ask for. It is the mystery that enables us to pray always and everywhere.... We cannot always be conscious of the Divine Presence, but our hearts can be dedicated to God at work or play as well as at times especially given to prayer. In these latter times of solitary quiet prayer, we can make the conscious acceptance of all that we are in God and say yes to all that life has in store for us. This conscious commitment is the core that unites all that we are and do into one timeless gift of ourselves to God. Then whatever we are doing, we carry the assurance that we are in the Lord Jesus.

-Carmelites of Indianapolis, Hidden Friends

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The Spirit too comes to help us in our weakness, for, when we do not know how to pray properly, then the Spirit personally makes our petitions for us in groans that cannot be put into words; and [the One] who can see into all hearts knows what the Spirit means because the prayers that the Spirit makes for God’s holy people are always in accordance with the mind of God. We are well aware that God works with those who love him, those who have been called in accordance with his purpose, and turns everything to their good. Romans 8:26-28, NJB

May 8

Reading 1

Mark 2:13-17

“Jesus went out again beside the sea; the whole crowd gathered around him, and he taught them. As he was walking along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up and followed him. And as he sat at dinner in Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were also sitting with Jesus and his disciples--for there were many who followed him. When the scribes of the Pharisees saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, they said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” When Jesus heard this, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.” ”

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I believe it's not so much that Jesus views the Pharisees as truly righteous but that Jesus knew that they perceived themselves as righteous. Salvation has been called a gift, but to the one who won’t accept it how can they have it. We as Chrsitans believe none are righteous but in Christ alone. If we were to think of ourselves as without sin, we would be deceiving ourselves and possibly even rejecting the salvation of God. A person who is sick can deny that there is anything wrong with themselves but sooner or later they will die without treatment. Jesus forces no one into His kingdom and forces no one to accept the whole life He offers.

Reading 2

[Sexual] orientation is a given [trait], not a matter of choice. It would be crazy for someone to choose to be gay, given the homophobia that is present. The Church actually is confused. Our Church [Anglican] says that the orientation is ok, but gay sex activity is wrong. That is crazy. We say the expression of love in a monogamous, heterosexual relationship is more than just the physical but includes touching, embracing, kissing, maybe the genital act. The totality of this makes each of us grow to become giving, increasingly godlike, and compassionate. If this is so for the heterosexual, what earthly reason have we to say that it is not the case with the homosexual, provided the relationship is exclusive, not promiscuous? Supposing there was actually something wrong with gays and lesbians, as some people have said, how would Jesus deal with them? Not by exclusion, in the way we have tended to deal with them. And we say we are the Church of God?

-Archbishop Tutu, Admonishing the World Council of Churches (1997)

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Children, love must not be a matter of theory or talk; it must be true love which shows itself in action. 1 John 3:18 REB

May 9

Reading 1

Mark 2:18-22

“Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting; and people came and said to him, “Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” Jesus said to them, “The wedding guests cannot fast while the bridegroom is with them, can they? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast on that day. “No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old cloak; otherwise, the patch pulls away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost, and so are the skins; but one puts new wine into fresh wineskins.” ”

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The new and the old do not always mix, it is not that new wine is bad or old cloth is bad, they just do not fit. Mark’s account connects this to fasting. In essence what I see this section getting at is the freshness of the Gospel prevents this harsh exercise of fasting. There will come a time when fasting may be appropriate but not now. So too Christians often expect too much to fast of people new to the faith but the Good News is that Jesus realizes there is a time and place for everything and expects nothing of anyone before the proper time. God alone knows the timing of all, let us turn to God to discover it ourselves.

Reading 2

Without awareness of himself as human with all a human’s limitations, could Jesus have been anything other than a puppet moved around by God? Would he have been a free human being, like us in all things except for sin, if he knew exactly what was to happen? Freedom of choice implies ignorance of what will happen.... Considerations such as these have led theologians to rethink the traditional assuption of the church that knowledge of Jesus was unlimited and that as [human] be enjoyed the beatific vision. They acknowledge that Jesus’ awareness of his union with [God] was unique but now think that this developed gradually in a special way, perhaps with the baptism in the Jordan and that he only fully knew who he was at the resurrection....Jesus could be truly divine without clearly undersanding who and what he was until the resurection. For example, you were you and I was I when we were three-year-olds, but we didn’t know much about who or what we were then. And how much do we know about ourselves now? We’ll only know ourselves in our own reserection.

-Raymond Bosler, New Wine Bursting Old Skins

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We grow by learning about ourselves, time spent with God in prayer will help us know ourselves better simplly because God is the One who knows us best. Most of us who are queer have known we were differnt from the time we were very young, while we may not have fully understood it we eventually did, and through God’s grace have come to the point were we can thank God for how we were made. Life is continual new discovering about ourselves others and God, let us be thankful Jesus choose to be mortal, like us. Make your own the mind of Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, did not count equality with God something to be grasped. But he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, becoming as human beings are; and being in every way like a human being Philip. 2:5-7, NJB

May 10

Reading 1

Mark 2:23-3:6

“One sabbath [Jesus] was going through the grainfields; and as they made their way his disciples began to pluck heads of grain. The Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the sabbath?” And he said to them, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need of food? He entered the house of God, when Abiathar was high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and he gave some to his companions.” Then he said to them, “The sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the sabbath; so the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath.” Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there who had a withered hand. They watched him to see whether he would cure him on the sabbath, so that they might accuse him. And he said to the man who had the withered hand, “Come forward.” Then he said to them, “Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the sabbath, to save life or to kill?” But they were silent. He looked around at them with anger; he was grieved at their hardness of heart and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. The Pharisees went out and immediately conspired with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.”

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Conspiring to destroy one simply because Jesus saw things differently, because He took the broad picture and judged situations by their own merits rather than the rules set long ago. David had no right to eat the bread of the priests, but just as he realized the life and well being of people surpassed rules and regulations so Jesus said the sabbath would be no hindrance to feeding the hungry or healing the sick. As Queer Christians I feel we too must not be bound by legalism of the past but strive to bring life and light wherever darkness or legalism reigns. Jesus loves you just as God created you, Jesus came that we might have the abundant life and so we must strive for peoples wholeness in every respect we can and in that we will find our wholeness.

Reading 2

In truth, compassion is the very origin and goal–as well as the process–of creation mysticism. “The first outbursts of everything God does,” Meister Eckhart says, “is compassion.” This means that all creatures as children of God hold compassion in common. Compassion is our universal heritage, our God-origin and our God-destiny. Compassion unites us, it forms the common “field” that all creatures share. The mystics intuits this, feels it, experiences it, tries to live it out in some fashion.....To experience compassion and to identify wit the suffering of others–as well as with their joy–is to experience the Divine One who suffers and rejoices in each person. To struggle to birth one’s own “I am” is also to experience the divine “I am.” In fact, we must all birth the Cosmic Christ in our being and doing for that is why we exist. Is not the purpose of the incarnation in Jesus to reveal the imminence of the Cosmic Christ in sufferings and dignity of each creature of the Earth? As we discover our own “I am” and the ecstasy and pain of the Divine One in us, we gradually grow into an “I-am-with” others (Emmanuel, “God-with-us”). We grew into compassion and in doing so the divine “I am” takes on flesh once again. Since God alone is the Compassionate One, as we grow into compassion we also grow into our divinity.

-Mathew Fox, The Coming of the Cosmic Christ

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St. Paul links compassion with love when he writes: “As the chosen of God, then, the holy people whom he loves, you are to be clothed in heartfelt compassion, in generosity and humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with one another; forgive each other if one of you has a complaint against another. The Lord has forgiven you; now you must do the same. Over all these clothes, put on love, the perfect bond. And may the peace of Christ reign in your hearts, because it is for this that you were called together in one body. Always be thankful.” (Col 3:12-15, NJB) Also St. John links our love to the truth of our claim as children of God when he says: “This is what distinguishes the children of God from the children of the devil: whoever does not live uprightly does not love his brother is not from God.” (1 Jo 3:10), If we are to children of God through Christ Jesus we must learn to be compassionate and loving as Jesus was, then we can truly be worthy to be called children of God.

May 11

Reading 1

Mark 3:7-12

“Jesus departed with his disciples to the sea, and a great multitude from Galilee followed him; hearing all that he was doing, they came to him in great numbers from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, beyond the Jordan, and the region around Tyre and Sidon. He told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, so that they would not crush him; for he had cured many, so that all who had diseases pressed upon him to touch him. Whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and shouted, “You are the Son of God!” But he sternly ordered them not to make him known.”

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This passage presents a loving image of Jesus and for me the Hebrew term Shalom. Shalom is not only peace but gives the picture of room and well being and prosperity. Jesus brought healing where ever He went. Crowds pressed in, but rather than asking the crowds to stay away Jesus makes more room by entering a boat, giving his spot of ground to another. Where Jesus goes, even this day, Peace follows, thanks be to God.

Reading 2

Continue to love each other like brothers [and sisters], and remember always to welcome strangers, for by doing this, some people have entertained angels without knowing it. Keep in mind those who are in prison, as though you were in prison with them; and those who are being badly treated, since you too are in the body. Marriage must be honoured by all, and marriages must be kept undefiled, because the sexually immoral and adulterers will come under God’s judgement. Put avarice out of your lives and be content with whatever you have; God himself has said: I shall not fail you or desert you, and so we can say with confidence: With the Lord on my side, I fear nothing: what can human beings do to me?

Remember your leaders, who preached the word of God to you, and as you reflect on the outcome of their lives, take their faith as your model. Jesus Christ is the same today as he was yesterday and as he will be for ever.

-Hebrews 13:1-8, NJB

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The first part of this reading is all about respect, welcoming strangers as if from God, not looking down on the ‘down and out’ or abused, respecting the relationships people have formed; and help each to keep them. Peoples lust for what others have is all to common and James calls it the source of all sin, but we need not worry about getting anything. Our chief and only lasting possession is God’s love, so we fear nothing that may befall us because of whom we have placed our confidence in. This wonderful passage also reminds us to look to other people past and present as models of faith for us to follow, for we remember that Jesus is eternally the same, and so let us strive for that eternal perfection, with the help of God.

May 12

Reading 1

Mark 3:13-19

“He went up the mountain and called to him those whom he wanted, and they came to him. And he appointed twelve, whom he also named apostles, to be with him, and to be sent out to proclaim the message, and to have authority to cast out demons. So he appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter); James son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder); and Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. Then he went home;”

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Called to a mountain but not to rule, called up high but not to stay. Jesus calls these twelve to Himself and gives them power and authority. This is only the beginning though, there is no more climbing but a decent, to go home, to go forth and proclaim the message. We two are often called in the mountain top experiences of life, but those experience must bring us home, bring us into service even as they brought this twelve to God’s service in Christ.

Reading 2

Perhaps the experience of having been left out or put out of our homes or families (even if we later reconcile with them and heal the rift) makes us more willing and open to inviting and accepting each other into our homes and living rooms and kitchens and, sometimes, our bedrooms. Perhaps our neediness or loneliness has made us almost “promiscuous” in our desire to provide hospitality. Being shut out has made us want to include with a vengeance....

If my body is my home, then my decision to share my body with another person is a lot like my decision to share my home. The process includes developing a strong sense of what it means to have to have responsibility for my home..... To share sexuality with someone is literally to make room for them in our body and in the space surrounding our bodies. Quite literally, in most forms of sexual intimacy, we enter each other’s body in some fashion. Whether through kissing, especially deep kissing, various forms of penetration, or holding and stroking playfully and passionately, we have entered the most physically private and protected areas of each other’s body/self. And to use the [clinical phrase], we often “exchange bodily fluids.” Those fluids are produced from within us, that we manufacture, and they constitute another way in which we have contact with each others bodies.

-Nancy Wilson, Our Tribe: Queer Folks, God, Jesus, and the Bible

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The above passage throws a whole new light on the concept of hospitality to strangers, but remember whether you are sharing your home or your body, as host you are to make you guest welcome and treat them well. If all you seek from it is recognition, or a selfish-personal pleasure, you are approaching hospitality with wrong motives. Make love of God and your fellow humans your only motive. “Above all preserve an intense love for each other, since love covers over many a sin. Welcome each other into your houses without grumbling. Each one of you has received a special grace, so, like good stewards responsible for all these varied graces of God, put it at the service of others.” 1 Peter 4:8-10, NJB

May 13

Reading 1

Mark 3:20-35

“And the crowd came together again, so that they could not even eat. When [Jesus’] family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people were saying, “He has gone out of his mind.” And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, “He has Beelzebul, and by the ruler of the demons he casts out demons.” And he called them to him, and spoke to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but his end has come. But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man; then indeed the house can be plundered. “Truly I tell you, people will be forgiven for their sins and whatever blasphemies they utter; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit can never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”-- for they had said, “He has an unclean spirit.” Then his mother and his brothers came; and standing outside, they sent to him and called him. A crowd was sitting around him; and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, asking for you.” And he replied, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” And looking at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.” ”

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Family is not about biology alone, but about love and will. Queers often call other gay men or lesbians family because they have a bond in some ways stronger than that of family, in the same way we have our Christian families. So often families be they are Christian families or our birth families, reject us because we are queer, but the Good news is this- Jesus takes you as family simply because you do His will, and that will is to love God fully and neighbour as self. You are never without family because Jesus is your brother, Mother, and lover. Be those things to others for Jesus has become them for you.

Reading 2

Mark’s Gospel tells us that the relatives of Jesus came to “take charge of him, saying, ‘He is out of his mind’”... Jesus family thought he was nuts since he walked away from a good business as a carpenter–and for what? Being a village craftsman brings good money and security. Why leave it for pie in the sky, for impractical God stuff? It wasn’t even like the son of Joe and Mary had gone up to Jerusalem to become a temple scribe, part of the respectable religious establishment. No, the poor boy went off on some wild-holy-goose chase....

An earnest practice of prayer and spiritual disciplines– and actually living the values of the Gospel– are “properly” reserved only for Sundays or for those living in remote monasteries or behind convent walls.

If you and i took the invitation of Jesus seriously–did the things he did, lived the kind of life he called his disciples to live–I promise you that most of our families and friends would say that we has “lost our marbles.”....Whenever prophets appear, walking boldly in response tot he divine voice they hear in their hearts, the typical response is to quickly neuterize them by saying, “Oh, she’s a saint!” or “He’s really crazy!” Such labels of holiness or insanity excuse us from having to ask ourselves why our lives are not radically holy....

The cosmic twist is that Jesus and eccentrics like Robert Crab, like General George Booth who founded the Salvation Army or like Francis of Assisi, who went naked in his desire for absolute poverty, aren't possessed. It’s not the Joan of Arcs in our World who are possessed; rather it's we in the middle of the road majority who are possessed by the Beelzebub, the Demon, of Respectability....

Rollo May [says] that it’s the child who is the “little angel” for too long that parents should worry about! Yes, worry if she’s still a little angel at twenty-five or forty-five! The child who’s a “little devil,” on the other hand, gives promise for good future development. Reflecting on that, perhaps we can see Eve and Adam’s disobedience in Eden as not all bad! Didn't Jesus also disobey God’s laws, those he considered to be idols crippling to human growth?....

We are challenged by Jesus’ words and life to three types of disobedience which requires the courage of the little devil in us. The first is non-violent, civil disobedience when the state or society requires a prophetic witness. The second is social-family disobedience whenever we must act contrary to the wishes or even demands of those closest to us. The third is sacred disobedience, which is not so much breaking the law as simply saying we are “out-laws,” outside the law because we are in-Christ! Deeper prayer. thoughtful reflection and direction, are of course, necessary before acting in any one of these three ways....

Salvation, once upon a time, meant liberation. Jesus came as a non-institutional savior to thorough open our cage doors, to cut our apron strings, to liberate us not by black magic, but by white magic. The scribes charged that it was by black magic, by devil-power, that Jesus “de-deviled” those possessed by physical, psychic and spiritual ills. Jesus Said, “You’re the crazy ones! God’s Spirit frees people! The spirit of evil, true diabolic power imprisons! Whatever imprisons you, even if it is dressed up like an angel and quotes Holy Scripture, is diabolic!”....

[Jesus] offers you the key to the cage door where your talents, gifts and unique life–mission are held prisoner by the Arch Demon of Respectability, Also standing guard at your prison door are the demon of excessive security and childhood needs for acceptance.... Your fears to reach out and take the key are more than understandable Living creatively and independently as Jesus can be very vulnerable and requires great trust. The following prayer may be of some assistance in unlocking your fears:

Come, Holy Spirit,

Come, Spirit of Madness

that possessed Jesus

and made him so passionate,

Come and take possession of me.

-Father Edward Hays, Holy Fools and Mad Hatters

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The message of the cross is folly for those who are on the way to ruin, but for those of us who are on the road to salvation it is the power of God. As scripture says: I am going to destroy the wisdom of the wise and bring to nothing the understanding of any who understand. Where are the philosophers? Where are the experts? And where are the debaters of this age? Do you not see how God has shown up human wisdom as folly? Since in the wisdom of God the world was unable to recognise God through wisdom, it was God’s own pleasure to save believers through the folly of the gospel. While the Jews demand miracles and the Greeks look for wisdom, we are preaching a crucified Christ: to the Jews an obstacle they cannot get over, to the gentiles foolishness, but to those who have been called, whether they are Jews or Greeks, a Christ who is both the power of God and the wisdom of God. God’s folly is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength. 1Cor. 1:18-25 REB

May 14

Reading 1

Mark 4:1-20

“Again [Jesus] began to teach beside the sea. Such a very large crowd gathered around him that he got into a boat on the sea and sat there, while the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land. He began to teach them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and it sprang up quickly, since it had no depth of soil. And when the sun rose, it was scorched; and since it had no root, it withered away. Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. Other seed fell into good soil and brought forth grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.” And he said, “Let anyone with ears to hear listen!” When he was alone, those who were around him along with the twelve asked him about the parables. And he said to them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside, everything comes in parables; in order that ‘they may indeed look, but not perceive, and may indeed listen, but not understand; so that they may not turn again and be forgiven.’” And he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? Then how will you understand all the parables? The sower sows the word. These are the ones on the path where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: when they hear the word, they immediately receive it with joy. But they have no root, and endure only for a while; then, when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. And others are those sown among the thorns: these are the ones who hear the word, but the cares of the world, and the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things come in and choke the word, and it yields nothing. And these are the ones sown on the good soil: they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.” ”

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We are called to sow the Word, in all places, we cannot know what the soil is like all we see is the surface, God alone is judge, but if we sow generously, God’s harvest shall be great. The most barren looking soil may be the riches, the ideal place for the seed of God to grow. Let you love and life be like seed falling from you hand. God will give it growth in the right soil, all we need to do is keep sowing.

Reading 2

The symphony needs each note The book needs each word The house needs each brick The ocean needs each drop of water The harvest needs each grain of wheat The whole of humanity needs you as and where you are You are unique No one can take your place.

-Michel Quoist The Breath of Love, p.31

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You are God’s unique creation, and have purpose in God’s design.

May 15

Reading 1

Mark 4:21-25

“[Jesus] said to them, “Is a lamp brought in to be put under the bushel basket, or under the bed, and not on the lampstand? For there is nothing hidden, except to be disclosed; nor is anything secret, except to come to light. Let anyone with ears to hear listen!” And he said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear; the measure you give will be the measure you get, and still more will be given you. For to those who have, more will be given; and from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away.” ”

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It is not only foolish but dangerous to put a burning lamp under a bed or a basket, and so even as we are careful around a flame we need pay attention to all. Be generous as a flame giving light to a dark room. If we were somehow able to withhold light from a flame what good would it be but to be extinguished and never thought of again. So let us bring our wholes lives to light and reflect it to others for sake of Jesus who is the light of the world.

Reading 2

Gen. 37 (NJB) Joseph arrived at Shechem. A man found him wandering in the countryside and asked him, ‘What are you looking for?’ Joseph replies, ‘I am looking for my brothers,’

The Stranger once again appears, as a stranger comes to Jacob and wrestled him as he was seeking his brother. Jacob demands and receives blessing but Joseph merely asks where he might find his brothers. Like Jacob who had divine blessing on him and was reconciled to his brother Esau, so Joseph was sent on the path that would bring eventual reconciliation and salvation to his brothers. The stranger directs the path that will lead to his brothers....but not as Joseph would like...but as God has planned. What are you looking for, we are asked... God doesn’t want to withhold from us but longs to give us what we ask for, though in blessing there may be the bane of being crippled as Jacob was, in seeking something we might find it is not apparently to our advantage as would seem Joseph's Egyptian bondage. But our Lord is the God who cause all things to work out right... The dark shades are needed in the painting as much as the light if a beautiful picture is to take shape and be clear. We wonder about aimlessly not knowing fully what to do where to go next our knowledge and strength are exhausted and then God’s providence brings one along. Heaven sent, but I would guess Joseph, in the pit, would consider the man more Satan sent...though that painful incident lead to salvation for all of Egypt and his family and to truly finding his brothers.

-DWF

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And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. Romans 8:28

May 16

Reading 1

Mark 4:26-29

“[Jesus] also said, “The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how. The earth produces of itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. But when the grain is ripe, at once he goes in with his sickle, because the harvest has come.” ”

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Modern science may have entered the depths of the secrets of germination and growth but the point of this parable is that we need not know the workings in order to be part of the plan. God’s ways are beyond us and will never fully understand this side of eternity how it all fits together, but our job is to sow when asked to sow, reap when asked to reap. We do what we are called to do in Christ, let God’s providence take care of the rest.

Reading 2

“While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was deeply troubled by all the idols he saw everywhere in the city. He went to the synagogue to debate with the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles, and he spoke daily in the public square to all who happened to be there. He also had a debate with some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers. When he told them about Jesus and his resurrection, they said, “This babbler has picked up some strange ideas.” Others said, “He’s pushing some foreign religion.” Then they took him to the Council of Philosophers. “Come and tell us more about this new religion,” they said. “You are saying some rather startling things, and we want to know what it’s all about.” (It should be explained that all the Athenians as well as the foreigners in Athens seemed to spend all their time discussing the latest ideas.) So Paul, standing before the Council, addressed them as follows: “Men of Athens, I notice that you are very religious, for as I was walking along I saw your many altars. And one of them had this inscription on it--‘To an Unknown God.’ You have been worshiping him without knowing who he is, and now I wish to tell you about him. “He is the God who made the world and everything in it. Since he is Lord of heaven and earth, he doesn’t live in man-made temples, and human hands can’t serve his needs--for he has no needs. He himself gives life and breath to everything, and he satisfies every need there is. From one man he created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand which should rise and fall, and he determined their boundaries. “His purpose in all of this was that the nations should seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him--though he is not far from any one of us. For in him we live and move and exist. As one of your own poets says, ‘We are his offspring.’ And since this is true, we shouldn’t think of God as an idol designed by craftsmen from gold or silver or stone. God overlooked people’s former ignorance about these things, but now he commands everyone everywhere to turn away from idols and turn to him. For he has set a day for judging the world with justice by the man he has appointed, and he proved to everyone who this is by raising him from the dead.” When they heard Paul speak of the resurrection of a person who had been dead, some laughed, but others said, “We want to hear more about this later.” That ended Paul’s discussion with them, but some joined him and became believers. Among them were Dionysius, a member of the Council, a woman named Damaris, and others.” Acts 17:16-34, NLT.

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This passage is a wonderful glimpse of what inter-faith discusion should be like. Paul points out that people can worship God even if they do not understnad God as we know God to be. Paul does not reject their writings but draws what is good and true. the sad thing is that these people were not humble enough to believe that the could be taught something new, especially from this ‘babbler’ (lit. seed picker, a bird picking up seeds here and there. Then it came to refer to the loafer in the marketplace who picked up whatever scraps of learning he could find and paraded them without digesting them himself.[NIV Study Bible]). I think this is one reason that some people are so unwilling to listen to what the Spirit is teacing Queer Christians, we don’t have the force of history, or the popular voice of the ‘religious right’ on our side. Their pride, and preconcieved ideas keep them from hearing us, for hearing God. But thanks be to God that some do listen, and from there truth will break forth.

May 17

Reading 1

Mark 4:30-34

“[Jesus] also said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.” With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it; he did not speak to them except in parables, but he explained everything in private to his disciples.”

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The significance of anything is not what it starts out to be but what it finishes. Iron ore may be just a rock but it can be made into nails that hold a great cathedral together. We all start out a simple zygote, but we become a living soul who no matter how long or short lived we may be touch people in numerous ways. This insignificant seed Jesus talks of grows into a tall weed, and birds nest in it’s shelter. So too we no matter how insignificant we may feel we must realize that we who are in Christ are all growing in the Spirit, we are not what we were, we are not what we are going to be, thanks be to God.

Reading 2

Of all accusations against Christians, the most terrible was uttered by Nietzsche when he said that Christians had no joy.... Joy...is not something one can define or analyze. One enters into joy. “Enter thou into the joy of the Lord” (Matt. 25:21).....A Christian is the one who, wherever [one] looks, finds Christ and rejoices in Him. And this joy transforms all [one’s] human plans and programs, decisions and actions, making all [one’s] mission the sacrament of the world’s return to Him who is the life of the world.

-Alexander Schmemann, For the Life of the World

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Paul commands the Thessalonians to “Always be joyful” (5:16), he also says, “Let hope keep you joyful; in trouble stand firm; persist in prayer” (Rom 12:12, REB), and his letter to the Phillipians has been dub “The letter of joy” but Paul isn’t alone Jesus tells us, “Nevertheless, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but that your names are enrolled in heaven.”(Luk 10:20, REB). And that truly is the reason we are able to rejoice, for joy is a result of blessedness, because we are in God, now and always we can rejoice no matter what.

May 18

Reading 1

Mark 4:35-41

“On that day, when evening had come, [Jesus] said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” ”

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It is interesting that although they took Jesus just as He was, they were unable to take the conditions of the sea just as they were. There was a faith in their teacher, but not in God’s providence. The freshly awaken Jesus calms the sea not so much because there was danger but because the disciples were panicking. They failed to realize that it was not only that they were children of God but that the very God of the universe, incarnate, was in the boat with them. Even after the storm is settled down they still have the divinity of Jesus hidden from their eyes asking who He is. Let us never be so dense as to feel abandoned by God but realize that inner peace is always available to us because of who is present within us, Jesus.

Reading 2

Despair of the future is a kind of social disease. Whether that social sickness is a consequence of the turmoil and ruination caused by warfare, as this ancient author [of Deuteronomy] witnessed, or whether it is caused by deprivation, unemployment, and social alienation, the effects are very similar. Hopelessness generates despondency. It deenergizes and dehumanizes persons so that they no longer reach to grasp the possibilities life brings. It generates impulses of self-pity and self-condemnation. It begins to regard death as a welcome release instead of the closure of the period of opportunity.

So the appeal to faith and hope is not merely a religious appeal to generate support for religious enterprise but an appeal to enter into a full humanity. It is an appeal to seek out the deep well springs of human ambition and to expect the future to be open and desirable. It is an appeal to discover afresh what it truly means to be a human being.

Seen in this light the appeal to faith set out here gains greatly from the recognition that it originates in the worst of times. It is a call to hope that emerged out of a situation of deep gloom and emptiness. Not simply a challenge to embrace particular articles of faith or partisan leanings, it is, rather, an appeal to heart searching and self-examination, a remarkably personal and direct challenge that highlights the way in which, in final analysis, faith is a necessity for every human being.

- Ronald E. Clements, New Interpreter’s Bible Volume II

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All of us have known despair, some of us have even felt like ending it all, but that darkness is not God’s will. It can be trying to our faith but I think of the old spiritual saying ‘Take courage my soul, and let us journey on, for the night is dark and I am far from home, thanks be to God the morning light appears, The storm is passing over, the storm is passing over, Hallelujah!’ the good news is that God has purpose and plan for all of us and even though our hearts (and others) condemn us, God is great than all and God does not condemn us. Increase our faith, O Lord. Therefore, now that we have been justified through faith, we are at peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, who has given us access to that grace in which we now live; and we exult in the hope of the divine glory that is to be ours. More than this: we even exult in our present sufferings, because we know that suffering is a source of endurance, endurance of approval, and approval of hope. Such hope is no fantasy; through the Holy Spirit he has given us, God’s love has flooded our hearts. Romans 5:1-5, REB

May 19

Reading 1

Mark 5:1-20

“They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. And when [Jesus] had stepped out of the boat, immediately a man out of the tombs with an unclean spirit met him. He lived among the tombs; and no one could restrain him any more, even with a chain; for he had often been restrained with shackles and chains, but the chains he wrenched apart, and the shackles he broke in pieces; and no one had the strength to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always howling and bruising himself with stones. When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and bowed down before him; and he shouted at the top of his voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me.” For he had said to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, “My name is Legion; for we are many.” He begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country. Now there on the hillside a great herd of swine was feeding; and the unclean spirits begged him, “Send us into the swine; let us enter them.” So he gave them permission. And the unclean spirits came out and entered the swine; and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea, and were drowned in the sea. The swineherds ran off and told it in the city and in the country. Then people came to see what it was that had happened. They came to Jesus and saw the demoniac sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, the very man who had had the legion; and they were afraid. Those who had seen what had happened to the demoniac and to the swine reported it. Then they began to beg Jesus to leave their neighborhood. As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed by demons begged him that he might be with him. But Jesus refused, and said to him, “Go home to your friends, and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and what mercy he has shown you.” And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed.”

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Many people are like that demon possessed man with many problems, life disordered, and being not much better than dead, but just as the presence of Jesus brought wholeness and sanity to that one, so Jesus presence in our lives brings new order and healing, but just as people rejected and feared Jesus and the changed man so often people touched by God are rejected, like St. Francis was by his father. Queer Christians often are rejected for losing the demons of deceit and the closet, and coming to a greater wholeness. We do not break away from all when Jesus brings wholeness but rush out and tell the Good News, and when that happens people will be amazed and God will be glorified.

Reading 2

There’s a wall between us, God.

I love my friend,

but this isn’t my friend.

He’s on drugs and alcohol.

He’s in another world

from which I feel shut out.

I want to be close,

I want to share feelings,

I want to laugh together,

I want to show my love,

but he is too intense one moment

and too distracted the next.

Dear God, why is the world in such a state

that escape seems so necessary?

God, an altered state

makes us believe we are okay,

makes us feel divine,

makes us feel wonderful about our love

and our sexuality.

Dear God, why doesn’t the church

help us believe these things?

Why doesn’t the church

teach us we’re ok,

created in your image,

divinely gifted with our love

and our sexuality?

There’s a wall between us, God.

I love the church,

but this isn’t my church.

It’s on dogma and legalism.

It’s in another world,

from which I feel shut out.

I want to be close,

I want to share my feelings,

I want to laugh together,

I want to show my love,

but it's too intense one moment

and too distracted the next.

Yahweh, may this prayerful shout

help bring down Jericho walls

of drugs and dogma!

Amen.

-Chris Glacer, Coming Out To God

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Lord help us overcome this darkness, we know you are not far from us. “For I am convinced that there is nothing in death or life, in the realm of spirits or superhuman powers, in the world as it is or the world as it shall be, in the forces of the universe,in heights or depths — nothing in all creation that can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39.

May 20

Reading 1

Mark 5:21-43

“When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered around him; and he was by the sea. Then one of the leaders of the synagogue named Jairus came and, when he saw him, fell at his feet and begged him repeatedly, “My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well, and live.” So he went with him. And a large crowd followed him and pressed in on him. Now there was a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years. She had endured much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had; and she was no better, but rather grew worse. She had heard about Jesus, and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, for she said, “If I but touch his clothes, I will be made well.” Immediately her hemorrhage stopped; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. Immediately aware that power had gone forth from him, Jesus turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my clothes?” And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing in on you; how can you say, ‘Who touched me?’” He looked all around to see who had done it. But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling, fell down before him, and told him the whole truth. He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.” While he was still speaking, some people came from the leader’s house to say, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the teacher any further?” But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the leader of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe.” He allowed no one to follow him except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James. When they came to the house of the leader of the synagogue, he saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. When he had entered, he said to them, “Why do you make a commotion and weep? The child is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him. Then he put them all outside, and took the child’s father and mother and those who were with him, and went in where the child was. He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha cum,” which means, “Little girl, get up!” And immediately the girl got up and began to walk about (she was twelve years of age). At this they were overcome with amazement. He strictly ordered them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat.”

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Two healings of two females, one young one mature. One a story of such great faith that she was able to steal a blessing, the other of mocking laughter. These conditions are radically different, healing in the crowd, healing only with the family near by. This shows us wonderfully that God’s healing comes not in some set situation, nor is God ever too busy for those who seek wholeness. Faith brought health to the woman, but even though there is lack of faith the dead girl is restored. It is an awesome thing that God bring wholeness to those who seek it, but even greater than that, God brings restoration where there is no faith. God’s love spans the entire spectrum of faith, and so fear not if you feel unclean or past hope, for in God there is hope for eternity, wholeness for all who come.

Reading 2

We must not forget that the word of God issues its challenges. The scriptures are not a passive store of answers to our questions. We indeed read the Bible, but we can also say that the Bible “reads us.” In many instances, our very questions will be reformulated. In the gospels this happens frequently to those who approach Jesus. For example, when Jesus is asked: “Who is my neighbor?” he reverses the terms of the question and inquires in turn: Which of these three...proved neighbor tot he man? (Luke 10:29, 36)

-Gustavo Gutiérrez, We Drink From Our Own Wells

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When we read the scriptures we must not only say what was God saying, but also what is God saying to us. Luther has a wonderful line that ‘God’s word to Moses was not God’s word to Luther’, and it is very wise, for scripture speaks afresh to every genration and not all of what was said in the past is always appliciable to us. Scripture is not meant to be in one ear and out the other but must be alowed to settle into our intermost being and speak to us in that way. If that is done the Bible truly will change our questions and our lives. The word of God is alive and active. It cuts more keenly than any two-edged sword, piercing so deeply that it divides soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it discriminates among the purposes and thoughts of the heart. Nothing in creation can hide from him; everything lies bare and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must render account. Since therefore we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast to the faith we profess. Ours is not a high priest unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tested in every way as we are, only without sinning. Let us therefore boldly approach the throne of grace, in order that we may receive mercy and find grace to give us timely help. -Hebrews 4:12-16, REB

May 21

Reading 1

Mark 6:1-6

“[Jesus] left that place and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. On the sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astounded. They said, “Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What deeds of power are being done by his hands! Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. Then Jesus said to them, “Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house.” And he could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them. And he was amazed at their unbelief. Then he went about among the villages teaching.”

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Home town heroes can be great, but hometown heroes are often resented. This man was known to them all His life, He wasn't anything extraordinary to them, and so had the most trouble accepting Him. And while Jesus did good in His home town we are left the impression little was done in comparison to other places. But Jesus didn’t allow this to discourage Him, but simply moved on. We too must recognize that we need to grow beyond our boundaries, while family and neighbours shouldn’t be ignored, there comes a time when we say to hell with what they think, others accept me and I will go to them. We see this on a larger scales with the rejection of Jesus by the Jewish people and acceptance by the Gentiles. So too if you are rejected because you are queer move on, God accepts you, others will too. Being true to who God made you is more important than hometown acceptance.

Reading 2

The psalmist [of the 104 psalm] knew about the intricate inter-connectedness and subtle interdependence of air, soil, water, plants, and animals, including humans... [T]he truth revealed in the etymological connection between the Hebrew word for “humanity” (adam) and the word for “ground” (adama): Human beings really are creatures of the earth. The origin and destiny of humankind is inextricably tied to the origin and destiny of the earth. The same truth is revealed in the etymological connection between the English word human and the Latin word humus “soil.” But, as it were, we have forgotten our roots, both etymological and physical.....

The psalmist was convinced of the profound interdependence of air, soil, water, and all living things, because he or she believed that everything derived from and is ultimately dependent upon God... “Nature,” as we often call it today, is not divine, but it is sacred. It does not and cannot exist apart from God and God’s renewing breath.... Ecology and theology are inseparable....

[C]oncern for the environment begins with praising God. To be sure, this sounds hopelessly simplistic, scientifically and technologically naive. But such a starting point-and it's underlying conviction that the world belongs to God-is the only thing that will dislodge our arrogant assumption that we can save the world, as if it were ours to save! In Biblical terms, salvation means life, and in biblical terms, the world does not need to be saved. God has already done that.... God has made every arrangement and provision for the life of the world. The only problem will be if someone disrupts God’s design and destroys the delicate balance God has put in place. For the contemporary world, [we are the problem]. To paraphrase a famous line: We have seen the wicked, and it is us!....

The environmental crisis will be addressed by nothing short of praising God, exalting God, and humbling ourselves..... If our motivation for facing our own future and the future of the earth were to glorify God, we might even have the humility to ask ourselves what would it really mean to live in partnership with a tree or with a wild goat or with the thousands of species whose disappearance causes hardly a ripple of attention, primarily because we are convinced that nature exists to serve humanity.... [T]o serve God will mean ultimately to serve God’s creation (see Gen 2:15, where the vocation of the human in the garden of eden should be translated “to serve it and keep it”).... [L]ike all of God’s creations, the church lives by the power of God’s renewing Spirit, not by it's own ability, merit, or ingenuity. The church exists, like all of God’s works, to praise the Lord[!]

-J. Clinton McCann Jr., New Interpreter’s Bible (Volume IV)

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Environmentalism or the desire to live in harmony and respect for nature is not new to our century or even to the church with the great friend of all creatures St. Francis, care for all living things down to the birds of the air or the flowers of the field are God’s delight. Let their care become ours too.

May 22

Reading 1

Mark 6:7-13

“[Jesus] called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. He ordered them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts; but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics. He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place. If any place will not welcome you and they refuse to hear you, as you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.” So they went out and proclaimed that all should repent. They cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.”

*******************

Jesus was aware of God’s first note of err, when God said it’s not good for a human to be alone. Just as God made Eve for Adam, Jesus sent out this disciples two by two that they might have a supportive helpmate to maintain mutual encouragement. I do not want to imply that they had sexual relations (although the later same sex union ceremonies often paired certain disciples together as lovers). Jesus saw that when the necessity of companionship was fufilled, the rest would follow out of God’s providence. So too when we are blessed with a partner, a mate, we must strive to remain committed and ignore the hardships around us, God has provided the needful, will God not supply other as well? When this happens, our lives will be fruitful like the disciples, evil will flee and good works will overflow.

Reading 2

A Staff and a Companion for Your Journey

We should possess only what we can carry with us on our journey; a light burden, therefore. Wife and a husband should have the same attitude to this. Thrift is a good companion for those who are on the road to heaven.

The limit for our posessions is the body, just as the limit for a shoe is the foot. What is left over–that is to say necklaces and all the gewgaws that the rich collect– is only a nuisance, not a proper adorment for the body.

Any who want to climb the hard path ought to have a good staff, namely the practical helping of the poor. Any who want to share the true rest should show themselves generous to the afflicted.

Scripture in fact says: ‘One who is rich has to pay a ransom.’ [Prov. 13:8] This means that the rich can be saved by giving their money to anyone in need whom they may meet.

Look at a well of spring water. We draw some off and the well returns to it's previous level. It is the same with true generousity, where the spring is love for one’s neighbour. When generosity gives drink tot he thirsty, it wells up and is full again at once, just as a mother’s milk flows into her breasts the moment the babe has sucked.

-Clement of Alexandria, The Teacher

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I dare say that with the possible exception of those living on our streets no one is following this command of Jesus. My faith is not strong enough to, nor do I really believe Christ wants you to have only the clothes on your back. But many of us have more than we will ever need, and yet we still accumulate. If all had enough perhaps luxury could be an option for our lives, but we are called to help where we can, who we can, and not hoard wealth, food or other possessions. Is there a can of food in you cupboard you will not likely ever miss? Give it to a food bank. Are there clothes in your closet that you never wear? Give them away. It is an ironic thing that throughout all of history and even today it is the poorest of people who give most generously, let us learn from them. We must tell you, friends, about the grace that God has given to the churches in Macedonia. The troubles they have been through have tried them hard, yet in all this they have been so exuberantly happy that from the depths of their poverty they have shown themselves lavishly open-handed. Going to the limit of their resources, as I can testify, and even beyond that limit, they begged us most insistently, and on their own initiative, to be allowed to share in this generous service to their Fellow-Christians. And their giving surpassed our expectations; for first of all they gave themselves to the Lord and, under God, to us. 2Cor. 8:1-5 REB

May 23

Reading 1

Mark 6:14-29

“King Herod heard of it, for Jesus’ name had become known. Some were saying, “John the baptizer has been raised from the dead; and for this reason these powers are at work in him.” But others said, “It is Elijah.” And others said, “It is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.” But when Herod heard of it, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.” For Herod himself had sent men who arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because Herod had married her. For John had been telling Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” And Herodias had a grudge against him, and wanted to kill him. But she could not, for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he protected him. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed; and yet he liked to listen to him. But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his courtiers and officers and for the leaders of Galilee. When his daughter Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests; and the king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it.” And he solemnly swore to her, “Whatever you ask me, I will give you, even half of my kingdom.” She went out and said to her mother, “What should I ask for?” She replied, “The head of John the baptizer.” Immediately she rushed back to the king and requested, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.” The king was deeply grieved; yet out of regard for his oaths and for the guests, he did not want to refuse her. Immediately the king sent a soldier of the guard with orders to bring John’s head. He went and beheaded him in the prison, brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl. Then the girl gave it to her mother. When his disciples heard about it, they came and took his body, and laid it in a tomb.”

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We must be careful not be be a modern day Herod carefully quieting the voice of a person of God even when we know it to be Holy and righteous. Herod committed the greatest of sins, that of indifference he would not kill John, but would not let him proclaim openly God’s message. And finally though he longed for the safety of the Baptist, he cared more of saving face and so had John executed. How very different from the disciples who risk life and limb giving this executed prisoner a proper burial. The head may have gone to a bitter woman, but the body went to rest in the mother of us all, the earth, to rise up to God’s bosom. The daughter was loyal to her mother, the disciples showed loyalty to their leader, and even Herod was loyal to his word. In the end I guess we have to ask what value is loyalty if its result will be evil?

Reading 2

Let us now sing the praises of famous men,

our ancestors in their generations.

The Lord apportioned to them great glory,

his majesty from the beginning.

There were those who ruled in their kingdoms,

and made a name for themselves by their valor;

those who gave counsel because they were intelligent;

those who spoke in prophetic oracles;

those who led the people by their counsels

and by their knowledge of the people’s lore;

they were wise in their words of instruction;

those who composed musical tunes,

or put verses in writing;

rich men endowed with resources,

living peacefully in their homes—

all these were honored in their generations,

and were the pride of their times.

Some of them have left behind a name,

so that others declare their praise.

But of others there is no memory;

they have perished as though they had never existed;

they have become as though they had never been born,

they and their children after them.

But these also were godly men,

whose righteous deeds have not been forgotten

-Sirach, 44:1-10, NRSV

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Many people seek immortality in their creations whether it be works or children but we have good news here, even if we are forgotten and it seems as if we never existed, God remembers our deeds. Truly it is impossible to know fully how our lives have affected others, we can not even know ourselves this side of eternity but it matters not whether we are remembered by mortals for the One who is eternal remembers and honors us. No one perishes as if they never existed if they live in God.

May 24

Reading 1

Mark 6:30-44

“The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. He said to them, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves. Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they hurried there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things. When it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is now very late; send them away so that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy something for themselves to eat.” But he answered them, “You give them something to eat.” They said to him, “Are we to go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread, and give it to them to eat?” And he said to them, “How many loaves have you? Go and see.” When they had found out, they said, “Five, and two fish.” Then he ordered them to get all the people to sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups of hundreds and of fifties. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and he divided the two fish among them all. And all ate and were filled; and they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. Those who had eaten the loaves numbered five thousand men.”

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What a difference we see between the disciples treatment of the crowd and Jesus’, while both showed concern. Jesus would not have them sent away to fend for themselves but insisted on feeding them. We too often focus on how little we have but we must learn not to view our resources alone, but to add God to our resources and so find that what was not enough goes father than we ever dreamed possible. We must approach these problems with thanks giving turning all over to God. When we do this we will find the left-overs will be greater than what we thought we had in the first place, for little with God is more than much with out God.

Reading 2

An Celtic Blessing

May the blessing of light

be on you, light without and light within.

May the blessed sunlight

shine upon you and warm your heart till it glows

like a great peat fire, so that the stranger may

come and warm [one]self at it, and also a friend.

And may the light shine out of the eyes of you,

like a candle set in the windows of a house,

bidding the wanderer to come in out of the storm.

And may the blessing of the rain

be on you - the soft sweet rain. May it fall upon

your spirit so that all the little flowers may spring up,

and shed their sweetness on the air.

And may the blessing of the great rains be on you,

may they beat upon your spirit and wash it fair and clean,

and leave there many shining pool where the blue

of heaven shines, and sometimes a star.

And may the blessing of the earth

be on you - the great round earth;

may you ever have a kindly greeting

for them you pass as you’re going along the roads.

May the earth be soft under you when

you rest out upon it, tired at the end of a day,

and may it rest easy over you when,

at the last, you lie out under it.

May it rest so lightly over you that

your soul may be off from under it quickly,

and up and off, and on its way to God.

And now may the Lord

bless you, and bless you kindly.

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Our God is gracious to offer us many blessings, but often times the blessings, the actually saying of words of wishing God’s graciousness on someone are important. At the end of a worship service do you not feel a lightness and warmth when you hear that ancient Aaronic blessing said, I know I do. But blessings are not just to be given by ministers but by all priests (as Peter says we are all priests unto God, see 1 Peter 2:9) and are all called to offer blessings. I think my favorite blessing of the New Testament is Paul’s simple “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” 2Co 13:13, NJB. Wish every body you contact blessing not cursing, then you will love aright.

May 25

Reading 1

Mark 6:45-56

“Immediately [Jesus] made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. After saying farewell to them, he went up on the mountain to pray. When evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land. When he saw that they were straining at the oars against an adverse wind, he came towards them early in the morning, walking on the sea. He intended to pass them by. But when they saw him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost and cried out; for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.” Then he got into the boat with them and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened. When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored the boat. When they got out of the boat, people at once recognized him, and rushed about that whole region and began to bring the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he went, into villages or cities or farms, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it were healed.”

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Jesus alone with God, it is a lovely picture, but this time enables Him to go out to the disciples, to go across the water where He was needed. We too need to spend time in God if we are ever to have the strength and wisdom to do what God wants of us. The disciples catch a glimpses of Jesus and are terrified, but rather than continuing with His plans Jesus comforts them, and joins them in the boat straining against the wind. So too when we look around in our trials and despairs we too will often catch a glimpse of Jesus, in another person, in nature or perhaps just in our heart. But when we cry out to Jesus He will not leave us but come even closer and join us. Jesus captain of our soul does not abandon the ship in distress but joins it.

Reading 2

Sex is who we are and how we feel about ourselves as created sexual human beings. A friend of mine wrote to me, and I wish to share some of the letter:

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All I know is what I know. I did not choose to be gay, nor did I choose to become gay. I have always been gay. As far as I am concerned, I was created gay. I cannot understand those who claim the while God may have created me, God doesn't want me to be a sexual being. This kind of disembodied spirituality just makes no sense to me. In both Jewish texts and Christian texts of the Bible, we are called "to be." To be fully alive. To be the spirit made flesh.

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I sense, this one person who is very clear about himself as a created sexual human being. Not to understand such concepts, challenges whether one clearly understands that sexuality is more than sex. -R. H. Calderwood (Some Will say Heresy, p. 51)

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Draw near to Jesus who seeks to give you wholeness, for as many as touched the fringe of Jesus garment were made whole.

May 26

Reading 1

Mark 7:1-13

“Now when the Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around [Jesus], they noticed that some of his disciples were eating with defiled hands, that is, without washing them. (For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, do not eat unless they thoroughly wash their hands, thus observing the tradition of the elders; and they do not eat anything from the market unless they wash it; and there are also many other traditions that they observe, the washing of cups, pots, and bronze kettles.) So the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?” He said to them, “Isaiah prophesied rightly about you hypocrites, as it is written, ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching human precepts as doctrines.’ You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition.” Then he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition! For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘Whoever speaks evil of father or mother must surely die.’ But you say that if anyone tells father or mother, ‘Whatever support you might have had from me is Corban’ (that is, an offering to God)-- then you no longer permit doing anything for a father or mother, thus making void the word of God through your tradition that you have handed on. And you do many things like this.” ”

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God’s concern is love, while the Pharisees had a zealous love of God and the laws, they failed to keep the law by not loving neighbour as self. They saw not hungry people needing food, only people who did not perform the proper pre-dinner etiquette. It is wonderful to be well mannered and giving offense to no one, but in the end, if we fulfill rules and our hearts are far from God. This is worse of than if we were the vilest of sinners- yet one who was like David- one after God’s own heart. David we remember was an adulterous, murder who drifted from God’s will on more than one occasion, but in the end the conclusions of theis same sinner is “friend of God ”. For David with all his wrong actions remains one who longed for God and God’s will.

Reading 2

I do assert that one prepares for eternity not being religious and keeping rules, but by living fully, loving wastefully, and daring to be all that each of us has the capacity to be. I also assert that making it possible for everyone else to live, to love, and to be is the only mission the Christian people possess. Our task is not to convert; our task is to call people into the depths of their own capacity to be.

-Bp. J. S. Spong, Why Christianity Must Change or Die p.218-9

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I am free and own no master; but I have made myself everyone’s servant, to win over as many as possible. To Jews I behaved like a Jew, to win Jews; that is, to win those under the law I behaved as if under the law, though not myself subject to the law. To win those outside that law, I behaved as if outside the law, though not myself outside God’s law, but subject to the law of Christ. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. To them all I have become everything in turn, so that in one way or another I may save some. All this I do for the sake of the gospel, to have a share in its blessings. 1 Corinthians 9:19-23

May 27

Reading 1

Mark 7:14-23

“Then [Jesus] called the crowd again and said to them, “Listen to me, all of you, and understand: there is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile.” When he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about the parable. He said to them, “Then do you also fail to understand? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile, since it enters, not the heart but the stomach, and goes out into the sewer?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.) And he said, “It is what comes out of a person that defiles. For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come: fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, folly. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.” ”

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It is very true that food does not defile and niether does ones race, sex or sexual orientation. The things that defile to draw from the REB are : evil thoughts, acts of [immorality], theft, murder, adultery, greed, and malice; fraud, indecency, envy, slander, arrogance, and folly. Now no matter how you personally define some of those things you will certainly understand, that these things flowing out of us show our true pruity and not those things which legalist add up on their do and don’t lists. To quote St. Paul, “To the pure all things are pure; but nothing is pure to tainted disbelievers, tainted both in reason and in conscience. They profess to know God but by their actions deny him; they are detestable and disobedient, disqualified for any good work.”(Tit 1:15-16, REB).

Reading 2

[F]or most women, pride in one’s self and ones work is something we need to seek. Pride is a moral good. Our lack of pride may well be our most egregious sin. Good Christian men throughout history, have lifted the theological assumption-that pride is wrong and loss of self, right- out of its social-historical context and spoken of it as if the eternal word of God, the Truth. We must lose ourselves in order to find ourselves? This is Gospel? The Good News? For a battered woman or gay man, an abused child or hungry black citizen? Good news for the Nicaraguan peasants and Ethiopian children? Until the human social order generates the basic conditions for self-respect, it is an unfair, unrealistic, immoral expectation for us to lay upon persons the mandate that they should give themselves away, lose themselves and or live for others. Like Reinhold Niebuhr, good Christian gentlemen have failed to perceive the extent which pride is a sin specifically of those who shape and govern religion and society, those who do indeed posit themselves at the center of the world of God. This is pride: putting oneself at the center, around whom everyone and everything else must revolve. It is a sin, but it is specifically not the sin of those who must struggle at the margins for their own names, dignity, rights or lives.... All theological truth, all teachings about God, salvation, sin, and so forth, must be determined by those about whom and to whom it is meant to speak....

Those on the bottom- historically those least empowered in the church and the world- are called by God to lead the way in discovering theological truths for our generation: theological truths and moral imperatives. It is not that women can speak for men. Or black people for whites. It is simply that poor people, people of darker shades and ethnic groups, women, lesbians and gay men, and members of religious minorities have what liberation theologians call an ‘epistemological privilege’- the privilege of actually knowing God first, and therefore the ability to lead others to God. knowing God first, because God lives and moves always at the bottom of the heap. God is with the poor and marginalized. God struggles in prisons, closets, and streets. Those who are at the bottom of the barrel in any culture, religion, nation, society or economic situation have the privilege of naming God because only they know the name of the God who struggles to resist oppression. God groans for breath and life and self-respect with and among those who have been cast out, marginalized, in every situation, from the center of our public life together. When meet by God of the margins, those who hold religious and civil power can, and usually do, reject this God as a phony or a lie. But they cannot take her away from those who know and love her. We have to speak our own theological truths.

-Carter Heyward, Reflections on a feminist Spirituality for Justice

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Pride is sin, but so is self hate. Let us follow St. Benidict’s advice (and the Buddha’s philosophy) of trying to follow the middle way. Be proud of who you are, but never look down on another. Be proud of what you believe, but never assume that another's belief must be wrong because they are not your own. Be proud of where you live, but don’t allow hurt pride to lead to hatred, violence or war. We sin if we fail to love ourselves for then we can not not love our neighbour properly either, and what is loving God with our whole being if we feel our being is utterly worthless, if we fail to thank God for the gift of our unique self which God has created.

May 28

Reading 1

Mark 7:24-30

“From there [Jesus] set out and went away to the region of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there. Yet he could not escape notice, but a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him, and she came and bowed down at his feet. Now the woman was a Gentile, of Syrophoenician origin. She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. He said to her, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” But she answered him, “Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” Then he said to her, “For saying that, you may go--the demon has left your daughter.” So she went home, found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.”

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This is a very human look at our Lord, Jesus escaping all the pressures of the mission field to go some place in secrecy and unwind. But His fame is spreading and not even in this gentile town can He escape those seeking help. Jesus knows God’s calling to bring back the children of Israel, but probably from fatigue discourages this desperate woman. But her bold persistence pays off for Jesus dismisses her not without hope but with assurance her daughter is healed, she returns to find it just as Jesus has said. It is interesting that although we she Jesus interact with other gentiles positively He reacts rather negatively at first to this woman. But it’s not the idea of Jesus being anti-woman (Jesus actually is far more positive to women than most any of His day), and fatigue can lead al of us to want to take a break for doing good. I wish to point out that in Christ and God, there is no boundary that is not removed; we are all are viewed as precious children in God’s sight.

Reading 2

God reveals [God]self everywhere, beneath our groping efforts, as a universal milieu, only because [God] is the ultimate point upon which all realities converge....In the divine milieu all elements of the universe touch each other by that which is most inward and ultimate in them....The immense enchantment of the divine milieu owes all its value in the long run to the human-divine contact which was revealed at the Epiphany of Jesus.....Christ–for whom and in whom we are formed, each with [one’s] own individuality, and [one’s] own vocation–Christ reveals himself in each reality around us, and shines like an ultimate determinant, like a centre, one might almost say like a universal element.

-Pierre Tilhard de Chardin, Le Milieu divin: An Essay on the Interior Life

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God truly is the environment (or ‘milieu’) of all, through whom all was created; through Christ and Spirit, the cause and action of creation. These mysteries will not be full understood in this flesh but we do see dimly, but the good news is God is everywhere and so there is no one and nothing that can separate us from our God. Yahweh, you examine me and know me, you know when I sit, when I rise, you understand my thoughts from afar. You watch when I walk or lie down, you know every detail of my conduct. A word is not yet on my tongue before you, Yahweh, know all about it. You fence me in, behind and in front, you have laid your hand upon me. Such amazing knowledge is beyond me, a height to which I cannot attain. Where shall I go to escape your spirit? Where shall I flee from your presence? If I scale the heavens you are there, if I lie flat in Sheol, there you are. If I speed away on the wings of the dawn, if I dwell beyond the ocean, even there your hand will be guiding me, your right hand holding me fast. I will say, ‘Let the darkness cover me, and the night wrap itself around me,’ even darkness to you is not dark, and night is as clear as the day. You created my inmost self, knit me together in my mother’s womb. For so many marvels I thank you; a wonder am I, and all your works are wonders. You knew me through and through, my being held no secrets from you, when I was being formed in secret, textured in the depths of the earth. Your eyes could see my embryo. In your book all my days were inscribed, every one that was fixed is there. How hard for me to grasp your thoughts, how many, God, there are! If I count them, they are more than the grains of sand; if I come to an end, I am still with you. -Psalm 139:1-18, NJB

May 29

Reading 1

Mark 7:31-37

“Then [Jesus] returned from the region of Tyre, and went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they begged him to lay his hand on him. He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue. Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. They were astounded beyond measure, saying, “He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.” ”

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Jesus brings not only healing but wholeness. A deaf mute should have no capacity for speech even if hearing was restored, but it was not mere health Jesus was bringing but the abundant life He wishes for us all. Jesus says, ‘Be opened!’ and the man’s ears were open to hear, tongue to speak but more importantly his mind was opened to the explanation of what all these new stimuli meant. Let us go forth zealously proclaiming the meaning of God’s love as well as show it.

Reading 2

Each sexual encounter after that [in a bathroom or bar] shores up his membership in the community he finds there; and his participation and contribution subsequently makes the community he finds stronger for others. His identity begins to be defined by the people he meets in those spaces. Although he may not know the names of each of his sexual partners, each encounter resignifies his belonging. And although no too members of the community make a steadfast promise to any one person in the community, each in his own way promises himself as part of this world. Intimacy and faithfulness in sex are played out on the community rather than individual level.

-Kathy Rudy, Where Two or More are Gathered: Using Gay Communities as a Model for Christian Sexual Ethics

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This reading brings up a radiacal veiw of sex I personaly don’t agree with but at the same time it is a wonderful expanding of the Christian principle of fellowship (koinonia, literally that which is in common). Expressed first in the second chapter of Acts, “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need.” (42-25, NRSV). But this new koinonia is not mearly a free sharing of resources to satisfy bodily humger, but a sharing of bodies to satify our needs for intimacy... The faithfulness Kathy speaks of is not always there unfortunately, but she dose bring up a vaild thought. I ask you not to share your body, but to share what you feel called to share, for that is the principle of Biblical koinonia, your body is a gift from God. Share honestly and draw a lesson from Ananais, “why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back part of the proceeds of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, were not the proceeds at your disposal? How is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You did not lie to us but to God!” Acts 5:3-4. The sin lies not in holding back but in a lie. Love in turth, and you will be free.

May 30

Reading 1

Mark 8:1-13

“In those days when there was again a great crowd without anything to eat, [Jesus] called his disciples and said to them, “I have compassion for the crowd, because they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat. If I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way--and some of them have come from a great distance.” His disciples replied, “How can one feed these people with bread here in the desert?” He asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven.” Then he ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground; and he took the seven loaves, and after giving thanks he broke them and gave them to his disciples to distribute; and they distributed them to the crowd. They had also a few small fish; and after blessing them, he ordered that these too should be distributed. They ate and were filled; and they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full. Now there were about four thousand people. And he sent them away. And immediately he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the district of Dalmanutha. The Pharisees came and began to argue with him, asking him for a sign from heaven, to test him. And he sighed deeply in his spirit and said, “Why does this generation ask for a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to this generation.” And he left them, and getting into the boat again, he went across to the other side.”

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Once again people are caught without food only this time it’s not just one evening but three days that they have been with Jesus and it’s not an inhabited area but the desert. But rather than remembering the provision of the past the dsiciples simply see the dire conditions currently facing them and glibly say how can it be that we can feed them. But as before Jesus takes the little and makes it more than enough. This wonderful sign is shown to those with Jesus, but when the Pharisees come seeking nothing but a sign it is refused them. It is very similar to this day, those who seek nothing more than a miracle or a religious experience- they will not find it, those moments are rarely generated out of nothing, but arise out of the communion with Jesus. So if we wish to see the signs of God’s grace, we must remain with our God.

Reading 2

I went into the garden before Prime, and, sitting down beside the pool, I began to consider what a pleasant place it was. I was charmed by the clear flowing streams, the fresh green of the surrounding trees, the birds flying about, especially the doves. But most of all, I loved the quiet, hidden peace of this secluded retreat. I asked myself what more was needed to complete my happiness in a place that seemed to me so perfect, and I reflected that it was the presences of a friend, intimate, affectionate, wise, and companionable to share my solitude, And then you, my God, source of ineffable delights, who, as I believe, did but inspire the beginning of this mediation to lead back to yourself, made me understand that, if I were to poor back like water the streams of graces received from you in continual gratitude I owe you; if like a tree, growing in the exercise of virtue, I were to cover myself with leaves and blossoms of good works; if like the doves I were to spurn the earth and soar heavenward; and if, with my senses set free from passions and worldly distractions, I were to occupy myself with you alone; then my heart would afford you a dwelling most suitably appointed from which no joy would be lacking.

-Gertrude of Helfta, The Herald of Divine Love

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No matter how perfect our lives are, all of us need someone, for some people God alone is enough (and truly we all must work on our relationship with God), but most of us need a special person to build that solitude, that oneness of marriage with. Even as Gertrude talks about needing to create the right conditions too cultivate that intimate oneness with God we must cultivate our lives to be the kind of spouse we seek. To sum up: you also, each one of you, must love [your spouse] as [you] loves [your]self; and let every [spouse] respect [their partner]. (Eph. 5:33 NJB altered)

May 31

Reading 1

Mark 8:14-21

“Now the disciples had forgotten to bring any bread; and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. And he cautioned them, saying, “Watch out--beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod.” They said to one another, “It is because we have no bread.” And becoming aware of it, Jesus said to them, “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes, and fail to see? Do you have ears, and fail to hear? And do you not remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you collect?” They said to him, “Twelve.” “And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you collect?” And they said to him, “Seven.” Then he said to them, “Do you not yet understand?” ”

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The Pharisees and Herod sought signs, but the danger in seeking signs is that you may end up being unable to experience God in the ordinary, of which Jesus is just as present. If we allow the Spirit to control our lives and speak to our hearts we shall understand, all God wants as God desires us to.

Reading 2

Scripture says that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave girl and one by the freewoman. The son of the slave girl came to be born in the way of human nature; but the son of the freewoman came to be born through a promise. There is an allegory here: these women stand for the two covenants. The one given on Mount Sinai — that is Hagar, whose children are born into slavery; now Sinai is a mountain in Arabia and represents Jerusalem in its present state, for she is in slavery together with her children. But the Jerusalem above is free, and that is the one that is our mother; as scripture says: Shout for joy, you barren woman who has borne no children! Break into shouts of joy, you who were never in labour. For the sons of the forsaken one are more in number than the sons of the wedded wife. Now you, brothers[ and sisters], are like Isaac, children of the promise; just as at that time, the child born in the way of human nature persecuted the child born through the Spirit, so now. But what is it that scripture says? Drive away that slave girl and her son; the slave girl’s son is not to share the inheritance with the son of the freewoman. So, brothers[ and sisters], we are the children not of the slave girl but of the freewoman. Christ set us free, so that we should remain free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be fastened again to the yoke of slavery.

-Galatians 4:22:5:1, NJB

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Listen all you in Christ, we are no longer slaves to sin and law but free in Christ alone. Jesus came that we might be free, free to love, for the commandment of God is love of God fully and neighbour as self. Do this and you will not be in a yoke of slavery, nothing more is needed. You are born free because you have been born by the Spirit of God’s Child Jesus and no one shall drive us away.

June

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June 1

Reading 1

Mark 8:22-26

“They came to Bethsaida. Some people brought a blind man to [Jesus] and begged him to touch him. He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village; and when he had put saliva on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, “Can you see anything?” And the man looked up and said, “I can see people, but they look like trees, walking.” Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he looked intently and his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. Then he sent him away to his home, saying, “Do not even go into the village.” ”

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This is one of the most curious accounts in the gospel, healing is not instant, but comes in stages. It is also interesting that Jesus removes the man from the village and advises him not to return. Occasionally we like that man need to leave to be alone with God. Sometimes we will feel compelled not to return but the time alone with the Master will bring us healing to our soul, even if it is only gradual. Let us follow Jesus who alone can make us truly whole.

Reading 2

Office of Same-Gender Union

(Translation by John Boswell, from 12th century text)

The priest shall place the holy Gospel on the Gospel stand and they who are to be joined together place their hands on it, holding lighted candles in their left hands. Then shall the priest cense them and say the following:

Bless us, O Lord.

The priest: Blessed is the reign of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now and forever.

Then the deacon:

In peace we beseech Thee, O Lord.

For heavenly peace, we beseech Thee, O Lord.

For the peace of the entire world, we beseech Thee, O Lord.

That these thy servants, N. and N., be blessed with thy spiritual benediction, we beseech Thee, O Lord.

That they be granted all things needed for salvation and enjoyment of life everlasting, we beseech Thee, O Lord.

That the Lord God grant unto them unashamed faithfulness, and sincere love, we beseech Thee, O Lord.

That they and we ourselves be saved from all affliction, we beseech Thee, O Lord.

Have mercy on us, O God.

Have mercy on me, O Lord, after thy great goodness; according to the multitude of thy mercies do away with mine offenses.

The “Lord, have mercy” shall be said three times.

The priest shall say:

For as much as thou art merciful and loving.

(First Prayer) O Lord our God, Ruler of all, who didst fashion humankind after thine image and likeness, and bestowed upon us power of everlasting life, who did deem it meet that thy holy apostles Philip and Bartholomew, should be united, not bound unto one another by law of nature but in the manner of a holy spirit and faith, as Thou didst also bless the joining together of thy holy martyrs Serge and Bacchus in union of spirit. Send down, most kind Lord, the grace of thy Holy Spirit upon these thy servants, whom thou hast found worthy to be united not by nature but by faith and a holy spirit. Grant unto them thy grace to love each other in joy without injury or hatred all the days of their lives with the aid of the all-holy Mother of God and of all thy saints, for as much as thou art blessed and glorified everywhere, now and forever.

(Second Prayer) O Lord Our God, who didst command us to love one another and to forgive each other’s failings, do Thou, Ruler and most kind lover of good, bless and consecrate these thy servants who love each other with a love of the soul and have come into thy holy church to be blessed. Grant unto them unashamed fidelity, sincere love, and as Thou didst vouchsafe unto thy holy disciples and apostles thy peace and love, so also bestow on these servants of thine all things needed for salvation. For to Thee belong all glory, honor and worship. Then shall they kiss the holy Gospel and the priest and one another, and he shall dismiss them saying:

The Lord of peace and love be with you. Amen.

-Vaticanus Graecus #1811

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It is wonderful to read about the churches long history in both the east and west of blessing same sex unions. A beautiful contrast to the same bodies that are trying to block them. Professor Boswell’s a last book before his death ‘Same Sex Unions in Premodern Europe’ is a wonderful treasury. And shows how these blessing paralleled marriage rites of the time. May God continue to bless those in relationships, and may the Church learn once again to look with favor upon them.

June 2

Reading 1

Mark 8:27-30

“Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” And they answered him, “John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” He asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Messiah.” And he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him.”

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Jesus is naturally curious how people view Him. People we very flattering: John the Baptist reanimated, Elijah come down from heaven to usher in the day of the Lord, or one of the great prophets returned from beyond. But then Jesus gets down to what we all must face, not what do people think, but who do YOU say I am? We come to the same question and Jesus asks this not to disciples only, but to you right now; who is Jesus: a great man, a prophet, a sign or do you see Jesus as more, do you know Jesus to be God’s anointed, God incarnate?

Reading 2

If we as the church are truly following our risen Lord, making his historical concerns our own and committing our lives to coming victory of the reign of God, then we are compelled to be involved in critical peacemaking and economic issues where shaloam and well-being of all peoples, and indeed of the whole earth are at stake.... [This christology] begins it's thinking on earth with the gospel memory of the life of Jesus, and finds there the basis for discernment of how the risen Christ is operative in the world today....

-Elizabeth Johnson, Consider Jesus

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This is how we can know Jesus loves us and wants the liberation of Queer Christians, from the simple fact that we see Jesus came to set captivity free and breaks the rules of mortals. Prayerfully meditate on the Gospel and you shall know the mind of Jesus, with the Holy Spirit’s guidance.

June 3

Reading 1

Mark 8:31-9:1

“Then [Jesus] began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.” He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” And he said to them, “Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see that the kingdom of God has come with power.” ”

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Here we have strong words, Jesus openly declares something and Peter privately rebukes Jesus, who in turn receives rebuke. While there most likely is a spiritual being we know as Satan, Satan comes and inspires each of us whenever we set our minds on the human matters and remove our hearts from divine matters. It’s not that we must be concerned only with heaven and not with earth, but come to realize all things here on this earth can be viewed through mortal eyes or through divine eyes. We no longer flee the cross, suffering, condemnation, but embrace it, knowing that our lives here are mere shadows of heaven, and that we may well see God’s kingdom power here in this life, if we continue to strive after God’s holy will.

Reading 2

Creativity: Creativity is God's gift to us. Using our creativity is our gift back to God. A Christian, above all people, should live artistically, ascetically, and creatively. If we have been created in the image of an Artist, then we should look for expressions of artistry, and be sensitive to beauty, responsive to what has been created for our APRECIATION

-John Michael Talbot with Steve Rabey, The lessons of St. Francis:How to Bring Simplicity and Spirituality into Your Daily Life

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The Lord said to Moses, Take note that I have specially chosen Bezalel son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. I have filled him with the spirit of God, making him skilful and ingenious, expert in every craft, and a master of design, whether in gold, silver, copper, or cutting precious stones for setting, or carving wood, for workmanship of every kind. Further, I have appointed Aholiab son of Ahisamach of the tribe of Dan to be his assistant, and I have endowed every skilled craftsman with the skill which he has. Exodus 31:1-6 REB

June 4

Reading 1

Mark 9:2-13

“Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. Then Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!” Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus. As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead. So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead could mean. Then they asked him, “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” He said to them, “Elijah is indeed coming first to restore all things. How then is it written about the Son of Man, that he is to go through many sufferings and be treated with contempt? But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written about him.” ”

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The disciples witness this glorious sight and are naturally terrified. In the presence of Moses the great leader, the giver of the law, and Elijah the greatest of the prophets, who could fail to be impressed, and then a cloud overshadows them and the voice of God declares Jesus to be God’s beloved Soon, One who is to be listened to. The all returns to a more normal state. And Jesus is alone with the disciples. Jesus has come face to face with the law and the prophets, and has not only fulfilled them but superseded them, Jesus remains but the law and the prophets return to history. So this day Jesus remains though the laws and former words of prophets cease, Jesus remains. Let us cling to the One who remains.

Reading 2

Righteousness

In 1519 I turned my mind to trying to understand the epistle of Paul to the Romans. I was filled with a great desire to enter the mind of Paul, but was held up by one word: “righteousness.” He says that the righteousness of God is revealed in the Gospel. I hated the phrase “righteousness of God,” which I had been taught to interpret as the “justice” of God, whereby he punishes sinners.

I was obsessed with the sense that, although my life as a monk was beyond reproach, I was in the eyes of God a sinner. Despite all the efforts I made to be good, my conscience could never be appeased. I did not love, but hated this just God who punishes. I blasphemed silently, crying out within my heart against God. How terrible that [hu]mankind, already eternally ruined by original sin, should be crushed by the weight of the old law, and finally condemned through the Gospel. Yet even as my spirit raged against God, my mind struggled to understand what Paul really meant.

At last, as I meditated night and day, God came to my rescue. He Guided me to look at the context of Paul’s phrase: “the righteous shall live by faith.” Suddenly I began to grasp that this righteousness of God, revealed in the Gospel, is passive, bestowed upon us in Christ. As this truth dawned, I felt I was born again, and entering the very gates of paradise. Then and there the whole face of scripture changed. Now, in the same degree that I had hated the phase “the righteousness of God,” I loved the phrase–it seemed the sweetest and most joyful phrase ever written.

-Martin Luther

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Struggling to understand what Paul meant, being taught how to interpret a phrase or passage. Over 450 years latter we are still having the same problems, but the good news for Queer Christians is that similar to Luther’s epiphany, the Church makes mistakes, God seeks to bring freedom and life, not death and guilt. We can say with Luther, “the Word of God to Moses is not the Word of God to Luther”, therefore not binding, not binding because it is not to us or even about us (as most critical scholars believe). Another favorite quote by Luther is: “Sometimes we must drink more, sport, recreate ourselves - even sin a little to spite the Devil. So that we may leave no place for troubling our conscious with triffles. We are conquered if we try to consistently not sin at all.” this bold statement is not about abandoning all restraint but recognizing that on this side of eternity all of us are sinners, even us who are saints. For I am not ashamed of the gospel. It is the saving power of God for everyone who has faith — the Jew first, but the Greek also — because in it the righteousness of God is seen at work, beginning in faith and ending in faith; as scripture says, ‘Whoever is justified through faith shall gain life.’ Romans 1:16-17, REB

June 5

Reading 1

Mark 9:14-32

“When they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and some scribes arguing with them. When the whole crowd saw him, they were immediately overcome with awe, and they ran forward to greet him. He asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?” Someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought you my son; he has a spirit that makes him unable to speak; and whenever it seizes him, it dashes him down; and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid; and I asked your disciples to cast it out, but they could not do so.” He answered them, “You faithless generation, how much longer must I be among you? How much longer must I put up with you? Bring him to me.” And they brought the boy to him. When the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. Jesus asked the father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. It has often cast him into the fire and into the water, to destroy him; but if you are able to do anything, have pity on us and help us.” Jesus said to him, “If you are able!--All things can be done for the one who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out, “I believe; help my unbelief!” When Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You spirit that keeps this boy from speaking and hearing, I command you, come out of him, and never enter him again!” After crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, “He is dead.” But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he was able to stand. When he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” He said to them, “This kind can come out only through prayer.” They went on from there and passed through Galilee. He did not want anyone to know it; for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again.” But they did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him.”

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This story contains one of my favorite words of the gospel not attributed to Jesus, ‘I do believe, help my unbelief’. All of us who follow Christ have faith, but we all need to cry out for help with our unbelief. All things are available for the one who believes but we so very often have only a small amount of belief and are rich in unbelief; and it will only depart with God’s help, for it is God alone who gives faith. The desperate father was not the only one who lacked faith though, Jesus tells the disciples that they could not cure the boy because they needed to do it through prayer. We often like to think of things being in our own power but the truth is closer to the words of Lord Tennyson “More things are wrought by prayer Than this world dreams of. Wherefore, let thy voice Rise like a fountain for me night and day. For what are [mortals] better than sheep or goats, That nourish a blind life within the brain, If, knowing God, they lift not hands of prayer, Both for themselves and those who call them friend? For so, the whole round earth is every way Bound by gold chains about the feet of God.”

Reading 2

“As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the universe, and not according to Christ. For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have come to fullness in him, who is the head of every ruler and authority. In him also you were circumcised with a spiritual circumcision, by putting off the body of the flesh in the circumcision of Christ; when you were buried with him in baptism, you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. And when you were dead in trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive together with him, when he forgave us all our trespasses, erasing the record that stood against us with its legal demands. He set this aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and made a public example of them, triumphing over them in it. Therefore do not let anyone condemn you in matters of food and drink or of observing festivals, new moons, or sabbaths. These are only a shadow of what is to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. Do not let anyone disqualify you, insisting on self-abasement and worship of angels, dwelling on visions, puffed up without cause by a human way of thinking, and not holding fast to the head, from whom the whole body, nourished and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows with a growth that is from God. If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the universe, why do you live as if you still belonged to the world? Why do you submit to regulations, “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch”? All these regulations refer to things that perish with use; they are simply human commands and teachings. These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-imposed piety, humility, and severe treatment of the body, but they are of no value in checking self-indulgence.”

-Colossians 2:6-23, NRSV

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We who are alive in Christ, live our lives to God alone. We don’t listen to the legalists and rule makers who want to make us slaves to their systems. All these rules seem to have an appearance of wisdom but the are of no value in checking self indulgence , or as the footnote says, it is indulging our flesh. Asceticism for God can be very good but a proud asceticism is of no value, better riches with humility, for God does not dwell with the self-righteous but with those whose righteousness is in Christ alone.

June 6

Reading 1

Mark 9:33-37

“Then [Jesus and the disciples] came to Capernaum; and when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the way?” But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another who was the greatest. 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.” ”

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Who is the captain of the team? Who is the one in charge? Who holds the highest place of honor? These are the questions and concerns of the world, but Jesus knowing all their thoughts, brought a child and basically said this is the one who is greatest. Now although children have always been loved by parents, in Jesus day a child had no rights, and could even be killed should the father so choose, the child was no more than a piece of property, and even the slaves had power over them. To be great in God’s sight is to be weak and powerless, voiceless in the worlds view. Jesus goes on to tell them that not only are these great, but you will have reward if you serve them even as if you were serving me. So let us go out and worry not what people can do for us, but treat all with love and compassion because everyone to us must be as Jesus, one to be served as God alone, for the love of God.

Reading 2

Happiness

All [people] seek happiness. There are no exceptions. Although they may use many different methods, their goal is the same. Some may go to war while others stay home; but their basic desire is the same, even though it may be interpreted differently. Happiness is the motive of every act of every [person], including those who go and hang themselves. Yet for very many years no one without faith has ever reached that goal at which everyone is continually aiming. All [people] complain: princes, nobles, commoners, old, young, strong, weak, learned, ignorant, healthy, sick. In every country, at every time, of all sorts of conditions, they complain. By now, after such a long experience, without pause or charge, we ought to be convinced that we cannot attain happiness by our own efforts. But experience serves to teach us little. Since no two examples are exactly alike, we convince ourselves that our particular case is different, deluding ourselves that we will not suffer the same disappointment as everyone before us has suffered.

The fact that all [people] pursue happiness should convince us that happiness is possible. It is as if the footprint and the trace of some past era of happiness is still in our souls. The one who left that footprint is God. God alone is [one]’s true happiness. Since [humanity] abandoned God, [humanity] has found nothing to take [God’s] place: stars, sky, earth, elements, plants, animals, war, vice, adultery, incest. Since losing the true source of goodness, [humanity] has looked for goodness in all things, and been disappointed in every case. But some have realized that happiness, desired by everyone, cannot lie in any of the particular things which individuals crave. They have understood that happiness cannot be based on external objects which an individual can possess, such as wealth or power, since their possessions by one individual causes grief and envy in others. This realization is the beginning of faith, since it teaches that happiness must transcend the things of creation, and there for lie with their Creator.

-Blasie Pascal

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O LORD of hosts, happy is everyone who trusts in you. Psalm 84:12 NRSV

June 7

Reading 1

Mark 9:38-41

“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. For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward.”

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We are all very often territorial creatures, we rejoice not that God is blessing people in different ways but try to stop people for not doing things the way we do. Queer Christians experience this often to, people telling us not to call ourselves Christians, people discouraging us because we are different from them, but the good news is the reward is not from mortals but from God, we live in Christ and so our lives are His alone. We will be no means ever lose our reward despite what others may say.

Reading 2

Great works do not always lie in our way, but every moment we may do little ones most excellently, that is, with great love. I beg you to remark the saint who gives a cup of water for God’s sake to a poor a thirsty traveller; [that one] seems to do a small thing; but the intention, the sweetness, the love of which [one] animates [ones] action, is so excellent that it turns this simple water into the water of life, and of eternal life. Bees gather honey from the, the iris, and the rose; but they get as much booty from the little minute rosemary flowers and thyme; they not only draw more honey from these, but even better honey, because in these little vessels the honey being more closely locked up is much better preserved. Truly in small insignificant exercises of devotion, charity is practiced not only more frequently, but also as a rule more humbly too, and consequently more holily and usefully. Those condescensions to the humors of others, that bearing with the troublesome actions and ways of our neighbour, those victories over our own tempers and passions– all this is more profitable to our souls than we can conceive, if heavenly love only have the management of them.

-St. Francis de Sales

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Loving is important, our acts of love and kindness, and forbearance require us to have great love in our lives. Sometimes these acts can be done out of a sense of pride or superiority, but that is not proper, and is like those who preached the Gospel in hopes of causing St. Paul pain. Doing a loving act is it’s own reward. It is not hiding the good we do but also not holding it up for show, for as Jesus said, “But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right is doing; your good deed must be secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.” Mat 6:3-4, REB

June 8

Reading 1

Mark 9:42-50

“ “If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and to be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into hell, where their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched. “For everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good; but if salt has lost its saltiness, how can you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.” ”

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Salt is such a small part of food but when it is removed the most savory meal can be insipid. Jesus is not looking for plaster saints who look good, look pure and beautiful standing atop pillars of a church but people full of life, full of zest. This is what will give us the ability to be at peace with one another, it is no better to be a walking corps, than to be one who gives great offense. It’s not enough to not be a stumbling block, but you must be a flower along the trail of life, petals may be torn of, leaves damaged but much better to enter the house of God as a ragged flower than toss out to the garbage as a stone of stumbling.

Reading 2

The computer has come to save us from the curse of the Tower of Babel....Today, computers at the click of a button can translate texts into almost any language you desire. Yet, perhaps the curse of Babel is still with us, for when “out of sight, out of mind” is translated into Russian by a computer and then back into English it becomes “invisible lunatic.”.... The next time someone quotes to you the words of Jesus in English, which were originally spoken in Aramaic [and recorded for posterity in the gospels in Greek], remember what happened in the translation of “out of sight, out of mind.” You can reply to them or yourself, “Yes, or something like that.”

-Edward Hays, The Old Hermit’s Almanac

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Much is lost in the translation, even of our feelings into words, it is very important when we read the Bible to look at the grand themes of the Bible and ask how does this fit the scheme of Gods redeeming love? Rabbi B.S. Artson wrote: “While I may have been using words, what I was really seeking was beyond words. I was seeking belonging and connection.” The good news is that we don’t always need the right words just be in God’s Peace, and let the Spirt take care of the rest. Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. ~ Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Rom 8:26, 27~Philip. 4:6,7 NRSV

June 9

Reading 1

Mark 10:1-16

“[Jesus] left that place and went to the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan. And crowds again gathered around him; and, as was his custom, he again taught them. Some Pharisees came, and to test him they asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” He answered them, “What did Moses command you?” They said, “Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her.” But Jesus said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart he wrote this commandment for you. But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” Then in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter. He said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.” People were bringing little children to him in order that he might touch them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them. But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.” And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.”

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We have two looks at Jesus in this reading, both of them angry Jesus, angry at legalism and angry at people trying to stop the helpless from coming to Him. We have Jesus not saying that the law on divorce is wrong but only that it was never intended to happen when God designed creation.God planed a union of souls to be held together all of their earthly life, but sin has prevented that intended purpose. So also Jesus does not seek the rich and powerful but the poor, oppressed, and those without status. If we are not to be able to have the humility of a child how shall we ever enter the kingdom of God and receive our Saviors blessings?

Reading 2

In [the true mystic] grace acts in such a way that their body and heart are in deep peace. Their soul in its tremendous joy becomes like the innocent child. They judge no one, neither Greek nor Jew neither sinner nor layman. This interior person looks at everyone equally. They rejoice with the entire world. Their only desire is to honor and to love the Greek and the Jew. They are children of the king because they trust in the Son of God as their parent. The doors of the invisible world opens before them and the enter into many mansions. And once they enter these mansions, the doors of others open before them. If they entered a hundred mansions, the doors of another hundred would open. They are continually enriched. The more they are enriched, the more are the wonders revealed to them. To them as to the child and heir, God entrusts that which cannot be apprehended by human nature or expressed by word. -- St Macarius the Great

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“And the peace of God, which is deeper than all knowledge, will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:7, BBE.

June 10

Reading 1

Mark 10:17-31

“As [Jesus] was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father and mother.’” He said to him, “Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.” Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, “You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions. Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” And the disciples were perplexed at these words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” They were greatly astounded and said to one another, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.” Peter began to say to him, “Look, we have left everything and followed you.” Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the good news, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age--houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields with persecutions--and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.” ”

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This rich young ruler asks for perfection, and Jesus the way to goodness and Jesus looking at him, loved him, this love is the same love Jesus expresses to all those who truly desire to come to God. It is not that Jesus believed that this young man was perfect, but that Jesus saw in this one’s heart a longing to be what God wanted. Unfortunately this one-rich, young and of the ruler class- who we would place in first spot becomes last, for he is unwilling to be freed from the stranglehold his possessions have on him. Salvation is possible for everyone including this rich man for Jesus tells us with God all things are possible. But let us strive to hold all things loosely and follow God alone.

Reading 2

Wherefore even the praises of Cato are only applicable to a few; for only a few were possessed of that virtue which leads men to pursue after glory, honor, and power by the true way, - that is, by virtue itself. This industry at home, of which Cato speaks, was the consequence of a desire to enrich the public treasury, even though the result should be private fortunes remaining strained; and therefore, when he speaks of the evil arising out of the corruption of morals, he reverses the expression, and says, "The public purse is empty, while the private pockets well lined." -St. Augustine, City Of God, Bk5 Ch12

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This is a fundamental debate of many centuries, capitalist/socialist, but it is interesting to point out in the Adam Smith’s Wealth of the nations, his capitalistic structure looks far more like what we refer to as a socialist structure. As Christians it does not matter greatly which side of the political spectrum you fall on. But make sure your main concern is the poor, suffering, and outcasts for that was Christ’s focus.

June 11

Reading 1

Mark 10:32-34

“They were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them; they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. He took the twelve aside again and began to tell them what was to happen to him, saying, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death; then they will hand him over to the Gentiles; they will mock him, and spit upon him, and flog him, and kill him; and after three days he will rise again.” ”

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After three years of ministry and countless run-ins with the Pharisees and other leaders, it was little wonder that those who followed Jesus were afarid. Jesus adding that He would be killed did little to ease their minds either. The good news is not simply that Jesus dies in our place but that Jesus on the third day conquers death and evil forever that we can live to glorify God forever.

Reading 2

God is not simply love as an abstract noun, but the divine Lover, who actively seeks us out and encourages us to form loving relationship to us, and encourages us to form loving relationships with other people as reflections and icons of God’s divine love... For the vast majority of people in the world, the relative security found in a committed relationship with one ‘significant other’ offers us a safe haven in which to practice love. The security that can be developed in such a relationship is why sexual exclusivity is important- not as a limitation, but as a positive strengthening and building up of that one relationship, by reserving sex, one of the most intensive and most vulnerable acts of love, for that relationship alone.

-Robert Williams, Toward a Theology for Lesbian and Gay Marriage

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Paul Gibson writes: “More than 20 years ago a very conservative archbishop told me that it was his policy to tell the clergy he knew to be homosexual that he did not expect any man (sic) to be celibate and he required them only engage in sexual relationships outside the parish and to stay away from children. Unfortunately, this well intentioned approach was based on a number of frightening misconceptions” as people should well be aware of over 90% of pedophiles are heterosexuals accosting young girls, but it is equally as wrong to believe there is no such thing as a stable loving gay relationship. They are a great deal more unstable because of lack of social acceptance and support, but they are out there. There is hope for all of us who are seeking that one ‘significant other’. God is that great and wonderful Lover, who loves us so much as to will us all to have a human lover.

June 12

Reading 1

Mark 10:35-45

“James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” And he said to them, “What is it you want me to do for you?” And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” They replied, “We are able.” Then Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.” When the ten heard this, they began to be angry with James and John. So Jesus called them and said to them, “You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.” ”

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While the disciples jockey for positions of power, Jesus goes on to say that though the gentiles run after all those things, He came to serve. Jesus came to give His life up. If we are to be followers of Jesus we must learn to serve, to give up our rights and our lives for others. This does not mean we stop fighting for justice for all, but that we fight not for ourselves alone but for all. Queer Christians must fight not only for queer rights, but the rights of all, for until, all of us our free, none of us are truly free. Be free in Christ, and let that freedom spread forth from you.

Reading 2

Simplicity a Name for God

The complicated soul is continually at the mercy of opposing thoughts.

It speaks the truth one moment, tells lies the next. It approves, then rejects; it links and unlinks; it is like a bazaar stocked with a muddle of thoughts; it never stays long enough with one idea either to believe in it or to renounce it; it chooses something only to abandon it almost at once.

Simplicity, however, is exactly the opposite, as its name suggests; there is no confusion of thought at all.

Indeed, simplicity might well be another name for God. God is simple, that is, one, because there are no parts or division in him. In common parlance, similarly, we call someone simple if [one] does not act deceitfully nor lay traps for others; there is no stirring of the evil spirit in him.

Simplicity comes before faith; faith is the daughter of simplicity, not complexity.

Simplicity exists in us long before we acquire complexity: children are rich in innocence, they are pure.

-Philoxenus of Mabbug, Homily 4

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In truth I tell you, anyone who does not welcome the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it. Mark 10:15 NJB

June 13

Reading 1

Mark 10:46-52

“They came to Jericho. As [Jesus] and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” Jesus stood still and said, “Call him here.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart; get up, he is calling you.” So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. Then Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man said to him, “My teacher, let me see again.” Jesus said to him, “Go; your faith has made you well.” Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.”

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Oh Queer Christian remember the lesson of Bartimaeus, when people discourage you for following Christ (be it other Christians because you are queer or queers because of the way some who follow Christ treat queers), approach God even louder. God responds with love, bidding us come, offering us healing for our faith has made us whole. Then we too like Bartimaeus can follow Christ even more closely because we have suffered for the sake of our Lord.

Reading 2

My God, how can You leave me to myself, for You are responsible for me? And how can I be harmed while You are my Ally? Or how could I be disappointed in You, my Welcomer? Here I am seeking to gain access to You by means of my need of You. How could I seek to gain access to You by means of what cannot possibly reach You? Or how can I complain to You of my state, for it is not hidden from You? Or how can I express myself to You in my speech, since it comes from You and goes forth to You? Or how can my hopes be dashed, for they have already reached You? Or how can my states not be good, for they are based on You and go to You? My God how gentle are You with me in spite of my great ignorance, and how merciful You are with me in spite of my ugly deeds!

- Ibn 'Ata'Illah, The Book of Wisdom

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How great is our Lord! His power is absolute! His understanding is beyond comprehension!-*-Even the depths of Death and Destruction are known by the LORD. How much more does [God] know the human heart!-*-We will be confident when we stand before the Lord, even if our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.(Psalm 147:5-*-Proverbs 15:11-*-1 John 3:19-20 NLT)

June 14

Reading 1

Mark 11:1-11

“When they were approaching Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany, near the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples and said to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately as you enter it, you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden; untie it and bring it. If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ just say this, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here immediately.’” They went away and found a colt tied near a door, outside in the street. As they were untying it, some of the bystanders said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” They told them what Jesus had said; and they allowed them to take it. Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it; and he sat on it. Many people spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut in the fields. Then those who went ahead and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” Then he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple; and when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.”

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The crowd sees our Lord coming to them not in the way of power, on the horse of victory but in humility on the donkey’s colt, a symbol of diplomacy. And that was Jesus goal, He came not to conquer people but to to conquer evil and in so doing reconciled God to all of creation. Jesus came to conquer evil but evil was not to be conquered with might and power but with humility, and self sacrifice. We too must not go forth not in our own power to conquer evil, but go forth in humility reconciling all in Christ, for it is only in doing this we have any share in our King’s work.

Reading 2

God saw their efforts to renounce their evil ways. And God relented about the disaster which he had threatened to bring on them, and did not bring it.

This made Jonah very indignant; he fell into a rage. He prayed to Yahweh and said, ‘Please, Yahweh, isn’t this what I said would happen when I was still in my own country? That was why I first tried to flee to Tarshish, since I knew you were a tender, compassionate God, slow to anger, rich in faithful love, who relents about inflicting disaster. So now, Yahweh, please take my life, for I might as well be dead as go on living.’ Yahweh replied, ‘Are you right to be angry?’

Jonah then left the city and sat down to the east of the city. There he made himself a shelter and sat under it in the shade, to see what would happen to the city. Yahweh God then ordained that a castor-oil plant should grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head and soothe his ill-humour; Jonah was delighted with the castor-oil plant. But at dawn the next day, God ordained that a worm should attack the castor-oil plant — and it withered. Next, when the sun rose, God ordained that there should be a scorching east wind; the sun beat down so hard on Jonah’s head that he was overcome and begged for death, saying, ‘I might as well be dead as go on living.’ God said to Jonah, ‘Are you right to be angry about the castor-oil plant?’ He replied, ‘I have every right to be angry, mortally angry!’ Yahweh replied, ‘You are concerned for the castor-oil plant which has not cost you any effort and which you did not grow, which came up in a night and has perished in a night. So why should I not be concerned for Nineveh, the great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, to say nothing of all the animals?’

-Jonah 3:10-4:11, NJB

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Shades of fundamentalism are what I see in this story. Poor Jonah can’t conceive of the idea that God could care for people who aren’t ‘Israel’, he didn’t even want to take God’s message to them. How like this prophet are churches who refuse fellowship to a person because of sexual orientation. Then when not only they see us not under the wrath of God but actually flourishing in Queer Churches, they become angry at God (usually attributing us to Satan’s wiles). They can’t see the value of the children of God who are different from them, or sometimes even the value in God’s creation. Let us not be like Jonah, but let us strive to live as God would have us live. And when the prophets of hatred show up, let God deal with them, even as God dealt with Jonah.

June 15

Reading 1

Mark 11:12-19

“On the following day, when they came from Bethany, [Jesus] was hungry. Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see whether perhaps he would find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. He said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it. Then they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who were selling and those who were buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves; and he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. He was teaching and saying, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.” And when the chief priests and the scribes heard it, they kept looking for a way to kill him; for they were afraid of him, because the whole crowd was spellbound by his teaching. And when evening came, Jesus and his disciples went out of the city.”

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Let us learn the lesson of the fig tree, as long as we are alive Jesus expects us to have fruit. The fruit is not our own but due to the Spirit’s presence in our lives. A life with out God’s presence will breed sickness much like the temple system with it’s corrupt abuses of the people, rather than producing fruit of prayer, it produced a blight of greed and corruption. Just as the fig tree withered at once, so we without God’s blessing will die even as a branch cut from a tree withers on the ground beside the tree. Love and it’s various manifestations are the fruit that God seeks in our lives. When evening comes will your God come to you, or leave you for lack of fruit?

Reading 2

The Christian mission is not to resolve the soci-economic problem, that of poverty and wealth, of the redistribution of this world’s goods; despite the fact that the [one] who would redeem the poor from poverty must needs redeem the rich from wealth; [one] who would redeem the slave must needs redeem the tyrant, and will inevitably attack the death sentence, where by [one] will redeem not the condemned [person] but the executioner. But all this does not partake of the Christian mission. Christ called unto him poor and rich, slaves and tyrants, the dictum and the executioner. At the approach of doom, at the coming of death, what difference is there between riches and poverty, slavery and tyranny, the [one] who sentences, and the [one] who is executed?

“The poor we always have with us,” said Christ. Not, as certain self-appointed social Christians appear to believe, so that alms-giving, which they call charity, may be practised; but because there will always be a civic society, a society of [parents] and children, and because civic society, civilization, bears poverty in its train.

In Spain the beggar sues for alms in the name of love of God. and if nothing be given, you are suppose to reply: “For the love of God, brother [or sister], forgive me!” And the beggar makes his appeal in the name of God, por Dios [for God], he [or she] is known as a por-diosero [beggar]. But as the other, the putative rich person, also asks [one’s] pardon for the sake of God, one might call [that one] a por-diosero too. Por-dioseros, beggars, both.

-Migeul de Unamuno, The Agony of Christianity

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Our purposes as Christians may not be reformation of society, but it truly is the reformation of our own behavior. Each person, even the beggar on the street, deserve to be listened too, if you are unable or unwilling to ‘give to all who beg from you’ at least have the decency to acknowledge this poor beggar as a person worthy of your attention, a person loved of God. And ask forgiveness of that one and of God in your heart that you were not capable of filling the cry of this fellow beggar. Michael green has a wonderful way of describing all of Christians as ‘simply one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread’. And this is the truest calling of us, to let all realize there deeds of righteousness are no more covering to trust in than filthy menstrual rags, as the prophet Isaiah said (30:22). This does not absolve us from our duty to our fellow humans, but does make it a work for love of God and not a deed of credit to us.

June 16

Reading 1

Mark 11:20-26

“In the morning as they passed by, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. Then Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.” Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. Truly I tell you, if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and if you do not doubt in your heart, but believe that what you say will come to pass, it will be done for you. So I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. “Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.” ”

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Upon the disciples discovery of the withered fig tree, they marvel and point it out to Jesus. But Jesus goes on to say nothing will be impossible for those who have faith. Jesus encourages us to ask, but when our Lord gives an example our how we are to ask in prayer He goes on to remind us to forgive, for a forgiving heart is the sign of love, that the love of God is overflowing in our lives, and that keeps the forgiving love of our God flowing. Love not like a stagnate pool of dead water, like the Dead Sea, but like the river Jordan, flowing and life coming with it.

Reading 2

Now a word with all who say, ‘Today or the next day we will go off to such and such a town and spend a year there trading and making money.’ Yet you have no idea what tomorrow will bring. What is your life after all? You are no more than a mist, seen for a little while and then disappearing. What you ought to say is: ‘If it be the Lord’s will, we shall live to do so and so.’ But instead, you boast and brag, and all such boasting is wrong. What it comes to is that anyone who knows the right thing to do and does not do it is a sinner.

-James 4:13-17, REB

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People like to think that they are captains of their own destiny, that they can do anything they set their mind to. Such people have no place for God in their lives, despite the temporal nature of our lives there are many who give no thought to eternity, or worse yet put off for another day the good they know God wants of them. To add a couple of old cliches, truly the ‘road to hell is paved with good intentions’ never fulfilled, and ‘the best laid plains of mice and mortals’ fail, for in the end our plans are of no more importance in the universe than a mouse’s, so let us set out to follow God’s plan alone.

June 17

Reading 1

Mark 11:27-33

“Again they came to Jerusalem. As [Jesus] was walking in the temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came to him and said, “By what authority are you doing these things? Who gave you this authority to do them?” Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin? Answer me.” They argued with one another, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ But shall we say, ‘Of human origin’?”--they were afraid of the crowd, for all regarded John as truly a prophet. So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.” ”

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To answer a question with a question may seem unfair but Jesus is getting to the heart of the matter. Just as they were unwilling to accept John as prophet from God, neither would they be willing to accept Jesus as the Messiah. The crowds accept John as prophet from God, and Jesus as coming from God too, but because of the authorities unwillingness to take a stand Jesus will not give them an answer. It is as in Revelation when the lukewarm, who are neither hot nor cold, are vomited out as insipid. It is more dangerous to take no stand than to take on the wrong one for at least there is a point to start from, even as Paul started out on a point of hatred for Jesus and the Christians, but God changed this raging volcano of hate into a flowing fountain distributing life giving water, where ever he went.

Reading 2

O God– when I have food,

Help me to remember the hungry;

When I have work,

Help me to remember the jobless;

When I have a warm home,

Help me to remember the homeless;

When I am without pain,

Help me to remember those who suffer;

And remembering,

Help me to destroy my complacency,

And bestir my compassion.

Make me concerned enough to help,

By word and deed, those who cry out–

For what we take for granted. Amen.

-Anonymous

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Time of blessings are not just a time to offer thanks to God but they are also a time for us to remember those who have not our blessings. Hopefully that realization will allow the Spirit to spur us to action. We remember that in the story of Lazarus and the rich man that it is not so much that the rich man was evil as the fact the rich man had no compassion for the suffering right outside the door of his house. Us who are queer often live in inner cities, I ask you who do live there: do you willfully ignore the homeless? You who have great riches: do you willfully ignore the needs of those around you? It is not I but Jesus who really asks this, when He tells the parable of the sheep and goats. “When you did not do it to the least of these, you did not do it for me.”

June 18

Reading 1

Mark 12:1-12

“Then [Jesus] began to speak to them in parables. “A man planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a pit for the wine press, and built a watchtower; then he leased it to tenants and went to another country. When the season came, he sent a slave to the tenants to collect from them his share of the produce of the vineyard. But they seized him, and beat him, and sent him away empty-handed. And again he sent another slave to them; this one they beat over the head and insulted. Then he sent another, and that one they killed. And so it was with many others; some they beat, and others they killed. He had still one other, a beloved son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ So they seized him, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard. What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others. Have you not read this scripture: ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is amazing in our eyes’?” When they realized that he had told this parable against them, they wanted to arrest him, but they feared the crowd. So they left him and went away.”

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The owner wanted nothing unreasonable, but the share of the harvest that belonged to him, but the greed of the tenants and obvious spite for the owner, caused them to reject all sent to them, even the owners child. Just as violence and greed are the down fall of the tenants, so they are the down fall of all who would be God’s children, the whole of the universe is God’s and God desires nothing more than our love, for God, and for neighbour. Let us not seek destruction of God’s servants, but give due to God the love we owe, then we shall abide forever in our Lord’s presence, thanks be to God.

Reading 2

Make of me a rainbow...

...of kindness,

hope,

and peace!...

A rainbow

that will never lie–

never proclaim false kindness,

vain hope,

mendacious peace...

A rainbow spread by you,

presage and promise

that these will never fail:

your Fatherly Love,

the Death of your Son,

and the prodigious Action

of your Spirit, Lord!

-Don Helder Camera,Into Your Hands, Lord

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Referring to the rainbow, a friend of mine once shouted out in the 1997 Pride Day march, “God has to be Gay, how else could God have put all these colors together and made it look so fabulous!” While God is neither gay nor straight, no harm is held in looking at God as who we are. African Americans often have a black Jesus, we of European decent usually have a Caucasian Jesus. God is comfortable in every shade, and the beauty of the rainbow with it's countless diversity of colors truly is fabulous. The rainbow is the first symbol of covenant in the Bible, marking God’s loving promise: ‘Never again will I curse the earth because of human beings, because their heart contrives evil from their infancy. Never again will I strike down every living thing as I have done. As long as earth endures: seed-time and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.’ (Gen 8:21-22, NJB). But the rainbow is also found also in the concluding book of the Christian Bible, At once the Spirit came upon me. There in heaven stood a throne. On it sat One whose appearance was like jasper or cornelian, and round it was a rainbow, bright as an emerald. (Rev. 4:2-3), it is for me a wonderful reminder that Jesus sits in Glory surrounded by the symbol of God’s care for creation. The one who died for us has not forgotten the promise made so long ago. Therefore you, oh Queer Christian, fear not to take up the Gay pride flag, for the rainbow is a symbol of the life that endures, just as the true rainbow has no beginning and no end, and in the rainbow of Revelation it is at the centre of the rainbow we find the true treasure.

June 19

Reading 1

Mark 12:13-17

“Then they sent to [Jesus] some Pharisees and some Herodians to trap him in what he said. And they came and said to him, “Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality, but teach the way of God in accordance with truth. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not? Should we pay them, or should we not?” But knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, “Why are you putting me to the test? Bring me a denarius and let me see it.” And they brought one. Then he said to them, “Whose head is this, and whose title?” They answered, “The emperor’s.” Jesus said to them, “Give to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they were utterly amazed at him.”

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Like one stabbing another in the back while embracing them in friendship, so these people come to Jesus with words of respect, with only malice in their hearts. Jesus knew their hypocrisy but answered the question fully. The wisdom of the answer amazed the hypocrites who were sure that Jesus would have to make enemies with this answer. This too is like those who come to us asking us to make a choice on whether to be queer or to be Christian, the answer is not one or the other, but to be both, be who God created you to be, live unto God as Christ teaches us.

Reading 2

And so perhaps we can be on the alert to hear the voice of God coming to us in the turmoil and change of the big problems around us. But not only in the big affairs of [people] and of nations that puzzle and perplex and horrify. In the common, in the trivial, in what we might consider the inappropriate moments to recognize the presence of God, the ironical [person], coming to us. Someone tells of “a little girl, playing tag around a dinning room table with her father, (who) suddenly stopped to exclaim ‘Surely the Lord is in this place!’ ” Why not? Why not God speaking to us not only in the big events of life but in the small delights too? At a Columbia-Princeton football game, Columbia, the under-dog, stopped Princeton cold on a drive for a possible touchdown. And the Columbia band broke out into the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel’s Messiah. And why not? It may well be more blasphemous to deny the presence of God in the common and trivial than to acknowledge [God]–even with tongue in cheek! I suspect God has a far more delightful sense of humor than [God’s] devoted and faithful followers.

Sometimes I feel that the whole world is alive with God’s comings–quite literally! A close call on the interstate highway and I’m grateful that [God] provided a lull; a bathrobe catches on a door knob and rips–and what’s God got against me this morning? This is frivolous, self-centered, verging on the superstitious–I know that! But I wonder if it isn’t better than assuming God speaks to us only in crisis, or only in Scripture and in church. As if we could limit God so! So Bonhoeffer’s familiar lines, “God is the beyond in the midst of life, not simply where human powers give out at the borders, but in the center of human achievement and joyous living.”...We can recognize [God] in [God’s] love, in the big, overbearing problems of a world in radical change, or in the simple delights of daily life. [God’s] literally all over the place hoping that we’ll have the eyes to see and the ears to listen to [God’s] coming.

-Edmund Steimle, From Death to Birth

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You show me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures forevermore. (Psalm 16:11, NRSV) God’s presence truly is everywhere, and God is with us in all joys and sufferings. How sad we turn to God in our sufferings asking for help and relief, yet fail to thank God or acknowledge God in our joys. It is not irreverence or blasphemous to mention God during sex, God surely loves seeing his children come together (assuming no one is being used, and love is being expressed). God is in the gay pride parade marching along side the joyful faces. God is there with you as you watch that the beauty of the sunset all alone. God is there watching you smile as you enjoy the music on the radio. Look for God in the joys small and great. “The upright rejoice in the presence of God, delighted and crying out for joy. Sing to God, play music to his name, build a road for the Rider of the Clouds, rejoice in Yahweh, dance before him.” Psalm 68:3-4, NJB

June 20

Reading 1

Mark 12:18-27

“Some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to [Jesus] and asked him a question, saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies, leaving a wife but no child, the man shall marry the widow and raise up children for his brother. There were seven brothers; the first married and, when he died, left no children; and the second married her and died, leaving no children; and the third likewise; none of the seven left children. Last of all the woman herself died. In the resurrection whose wife will she be? For the seven had married her.” Jesus said to them, “Is not this the reason you are wrong, that you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God? For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. And as for the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the story about the bush, how God said to him, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is God not of the dead, but of the living; you are quite wrong.” ”

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Again hypocrisy comes in guise of respect, but Jesus tells them their whole outlook is wrong. Heaven is not about ownership of another but communion with God even as the Angels exist. Where there is communion fully with God and all fully are in communion with God’s own, a union is formed transcending the intimacy we achieve in sexual action, heaven is like a continual sexual union, where we are given over to God fully and God to us. It is not a place of death but a place of living. living in it's fullest sense. In the same way modern Sadducees come and say ‘you must not be queer, there is no sex in heaven (and on earth, it's only really allowed because of the need for procreation)’, but they are the ones who fail to see and know the power of God. To know that God is our Lover both now and eternally. What we can know sexually here of union with another will be a pale compassion when we enter the glory of Heaven and we are all joined to God.

Reading 2

George Bernard Shaw, in his play St. Joan, wrote the lines “Must the Christ perish in torment in every age to save those who have no imagination?” That sin of “no imagination” is not restricted to the fifteenth century or any age. One historian, speaking of our recent war in Vietnam, said that its tragedy was that the leaders of our armed forces and the nation failed to imagine the effects of saturation bombing and other inhuman practices on the Vietnamese people.

Again and again, as Shaw pointed out in his play, Christ is forced to die in torment in every age because of our lack of imagination. Christ suffers in our midst today because we are unable to imagine a world, a society and a church other than those we have known, The verdict of the reverend judges as Joan of Arc’s trial was muddied by both political and personal prejudice, which was at least partially responsible for its definite lack of imagination. It is possible for God to call anyone to take heroic and prophetic positions, even a teenager. But we still act as though it is beyond our imagination that God would call women to assume roles of leadership or to do work that only men have preformed previously...

But [Joan] can be a patron for anyone, man or woman, who struggles to be faithful to the voices heard in the silence of prayer. St. Joan reminds us that such fidelity may cost us dearly and may even result in our being judged enemies of Church ad state. But she also reminds us that history gives the final verdict. St. Joan of Arc died a witch, a heretic, a disciple of the devil, a destroyer of public morals. But, today, both history and the Church call her a saint.

-Edward Hays, A Pilgrim’s Almanac

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How far you are from the truth! You know neither the scriptures nor the power of God. Mark 12:24, REB. May we always have imagination through the guidance of the Spirit to listen to, and give credence to all people of God.

June 21

Reading 1

Mark 12:28-34

“One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that [Jesus] answered them well, he asked him, “Which commandment is the first of all?” Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” Then the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that ‘he is one, and besides him there is no other’; and ‘to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength,’ and ‘to love one’s neighbor as oneself,’--this is much more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” After that no one dared to ask him any question.”

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You are not far from the kingdom of God, what was left? What was left was to put those two commandments in practice. It is not enough to know something, just as it was not enough for the ancient Israelites to know that once bitten by a serpent they would be cured if only they looked at the bronze serpent Moses had made. Yet many died because they refused to look. Just as we may know that a certain medicine will cure our illness, it does us no good if we take not the medication. Wisdom is a good place to start but it’s application is what brings us to God’s kingdom and eternal life.

Reading 2

What does it mean for lesbian or gay people to know Jesus?

Gay men and lesbians will tell you plainly

their way of loving

comes as ‘naturally’ to them

as straight men and women

understand their attractions.

Lesbians and gay men will tell you

that the truth is this:

sexuality is a gift from God

and homosexuality is one expression

of that gift.

That’s the truth

that has set so many

lesbians and gay men free at alst.

That’s the truth that has brought them

out of the closet of hiding,

out of the tombs.

And in coming out,

gay men and lesbians often say that,

for the first time,

it is now clear

how God touches us with eternal truth.

-Bill Huebsch

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The image calling of Lazarus out from his tomb by Jesus is so often used as the best image of coming out. For far too long the church has ignored the gift of sexuality, rather taking comfort in Greek philosophy of dualism rather than embracing the more earthy passionate Hebrew concept. So important was the concept of union to ancient Judaism, that rabbis in the Talmud state, ‘That a man with out a wife is only half a man’. God has given the gift of celibacy to a few but the numbers are small, for God first states in Genesis a mistake was made, “It is not good for man to be alone.” God did make Eve for Adam, but God has made many people for many others, and I am convinced that God has the right person out there for everyone who God has not given a gift of celibacy. For as the poet says:

Set me as a seal upon your heart,

as a seal upon your arm;

for love is strong as death,

passion fierce as the grave.

Its flashes are flashes of fire,

a raging flame.

Many waters cannot quench love,

neither can floods drown it.

If one offered for love

all the wealth of [one’s] house,

it would be utterly scorned.

-Song of Songs 8:6-7, NRSV

June 22

Reading 1

Mark 12:35-40

“While Jesus was teaching in the temple, [Jesus] said, “How can the scribes say that the Messiah is the son of David? David himself, by the Holy Spirit, declared, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet.”’ David himself calls him Lord; so how can he be his son?” And the large crowd was listening to him with delight. As he taught, he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets! They devour widows’ houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.” ”

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While the scribes can reconcile contradictions in their own theologies, they are unable to reconcile their image of Messiah to Jesus. They have knowledge that should bring them life and life to others, but they are only interested in power and respect. There knowledge leads them not into right actions but leads them to use their knowledge not only for person gain but to oppress the helpless. They seek to look righteous through their acts but have gained only greater condemnation for ignoring what they do know. Let us not ignore the command to love God fully and neighbour as self, for we who know this can only receive condemnation if we ignore it.

Reading 2

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; the first heaven and the first earth had disappeared now, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride dressed for her husband. Then I heard a loud voice call from the throne, ‘Look, here God lives among human beings. He will make his home among them; they will be his people, and he will be their God, God-with-them. He will wipe away all tears from their eyes; there will be no more death, and no more mourning or sadness or pain. The world of the past has gone.’ Then the One sitting on the throne spoke. ‘Look, I am making the whole of creation new. Write this, “What I am saying is trust worthy and will come true.”’ Then he said to me, ‘It has already happened. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give water from the well of life free to anybody who is thirsty; anyone who proves victorious will inherit these things; and I will be [that one’s] God and [that one] will be my [child].

-Revelation 21:1-7

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God says the new creation has already happened and so it has for God has preordained it, there is surely a new order coming a day coming when creation’s longing ends and the universe is restored to what God intended it to be. When God will be with us intimately, making all things right. And this hope is water, free to all who thirst for it, and in it’s drinking is our adoption as children of God. Rejoice for the One Who is Eternal is your God.

June 23

Reading 1

Mark 12:41-44

“[Jesus] sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. Then he called his disciples and said to them, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.” ”

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Love allowed this woman to put in all she had, the rich young ruler goes way unable to sell what he has, but this woman out of love for God and trust in Divine providence gives all she has. She is commended for this small gift because it was given from the heart. When we give we must give from the heart. We do well to remember it truly is the poorest people who give the most liberally to good causes. Let our greed never blind us to the fact we all have something to give, and God rejoices in our gift no matter the size.

Reading 2

Go placidly amid the noise and haste and remember what peace there may be in silence, As far as possible be on good terms with all persons. Speak the truth quietly and clearly and listen to others, even the dull and ignorant; they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit. If you compare yourselves with others you may become vain and bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love, for in the face of all avidity and disenchantment, it is perennial as the grass. Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength if the spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars. You have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labours and aspirations in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace with your soul. With all it’s sham and drudgery and broken dreams, it is a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

-Max Ehrmann, Poet

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This reading brings together so many images, from Isaiah’s, “Those of steadfast mind you keep in peace— in peace because they trust in you. Trust in the LORD forever, for in the LORD GOD you have an everlasting rock.” (26:3-4, NRSV), to Paul’s letter to the Roman’s “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God......We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.....If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” (8:14, 28, 12:18, NRSV). It shows a healthy view of spirituality that asks you to be true to yourself as God created you and live a balanced life. We Christians know God to be Love and so must love all as God loves if we are truly to have peace. If we are truly to have happiness in this world it can only be in God.

June 24

Reading 1

Mark 13:1-31

“As he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what large stones and what large buildings!” Then Jesus asked him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.” When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately, “Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign that all these things are about to be accomplished?” Then Jesus began to say to them, “Beware that no one leads you astray. Many will come in my name and say, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray. When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is still to come. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. This is but the beginning of the birth pangs. “As for yourselves, beware; for they will hand you over to councils; and you will be beaten in synagogues; and you will stand before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them. And the good news must first be proclaimed to all nations. When they bring you to trial and hand you over, do not worry beforehand about what you are to say; but say whatever is given you at that time, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; and you will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. “But when you see the desolating sacrilege set up where it ought not to be (let the reader understand), then those in Judea must flee to the mountains; the one on the housetop must not go down or enter the house to take anything away; the one in the field must not turn back to get a coat. Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing infants in those days! Pray that it may not be in winter. For in those days there will be suffering, such as has not been from the beginning of the creation that God created until now, no, and never will be. And if the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would be saved; but for the sake of the elect, whom he chose, he has cut short those days. And if anyone says to you at that time, ‘Look! Here is the Messiah!’ or ‘Look! There he is!’--do not believe it. False messiahs and false prophets will appear and produce signs and omens, to lead astray, if possible, the elect. But be alert; I have already told you everything. “But in those days, after that suffering, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in clouds’ with great power and glory. Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.”

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Jesus will return not in hidden ways but it full view so that no one can mistake it. We fear not the many hardships and troubles that come on us be remember that God’s time draws closer even as evil may seem to increase around us. We need not study to learn signs to look for but simply live. Be as a fig tree putting forth leaves, knowing we have life, knowing that even if heaven and earth pass away, the love of God remains firm for God’s words will not pass away.

Reading 2

LINES WRITTEN IN HER BREVIARY

Let nothing disturb thee,

Nothing affright thee;

All things are passing;

God never changeth;

Patient endurance

Attaineth to all things;

Who God possesseth

Is nothing wanting;

Alone God sufficeth.

If, Lord, Thy Love for me is Strong

If, Lord, Thy Love for me is strong

As this which binds me unto Thee,

What holds me from Thee, Lord, so long,

What holds Thee, Lord, so long from me?

O soul, what then desirest thou?

–Lord, I would see, who thus choose Thee.

What fears can yet assail Thee now?

–All that I fear is to lose Thee.

Love’s whole possession I entreat,

Lord, make my soul Thine own abode,

And I will build a nest so sweet

It may not be to poor for God.

O soul in God hidden from sin,

What more desires for thee remain,

Save but to love, and love again,

And all on flame with love within,

Love on, and turn to love again?

-Teresa of Avila

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These powerful works of Teresa show her ardent passion for God and remind me of the Psalmist longing:

How lovely are your dwelling-places, Yahweh Sabaoth. My whole being yearns and pines for Yahweh’s courts, My heart and my body cry out for joy to the living God.

Even the sparrow has found a home, the swallow a nest to place its young: your altars, Yahweh Sabaoth, my King and my God.

How blessed are those who live in your house; they shall praise you continually. Blessed those who find their strength in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.

As they pass through the Valley of the Balsam, they make there a water-hole, and — a further blessing — early rain fills it. They make their way from height to height, God shows himself to them in Zion.

Yahweh, God Sabaoth, hear my prayer, listen, God of Jacob. God, our shield, look, and see the face of your anointed.

Better one day in your courts than a thousand at my own devices, to stand on the threshold of God’s house than to live in the tents of the wicked.

For Yahweh God is a rampart and shield, he gives grace and glory; Yahweh refuses nothing good to those whose life is blameless.

Yahweh Sabaoth, blessed is [one] who trusts in you.

Psalm 84 NJB

June 25

Reading 1

Mark 13:32-37

“ “But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. Therefore, keep awake--for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.” ”

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Beware, keep alert. Life has many twists and turns and you never know where you will run into God. If we keep awake keep alert we will be aware when our Master returns, but we will also see our Master in every person who we encounter, so that on that day we will hear, in as much as you showed love to one of the least of these, you showed it to Me.

Reading 2

I beg of you, my dear [friend], to live among these books [of the Bible], to meditate upon them, to know nothing else, to seek nothing else. Does not such a life seem to you a foretaste of heaven here on earth? Let not the simplicity of the scripture or the poorness of its vocabulary offend you; for these are due either to the faults of translators or else to deliberate purpose: for in this way it is better fitted for the instruction of an unlettered congregation as the educated person can take one meaning and the uneducated another from one and the same sentence. I am not so dull or so forward as to profess that I myself know it, or that I can pluck upon the earth the fruit which has its root in heaven, but I confess that I should like to do so. I put myself before the man who sits idle and, while I lay no claim to be a master, I readily pledge myself to be a fellow-student. “Every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” Let us learn upon earth that knowledge which will continue with us in heaven.

-St. Jerome, Letter 53-TO PAULINUS

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The Bible may not be the greatest writings of history from a literary standpoint, but the simplicity and truth of scripture is what makes it so enduring. It’s not in wisdom of the world that we have hope but in the wisdom of God! After all, Christ sent me not to baptise, but to preach the gospel; and not by means of wisdom of language, wise words which would make the cross of Christ pointless. The message of the cross is folly for those who are on the way to ruin, but for those of us who are on the road to salvation it is the power of God. As scripture says: I am going to destroy the wisdom of the wise and bring to nothing the understanding of any who understand. Where are the philosophers? Where are the experts? And where are the debaters of this age? Do you not see how God has shown up human wisdom as folly? Since in the wisdom of God the world was unable to recognise God through wisdom, it was God’s own pleasure to save believers through the folly of the gospel. While the Jews demand miracles and the Greeks look for wisdom, we are preaching a crucified Christ: to the Jews an obstacle they cannot get over, to the gentiles foolishness, but to those who have been called, whether they are Jews or Greeks, a Christ who is both the power of God and the wisdom of God. God’s folly is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength. Consider, brothers, how you were called; not many of you are wise by human standards, not many influential, not many from noble families. No, God chose those who by human standards are fools to shame the wise; he chose those who by human standards are weak to shame the strong, those who by human standards are common and contemptible — indeed those who count for nothing — to reduce to nothing all those that do count for something, so that no human being might feel boastful before God. It is by him that you exist in Christ Jesus, who for us was made wisdom from God, and saving justice and holiness and redemption. As scripture says: If anyone wants to boast, let him boast of the Lord. 1Co 1:17-31, NJB

June 26

Reading 1

Mark 14:1-11

“It was two days before the Passover and the festival of Unleavened Bread. The chief priests and the scribes were looking for a way to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him; for they said, “Not during the festival, or there may be a riot among the people.” While he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at the table, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very costly ointment of nard, and she broke open the jar and poured the ointment on his head. But some were there who said to one another in anger, “Why was the ointment wasted in this way? For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii, and the money given to the poor.” And they scolded her. But Jesus said, “Let her alone; why do you trouble her? She has performed a good service for me. For you always have the poor with you, and you can show kindness to them whenever you wish; but you will not always have me. She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for its burial. Truly I tell you, wherever the good news is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in remembrance of her.” Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went to the chief priests in order to betray him to them. When they heard it, they were greatly pleased, and promised to give him money. So he began to look for an opportunity to betray him.”

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A time for everything including extravagance. This extravagance drove Judas to betray Jesus. There is similar extravagance today and Judas is there saying, ‘Ought not this, or that have been done, must not restraint be shown?’ Although Jesus acknowledges a time and place for extravagance so quick did the church turn to legalism with rules of such great austerity and harshness in place for those who would be Christians, that most people put off baptism till near death. Let us live by the Spirit and when moved be extravagant, live move and have your being in God’s Spirit then you will be showing kindness to Jesus always.

Reading 2

The only thing separating us from the love of God is our own recognition of it! If one knew it, that God is the highest of all that is good, it would be impossible not to love God alone above everything else. In fact, to know God truly is to love God so dearly that it would be impossible to hold something else dear beside God, even if threatened with eternal punishment! Yes, if I knew God truly, I would experience in my soul and spirit such a pure joy that this joy would surge through my body and make even my body wholly without pain or suffering, immortal and glorified.

-Leonhard Schiemer, Early Anabaptist Spirituality

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God is Love and as Jesus said only God is good. We strive for union with good inspite of the difficulties because of the love God gives. That is why we do not waver; indeed, though this outer human nature of ours may be falling into decay, at the same time our inner human nature is renewed day by day. The temporary, light burden of our hardships is earning us for ever an utterly incomparable, eternal weight of glory, since what we aim for is not visible but invisible. Visible things are transitory, but invisible things eternal. 2Cor 4:16-17, NJB

June 27

Reading 1

Mark 14:12-26

“On the first day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb is sacrificed, his disciples said to him, “Where do you want us to go and make the preparations for you to eat the Passover?” So he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you; follow him, and wherever he enters, say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher asks, Where is my guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ He will show you a large room upstairs, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there.” So the disciples set out and went to the city, and found everything as he had told them; and they prepared the Passover meal. When it was evening, he came with the twelve. And when they had taken their places and were eating, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me, one who is eating with me.” They began to be distressed and to say to him one after another, “Surely, not I?” He said to them, “It is one of the twelve, one who is dipping bread into the bowl with me. For the Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that one by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that one not to have been born.” While they were eating, he took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, and all of them drank from it. He said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. Truly I tell you, I will never again drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.” When they had sung the hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.”

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A man carrying a jar of water, while for us it is hardly seems unusual, but to the people of Jesus day it might have been as shocking as a man in a dress is in our day, men don’t wear dresses, men don’t carry water. Yet this unusual sight is what lead the disciples to the house where they would share their last meal with Jesus before His death. But Jesus does more than celebrate the meal, He says eat this bread, cherish it as my flesh, drink this wine, cherish it as my blood, broken for you, poured out for you. This bread of heaven and cup of salvation are what brings life to us in Christ, glory be to God for the reminder on how our weekly Eucharist started out, this Passover reinterpreted. Jesus the new lamb given for many, once and for all, thanks be to God. When you see something beyond the normal, look for the blessing God has for you there.

Reading 2

When God made the Earth it shook to and fro till [God] put mountains on it to keep it firm. Then the angels asked, ‘O God, is there anything in your creation stronger than the mountains?’ And God replied, ‘Iron is stronger than mountains, for it breaks them’.

And is there anything stronger than Iron?

Yes, fire is stronger than iron for it melts iron.

And is there anything stronger than fire?

Yes, water for it quenches fire.

And is there anything stronger than water?

Yes, wind for it puts water in motion.

And is there anything stronger than wind?

Yes, a good [person] giving alms. If [one] gives with [one’s] right hand and conceal it from [one’s] left [one] overcomes all things. Every good act is charity. Your smiling in your [friend’s] face, your putting a wanderer on the right road, your giving water to the thirsty, is charity. A [person’s] true wealth hereafter is the good [one] has done to [one’s] fellow-[people]. When [someone] dies people will ask, ‘What property has [this one] left behind?’ But the angels will ask, ‘What good deeds has [one] sent before?’

-Mohammed, 570-632

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This piece of Mohammed’s teaching shows how well acquainted with the Gospel he was. But it does add a new twist, the vision that the strongest thing in creation is not some force of nature but the force of selfless-love (charity). If we want to be with Jesus in heaven, let us remember the words He spoke, “Sell your possessions and give to those in need. Get yourselves purses that do not wear out, treasure that will not fail you, in heaven where no thief can reach it and no moth destroy it. For wherever your treasure is, that is where your heart will be too.” Luk 12:33-34, NJB

June 28

Reading 1

Mark 14:27-31

“And Jesus said to them, “You will all become deserters; for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’ But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.” Peter said to him, “Even though all become deserters, I will not.” Jesus said to him, “Truly I tell you, this day, this very night, before the cock crows twice, you will deny me three times.” But he said vehemently, “Even though I must die with you, I will not deny you.” And all of them said the same.”

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Betrayal and abandonment is coming towards Jesus from all the disciples, but the good news is even though this abandonment and denial happens Jesus forgives them before it ever even takes place. In the same way even when we sin, Jesus has already forgiven us, Jesus is already going ahead of us to where we are going. Though we may be brave and resolute and say I shall never sin against You Lord, we all do, we all scatter like feathers in a hurricane, but praise be to God, we have forgiveness before we even ask, before the sin is even committed, we have forgiveness through the one who died for all, thanks be to God.

Reading 2

Every good impulse, every noble deed we perform is of God. Christ is in us. At the very same time there is an evil. complacent nagging going on, trying to discourage us, trying to impugn our motives, trying to spoil everything of good we do. This complacency, self-satisfaction, is to be silenced. It shows pride even to be surprised and grieved at the baseness, like sediment, at the bottom of every good deed. As long as we live there will be a war, a conflict between nature and grace, nature again and again getting the upper hand for the moment, only to be put down rigidly. If we have faith and hope it is impossible to be discouraged.

-The Dorothy Day Book

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Listen to what Paul says in writing to the Galations and the Romans:

You, my brothers [and sisters], were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law. Gal 5:13-18

So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God — through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin. Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. Rom 7:21-8:2

We see hear clearly the expression of Luther who reminded people constantly that all Christians on earth are santus-pecator, Saint and Sinner. All that can be done is to strive to know and do what God wants of us, we will undoubtable fail at times, but we have the grace through Christ to go on.

June 29

Reading 1

Mark 14:32-42

“They went to a place called Gethsemane; and [Jesus] said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” He took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be distressed and agitated. And he said to them, “I am deeply grieved, even to death; remain here, and keep awake.” And going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. He said, “Abba, Father, for you all things are possible; remove this cup from me; yet, not what I want, but what you want.” He came and found them sleeping; and he said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not keep awake one hour? Keep awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” And again he went away and prayed, saying the same words. And once more he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy; and they did not know what to say to him. He came a third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? Enough! The hour has come; the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Get up, let us be going. See, my betrayer is at hand.” ”

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No, not one is faithful, not even the inner core group of Peter, James and John, can not do what is asked of them by Jesus in His hour of distress. In a way I imagine this betrayal of repeated being unable to keep watch with Jesus was as bad as Judas betrayal- both disappointments, both coming from friends. Yet even as Jesus goes past the betrayal of the inner core, even as Jesus seems to have no ill will towards Judas, we must forgive those who fail to live up to our needs, we must forgive and accept the will of God even as Jesus accepted this most bitter cup to drink.

Reading 2

Among the great [people] of antiquity there is none, with the exception of Cicero, who we know so intimately as Saul of Tarsus. He is a saint without a luminous halo. His personal characteristics are too distinct and too human to make idealism easy. For this reason he has never been the object of popular devotion. No fairy tales are attached to his cult; he remains for us what he was in the flesh... The dominant impression that he makes upon us is that he was cast in an heroic mould. He is serenely indifferent to criticism and calumny; no power on earth can turn him from his purpose. He has set his face to achieve, almost single-handed, the conquest of the Roman Empire [to faith in Christ]....He is absolutely indifferent whether his mission will cost him his life, or only involve a continuation of almost intolerable hardship. It is this indomitable courage, complete self-sacrifice and single minded devotion to a magnificently audacious but not impracticable idea, which constitute the greatness of St Paul’s character. He was, for all this, a warm-hearted and affectionate man, as he proves abundantly by the tone of his letters. His personal religion was in essence, a pure mysticism; he worships a Christ whom he has experienced as a living presence in his soul. The mystic who is also a man of action, a man of action because he is a mystic, wields a tremendous power over other [people]. He is like an invulnerable knight, fighting in magic armour.

-Dean Inge, An Essay on St. Paul

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Saint Paul has a bad reputation in Queer Christian and Feminist Christian circles. Paul did write some things that have been interpreted as anti-gay, and has had things attributed to his name that seem very anti-women, but this is the same one who said in Christ there are no distinctions, male or female, etc. This is the one who fought legalism and states all things are lawful for me (ie: the believer), but refuses to let anything gain control over him. Paul’s actions and his spirit of freedom and love, in Christ, need to be taken up by all Christians, but especially Queer Christians. Paul's message is powerful and needs to be heard, do not accept anything blindly from the Bible but as Paul says to the Thessalonians, “Do not stifle inspiration...but test them all; keep hold of what is good and avoid all forms of evil.” And most importantly we can take his advice to allow God to equip us spiritually, for the forces of oppression will only be defeated with God’s strength. “Finally, find your strength in the Lord, in [God’s] mighty power. Put on the full armour provided by God, so that you may be able to stand firm against the stratagems of the devil. For our struggle is not against human foes, but against cosmic powers, against the authorities and potentates of this dark age, against the superhuman forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore, take up the armour of God; then you will be able to withstand them on the evil day and, after doing your utmost, to stand your ground. Stand fast, I say. Fasten on the belt of truth; for a breastplate put on integrity; let the shoes on your feet be the gospel of peace, to give you firm footing; and, with all these, take up the great shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the burning arrows of the evil one. Accept salvation as your helmet, and the sword which the Spirit gives you, the word of God. Constantly ask God’s help in prayer, and pray always in the power of the Spirit. To this end keep watch and persevere, always interceding for all God’s people.” Eph 6:10-18, REB

June 30

Reading 1

Mark 14:43-52

“Immediately, while [Jesus] was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, arrived; and with him there was a crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders. Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man; arrest him and lead him away under guard.” So when he came, he went up to him at once and said, “Rabbi!” and kissed him. Then they laid hands on him and arrested him. But one of those who stood near drew his sword and struck the slave of the high priest, cutting off his ear. Then Jesus said to them, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest me as though I were a bandit? Day after day I was with you in the temple teaching, and you did not arrest me. But let the scriptures be fulfilled.” All of them deserted him and fled. A certain young man was following him, wearing nothing but a linen cloth. They caught hold of him, but he left the linen cloth and ran off naked.”

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Mark’s narrative of the betrayal in the garden has one unique and intriguing feature, that of the young man (apparently wealthy since linen was expensive), wearing nothing but a linen cloth wrapped around his body unusual, something like one today dressing in such haste as not to place on underwear. As all fled, this young man is caught hold of by his cloth and untwines like a ballet dancer continuing off stark naked into the night. In a way we are all like that young man, all our sins and pride which are so close to us are striped away in the garden and we are left to go off free, as when born, created without sin. We come to the garden and scatter from our Lord, but this betrayal sets in motion that which brings us back to purity, which reconciles us to our God.

Reading 2

[Wisdom declares] ‘The Lord created me the first of his works long ago, before all else that he made. I was formed in earliest times, at the beginning, before earth itself. I was born when there was yet no ocean, when there were no springs brimming with water. Before the mountains were settled in their place, before the hills I was born, when as yet he had made neither land nor streams nor the mass of the earth’s soil. When he set the heavens in place I was there, when he girdled the ocean with the horizon, when he fixed the canopy of clouds overhead and confined the springs of the deep, when he prescribed limits for the sea so that the waters do not transgress his command, when he made earth’s foundations firm. Then I was at his side each day, his darling and delight, playing in his presence continually, playing over his whole world, while my delight was in [hu]mankind. ‘Now, [children], listen to me; happy are those who keep to my ways. Listen to instruction and grow wise; do not ignore it. Happy the one who listens to me, watching daily at my threshold with [one’s] eyes on the doorway! For whoever finds me finds life and wins favour with the Lord, but whoever fails to find me deprives [one]self, and all who hate me are in love with death.’

-Proverbs 8:22-36

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Grasp Sophia’s words and hold them tight for in them is life and happiness. Lady wisdom was with God always, the Logos through Whom all was made. Embrace Her who we know as Christ. Jesus the beloved of God is our example, since He, that is She, Who is lady wisdom, played at the side of God in delight, so should we any less embrace times of play and pleasure? Truly this passage reminds me of the saying from the desert fathers told by St. John Bosco, “A Saint was once asked, while playing happily with his companions, what he would do if an angel told him that in a quarter of an hour he would die and have to appear before the judgment seat of God. The saint promptly replied that he would continue playing because I am certain these games are pleasing to God.” God takes delight in our games, so do all things unto God and you will have no concern you will be in the wisdom that is Christ’s.

July

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July 1

Reading 1

Mark 14:53-65

“They took Jesus to the high priest; and all the chief priests, the elders, and the scribes were assembled. Peter had followed him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest; and he was sitting with the guards, warming himself at the fire. Now the chief priests and the whole council were looking for testimony against Jesus to put him to death; but they found none. For many gave false testimony against him, and their testimony did not agree. Some stood up and gave false testimony against him, saying, “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, not made with hands.’” But even on this point their testimony did not agree. Then the high priest stood up before them and asked Jesus, “Have you no answer? What is it that they testify against you?” But he was silent and did not answer. Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?” Jesus said, “I am; and ‘you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power,’ and ‘coming with the clouds of heaven.’” Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “Why do we still need witnesses? You have heard his blasphemy! What is your decision?” All of them condemned him as deserving death. Some began to spit on him, to blindfold him, and to strike him, saying to him, “Prophesy!” The guards also took him over and beat him.”

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Jesus tells them the truth and the religious leaders tear their clothes and scream blasphemy and death to this One. So to when we Queer Christians declare God’s love for us and acceptance of us as God created us. Our own religious leaders sometimes scream blasphemy, decry us as deserving death, and in some places even join in the physical abuse of us. But remember you are blessed, for in the same way our Lord was persecuted for the truth of who He was. We shall overcome and reign with Christ, for we are suffering with Him.

Reading 2

We are embodied beings and our bodies and sexuality are involved in every relationship we enter into for our sexuality

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is a desire for intimacy and communion, both emotionally and physically. It is physiological and psychological grounding of our capacity to love. As its undistorted best, our sexuality is that basic eros of our humanness-urging, pulling, luring, driving, us out of our loneliness into communion, out of stagnation into creativity. [James Nelson, Body Theology,]

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So it makes no sense to say that friendships between Ruth and Naomi, David and Jonathan and Jesus and the Beloved Disciple were not sexually expressed, for without their bodies (and hence their sexuality) there would not be any relationship between them. It is the attempt to confine sexuality and its expression to marriage that has caused the marginalisation of lesbians and gay men and an emotional overload in marriage which many marriages cannot bear. Friendship is a sexual relationship, because it is a bodily relationship which expresses love. The passion that existed between David and Jonathan is obvious testimony to that fact, although I ...would not dare to presume they made love. The line between...sexual and non-sexual relationships is not as clear as we have been brought up to believe and is even fainter in our close friendships. This might be deeply disturbing to some who have been brought up to believe, as we all have, that friendship is ‘pure’ love unsullied by sexuality. However, lesbian feminists who believe that the drive of our sexuality is the drive to connect with others in justice and mutuality and therefore the experience of God welcome and celebrate the sexual dimension to friendships.

-Elizabeth Stuart, Lesbian and Gay Relationships

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This is good news, our sexual life is broader than most have thought. But this broadness brings new responsibility, that our friendships sexual side never harms that person. When you make love or hug someone do it as a expression of love and never as merely a self gratifying action. Do this and we may learn to love a right, with the Spirit’s gracious leading.

July 2

Reading 1

Mark 14:66-72

“While Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant-girls of the high priest came by. When she saw Peter warming himself, she stared at him and said, “You also were with Jesus, the man from Nazareth.” But he denied it, saying, “I do not know or understand what you are talking about.” And he went out into the forecourt. Then the cock crowed. And the servant-girl, on seeing him, began again to say to the bystanders, “This man is one of them.” But again he denied it. Then after a little while the bystanders again said to Peter, “Certainly you are one of them; for you are a Galilean.” But he began to curse, and he swore an oath, “I do not know this man you are talking about.” At that moment the cock crowed for the second time. Then Peter remembered that Jesus had said to him, “Before the cock crows twice, you will deny me three times.” And he broke down and wept.”

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Before you judge Peter to harshly, how many times have you, oh Queer Christian, remained silent when slurs our made against your queer brothers and sisters, how often have you denied in word or deed who you are? Wept dear Queer Christian, the cocks are crowing all round us, and you have denied your Lord even as you have denied who God made you to be. But just as there was forgiveness for Peter there is forgiveness for you, thanks be to God.

Reading 2

Instead, I tell you, be guided by the Spirit, and you will no longer yield to self-indulgence. The desires of self-indulgence are always in opposition to the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are in opposition to self-indulgence: they are opposites, one against the other; that is how you are prevented from doing the things that you want to. But when you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law.

When self-indulgence is at work the results are obvious: sexual vice, impurity, and sensuality, the worship of false gods and sorcery; antagonisms and rivalry, jealousy, bad temper and quarrels, disagreements, factions and malice, drunkenness, orgies and all such things. And about these, I tell you now as I have told you in the past, that people who behave in these ways will not inherit the kingdom of God. On the other hand the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, trustfulness, gentleness and self-control; no law can touch such things as these. All who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified self with all its passions and its desires.

Since we are living by the Spirit, let our behaviour be guided by the Spirit and let us not be conceited or provocative and envious of one another.

-Gal 5:16-26

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Lists of who will not enter the kingdom of God are numerous and are nearly complete (meaning no one will inherit the kingdom), but the good news is when we say with the disciples “‘In that case, who can be saved?’ [Jesus] replied, ‘Things that are impossible by human resources, are possible for God.’” (Luke 18:26-27, NJB). This dosen’t get us of the hook to live without restraint, that isn’t healthy. And to amplify the word behave a bit; it means to habitually do, if your life is nothing but those works of self-indulgence, it is pretty sure God’s spirit isn’t at work in your life. But the good news of this passage is it reminds us we who are led by the Spirit, are not under law. Thanks be to God that burden has been removed.

July 3

Reading 1

Mark 15:1-15

“As soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council. They bound Jesus, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate. Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” He answered him, “You say so.” Then the chief priests accused him of many things. Pilate asked him again, “Have you no answer? See how many charges they bring against you.” But Jesus made no further reply, so that Pilate was amazed. Now at the festival he used to release a prisoner for them, anyone for whom they asked. Now a man called Barabbas was in prison with the rebels who had committed murder during the insurrection. So the crowd came and began to ask Pilate to do for them according to his custom. Then he answered them, “Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?” For he realized that it was out of jealousy that the chief priests had handed him over. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release Barabbas for them instead. Pilate spoke to them again, “Then what do you wish me to do with the man you call the King of the Jews?” They shouted back, “Crucify him!” Pilate asked them, “Why, what evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify him!” So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released Barabbas for them; and after flogging Jesus, he handed him over to be crucified.”

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When all is said and done we still this day turn over others out of jesalousy even if it is only by gossip and such, we too cry out for the murder and condemn the innocent. We too like the preists and then pilate hand over the dirty task to another. No blood be on our hands, yet Pilate is just as responisble as are the priests, and as the men who drove the spikes through the sacred hands. We also are, who continue to fall short of our Lords desire, who’s sins are heaps high upon our lord to torment Him as He writhes in pain on the cross one and for all enterity bearing the load of our guilt. I must make every effort to stop flogging Jesus, to stop this pain that I cause creation’s Lord. So let us stop casuing the suffering and join in our Lords suffering, as St. Paul, “It is now my joy to suffer for you; for the sake of Christ’s body, the church, I am completing what still remains for Christ to suffer in my own person.” (Col 1:24, REB).

Reading 2

Chastity: Chastity means making an effort to order our sexual lives around a higher moral purpose. Think of sex as a means of communication, not primarily as a means of experiencing pleasure. Look at it as a way to give pleasure to your partner instead of taking pleasure for yourself. This is how sex begins to be more like divine love. As we grow in sexual wholeness, our sexuality can be united with our spirituality, giving us a hint of what ultimate spiritual union is like.

-John Michael Talbot with Steve Rabey, The lessons of St. Francis:How to Bring Simplicity and Spirituality into Your Daily Life

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Your mouth like fragrant wine flowing smoothly to meet my caresses, gliding over my lips and teeth. I am my beloved’s, his longing is all for me. Come, my beloved, let us go out into the fields to lie among the henna bushes; let us go early to the vineyards and see if the vine has budded or its blossom opened, or if the pomegranates are in flower. There I shall give you my love, when the mandrakes yield their perfume, and all choice fruits are ready at our door, fruits new and old which I have in store for you, my love. If only you were to me like a brother nursed at my mother’s breast! Then if I came upon you outside, I could kiss you, and no one would despise me. I should lead you to the house of my mother, bring you to her who conceived me; I should give you mulled wine to drink and the fresh juice of my pomegranates. His left arm pillows my head, his right arm is round me. I charge you, maidens of Jerusalem: Do not rouse or awaken love until it is ready. Song of Songs 7:9-8:4 REB

July 4

Reading 1

Mark 15:16-20

“Then the soldiers led [Jesus] into the courtyard of the palace (that is, the governor’s headquarters); and they called together the whole cohort. And they clothed him in a purple cloak; and after twisting some thorns into a crown, they put it on him. And they began saluting him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” They struck his head with a reed, spat upon him, and knelt down in homage to him. After mocking him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.”

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This mockery reminds me of the horrid stories of gay men being bashed and raped. Putting a crown on Christ's head and a purple robe made him not a King, nor does the rape of another man make one queer. People often use the truth in vicious ways to attack us, but in the end their hatred betrays their true desire, our destruction. We shall not be destroyed though, for as Jesus rose from the dead, we shall overcome our trials through the power of God. There need be no fear, our place is secure because our Lord’s Love is undefeatable.

Reading 2

I wonder if pain does not keep us close to God? In the ordinary sense pain can unfit us for prayer, We simply cannot pray. But in another sense, suffering becomes prayer. Suffering accepted becomes a mighty cry in the ears of God. It was in pain that Christ redeemed us; our pain continues the redemption. We are not asked to do more than we can.

-Miriam Elder, OCD

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Pain comes in all shapes and sizes, be it physical, mental or emotional. Many Queer Christians, have suffered because of who they are, but each of us has our own unique cross, the good news is that burden is made bearable by the One who shares it with us, Christ. While pain is not the will of God it will come but listen to what Peter, Paul, and Jesus say:

Be on the alert! Wake up! Your enemy the devil, like a roaring lion, prowls around looking for someone to devour. Stand up to him, firm in your faith, and remember that your Fellow-Christians in this world are going through the same kinds of suffering. After your brief suffering, the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, establish, and strengthen you on a firm foundation. All power belongs to him for ever and ever! Amen. 1Pet 5:8-1, REB

It is now my joy to suffer for you; for the sake of Christ’s body, the church, I am completing what still remains for Christ to suffer in my own person. Col 1:24, REB

I have told you all this so that in me you may find peace. In the world you will have suffering. But take heart! I have conquered the world.’ John 16:23, REB

July 5

Reading 1

Mark 15:21-32

“They compelled a passer-by, who was coming in from the country, to carry [Jesus’] cross; it was Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus. Then they brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means the place of a skull). And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh; but he did not take it. And they crucified him, and divided his clothes among them, casting lots to decide what each should take. It was nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified him. The inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.” And with him they crucified two bandits, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by derided him, shaking their heads and saying, “Aha! You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself, and come down from the cross!” In the same way the chief priests, along with the scribes, were also mocking him among themselves and saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. Let the Messiah, the King of Israel, come down from the cross now, so that we may see and believe.” Those who were crucified with him also taunted him.”

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Reading the passion of our Lord always strikes sorrow in my heart, the pain Jesus suffering, in my stead, the torment from all sides. Perhaps the greatest of pain is Pilate's last little jab at the Jews, this is your King. Jesus was King of the Jews, but despised and rejected, with not even enough strength left to bare his own cross. And so Jesus dies, taunted by all, while soldiers play games to decide who gets what while they too taunt Him. What devil is inside all mortals that gets pleasure from taunting others. People may be more gentle and loving but when all is said and done most people are capable of seeing an enemy in pain and offering a taunt. I remember one day hearing the glee in the voice of a man on some radio ‘Christian program’ when he talked about how a gay marriage that Bishop Spong had preformed broke up in 4 months. I hope that man realizes that he was standing at the foot of the cross taunting his Savior. I am no better, for I delighted in the news the current leader of Exodus International, had been exposed as still being actively gay. Perhaps there is difference since Polluck was actively promoting hurt, but I know in my heart I am no better than any other person. It is the blood of Christ alone and God’s Spirit that makes a difference, praise be to God: I am not what I was, I am not what I should be, but I am not yet what Christ is making me. Let Christ’s power work His new creation in you.

Reading 2

Thou who art over us,

Thou who art one of us,

Thou who art–

Also within us,

May all see Thee – in me also,

May I prepare the way for Thee.

May I thank Thee for all that shall fall to my lot.

May I also not forget the needs of others.

Keep me in Thy love

As Thou wouldst that all should be kept in mine.

May everything in this my being be directed to Thy glory

And may I never despair

For I am under Thy hand

And in Thee in all power and goodness.

Give me a pure heart that I may see Thee.

A humble heart–that I may hear Thee,

A heart of love–that I may serve Thee,

A heart of faith–that I may abide in Thee.

-Dag Hammarskjöld, Markings

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The frequent sorrow in this great man’s writing may well have had much to do with the fact he was Gay. But like his faith, his sexuality remained hidden from public life till after his death. One can only wonder if he would have had greater happiness in life if he had been able to be open and feel good about who he was. The dark and not uncommon comments on suicide in his Markings, reminds us only too well that among youth suicide over 30% of them are queer. It is time for us Queer Christians to stop hiding in the dark and come out into full light, because we know God loves us as God formed us. We need to spread good news that God’s love is for all, that Jesus came to set us free and give us abundant life. Be honest, and love in the light for there is never anything shameful about love. ‘Those who live by the truth come to the light so that it may be clearly seen that God is in all they do.’ John 3:21 REB

July 6

Reading 1

Mark 15:33-41

“When it was noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. At three o’clock Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, “Listen, he is calling for Elijah.” And someone ran, filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.” Then Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. Now when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was God’s Son!” There were also women looking on from a distance; among them were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. These used to follow him and provided for him when he was in Galilee; and there were many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem.”

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This unnatural darkness comes, evil seems to have final achieved the victory. Jesus cries out, our Lord feels forsaken, then the last breath. It is finished, but is it? Jesus’ death has caused the temple curtain to be ripped, the way to God is now opened. Even a gentile recognizes the death of this one is no mere mortal but God’s Son. Where Mary Magdalene and the others close enough to hear the proclamation? Did it pierces their heart as being too little, too late. We leave the cross not mourning the death of God, but rejoicing for the gaining of access to God, the veil is gone, let us never be afraid to draw near unto God again, for Jesus paid a high price for our access.

Reading 2

To do justice, to love kindness, to walk humbly with God-these may embody all that we need to know in order to be faithful and to be human. They are not three “virtues.” They are not “things to do.” Rather, they speak of three dimensions of a life of faithfulness, each of which depends on and is reinforced by the other two. To love kindness (hesed) means to enter into relationships of abiding solidarity. It means to make commitments and to keep commitments. And so the questions come: With whom? And in what way? The New Testament struggles with the question of the limits of solidarity, In Luke 10:29, the neighbor question is the overriding question for the community, as it still is.... We learn how to practice solidarity by discerning ways in which God practices solidarity.... The solidarity of God’s hesed is not a powerful overriding solidarity, but a patient, attentive, waiting, hoping solidarity.

-W. Bruggemann, S. Parks, T. Groome, To Act Justly, Love Tenderly, Walk Humbly

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Let us follow this way of faithful life, but in so doing we must remember it’s not justice for us alone we need to seek, but for others oppressed to, it’s not kindness we seek but the kindness we give, and finally not our own humility we honor but that of others.

[God] has told you, O mortal, what is good;

and what does the LORD require of you

but to do justice, and to love kindness,

and to walk humbly with your God?

Micah 6:8, NRSV

July 7

Reading 1

Mark 15:42-47

“When evening had come, and since it was the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself waiting expectantly for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate wondered if he were already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he had been dead for some time. When he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted the body to Joseph. Then Joseph bought a linen cloth, and taking down the body, wrapped it in the linen cloth, and laid it in a tomb that had been hewn out of the rock. He then rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where the body was laid.”

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Sabbath fast approaching Joseph becomes bold and asks for the body, lays it in his own tomb covering it with a cloth, it is a rush the body must be in before Sabbath, and the women take note of the tombs location (likely to return to do more proper preparations after Sabbath). In this somber passage two examples need to be noted. We need to learn to be bold as Joseph even when it means taking risks, and secondly when we are unable to do anything at the moment we need like the women observe carefully the things that need doing, so that later we may do it later or at the very least take it to God in prayer.

Reading 2

If I lift up my eyes to the hills, where shall I find help? My help comes only from the Lord, maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot stumble; he who guards you will not sleep. The guardian of Israel never slumbers, never sleeps. The Lord is your guardian, your protector at your right hand; the sun will not strike you by day nor the moon by night. The Lord will guard you against all harm; he will guard your life. The Lord will guard you as you come and go, now and for evermore.

-Psalm 121, REB

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We look not to nature, or the gods made by human hands placed in high places, but we look to mighty Creator of all, Who can and will guide us so perfectly as not to let us stumble, indeed God sends Angels to guard us as the psalmist says in the 92 psalm, “Surely you are my refuge, Lord. You have made the Most High your dwelling-place; no disaster will befall you, no calamity touch your home. For he will charge his angels to guard you wherever you go, to lift you on their hands for fear you strike your foot against a stone. You will tread on asp and cobra, you will trample on snake and serpent. Because his love holds fast to me, I shall deliver him; I shall lift him to safety, for he knows my name. When he calls to me, I shall answer; I shall be with him in time of trouble; I shall rescue him and bring him to honour. I shall satisfy him with long life and show him my salvation.”(9-16, REB). God never sleeps or is caught unaware, protects our whole being. God is with us and delivers us from all affliction, but even if God seems to fail, we remember in Daniel, “Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego replied to King Nebuchadnezzar, ‘Your question needs no answer from us: if our God, the one we serve, is able to save us from the burning fiery furnace and from your power, Your Majesty, he will save us; and even if he does not, then you must know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your god or worship the statue you have set up.’ ” (3:16-18, NJB), like these 3 children of God and like the psalmist of 121, we know God, we who are Christian know even God’s eternally begotten, and so we bear all, and even if we are not delivered from affliction in this life, we know the One we serve, who is our salvation, and who is with us forevermore.

July 8

Reading 1

Mark 16:1-8

“When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. They had been saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.” So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

*[And all that had been commanded them they told briefly to those around Peter. And afterward Jesus himself sent out through them, from east to west, the sacred and imperishable proclamation of eternal salvation.]*

Shorter Ending:Some of the most ancient authorities bring the book to a close at the end of verse 8. One authority concludes the book with the *shorter ending*; others include the shorter ending and then continue with verses 9-20. ”

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These women going to do a last good deed to their beloved Master, are the first to hear the good news, Jesus is not here but is risen. But we are left in a bit a quandary as they run off scared telling no one. Mark probably left his narrative this way to they way a modern author often leaves a hook for a sequel, but the sequel here was to never end Jesus has risen, and the church is the evidence. Let us run from the tomb not in fear but in jubilation to tell all the good news, angels were the first messengers, but now it is our turn to proclaim the miracle of Easter morn, there was no body to anoint for, Jesus has risen, Christ has risen indeed.

Reading 2

I asked for strength that I might achieve:

I was made weak that I might learn humbly to obey.

I asked for health that I might do greater things:

I was given infirmity that might d better things.

I asked for riches that I might be happy:

I was given poverty that I might be wise.

I asked for power that I might have the praise of [mortals]:

I was given weakness that I might feel the need of God.

I asked for all things that I might enjoy life;

I was given life that I might enjoy all things.

I got nothing I asked for–

But everything that I had hoped for.

Almost despite myself my unspoken prayers were answered;

I am, among all [people], most richly blessed.

-Found on the person of an unknown Confederate soldier

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God is a loving parent offering us only what is good for us, Jesus tells us that God will give good gifts to God’s Children, that it is God’s good pleasure to give the kingdom. But when asking for what is not right for us, God is only being a good parent not giving it to us (after all what parent would give there child a poisonous berry no matter how much they pleaded). James deals with this aspect of human nature when he writes, “Where do these wars and battles between yourselves first start? Is it not precisely in the desires fighting inside your own selves? You want something and you lack it; so you kill. You have an ambition that you cannot satisfy; so you fight to get your way by force. It is because you do not pray that you do not receive; when you do pray and do not receive, it is because you prayed wrongly, wanting to indulge your passions. Adulterers! Do you not realise that love for the world is hatred for God? Anyone who chooses the world for a friend is constituted an enemy of God.” (James 4:1-4, NJB)

July 9

Reading 1

Mark 16:9-20

“Now after [Jesus] rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons. She went out and told those who had been with him, while they were mourning and weeping. But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it. After this he appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country. And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them. Later he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were sitting at the table; and he upbraided them for their lack of faith and stubbornness, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen. And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation. The one who believes and is baptized will be saved; but the one who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: by using my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes in their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.” So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and proclaimed the good news everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that accompanied it.”

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I think my favorite part in this addition is the fact the disciples do not believe those who saw Jesus after He rose. Three years of miracles and being told by Jesus that He would rise after three days and still they can’t believe. But these doubting disciples are very much like the hard cases of today, but once they come to faith they can be powerfully used by God. I must admit ‘these signs will accompany....’ bothers me, Jesus said over and over not to seek signs and here we have him telling the disciples they will preform signs, now most of these signs are recorded as happening in the new testament, with the exception of drinking poison, but we must be careful not to turn our faith into a freak show of snake handling. We must not put the Lord to the test but walk in faith as each day, doing what we do, Paul certainly didn’t plan to have a snake bite him as he collected fire wood I am sure. Let us go out and proclaim the good news to all creation, with full confidence. It is what Jesus wants us to do.

Reading 2

[Writing to a friend who was a priest in France on June 30, 1909] Do not be surprised at present storms.... Think of the day when Peter and Paul were martyred. How sombre everything must have seemed to the little Church at Rome. The first Christians did not loose heart. To us who have eighteen centuries of the Church’s life to strengthen our faith, how puny those efforts of hell, of which Jesus said, “they can never hold out” [Mat 16:18], must seem. Jesus said to us as well as to his Apostles: “Proclaim the Good News to all creation.” There is nothing we cannot master with the help of the One who gives us strength. He has conquered the world; like him we shall always have the cross, like him we shall always be persecuted, like him we shall always be defeated in the eyes of the world, like him we shall always triumph in fact, and this to the extent of our faithfulness to grace. We are the Almighty, and the only power enemies have is the power it pleases him to give them. to test, to sanctify us, to give spiritual victory–which is the only true victory, an eternal one–to his church and his elect. Let us return to the Gospel; if we do not live the Gospel, Jesus does not live in us.

-Charles de Foucauld, Silent Pilgrimage to God

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We are called to follow Jesus as John writes, “We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The [one] who says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in [that one]. But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in [that one]. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.” 1 John 2:2-6, NIV. And as for the storms of this life we remember that Peter wrote, “This is a great joy to you, even though for a short time yet you must bear all sorts of trials; so that the worth of your faith, more valuable than gold, which is perishable even if it has been tested by fire, may be proved — to your praise and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed. You have not seen him, yet you love him; and still without seeing him you believe in him and so are already filled with a joy so glorious that it cannot be described; and you are sure of the goal of your faith, that is, the salvation of your souls.” 1 Peter 1:6-9, NJB.

July 10

Reading 1

Luke 1:1-25

“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 days of King Herod of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly order of Abijah. His wife was a descendant of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. Both of them were righteous before God, living blamelessly according to all the commandments and regulations of the Lord. But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were getting on in years. Once when he was serving as priest before God and his section was on duty, he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and offer incense. Now at the time of the incense offering, the whole assembly of the people was praying outside. Then there appeared to him an angel of the Lord, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was terrified; and fear overwhelmed him. But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John. You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He must never drink wine or strong drink; even before his birth he will be filled with the Holy Spirit. He will turn many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. With the spirit and power of Elijah he will go before him, to turn the hearts of parents to their children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” Zechariah said to the angel, “How will I know that this is so? For I am an old man, and my wife is getting on in years.” The angel replied, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. But now, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time, you will become mute, unable to speak, until the day these things occur.” Meanwhile the people were waiting for Zechariah, and wondered at his delay in the sanctuary. When he did come out, he could not speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary. He kept motioning to them and remained unable to speak. When his time of service was ended, he went to his home. After those days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she remained in seclusion. She said, “This is what the Lord has done for me when he looked favorably on me and took away the disgrace I have endured among my people.” ”

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Bareness was a stigma a woman had absolutely no control over, and parents without children were looked upon as cursed. The good news of the section is God heard prayer and answered Zechariah, but the sad news is that even though he was confronted by an angel he was still filled with doubt, how could such joyous news be true. The perturbed angel gives him a sign (and who knows perhaps another prayer was answered of Elizabeth’s). This time of silence must have given Zechariah such a wonderful time to meditate in much the same way trapists take vows of silence to draw nearer to God. What blessed news not only a son, but a prophet of God. They show remarkable humility too, staying secluded for five months basking in God’s graciousness. The day is coming, and is here now, oh Queer Christian when you can join with Elizabeth in saying ‘God has looked favorably on me and taken away disgrace’ You have something better than a child as proof of God’s favor you have God’s Spirit in you.

Reading 2

Canticle --- Te Deum

God, we praise you; Lord, we proclaim you!

You, the Father, the eternal -

all the earth venerates you.

All the angels, all the heavens, every power -

The cherubim, the seraphim -

unceasingly, they cry:

"Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hosts:

heaven and earth are full of the majesty of your glory!"

The glorious choir of Apostles -

The noble ranks of prophets -

The shining army of martyrs -

all praise you.

Throughout the world your holy Church proclaims you.

- Father of immeasurable majesty,

- True Son, only-begotten, worthy of worship,

- Holy Spirit, our Advocate.

You, Christ:

- You are the king of glory.

- You are the Father's eternal Son.

- You, to free mankind, did not disdain a Virgin's womb.

- You defeated the sharp spear of Death, and opened the kingdom of heaven to those who believe in you.

- You sit at God's right hand, in the glory of the Father.

- You will come, so we believe, as our Judge.

And so we ask of you: give help to your servants, whom you set free at the price of your precious blood.

Number them among your chosen ones in eternal glory.

Bring your people to safety, Lord, and bless those who are your inheritance.

Rule them and lift them high for ever.

Day by day we bless you, Lord: we praise you for ever and for ever.

Of your goodness, Lord, keep us without sin for today.

Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us.

Let your pity, Lord, be upon us, as much as we trust in you.

In you, Lord, I trust: let me never be put to shame.

Glory...

Amen.

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The ‘Te Deum’ is an ancient hymn of the Church offering praise and glory to God!

July 11

Reading 1

Luke 1:26-38

“In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.”

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The messenger of God comes bearing more miraculous news, young Mary, a virgin will bear the Son of the Most High. Unlike Zechariah who wanted a sign, Mary accepts with humble belief turning herself over to God and being reminded with God all things are possible. The Spirit overshadows young Mary and Jesus is conceived. I must admit I always rather liked this passage because I always think of the Holy Spirit as feminine, for so it is in the Hebrew and the nature of ministry of the Holy Spirit is very much that of a mother. This would lead us to view the conception as being lesbian in origin, but as the text says all is possible with God. The Angel departs and Mary is left to ponder this wondrous news, and the news that the aged Elizabeth is pregnant as well. So much for one so young but she can handle it because she has given herself up to God completely.

Reading 2

Mary is therefore the model of prayer for all Christians. Prayer is getting in touch with reality, letting it speak to us, and incarnating the word which comes to us. We let it happen in our lives. Saying yes to God in prayer...means changing our lives in accordance with what we have heard. It means engaging that word ith our whole being, letting it alter our existance. For prayer is a dialogue between life and life, between divine life and human life, between the life of the Sprit and the life of the flesh. Unless we enflesh the word of God and let it become incarnate in us, it cannot become real in the world.

-Joseph Martos & Richard Rohr, Mary in Luke’s Gospel

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That first line to us protestant believers at first looks wrong but who is a better model of faith in the Bible than this young girl who said ‘You see before you the Lord’s servant, let it happen to me as you have said.’ (Luk 1:38, NJB). Prayer (conversation) took place and Mary was resigned to the will of God. Oh that all members of the church, all God’s chosen would do so well, Jonah ran in the opposite direction when given a call, Moses kept making excuses; but this young girl put herself into God’s hands. If we don’t allow the flesh to make manifest what we are called to do will will be guilty of stifling God’s will for us.

July 12

Reading 1

Luke 1:39-56

“In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.” And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.” And Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home.”

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This reading contains the canticle of the evening prayer, its rich words touching countless people daily. It is also a strong reminder to us of God’s desire and God’s justice. The humble are exalted, hungry are filled, and the rich and proud have their fortunes reversed. Yet how many people this day encourage pride in who we are, I don’t mean good self esteem but pride of position (be it in nationality, purity, or whatever). Then there is something else for use to look at, we in North America and Europe lead lives of unimaginable luxury by most of the worlds standards, and many of us never have even a passing thought over this worlds less fortunate. Humility and riches are a noble pairing that lead each to share and bring God’s kingdom, but pride and wealth are a pair that brings only emptiness and a fall. Remember the poor, as if you yourself were poor; remember the fact you are dust and to dust you shall return. When this is done we will truly be Abraham’s descendants of promise forever, experiencing God’s full blessing, causing our own souls to magnify the Lord.

Reading 2

We should consider the events which are happening to us now and which will happen to us in the future, as coming from the hands of God. Everything we do should be directed to this one end: to do the will of God and to do it solely for the reason that God wills it. To walk more securely on this road we must depend on the guidance of our superiors in external matters, and on our directors in internal matters, to learn from them God’s will in our regard, having great faith in the words of our Lord: “He that heareth you, heareth me (Luke 10:16). ”

Above all, let us bend all our energies to serve God in the way [God] wishes. This remark is made so that we may avoid the mistake of [the one] who wastes [one’s] time in idle day-dreaming. Such a one says, “If I were to become a hermit, I would become a saint” or “If I were to enter a monastery, I would practice penance” or “If I were to go away from here, leaving friends and companions, I would devote long hours to prayer.” If, If, If — all these if’s! In the meantime such a person goes from bad to worse. These idle fancies are often temptations of the devil, because they are not in accord with God’s will. Hence we should dismiss them summarily and rouse ourselves to serve God only in that way which [God] has marked out for us. Doing his holy will, we shall certainly become holy in those surroundings in which [God] has placed us.

Let us will always and ever only what God wills; for so doing, [God] will press us to [God’s] heart. To this end let us familiarize ourselves with certain texts of sacred scripture that invite us to unite ourselves constantly with the divine will: “Lord, what wilt thou have me do (Acts 9:16)?” Tell me, my God, what you will have me do, that I may will it also, with all my heart. “I am thine, save thou me (Psalm 118:94). ” I am no longer my own, I am yours, O Lord, do with me as you will.

-Alfonso M. de Liguori,Uniformity with God’s Will

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Be who you are, the best you can be, if you are a in a monastery or a minister be faithful to God there, if however you are not accepted because you are a Queer Christian, do not dwell on it. The many “IFs” listed above do nothing to bring growth to your soul or God’s Kingdom. No matter where you are God can and will use you. I do not say we shouldn’t struggle for equal rights for all God’s children, but I say we must go were the Spirit leads us. She will lead us in new directions, and at times where you would never have imagined. You are a Priest of God if you are in Christ. So live like it no matter where God has you, and be true to your calling as a Queer Christian. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a dedicated nation, a people claimed by God for his own, to proclaim the glorious deeds of him who has called you out of darkness into his marvellous light. Once you were not a people at all; but now you are God’s people. Once you were outside his mercy; but now you are outside no longer. 1Peter 2:9-10, REB

July 13

Reading 1

Luke 1:57-80

“Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him Zechariah after his father. But his mother said, “No; he is to be called John.” They said to her, “None of your relatives has this name.” Then they began motioning to his father to find out what name he wanted to give him. He asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And all of them were amazed. Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue freed, and he began to speak, praising God. Fear came over all their neighbors, and all these things were talked about throughout the entire hill country of Judea. All who heard them pondered them and said, “What then will this child become?” For, indeed, the hand of the Lord was with him. Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke this prophecy: “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has looked favorably on his people and redeemed them. He has raised up a mighty savior for us in the house of his servant David, as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, that we would be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us. Thus he has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors, and has remembered his holy covenant, the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham, to grant us that we, being rescued from the hands of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people by the forgiveness of their sins. By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” The child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day he appeared publicly to Israel.”

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One gets a feeling that the moment Zechariah completed the very last letter in the name of John, confirming the name Elizabeth had given, he tongue was freed to say those words, his name is John. That long nine months of silence may well have been worth it to hear the sweet song that poured forth from his lips, the canticle of the morning prayer. A song of promise, a song of hope as each new day brings it’s own hope afresh, the darkness is dispelled and our feet will hopefully stay on the path of peace. We are called to go forth, prophet of the most High preparing the way. We Christians may not have the spirit of Elijah, but we have better, the Spirit of God, flowing in us, so we too our to go out preparing the way of the Lord, the knowledge that sins are forgiven and salvation has come in Jesus. We Queer Christians have an even higher call, as we bring light to where others won’t, be not afraid, for God is there with us to lead us in holiness, righteousness saving us from those who hate us. Speak out, speak boldly, speak the truth; God loves all of creation just as God, through Jesus, created it.

Reading 2

To have a good friend in one of the highest delights of life; to be a good friend is one of the noblest and most difficult undertakings. Friendship depends not upon fancy, imagination or sentiment, but upon character. There is no [one] so poor that [person] is rich if [that one does] have a good friend; there is no [one] so rich that [one] is poor without a friend. But friendship is a word made to cover many kindly impermanent relationships. Real friendship is abiding. Like charity, it suffereth long and is kind. Like love, it vaunteth not itself, but pursues the even tenor of it’s way, unaffrighted by ill-report, loyal in adversity, the solvent of infelicity, the shinning jewel of happy days. Friendship has not iridescent joys of love. Its heights are ever serene, it’s valleys know few clouds. To aspire to friendship one must cultivate a capacity for faithful affection, a beautiful disinterestedness, a clear discernment. Friendship is a gift, but it is also an acquirement. It is like the rope with which climbers in high mountains bound themselves for safety, and only a coward cuts the rope when a comrade is in danger. From Cicero to Emerson, and long before Cicero, and forever after Emerson, praises of friendship have been set forth, Even fragments of friendship are precious and to be treasured. But to have a whole real friend is worthy of high endeavor, for faith, truth, courage and loyalty bring one close to the Kingdom of Heaven.

-Atmos

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Pleasant speech multiplies friends,

and a gracious tongue multiplies courtesies.

Let those who are friendly with you be many,

but let your advisers be one in a thousand.

When you gain friends, gain them through testing,

and do not trust them hastily.

For there are friends who are such when it suits them,

but they will not stand by you in time of trouble.

And there are friends who change into enemies,

and tell of the quarrel to your disgrace.

And there are friends who sit at your table,

but they will not stand by you in time of trouble.

When you are prosperous, they become your second self,

and lord it over your servants;

but if you are brought low, they turn against you,

and hide themselves from you.

Keep away from your enemies,

and be on guard with your friends.

Faithful friends are a sturdy shelter:

whoever finds one has found a treasure.

Faithful friends are beyond price;

no amount can balance their worth.

Faithful friends are life-saving medicine;

and those who fear the Lord will find them.

Those who fear the Lord direct their friendship aright,

for as they are, so are their neighbors also.

-Sirach 6:5-17 NRSV

July 14

Reading 1

Luke 2:1-20

“In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see--I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!” When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.”

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Oh Queer Christian look to this the nativity of our Lord as a momentous occasion. Mary and Joseph found no place to accept them, pushed out into a stable cave the only place found to give birth in, when you found no place to stay remember the good company who have shared your affliction. The news is given by angels not to the town officials of Bethlehem, not to her Rabbis, but to shepherds, that lot of ill reputed who weren't even allowed to offer testimony in court, so unreliable were they considered. God’s providential favor comes to those on whom it falls. Do not worry if people ignore you because you are Queer in Christ, just remember God’s good news comes not to those who think they deserve it but to those whom God chooses. Treasure the mysteries of the faith, your faith in your heart, ponder them and meditate on them, go forth praising God. All will be amazed and hopefully some will join us in praising God.

Reading 2

I’ll give you one piece of advice: don’t neglect his name , “Jesus.” Meditate on it in your heart night and day as your personal and precious treasure. Love it more than your life, Root it in your mind. Love Jesus, because he made you and bought you at a very high price. Give your heart to him, because it is the debt you owe him. Therefore devote your love to this name “Jesus,” which means “salvation.” No evil thing can have any living-space in that heart where “Jesus” is faithfully kept in mind, because it chases out devils and destroys temptations and turns all wrongful anxieties and defects, and purifies the mind. Whoever really loves it is full of God’s grace and full of virtues, receives spiritual strength in this life; and when such people die, the are adopted into the order of angels above, to behold in unending joy him whom they have loved.

-Richard Rolle, The English Writings

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Jesus does literally mean “Yahweh Saves” and that is good news for all. Holding God in your heart as it’s chief object of meditation does afford one the ability to become more like Jesus Do not be anxious, but in everything make your requests known to God in prayer and petition with thanksgiving. Then the peace of God, which is beyond all understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus. And now, my friends, all that is true, all that is noble, all that is just and pure, all that is lovable and attractive, whatever is excellent and admirable — fill your thoughts with these things. Put into practice the lessons I taught you, the tradition I have passed on, all that you heard me say or saw me do; and the God of peace will be with you. Philip. 4:6-9, REB

July 15

Reading 1

Luke 2:21-24

“After eight days had passed, it was time to circumcise the child; and he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord”), and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.” ”

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The One who would free us from the bondage of the law in all things became obedient to the law. This brief passage tells us much about the child, given the name Jesus, not because it was a popular name (although it was) but because it perfectly describes Who He is, Jesus-“Yahweh’s Salvation, Savior, Deliverer.” Dedicate as Holy not only because He is first born of Mary but because He is first born of all creation. Born not in the palaces of the rich but in home of the poor, the smallest of all sacrifices made to honor Jesus’ birth.

Reading 2

For the greater part of my life I have believed that God has ordained the sexual act for men and women alone. For the greater part of my life I have believed that all forms of same-sex relationship are a distortion of the biblical ideal of marriage; that marriage is for men and women; that marriage is for life; that in the absence of marriage one should remain celibate....My study of Scripture, and twenty years of pastoral work among all sorts and conditions of people, has led me in another direction. I still believe the Christian life means choosing the harder path of self-discipline and self-sacrifice over the easier path of following our selfish instincts. And I still believe that sexual relationships between people are profoundly sacramental, that is, an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace that connects people with each other at the deepest core of their being. ....I also believe our Church has been correct to say that sexual activity achieves its highest expression in the context of a sacrificial commitment by one person to another, in a covenant of mutual love, that sex it is a sacred act and a sign of the unconditional love God has for us and for all creation. None of this has changed for me. But I no longer believe that only heterosexual people are capable of such sacramental relationships, and I no longer agree with the double standard our church has imposed on gay men and lesbians as a condition of their inclusion within the Christian community. ....I've crossed over from one side of the divide to the other not because of I've lost sight of the Gospel, but because the Gospel itself cannot and will not sustain continued discrimination against people simply because they are attracted to others of the same sex.....

If we can accept sexuality as a powerful and healthy dimension of human nature, and see its purpose as also playful, celebratory, healing, and in the right context profoundly holy, then we must ask why only heterosexual people have been allowed to express it openly and freely.... I would like to see the day when we can bless same-sex unions in church. I am unable to see a great danger in that. We bless battleships and oil tankers. We bless armies and soldiers and people going off to war. We bless dogs and cats (I can't say I do, but it happens). We bless homes and construction sites. But we can't bless people who want to make a commitment of their lives to each other before God - because that would imply approval of their lifestyle. But I can't for the life of me understand why the church approves of the lifestyle of the lizard and the poodle I saw blessed last year. We have been told that homosexuality is sinful, that it is contrary to nature. And yet nothing can be contrary to nature that occurs in nature so widely. Human sexuality comes in a variety of forms, and each of them is morally neutral. Sexual orientation is neither moral or immoral by itself. What makes sexuality moral is when it builds up and supports truly human relationships, when it contributes to our growth and compassion. What is immoral is when sex is distorted for purely selfish and manipulative ends. The greater immorality, in my view, has been the one visited on gay and lesbian people because they have been prevented from expressing their love in moral ways. .... We are different only in what Richard Holloway calls a 'normative variation' which is quite common in nature. Normative variations are seen in racial and ethnic characteristics, in quite normal physical differences, in things like left-handedness. Helping the church to understand these things will require persistent education and courageous personal witness. ..... I hope to see the day when our church can welcome gays, lesbians and heterosexuals as equal members at the eucharistic table, when sexual orientation is of no consequence to a person's dignity and freedom as a child of God. I hope to see the day when we can truly say like St. Paul that in Christ there is neither male nor female, Jew nor Greek, slave nor free - and go on to say neither black nor white, yellow nor brown, gay nor straight. The double standard in our church compromises our integrity and our credibility. I would like to see us correct this situation for the sake of the Gospel itself.

-Michael Ingham, Bishop of New Westminster

*See Appendix ii below for the full text.

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Let us be careful not to set double standards, and pray for those who do not understand us, as well as those straining out gnats while swallowing camels.

July 16

Reading 1

Luke 2:25-40

“Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying, “Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.” And the child’s father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, “This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed--and a sword will pierce your own soul too.” There was also a prophet, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped there with fasting and prayer night and day. At that moment she came, and began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem. When they had finished everything required by the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.”

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An old man and an old woman, Simeon’s short canticle is recited each day in the night prayer and is a fitting note for departure, for the time of sleep or the time of death. We depart in peace because our eyes of faith have seen the promised salvation. Perhaps this is a lovely counterbalance to Jesus with the children, Jesus with the aged. Our God welcomes all and brings joy wherever Jesus goes. It is true that swords do pierce the hearts of those that love Jesus for many sorrows come upon our Lord’s body even today. This revelation about Jesus came not only to Simeon but also to the prophet Anna, her persistence in devotion to God leading her to the grace of seeing God incarnate. And so young or old, male or female, queer or straight, we all have access to our Lord, and if the Spirit of Christ dwells in us, God’s favor will rest on us filling us with wisdom, thanks be to God.

Reading 2

Lord, we need, yes, we urgently need to see in the midst of us men and women who seem to serve no purpose at all except to love. Lord, we need to discover and believe that love is everything– the life-force, breath, blood and life itself of this great humanity that we are..... They may also be able to prove in their lives that the language of love is not just a language of bodies. Bodies that after all cease to speak one day, while hearts continue to sing. And they also prove that life can be given in ways that are not those of the flesh and that the whole of life can be fruitful if it is fulfilled and inspired with love. Happy are those who can see those men and women whose hearts are open to the joy and suffering of this world, those communities of brothers and sisters who watch and wait, let themselves be loved and thank and praise the one they contemplate, the one in whose invisible presence the live, the one who is God and who is called Love. Happy are those who are able to understand that, if God is really God, it is right that some should live recollected in body, heart and mind for [God], their lives freely offered to [God], because [God] is there, and freely offered for us.

-Michel Quoist The Breath of Love, p.194f

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It is not common, or suited for everyone, but lives devoted to God in prayer have been with us since before the time of the Gospel, “There was a prophetess, too, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was well on in years. Her days of girlhood over, she had been married for seven years before becoming a widow. She was now eighty-four years old and never left the Temple, serving God night and day with fasting and prayer.” Luke 2:37-38 NJB

July 17

Reading 1

Luke 2:41-52

“Now every year [Jesus’] parents went to Jerusalem for the festival of the Passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up as usual for the festival. When the festival was ended and they started to return, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. Assuming that he was in the group of travelers, they went a day’s journey. Then they started to look for him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for him. After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, “Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety.” He said to them, “Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” But they did not understand what he said to them. Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them. His mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor.”

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This is the single solitary view of Jesus between His birth and the start of His ministry. We want to say a childhood look, but we must remember Jesus is 12, in the eyes of the Jews Jesus is officially an adult now. As an adult Jesus joins Mary and Joseph on the pilgrimage, but He starts to hear the drum beat He is to follow, the fact that God is His Father, Jesus amazes those in the temple and stays behind after the festival. Frantic parents returning to find the Child, the young man, and scold Him, yet Jesus did nothing but kept obedient to them. Mary had more things to ponder and meditate on in her heart, her Child was becoming a man, but wasn’t doing what was expected. We Queer Christians can draw from this vignette an important lesson. We have to be true to the calling God has given us, be true to the way God created us, even if others find our behavior odd. But we like Jesus should not give any unneeded offense to others. If we behave so, we can grew like our Lord did in wisdom and favor.

Reading 2

Immanence

I come in the little things,

Saith the Lord:

Not born on morning wings

Of majesty, but I have set My feet

Amidst the delicate and bladed wheat

That springs triumphant in the furrowed sod.

There do I dwell in weakness and in power;

Not broken or divided saith our God!

In your straight garden plot I come to flower;

About your porch my vine

Meek, fruitful doth entwine;

Waits at the threshold, Love’s appointed hour.

I come in the little things,

Saith the Lord;

Yea! on the glancing wings

Of eager birds, the softly pattering feet

Of furred and gentle beasts, I come to meet

Your hard and wayward heart. In brown

bright eyes

That peep from out the brake, I stand confest,

On every nest

Where feathery Patience is content to brood

And leave her pleasure for the high emprize

Of motherhood–

There does my Godhead rest.

I come in the little things,

Saith the Lord;

My starry wings

I do forsake,

Love’s highway humility to take;

Meekly I fit my stature to your need,

In beggars part

About your gates I shall not cease to plead–

As [hu]man, to speak with [hu]man–

Till by such art

A shall achieve My Immemorial Plan

Pass the low lintel of the human heart.

-Evelyn Underhill

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This enchanting poem is truly about God in the ordinary, the same God who came to Elijah is that still small voice and cares for the smallest of creatures. The first stanza lovingly talking about God in and amongst the plants, moving to God in and amongst animals, and finally God in and amongst humanity. Jesus uses many of these pictures too, not a single sparrow falling without God’s knowledge, the beauteous glory of a flower, and Jesus’ own presence among the hungry, naked, and sick. Jesus came humbly too as Matthew points out when quoting Isaiah, “Look! My servant whom I have chosen, my beloved, in whom my soul delights, I will send my Spirit upon him, and he will present judgment to the nations; he will not brawl or cry out, his voice is not heard in the streets, he will not break the crushed reed, or snuff the faltering wick, until he has made judgment victorious; in him the nations will put their hope.” (Mat. 12:18-21). Care so great that not even a dying flame or damaged plant would be harmed by Him. Until we learn to treat our world with such reverence, we will not be the stewards God wants us to be.

July 18

Reading 1

Luke 3:1-20

“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 ax 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.” 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.”

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John the Baptist burst on the scene like a fire-storm, all go out to see this new prophet, is this Messiah? John calls for a change if they are to escape destruction, but as the people said ‘What shall we do?’ John’s answers are not hard: share your abundance, do not cheat others, do not be greedy or act like thugs. He tells them plainly He is not Messiah, but only a forerunner, one who cleanse with water, but totally unworthy in comparison to the One who will cleanses with Spirit like a purifying fire. Like former prophets, John spoke the truth, but the leaders took nothing to heart but a desire to quiet the truth. Oh Queer Christian listen to the Baptist, listen to his advise to love, to seek not cleansing with water but cleansing by Spirit, do not be like Herod who listened and took not to heart the message but be like all those who were baptized eagerly anticipating Jesus. And Jesus comes to every soul that turns to God. Jesus is the light of the world, turn to Him like a plant to the sun. Live in the light that is Christ and you shall be gathered into the granary rather than those tossed in the fire.

Reading 2

[We must begin] trying to see things, persons, and choices from the angle of eternity; and dealing with them as part of the material in which the Spirit works. This will be decisive for the way we behave as to our personal, social, and national obligations. It will decide the papers we read, the movements we support, the kind of administrators we vote for, our attitude to social and international justice, For though we may renounce the world ourselves...we have to accept it as the sphere in which we are to cooperate with the Spirit and try to do [God’s] will.

-Evelyn Underhill, The Spiritual Life

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It is so easy to run after the worldly things and values, but as Christians that is not what we are called to go after. Our lives are uniquely dedicated to God and God’s will if we are truly living our faith. Kingdom values are radically different that that of the world as a reading of the sermon on the mount will show (Mt. 5-7). We will not always live up to the standard Christ wants us to but we can be continually giving ourselves over to meditation and study of Jesus, and thereby God’s will. Therefore, my friends, I implore you by God’s mercy to offer your very selves to [God]: a living sacrifice, dedicated and fit for [God’s] acceptance, the worship offered by mind and heart. Conform no longer to the pattern of this present world, but be transformed by the renewal of your minds. Then you will be able to discern the will of God, and to know what is good, acceptable, and perfect. Rom 12:1-2, REB

July 19

Reading 1

Luke 3:21-38

“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.” Jesus was about thirty years old when he began his work. He was the son (as was thought) of Joseph son of Heli, son of Matthat, son of Levi, son of Melchi, son of Jannai, son of Joseph, son of Mattathias, son of Amos, son of Nahum, son of Esli, son of Naggai, son of Maath, son of Mattathias, son of Semein, son of Josech, son of Joda, son of Joanan, son of Rhesa, son of Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, son of Neri, son of Melchi, son of Addi, son of Cosam, son of Elmadam, son of Er, son of Joshua, son of Eliezer, son of Jorim, son of Matthat, son of Levi, son of Simeon, son of Judah, son of Joseph, son of Jonam, son of Eliakim, son of Melea, son of Menna, son of Mattatha, son of Nathan, son of David, son of Jesse, son of Obed, son of Boaz, son of Sala, son of Nahshon, son of Amminadab, son of Admin, son of Arni, son of Hezron, son of Perez, son of Judah, son of Jacob, son of Isaac, son of Abraham, son of Terah, son of Nahor, son of Serug, son of Reu, son of Peleg, son of Eber, son of Shelah, son of Cainan, son of Arphaxad, son of Shem, son of Noah, son of Lamech, son of Methuselah, son of Enoch, son of Jared, son of Mahalaleel, son of Cainan,son of Enos, son of Seth, son of Adam, son of God.”

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Jesus is baptized, the sky is rent and the Spirit descending as a dove on Jesus announcing to the whole that Jesus is God’s Child, Beloved, and pleasing in God’s sight. The names listed are many but the only name I am interested in is the last, ‘Adam, son of God’ since we are told that we are all descended from Adam and if Adam is the son of God, are we not God’s children. Jesus is the first born, the One through Whom all were created, but in the end we are all God’s children. We need hear no divine voice crying out such from above, for Jesus gave us power to become children of God, to reclaim what Adam forfeited for the knowledge he was not God. God comes in the flesh and with power in Jesus to reassert, we are children of God, beloved. If we are to follow the example of our Lord we too shall hear, if only in our hearts, with you I am well pleased!

Reading 2

The impious fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ Everyone is depraved, every deed is vile; no one does good! The Lord looks out from heaven on all the human race to see if any act wisely, if any seek God. But all are unfaithful, altogether corrupt; no one does good, no, not even one. Have they no understanding, all those evildoers who devour my people as if eating bread, and never call to the Lord? They will be in dire alarm, for God is in the assembly of the righteous. Though you would frustrate the counsel of the poor, the Lord is their refuge. If only deliverance for Israel might come from Zion! When the Lord restores his people’s fortunes, let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.

-Psalm 14, REB

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This psalm speaks of the state of the world with corrupt unbelievers running rampant. We as Queer Christians seek God, we seek justice, but in a world that is all too worried about the bottom line and looking out for themselves it is no wonder that we do not have a equitable society for all, but the sad thing is that people who try to follow God promote hatred and inequality sometimes. But God is with us cause the cause of equality is righteous, God will be a refuge for us as God brings deliverance.

July 20

Reading 1

Luke 4:1-13

“Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.” Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone.’” Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And the devil said to him, “To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’” Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’” Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.”

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Self preservation, power and fame. These are temptations to us all, oh sure when things are going well maybe none of them are too serious but once you are in need, the temptation for abundance of all three are hard to resist. Christ is Divine, but we can learn from Jesus’ example. ‘One does not live by bread alone.’(De 8:3): Life is more than our possessions, even our needful ones, if we remember that we will not fill our lives with desire that will lead us to wrong. ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only [God].’(De 6:13): When we worship anything other than God, even if it is only in service, we fail to give ourselves over to God fully and therefore sin. Is anything more important to you than God, if so you can not follow in the path of Jesus, you will be rewarded but it will be with perished kingdoms of this word and not God’s gift. ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’(De 6:16): God is not some divine safety-net to protect us from our own stupidity, nor does God work miracles for our entertainment. God may work a miracle at anytime but to demand it as a test, as an authentication of God’s love is a not only fool-heartiness but sin. We see in all three of these examples that Jesus met temptation with Scripture, with common sense, with fidelity to God. When we undergo temptation let us follow our Saviors example, let us allow the Spirit to move our actions.

Reading 2

Forgive us, Almighty God,

For camping on the periphery

And living on the border,

Never facing the central sins of our lives.

Made for Thy truth,

We are deceptive and untruthful.

Blessed with intelligence,

We seek Thy Wisdom sporadically.

Capable of deep caring,

We want to be congradualated and cared for.

Created for fellowship,

We are too busy to pray.

Endowed with plenty,

We hoard the best part.

Intended for the deep,

We court the trivial.

These circles of folly

Surround our sin of rebellion against Thee;

What we were made to enjoy in abundance

We reject with pride.

Pardon us, we pray.

Sin confessed looses its grip on us.

Therefore strengthen us in Thy mighty hand

And center us through faith in Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Amen.

-E. Lee Phillips

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This pray in several places reminds me of the condemnation brought down on the children of Isreal by the prophet Ezekiel when he said, “The crime of your sister Sodom was pride, gluttony, calm complacency; such were hers and her daughters’ crimes. They never helped the poor and needy; they were proud, and engaged in loathsome practices before me, and so I swept them away as you have seen.” 16:49-50, NJB But stength shall come from God when we, “Let Christ’s peace be arbiter in your decisions, the peace to which you were called as members of a single body. Always be thankful. Let the gospel of Christ dwell among you in all its richness; teach and instruct one another with all the wisdom it gives you. With psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, sing from the heart in gratitude to God. Let every word and action, everything you do, be in the name of the Lord Jesus, and give thanks through him to God the Father.” (Col 3:15-17, REB)

July 21

Reading 1

Luke 4:14-30

“Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country. He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone. When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They said, “Is not this Joseph’s son?” He said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘Doctor, cure yourself!’ And you will say, ‘Do here also in your hometown the things that we have heard you did at Capernaum.’” And he said, “Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s hometown. But the truth is, there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a severe famine over all the land; yet Elijah was sent to none of them except to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon. There were also many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.” When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with rage. They got up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they might hurl him off the cliff. But he passed through the midst of them and went on his way.”

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Jesus seems rather harsh in His reaction to the hometown crowd, we likely are missing some snide remark, or such, or perhaps it was a matter of lip service while in their hearts they were thinking, ‘Who does this Jesus think he is, we know him’. Like prophets before Him, Jesus is being persecuted for the truth. They were going to stone Him, but He escaped. Just as there were many widows and lepers in Israel, so there are many lost who are ‘perfectly acceptable’. ‘Queer Christians! How could you think you could serve God?’, and the answer is even if God cared about our sexuality, God has a history of going to the outcast, going to the outsider. We serve God the same as everyone else, we are both saint and sinner. When the self-righteous here such words we too will be in danger of being stoned (physical or verbal assault), but like Jesus we must ignore it and move past it, we know God loves us just as Jesus created us.

Reading 2

Dear friends, I appeal to you, as aliens in a foreign land, to avoid bodily desires which make war on the soul. Let your conduct among unbelievers be so good that, although they now malign you as wrongdoers, reflection on your good deeds will lead them to give glory to God on the day when he comes in judgement.

Submit yourselves for the sake of the Lord to every human authority, whether to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as his deputies for the punishment of those who do wrong and the commendation of those who do right. For it is God’s will that by doing right you should silence ignorance and stupidity. Live as those who are free; not however as though your freedom provided a cloak for wrongdoing, but as slaves in God’s service. Give due honour to everyone: love your Fellow-Christians, reverence God, honour the emperor.

-1 Peter 2:11-17, REB

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In the early days of Christians they were hated and looked on as perverse people, even by the government. But in spite of that Peter tells those he writes to obey the laws and give due respect to authorities. We who are Queer Christians too should respect leaders even when homophobic and obey laws (note this does not mean we can oppose laws peacefully). Queer people are not the monsters that fundamentalists have made us out to be, and by coming out of the closet and living our lives the best we can, we can change the minds of others about us. In Christ we are free, but that freedom does not include hating those who are our fellow Christians, even if they hate us. Living our lives out in the open is the best testimony Queer Christians can offer not only this world but also our fellow Christians.

July 22

Reading 1

Luke 4:31-37

“[Jesus] went down to Capernaum, a city in Galilee, and was teaching them on the sabbath. They were astounded at his teaching, because he spoke with authority. In the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, “Let us alone! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” When the demon had thrown him down before them, he came out of him without having done him any harm. They were all amazed and kept saying to one another, “What kind of utterance is this? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and out they come!” And a report about him began to reach every place in the region.”

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Jesus’ words and actions were authoritative. Jesus is the Holy One of God. But all too often people like the demon cry out, ‘Let us alone! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us?’ But we as Christians are to make clear Christ comes not for destruction but restoration. Not to leave us alone but to keep us from the loneliness of separation from God. Jesus comes not to destroy but make us whole. When we hear words like above we must pray for silence and that such a spirit to leave that one, so the wholeness of Christ can wash over and heal them, thanks be to God.

Reading 2

[After a distasteful encounter regarding the sanctity of our bodies with a Catholic chaplain at the University of Arizona named Brother Tim, Nancy Mairs wrote:]

I wanted to put my arms protectively around anyone Brother Tim has spoken to and whisper: The world may well end if you cut down it’s trees and pave over it; it may well end if you permit its people to go unfed and unclothed and uneducated while you prosper. But the world will not end if you touch your genitals. The world will not even end if you touch someone else’s genitals. I can think of sound reason for not doing so, but fear and disgust should not be among them. your body is not a pesthouse, it is simply a body: who you are: part of God’s creation, a small part, true, but as real and lovely as the rest. If you love every part, evil will not enter the world through you. Through Brother Tim, maybe, but not through you.

-Nancy Mairs, Ordinary Time

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Our destructive consumption of the world’s resources and our abuse and neglect of the poor, show that we are not good stewards of God’s creation or even good shepherds. We add to these failings by declaring evil what God has made, by imposing human created rules as regulations of God. as Paul put it, “All these regulations refer to things that perish with use; they are simply human commands and teachings. These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-imposed piety, humility, and severe treatment of the body, but they are of no value, serving only to indulge the flesh.”(Col 2:22-23, NRSV-footnote rendering). Pride in self righteousness is the result of such things and that leads to only a hollow spiritual existence, no deeper than the Pharisees of old who could not accept Jesus. Love your body and use it not for evil but for God, not to show hate but to show love, not to use people but to help people.

July 23

Reading 1

Luke 4:38-44

“After leaving the synagogue [Jesus] entered Simon’s house. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked him about her. Then he stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. Immediately she got up and began to serve them. As the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various kinds of diseases brought them to him; and he laid his hands on each of them and cured them. Demons also came out of many, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Messiah. At daybreak he departed and went into a deserted place. And the crowds were looking for him; and when they reached him, they wanted to prevent him from leaving them. But he said to them, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other cities also; for I was sent for this purpose.” So he continued proclaiming the message in the synagogues of Judea.”

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After a busy day of doing God’s work Jesus departs, as we all must depart for times of rest, and refreshment. We should not expect our pastors to do any less than our Lord, having times of rest- begrudging them not their vacation and off time. Nor must we be like those who wanted to prevent Jesus from leaving, to keep Jesus for ourselves alone. Jesus is not ours to hold in a house but is the worlds, we should not only let Jesus go but go with, following Jesus proclaiming God’s love.

Reading 2

ADORATION I offer, Yahweh, to you, my God.

BUT in my trust in you do not put me to shame, let not my enemies gloat over me.

CALLING to you, none shall ever be put to shame, but shame is theirs who groundlessly break faith.

DIRECT me in your ways, Yahweh, and teach me your paths.

ENCOURAGE me to walk in your truth and teach me since you are the God who saves me.

FOR my hope is in you all day long — such is your generosity, Yahweh.

GOODNESS and faithful love have been yours for ever, Yahweh, do not forget them.

HOLD not my youthful sins against me, but remember me as your faithful love dictates.

INTEGRITY and generosity are marks of Yahweh for [God] brings sinners back to the path.

JUDICIOUSLY [God] guides the humble, instructing the poor in [God’s] way.

KINDNESS unfailing and constancy mark all Yahweh’

LET my sin, great though it is, be forgiven, Yahweh, for the sake of your name.

M[ORTALS] who respect Yahweh, what of them? [God] teaches them the way they must choose.

NEIGHBOURS to happiness will they live, and their children inherit the land.

ONLY those who fear Yahweh have [God’s] secret and [God’s] covenant, for their understanding.

PERMANENTLY my eyes are on Yahweh, for [God] will free my feet from the snare.

QUICK, turn to me, pity me, alone and wretched as I am!

RELIEVE the distress of my heart, bring me out of my constraint.

SPARE a glance for my misery and pain, take all my sins away.

TAKE note how countless are my enemies, how violent their hatred for me.

UNLESS you guard me and rescue me I shall be put to shame, for you are my refuge.

VIRTUE and integrity be my protection, for my hope, Yahweh, is in you.

Ransom Israel, O God, from all its troubles.

-Psalm 25, NJB

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The New Jerusalem Bible has done an admirable job in preserving the acrostic form of this psalm. This psalm is so full of hope in God’s goodness. One phrase in this psalm speak to me as a Queer Christian especially, ‘violent hatred’, for we have people who have that for us in and out of the Church; but thanks be to God, who’s kindness is unfailing.

July 24

Reading 1

Luke 5:1-11

“Once while Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he saw two boats there at the shore of the lake; the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” Simon answered, “Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.” When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” For he and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish that they had taken; and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.” When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him.”

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We see the Jesus teaching, from Simon’s boat, but Jesus wanted to give a gift, they had no fish so Jesus advises them to go out even though after a hard nights work these experienced fishermen had caught nothing. The haul is great and Simon starts the transformation into Peter, recognizing that Jesus is much more than a great teacher. Despite protest of being unworthy Jesus tells them to stop fishing the seas and start fishing for souls. A true miracle that such a large haul was caught but an even more inspiring example that these men can leave a small fortune in fish to follow God. Are you ready to leave the treasure that perishes for that treasure which can never perish?

Reading 2

We can treat the Bible as the collected literature of a people engaged in a great spiritual pilgrimage in response to their awareness of God as the power of salvation running through the universe. We can treat the Bible as the reflection of their profound intuition of the presence and purpose of God. In fact, what we see in the Bible is their response to that divine presence. We may not see the presence in the Bible, but the Bible may enable us to see the presence in our lives....

[T]he Bible is tied together by greater themes that appear in it’s pages. They are the themes of liberation of the oppressed, empowerment of the alienated, the gift of community, judgment for those who practice idolatry and exploitation, exile, return, forgiveness, wholeness, the transforming power of self-giving, hope. They are themes of salvation. They are themes that, for Christians, culminate in the vision of the reign of God proclaimed and enacted by Jesus in both his failure and his victory, a divine commonwealth already present for those who will accept and lay hold of it. This vision, which is the subject of the Bible, is God’s word to us.

We do not say that the Bible is the words of God: that would be to absolutize each verbal unit in the text, presumably in it’s original language. We say that the Bible is the word of God, which is a symbolic statement. We mean that this collected literature of our faith tradition is our intimation of the purpose of God as the power of salvation running through the universe, and yet is still the collected literature of our faith tradition.... We can claim [the Bible] as the diary of great pilgrimage that still goes on, in which we too are engaged.

In this pilgrimage the gift of the Holy Spirit is the process of our own recognition of God as the power of salvation in a pattern that parallels and is informed by what we read in the Bible. If we think of the Jewish-Christian faith tradition as a great river, then the Bible is it’s chart. The river begins in small and often primitive tributaries; then it moves sometimes quickly and sometimes slowly through the varying landscapes of history, with back waters, undertows, eddies, even swamps along the shoreline, but always with a strong central current that carries it along. That central current is the story of liberation for slaves, justice for the exploited, judgment for the oppressors; it is the story of steadfast, self-giving love (call it caring and compassion) as the most powerful motive force in human development; it is the story of responsibility to God and neighbour; it is the story of a kingdom of nobodies discovering that the ordinary values of self-interest and self-service can be turned upside-down; it is the story of a man who risked his life to pull all of this together in a movement that still goes on. And the Bible is the map of this river. All the backwaters, undertows, eddies, and swamps are their on the chart because they are part of the story. But the central current, “the main drift,” is what really matters.

--Paul Gibson, Discerning the Word.

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In the end what matters most is the fact God loves creation, the Bible is the testament to that. It’s message can be powerful and alive, if we allow the Spirit to guide us. For the word of God is living and full of power, and is sharper than any two-edged sword, cutting through and making a division even of the soul and the spirit, the bones and the muscles, and quick to see the thoughts and purposes of the heart. Hebrews 4:12, BBE

July 25

Reading 1

Luke 5:12-16

“Once, when [Jesus] was in one of the cities, there was a man covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he bowed with his face to the ground and begged him, “Lord, if you choose, you can make me clean.” Then Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him, and said, “I do choose. Be made clean.” Immediately the leprosy left him. And he ordered him to tell no one. “Go,” he said, “and show yourself to the priest, and, as Moses commanded, make an offering for your cleansing, for a testimony to them.” But now more than ever the word about Jesus spread abroad; many crowds would gather to hear him and to be cured of their diseases. But he would withdraw to deserted places and pray.”

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Leprosy (and the diseases called so) have always been feared with good reason, to touch a leper was to be unclean. This poor soul ask not to be touched but simply to be healed, but how could healing take place of this poor soul with out the touch of a human, there was no bathing in the river Jordan but simply the loving touch of Jesus, Jesus was not defiled but the leper made clean. People thronged after Jesus because of the signs He performed. But even after all these wonderful works Jesus still needed to get away for quiet times with God; how much more do we sinful mortals need to get away and spend time alone with God?

Reading 2

When we look at the average Christian life, it would seem that the notion prevailing in the normal Christian’s moral consciousness is that we have “loved our neighbor” when we have done nothing evil to him or her, and have met the objective claims he or she may justly have against us. The truth, however, is that we are commanded by the “commandment” to love our neighbor, in it’s oneness with the commandment to love God, is the demolition of our own selfishness–the over throw of the notion that love of neighbor is really only the rational settlement of mutual claims, that it demands only giving and taking to the mutual satisfaction of all parties. In reality, Christian love of neighbor attains its true essence only where no more accounts are kept-where readiness prevails to love without requital-where, in the love of neighbor as well, the folly of the cross is accepted and welcomed.

-Karl Rahner, The love of Jesus and the Love of Neighbor

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Loving is a hard commandment to fulfill in our own ability, unending forgiveness going the extra mile, crossing over into a precarious situation, and seeking the ultimate good of all. Humanly this is impossible but the more we allow the love of Jesus to pervade our lives, and the more we allow ourselves to look on everyone as a little child loved by God, the easier it becomes. If your are troubled over the lack of love shown you by a “Christian”, worry not God is their judge, you must simply do the best you can and offer forgiveness and pray for the other who hasn’t loved.

July 26

Reading 1

Luke 5:17-26

“One day, while [Jesus] was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting near by (they had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem); and the power of the Lord was with him to heal. Just then some men came, carrying a paralyzed man on a bed. They were trying to bring him in and lay him before Jesus; but finding no way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the middle of the crowd in front of Jesus. When he saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven you.” Then the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, “Who is this who is speaking blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” When Jesus perceived their questionings, he answered them, “Why do you raise such questions in your hearts? Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Stand up and walk’? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”--he said to the one who was paralyzed--“I say to you, stand up and take your bed and go to your home.” Immediately he stood up before them, took what he had been lying on, and went to his home, glorifying God. Amazement seized all of them, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, “We have seen strange things today.” ”

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Jesus does things at times to make a point, for instance in this case He simply doesn’t say you are healed go, but your sins are forgiven. What matters if the body is made whole but the Spirit is still shattered. while sickness may not usually be a result of sin, there is a guilt and shame people feel when sick, they are not whole, so Jesus reaches out to this one and the friends with him and says your sins are forgiven. This is not blasphemy as He is accused but truth for Jesus has the power to forgive, as He has turn that over to those who believe. So too we as Queer Christians sometimes need to do things that may offend the legalist, it’s not that we look to cause another to stumble, but it is that part of being a Christian is displaying the power and freedom we have in Christ. This is why we march with pride in Gay Pride Marches, to say not only does God love us, but God loves us as queers. When people see the power of God working in us, God will be glorified.

Reading 2

How good and how pleasant it is to live together as brothers in unity!

It is like fragrant oil poured on the head and falling over the beard, Aaron’s beard, when the oil runs down over the collar of his vestments.

It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on the mountains of Zion. There the Lord bestows his blessing, life for evermore.

-Psalm 133, REB

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It is good for people to live together in unity, but I included psalm because of it’s frequent use in same sex blessings of the pre-modern Church. Wonderful is the image two brothers united, refreshing as perfumed oil is falling over ones body, refreshing like the morning dew. And blessings from God including life evermore. A picture of love and the blessings it brings. Let us strive to live in unity, that we may have the blessing of life evermore as Christ wants.

July 27

Reading 1

Luke 5:27-32

“After this [Jesus] went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth; and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up, left everything, and followed him. Then Levi gave a great banquet for him in his house; and there was a large crowd of tax collectors and others sitting at the table with them. The Pharisees and their scribes were complaining to his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” Jesus answered, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I have come to call not the righteous but sinners to repentance.” ”

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Our Lord is gracious, runnning across a despised man, the tax collecter, who is in many ways more like an extorioner than a modern day tax offical. Grace pours forth from Jesus’ mouth, ‘Follow Me!’ Jesus cares not what Matthew Levi had done in the past but what he would do in the future. Matthew hesitates not a moment but leaves all to follow Jesus. Jesus even parties with Levi and his friends, which brings no little critcism for Jesus. But Jesus tells them plainly He has come to redeem the sinner, implying that they are those who feel they are pure and well, with no need for Jesus’ healing touch. Are you self-righteuos needing nothing, or are you a sinner needing the healing of Jesus’ love?

Reading 2

God really suffers with HIV[-infected] people, their illness, and their social afflictions. A leather jacket of an HIV-Positive individual reads "God is HIV+". The ascription asserts God's solidarity with HIV-infected people, their marginalization and suffering. Queer Christians witness in their love-making: "To reject people living with HIV illness is to reject God."

- Robert Gross, (Jesus Acted Up)

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And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you. -1 Peter 5:10 NRSV

July 28

Reading 1

Luke 5:33-39

“Then they said to him, “John’s disciples, like the disciples of the Pharisees, frequently fast and pray, but your disciples eat and drink. Jesus said to them, “You cannot make wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them, can you? The days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.” He also told them a parable: “No one tears a piece from a new garment and sews it on an old garment; otherwise the new will be torn, and the piece from the new will not match the old. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the new wine will burst the skins and will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. And no one after drinking old wine desires new wine, but says, ‘The old is good.’ ” ”

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Appropriate moments come for all things, but to fast then would have been as inappropriate as tearing a piece of cloth from a new garment and sowing it on an old one. It reminds me of the story of St. Francis who was asked by a brother what should be done when a feast fell on a traditional day of fasting, Francis upbraided the man strongly for even thinking that one should fast on a feast day. In a sense this is exactly what Jesus does, the kingdom has come near, the Son of God is in their midst, this is no time for fast, this is no time to start new acetic exercises. Finish the old wine then move onto the new if you so desire, anything else is an offense unto both mortals sensibilities and God’s love.

Reading 2

The firm and the faithful hope for love’s final conquest constitutes the very substance of Christianity. It is not worthwhile to dedicate one’s life for any cause inferior to that of love or to work hard for anything that is not inspired by redeeming love and does not serve it’s cause. But the cause of love for which Christ came is, indeed, worth all dedication and even suffering. This is the one precious pearl that is worth more than all else. The reward for those who have given everything away for love’s sake is... the abode of love for all eternity.

-Bernard Häring, Heart of Jesus

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Jesus tells us “Love your enemies! Do good to them! Lend to them! And don’t be concerned that they might not repay. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for [God] is kind to the unthankful and to those who are wicked.” (Luk 6:35, NLT) to love extravagantly, this is love that is redeeming going beyond what anyone would say is just or right. It’s nothing for us Queer Christians to love those who are kind to us and support us, but it’s a whole different matter for us to act lovingly to those who openly hate and oppose us. But that is what we are called to do. Act is love always and you will never go wrong.

July 29

Reading 1

Luke 6:1-11

“One sabbath while Jesus was going through the grainfields, his disciples plucked some heads of grain, rubbed them in their hands, and ate them. But some of the Pharisees said, “Why are you doing what is not lawful on the sabbath?” Jesus answered, “Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He entered the house of God and took and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and gave some to his companions?” Then he said to them, “The Son of Man is lord of the sabbath.” On another sabbath he entered the synagogue and taught, and there was a man there whose right hand was withered. The scribes and the Pharisees watched him to see whether he would cure on the sabbath, so that they might find an accusation against him. Even though he knew what they were thinking, he said to the man who had the withered hand, “Come and stand here.” He got up and stood there. Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the sabbath, to save life or to destroy it?” After looking around at all of them, he said to him, “Stretch out your hand.” He did so, and his hand was restored. But they were filled with fury and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.”

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Hands- hands threshing grain on the Sabbath, a hand withered restored on the Sabbath. the Pharisees would have had the hands of the disciples limp at their sides like the man with the withered hand and would have preferred the man to remain sick rather than be healed on the Sabbath. We see the same things today, some Christians would rather see queers alone than in a relationship, for they view it as wrong, they don’t view relationships as wrong but theses must not be done according to their tradition to there interpretation of God’s will. Like Jesus we must not be not afraid in the least at breaking the rules of mortals for the higher rule of love and well being of people, including ourselves.

Reading 2

Value the services of a doctor for he has his place assigned him by the Lord. His skill comes from the Most High, and he is rewarded by kings. The doctor’s knowledge gives him high standing and wins him the admiration of the great. The Lord has created remedies from the earth, and a sensible man will not disparage them. Was not water sweetened by a log, and so the power of the Lord was revealed?

The Lord has imparted knowledge to mortals, that by their use of his marvels he may win praise; by means of them the doctor relieves pain and from them the pharmacist compounds his mixture. There is no limit to the works of the Lord, who spreads health over the whole world. My son, in time of illness do not be remiss, but pray to the Lord and he will heal you. Keep clear of wrongdoing, amend your ways, and cleanse your heart from all sin.

Bring a fragrant offering and a memorial sacrifice of flour; pour oil on the sacrifice; be as lavish as you can. And the doctor should be called; keep him by you, for you need him also. A time may come when your recovery is in his hands; then he too will pray to the Lord to grant success in relieving pain and finding a cure to save the patient’s life. He who sins before his Maker shows himself arrogant before the doctor.

-Sirach 38:1-15, REB

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There are many people who try to heal by faith or be healed by faith alone, but the Bible talks not only about prayer but also about proper medical attention too. This pasaage from the Wisdom of Ben Sira is a celbration of wisdom and skill revealed and given by God to physicians and pharmacists, give them the honor due them and praise God for healing, though Spirit and the inspiration God offeres people.

July 30

Reading 1

Luke 6:12-16

“Now during those days [Jesus] went out to the mountain to pray; and he spent the night in prayer to God. And when day came, he called his disciples and chose twelve of them, whom he also named apostles: Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew, and James, and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James son of Alphaeus, and Simon, who was called the Zealot, and Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.”

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Choosing the twelve disciples was an important decision and so Jesus spent the night in prayer to God before choosing them. When we have important choices to make,we to need to go to God in prayer, so that the Spirit may guide us to the right choices. If we do that our choices will work out for the greater good of God’s plan (even when we seem to make a bad choice, like Judas seems now).

Reading 2

Hiddenness a Place of Purification

One of the reasons that hiddennedd is such an important aspect of the spiritual life is that it keeps us focused on God. In hiddenness we do not receive human acclamation, admiration, support, or encouragement. In hiddenness we have to go to god with our sorrows and joys and trust that God will give what we need.

In our society we are inclined to avoid hiddenness. We want to be seen and acknowledged. We want to be useful to others and influence teh course of events. But as we become visible and popular, we grow dependent on people and their responses and easily lose touch with God, the true source of our being. Hiddenness is the place of purification. In hiddenness we find our true selves.

-Henri Nouwen, Bread for the Journey

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Even Jesus needed to go off alone to prayer, will we imperfect creatures not need to do so more? In God alone there is rest for my soul, from him comes my safety; he alone is my rock, my safety, my stronghold so that I stand unshaken.

Rest in God alone, my soul! He is the source of my hope. Psa 62:1-2,5, NJB

July 31

Reading 1

Luke 6:17-26

“[Jesus] came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon. They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. And all in the crowd were trying to touch him, for power came out from him and healed all of them. Then he looked up at his disciples and said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. “Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled. “Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. “Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets. “But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. “Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry. “Woe to you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and weep. “Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.”

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We see the economy of God’s kingdom, how that blessings flow to the downtrodden, poor, oppressed people, and the happiness of the rich, full, joyful, well spoken of people will find only woe. This is a strange thought, but in God’s eyes the rich should have given to the poor, those laughing should have consoled the sad, and those thought well of should have defended the slandered. It’s not that it is wrong to be happy, rich, well fed, or well liked but it is dangerous for our souls when we remain silent and our minds never turn to the less fortunate and hated of our society.

Reading 2

Let us look at our own shortcomings and leave other people's alone; for those who live carefully ordered lives are apt to be shocked at everything and we might well learn very important lessons from the persons who shock us. Our outward comportment and behaviour may be better than theirs, but this, though good, is not the most important thing: there is no reason why we should expect everyone else to travel by our own road, and we should not attempt to point them to the spiritual path when perhaps we do not know what it is. Even with these desires that God gives us to help others...we may make many mistakes, and thus it is better....to try to live ever in silence and in hope, and the Lord will take care of [God’s] own. If, when we beseech this of [God’s] Majesty, we do not become negligent ourselves, we shall be able, with [God’s] help, to be of great profit to them. May [God] be for ever blessed.

-Teresa of Avila, Interior Castle

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There is a time and place fo everything but we are all unique creations of God and we do not always speak as we should. We see that in Job and his friends, their words made senes but were wrong. The proverbs contain wise advice on our speech “ When there is too much talk, offence is never far away; the prudent hold their tongues. ~ Death and life are in the gift of the tongue, those who indulge it must eat the fruit it yields. (Prov. 10:19,REB ~ Prov. 18:21, NJB). Jesus even reminds us of us being accountable for all the careless things we utter. So let us love all and learn our place is not to judge others but to judge ourselves and live the life God called us to lead.

August

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August 1

Reading 1

Luke 6:27-36

“ “But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. Do to others as you would have them do to you. “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”

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The ethics of the kingdom not only seem like foolishness to our way, but in the end we are told that God still loves those who our wicked and ungrateful. And perhaps that is the key, we are to love all including our enemies because God loves them. We are never to count the cost or expect anything back in return because God gives generously. Love for love, money for money repaid, that is normal, that is to be expected, but pray not that you may fulfill peoples expectations but that you may fulfill God’s expectations.

Reading 2

For it is by our faith that we are put right with God; it is by our confession that we are saved. The scripture says, "Whoever believes in him will not be disappointed." This includes everyone, because there is no difference between Jews and Gentiles; God is the same Lord of all and richly blesses all who call to him. As the scripture says, "Everyone who calls out to the Lord for help will be saved." Be always humble, gentle, and patient. Show your love by being tolerant with one another. Romans 10:10-13, Ephesians 4:2 TEV

Some of my happiest childhood memories are of the dogs, sheep, goats, horses, and a variety of fowls on my grandparents' farm . One year the mother duck died after hatching only one duckling. At that time we had no other ducks, so my father slipped the duckling into a pen with a mother hen and her baby chicks.

The chickens welcomed the duckling, and all went well except when the hen took her chicks and the duckling to a nearby creek to drink. After it drank, the duckling would jump into the creek to swim. The mother hen would run along the bank, squawking at her adopted baby. The hen thought the duckling should act like a chicken and stay out of the water. However, she always accepted the duckling as her own.

Sometimes I am reminded of this experience when I become upset toward people whose behavior I do not understand. I may not approve of their behavior, but they may simply be different creatures than I am. They are being who God created them to be. Following Paul's admonition in Ephesians 4:2, I can let them know that I care for them. [And ask the] Lord, [to] forgive my critical attitudes. Help me to accept those whose thoughts and actions differ from mine[, for w]e ducks and chickens can live together by accepting our differences. [If we learn to pray for] those we don’t understand.

-Rachel L. Jones, Upper Room

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The above devotional brings clear parallels for us Queer Christians, let us too pray for those we don’t understand.

August 2

Reading 1

Luke 6:37-45

“ “Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.” He also told them a parable: “Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit? A disciple is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully qualified will be like the teacher. Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your neighbor, ‘Friend, let me take out the speck in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye. “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit; for each tree is known by its own fruit. Figs are not gathered from thorns, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. The good person out of the good treasure of the heart produces good, and the evil person out of evil treasure produces evil; for it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks.”

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God alone is judge so bring no one in judgment, but do right giving the benefit of the doubt. Give generously and receive equally as generously. Then we shall be transformed in heart and soul from thorn trees to fig trees, from a bramble to a grape vine. We shall produce sweet fruit unto God and such will pour from our mouth like a refreshing stream flowing from a mountain.

Reading 2

The blood of Jesus is an established historical fact. No one considered to be outside the covenant has to wait for somebody to give a stamp of approval. No board of elders has to approve whether gay people can be Christians. No denomination has to have an affirming vote before gays can be placed in the Body of Christ. All that brings gays or anyone into the Body is the shed blood of Jesus. Those who were once far away from God have been brought near to God by the blood of Christ. Not by a majority vote. Note by a congressional act, or a new law, or a decision in a human court of law. The historical fact of the cross of Jesus makes the way wide open to whomsoever.

Whosoever believes on Jesus shall be saved. Not just Jews, gentiles, heterosexuals. Whosoever has been brought near. They have been, past tense, they don't have to hope to be or wait to be, because they have been brought near, two thousand years ago.

Some years back, several of our church members were visiting another church in our city. The message we heard from Genesis 49:22 was how Joseph was a climbing vine.

We were told that a climbing vine has within its nature the ability to keep on climbing. No matter how many times it gets ripped down, torn down and stomped on, it’s very nature is to keep climbing again. Eventually a climbing vine will rip apart the mortar in bricks and the wall will come tumbling down. Many gay people in the Church are like that. They are climbing vines. No matter how many times they try to get in the house and presence of God, they find a wall between them and non-gay believers. Gay believers try to climb over the wall. To keep them out, they are torn down, ripped down, thrown out, stomped on and told never to return by non-gay believers. But their nature is to return, and start climbing over the wall again. That’s the nature of a vine. The wall gets worn down with each attempt of the vine to climb over. A little more mortar gets knocked out with every encounter, and the wall weakens.

-Rev. Samuel Kader, Openly Gay, Openly Christian

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Many of us have been lucky enough not to have had such strong experiences, but most all of us know what it is like not to feel fully comfortable in our church. But Kader is right, there is nothing they can so to keep us out of the true body, may that Divine Vine Dresser nurse to health those weak and crushed plants of Hers. If we follow Paul’s advice we will be okay, “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” Romans 12:12 REB

August 3

Reading 1

Luke 6:46-49

“ “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I tell you? I will show you what someone is like who comes to me, hears my words, and acts on them. That one is like a man building a house, who dug deeply and laid the foundation on rock; when a flood arose, the river burst against that house but could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who hears and does not act is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the river burst against it, immediately it fell, and great was the ruin of that house.” ”

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What dose the Lord ask of us but to do unto others what we would have done to us, to love God wholly and neighbour as self. When we fail to do that we are as foolish as one making a twig house on the beach. Let us build a solid house on a solid foundation then we will not fear the storm or the waves. For that solid foundation is Christ alone.

Reading 2

Community: Independence is a pervasive and popular myth. But the truth is that nothing in our universe is truly independent. Nature is an interdependent network. The cosmos in communitarian. God wants us to be more interdependent as well, not for our own good but for the good of the world as well.

-John Michael Talbot with Steve Rabey, The lessons of St. Francis:How to Bring Simplicity and Spirituality into Your Daily Life

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“Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot would say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear would say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many members, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and those members of the body that we think less honorable we clothe with greater honor, and our less respectable members are treated with greater respect; whereas our more respectable members do not need this. But God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honor to the inferior member, that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.” 1 Corinthians 12:14-27, NRSV.

August 4

Reading 1

Luke 7:1-10

“After Jesus had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. A centurion there had a slave whom he valued highly, and who was ill and close to death. When he heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders to him, asking him to come and heal his slave. When they came to Jesus, they appealed to him earnestly, saying, “He is worthy of having you do this for him, for he loves our people, and it is he who built our synagogue for us.” And Jesus went with them, but when he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to say to him, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; therefore I did not presume to come to you. But only speak the word, and let my servant be healed. For I also am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and the slave does it.” When Jesus heard this he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, he said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.” When those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the slave in good health.”

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This humble soldier sends representatives but then regrets it feeling unworthy to have Jesus come into his house, it is true this would be a ‘defiling act’ under Jewish law. But the centurion’s faith is so great and concern is so deep he has his friends ask Jesus to heal from a distance, and Jesus does. The faith that centurion had amazed even Jesus, and this slave that was dear to him was healed. It is an interesting aside that some queer theologians view the language in this situation as suggesting the young slave was his lover. This might be true or not, but a good lesson to draw is even if your lover does not believe, be not afraid to take their plight unto God, for God loves your faith, and may bring healing even as healing came to the centurion’s slave boy.

Reading 2

[Speaking of a gay Christian couple,]“One dimension of their religious experience is that feeling of oneness with God, the universe, self and one another. In prayer and meditation, as well as in sex, there is a shift in consciousness to the experience that all is one. Jesus says, “I and the father are one.’ Oneness comes in sex and prayer.”...The sex acts themselves are signs of oneness. My body in your body. Your body in my body, We want to crawl inside the body of our beloved. We desire the body of our lover inside our body. We want the lostness and intensity of pleasure of orgasm. We want the overall warmth of touch, taste and intertwining. These are outward signs of sex, expressing the inward grace of oneness. Unity with the beloved and God. The Prayer Book has a lovely line about Jesus and us humans. We take the bread and wine at Communion “that He may dwell in us and we in Him.”

-Robert Warren Cromey, In God’s Image

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Relationship is more than about sex, and sex is more than a physical act. Both are a divinely sanctioned becoming one. God saw it was not God foe mortals to be alone so, “Yahweh God fashioned the rib he had taken from the man into a woman, and brought her to the man. And the man said: This one at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh! She is to be called Woman, because she was taken from Man. This is why a [mortal] leaves father and mother and becomes attached to [a spouse], and they become one flesh. Now, both of them were naked,...but they felt no shame before each other.” (Gen 2:24-25, NJB Altered). Sexuality and sex are not about shame but about bringing about what God desires, companionship for all. Even Jesus mentioned that what God had joined no one should try to separate. That is why it is so sad for Queer Christians to hear Christians speak ill of our loving committed relationships. Oneness comes in sex, prayer and all we share because that is what relationship is all about, whether between us and our lover, or us and God.

August 5

Reading 1

Luke 7:11-17

“Soon afterwards [Jesus] went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went with him. As he approached the gate of the town, a man who had died was being carried out. He was his mother’s only son, and she was a widow; and with her was a large crowd from the town. When the Lord saw her, he had compassion for her and said to her, “Do not weep.” Then he came forward and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, rise!” The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. Fear seized all of them; and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has risen among us!” and “God has looked favorably on his people!” This word about him spread throughout Judea and all the surrounding country.”

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The compassion of Jesus flows liberally to this grief stricken mother, bereft of her one and only son. It is too much for Jesus, He needs to alleviate the suffering and so has the procession stop and raises the cold lifeless body to vitality again. Is it any wonder that the fame of Jesus spread throughout the region? We too must be like Jesus and have compassion, and do what we can to alleviate suffering, it is what Jesus would have us do.

Reading 2

Saint Teresa [of Avila] says prayer is not thinking much but loving much, Everything becomes simple when we realize that here we are dealing with what is, first of all, a matter of the heart. It is not then the case of straining the mind, but simply of uniting our hearts to God..... It seems to be often [God’s] way, however, not to let us see results, and even to let us be aware of our lack of success; but this can keep us humble. All the while [God] continues to work within our souls, through darkness and silence.

-Mother Aloysius Rogers, Fragrance from Alabaster

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I did the planting, Apollos did the watering, but God gave growth. In this, neither the planter nor the waterer counts for anything; only God, who gives growth. It is all one who does the planting and who does the watering, and each will have the proper pay for the work that [one] has done. (1Co 3:6-8). Even when we see no success in our efforts it is important to keep at prayer and love, for how we touch this earth is only fully known unto God alone. It can be very difficult especially for Queer Christians who battle against oppressive structures in and out of the Church, with little apparent success but remember, it is the struggle that counts and God will give growth even if we never see it, even if it is not where we imagined.

August 6

Reading 1

Luke 7:18-35

“The disciples of John reported all these things to him. So John summoned two of his disciples and sent them to the Lord to ask, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” When the men had come to him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you to ask, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?’” Jesus had just then cured many people of diseases, plagues, and evil spirits, and had given sight to many who were blind. And he answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have good news brought to them. And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me.” When John’s messengers had gone, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind? What then did you go out to see? Someone dressed in soft robes? Look, those who put on fine clothing and live in luxury are in royal palaces. What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written, ‘See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.’ I tell you, among those born of women no one is greater than John; yet the least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” (And all the people who heard this, including the tax collectors, acknowledged the justice of God, because they had been baptized with John’s baptism. But by refusing to be baptized by him, the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected God’s purpose for themselves.) “To what then will I compare the people of this generation, and what are they like? They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not weep.’ For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon’; the Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Nevertheless, wisdom is vindicated by all her children.” ”

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Those who experience the grace of God acknowledge the rightness of things but for those who are self righteous nothing is even proper. Many people accepted both John and Jesus, but many others were like the pharisees finding fault with all. John a demonic and Jesus a gluttonous drunk, consorting with rabble. Jesus tells us the truth though, wisdom will be vindicated by her children. In the end God will judge and truth shall be known. So let us be very careful before making harsh judgments against anyone. Jesus and John were quite diametrically opposed in style but both were from God, yet the ones who seemed most religious were furthest away from God and accepted neither.

Reading 2

Right prayer is the womb of social change, since thought lead to words and words lead to action. Prayer can indeed be transforming when our daily devotions include petitions for the poor, since such prayers cannot help but find concrete expression in our lives! Daily social prayer leads to deeds of justice as our prayers take flesh in such ways as voting or writing letters to our representatives in [government] on behalf of the poor and helpless. it can also lead to generosity with financial gifts as well as gifts of time and energy in such work as helping out in soup kitchens. And it can surely make us more responsive to those right around us in their times of need.

Surrounded by so much suffering in our society, so clearly seen on television and in the newspapers, we can often feel helpless to do anything. We don’t even know where to begin to change the situation when we consider the complex structures and rigid systems that create the injustices of our society. But one place, if not the best place, to begin is prayer.

-Edward Hays, A Pilgrim’s Almanac

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Suppose a Fellow-Christian, whether man or woman, is in rags with not enough food for the day, and one of you says, ‘Goodbye, keep warm, and have a good meal,’ but does nothing to supply their bodily needs, what good is that? So with faith; if it does not lead to action, it is by itself a lifeless thing. James 2:15-17 REB

August 7

Reading 1

Luke 7:36-50

“One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and took his place at the table. And a woman in the city, who was a sinner, having learned that he was eating in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster jar of ointment. She stood behind him at his feet, weeping, and began to bathe his feet with her tears and to dry them with her hair. Then she continued kissing his feet and anointing them with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw it, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what kind of woman this is who is touching him--that she is a sinner.” Jesus spoke up and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” “Teacher,” he replied, “Speak.” “A certain creditor had two debtors; one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he canceled the debts for both of them. Now which of them will love him more?” Simon answered, “I suppose the one for whom he canceled the greater debt.” And Jesus said to him, “You have judged rightly.” Then turning toward the woman, he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has bathed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore, I tell you, her sins, which were many, have been forgiven; hence she has shown great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.” Then he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” But those who were at the table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” ”

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A tale of two sinners, Simon the righteous man who doesn’t even extend the common courtesies of the day to Jesus, and a woman of ill repute who goes far beyond any expected courtesies. The meal was a nice thing to provide Jesus, but the woman bathing His feet in tears and drying them with her hair, anointing Him with ointment. Shows that her sins are forgiven, perhaps we might say the meal showed that Simon’s sins were forgiven too, but we know from the love shown that she was forgiven. You have been forgiven everything, love Jesus and those whom Jesus loves extravagantly.

Reading 2

Daring to Become Dependent

When someone gives us a watch but we never wear it, that watch is not really received. When someone offers us an idea but we do not use respond to it, that idea is not truly received. When someone introduces us to a friend but we ignore him or her, that friend does not feel well received.

Receiving is an art. It means allowing the other to become part of our lives. It means daring to become dependent on the other. It asks for the inner freedom to say, “Without you I wouldn't be who I am.” Receiving with the heart is, therefore, a gesture of humility and love. So many people have been deeply hurt because their gifts were not received. Let us be good receivers.

-Henri Nouwen, Bread for the Journey

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Let us joyful with thanksgiving learn to receive and use gifts whether from mortals or God both are often not received well. You have in you a spiritual gift which was given to you when the prophets spoke and the body of elders laid their hands on you; do not neglect it. 1Ti 4:14, NJB

August 8

Reading 1

Luke 8:1-15

“Soon afterwards [Jesus] went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. The twelve were with him, as well as some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their resources. When a great crowd gathered and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable: “A sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell on the path and was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up. Some fell on the rock; and as it grew up, it withered for lack of moisture. Some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew with it and choked it. Some fell into good soil, and when it grew, it produced a hundredfold.” As he said this, he called out, “Let anyone with ears to hear listen!” Then his disciples asked him what this parable meant. He said, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God; but to others I speak in parables, so that ‘looking they may not perceive, and listening they may not understand.’ “Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. The ones on the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. The ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe only for a while and in a time of testing fall away. As for what fell among the thorns, these are the ones who hear; but as they go on their way, they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. But as for that in the good soil, these are the ones who, when they hear the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patient endurance.”

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It is a wonderful thing to read that Jesus followers included many women, very often in the time of Jesus, having a female follower would be a disgrace, but Jesus looks not outwardly but looks to the heart to see if it’s honest, good, fruitful and patient. Not only did they follow Jesus but they also supported Jesus. We too must never say no to people looking to follow Jesus, nor turn away support no matter how tainted the money might seem. If the seed is good and we encourage growth, God will give an abundant return.

Reading 2

[Carter] Heyward says,

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Coming out is a protest against social structures that are built on alienation between men and women, women and women, and men and men. Coming out is the most radical, deeply personal and consciously political affirmation I can make on behalf of the possibilities of love and justice in the social order. Coming out is moving into relation with peers. It’s not simply a way of being in bed, but rather a way of being in the world. To the extent that it invites voyeurism, coming out is an invitation to look and see and consider the value of mutuality in human life. Coming out is simultaneously a political movement and a mighty rush of God’s Spirit carrying us on.

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Coming out for queer Christians is not just coming into their sexual identities but into own liberating spirituality. It is a perilous faith practice full of risk and hope. They hope their friends and family will come to understand and celebrate their sexual identity. The risk of rejection was all to real and painful in their closeted struggles for self-acceptance. In coming out queer Christians recognize that Christian maturity is now a genuine possibility. Closeted lives did not allow them to witness in a public fashion, nor did it provide them with healthy models of Christian maturity. Queer Christians can re-envision God no longer as parent but as lover, a sexual intimate and erotic power that beckons them to discipleship-to practicing God’s reign. They embark on the path of love-making, making erotic connections to lover and embodying the erotic connectedness to community, the oppressed, nature, and God.

-Robert Goss, Jesus Acted Up A gay & Lesbian Manifesto

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Matthew Fox calls coming out a “kind of letting go :letting go of the image of personhood, sexuality, and selfhood that society has put on one in favor of trusting oneself enough to let oneself be oneself.” For those of us who have had few regrets and experienced the liberation we can’t imagine the cramped darkness of the closet, but this world is a big place and people should never be forced ‘out of the closet’ (with the possible exception of exposing hateful, hypocritical behavior). If you are in the closet consider coming out start with a few good friends, you might be surprise. The truth can set you free....

August 9

Reading 1

Luke 8:16-21

“ “No one after lighting a lamp hides it under a jar, or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a lampstand, so that those who enter may see the light. For nothing is hidden that will not be disclosed, nor is anything secret that will not become known and come to light. Then pay attention to how you listen; for to those who have, more will be given; and from those who do not have, even what they seem to have will be taken away.” Then his mother and his brothers came to him, but they could not reach him because of the crowd. And he was told, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you.” But he said to them, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.” ”

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Our spiritual life is like our muscles if we use them more will be gained but if we fail to use it what we have will be lost. If you have life in Christ nothing will be hidden but all disclosed. And all who do the will of God will be family to us, even as Christ is our Brother.

Reading 2

The Telephone

I have just hung up; why did he telephone? I don't know... Oh! I get it... I talked a lot and listened very little.

Forgive me, Lord, it was a monologue and not a dialogue. I explained my idea and did not get his; Since I didn't listen, I learned nothing, Since I didn't listen, I didn't help, Since I didn't listen, we didn't communicate.

Forgive me, Lord, for we were connected, and now we are cut off. Amen.

-Michel Quoist

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For this people’s mind has grown callous, their hearing has become dull, and their eyes they have closed; to prevent their ever seeing with their eyes, or hearing with their ears, or understanding with their minds, and turning back, so that I might cure them. (Acts 28:27 WEY) Silence our tongues and open our ears so that we may listen to You and our neighbor, and all be healed to Your Glory.

August 10

Reading 1

Luke 8:22-25

“One day [Jesus] got into a boat with his disciples, and he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side of the lake.” So they put out, and while they were sailing he fell asleep. A windstorm swept down on the lake, and the boat was filling with water, and they were in danger. They went to him and woke him up, shouting, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And he woke up and rebuked the wind and the raging waves; they ceased, and there was a calm. He said to them, “Where is your faith?” They were afraid and amazed, and said to one another, “Who then is this, that he commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him?” ”

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We have two examples here, panic in the face of danger by the disciples and Jesus’ seemingly giving himself up to Divine providence. When the panic striken disciples wake Jesus it’s not panic they find in Jesus but peace, a peace that happens to spreads out to even nature. Will you be paniced or be a fountain of God’s peace? You may not calm storms but you might calm people. Thanks be to God.

Reading 2

Once in a periodical I saw a peanuts cartoon where Lucy and Linus are looking out a window on a rainy day

Lucy: ‘Boy look at it rain...what if it floods the whole world?’

Linus: ‘It will never do that...In the ninth chapter of Genesis God promised Noah that would never happen again and the sign of the promise is the rainbow.’

Lucy:You’ve taken a great load of my mind...

Linus:Sound theology has a way of doing that.

###

Sound theology dispels foolish fears confirms confidence in the goodness of God. Will the earth be destroyed by population explosion, nuclear war, poisonous gas, polluted water, civil strife, radiation, or moral corruption....etc.? Not according to the Bible--Jesus began His ministry with the declaration that the meek will inherit the earth. God’s purpose is not destruction but [redemption]....Therefore let us not as little children, fear the unknown, but let us rather study sound doctrine and be established in the truth.

-Charles M. Schultz, and after the ### unknown

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Let us trust in God’s provident care and do what God gives us the strength to do.

August 11

Reading 1

Luke 8:26-39

“Then they arrived at the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. As [Jesus] stepped out on land, a man of the city who had demons met him. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he did not live in a house but in the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he fell down before him and shouted at the top of his voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me”-- for Jesus had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many times it had seized him; he was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the wilds.) Jesus then asked him, “What is your name?” He said, “Legion”; for many demons had entered him. They begged him not to order them to go back into the abyss. Now there on the hillside a large herd of swine was feeding; and the demons begged Jesus to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. Then the demons came out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned. When the swineherds saw what had happened, they ran off and told it in the city and in the country. Then people came out to see what had happened, and when they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. Those who had seen it told them how the one who had been possessed by demons had been healed. Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them; for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned. The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him; but Jesus sent him away, saying, “Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.” So he went away, proclaiming throughout the city how much Jesus had done for him.”

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This truly is a sad story: a man unstoppable, living among the tombs, driven by the demons to the wilderness. But when he is cured, rather than the people rejoicing they beg Jesus to leave. This Gentile man asks to join Jesus but is told to return to his own people declaring how much God has done for him. We too may wish we could go with a religious leader but we must remember God’s will is paramount and we can spread the good news of what God has done for us most easily in our own area. Ask Jesus not to leave your presence, ask not to go where you can not, but tell of the love of God and welcome Jesus, where ever you are.

Reading 2

Only faith can guarantee the blessings that we hope for, or prove the existence of realities that are unseen. It is for their faith that our ancestors are acknowledged.

It is by faith that we understand that the ages were created by a word from God, so that from the invisible the visible world came to be.

It was because of his faith that Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain, and for that he was acknowledged as upright when God himself made acknowledgement of his offerings. Though he is dead, he still speaks by faith.

It was because of his faith that Enoch was taken up and did not experience death: he was no more, because God took him; because before his assumption he was acknowledged to have pleased God. Now it is impossible to please God without faith, since anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and rewards those who seek him.

It was through his faith that Noah, when he had been warned by God of something that had never been seen before, took care to build an ark to save his family. His faith was a judgement on the world, and he was able to claim the uprightness which comes from faith.

It was by faith that Abraham obeyed the call to set out for a country that was the inheritance given to him and his descendants, and that he set out without knowing where he was going. By faith he sojourned in the Promised Land as though it were not his, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. He looked forward to the well-founded city, designed and built by God.

It was equally by faith that Sarah, in spite of being past the age, was made able to conceive, because she believed that he who had made the promise was faithful to it. Because of this, there came from one man, and one who already had the mark of death on him, descendants as numerous as the stars of heaven and the grains of sand on the seashore which cannot be counted.

All these died in faith, before receiving any of the things that had been promised, but they saw them in the far distance and welcomed them, recognising that they were only strangers and nomads on earth. People who use such terms about themselves make it quite plain that they are in search of a homeland. If they had meant the country they came from, they would have had the opportunity to return to it; but in fact they were longing for a better homeland, their heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, since he has founded the city for them.

-Hebrews 11:1-16, NJB

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Faith is all we need, faith in God is important, in fact we are told here that without faith we cannot please God. I suppose that means our motives, are often times much more important than our actions, after all Cain and Abel both offered sacrifice, but it was according to the author of Hebrews faith that made acceptable Abel’s sacrifice. This truly is a ode to faith in God. When we say the Creed, it is by faith we believe what we say. We are in this world merely as pilgrims and strangers, pilgrims making our way back to God, strangers unknown by the world because the world doesn’t know the One to Whom we belong. Our longing is for heaven, that faith that leads us to hope, has God proudly calling us God’s own, and our Lord has prepared a place for us. Thanks be to God.

August 12

Reading 1

Luke 8:40-56

“Now when Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed him, for they were all waiting for him. Just then there came a man named Jairus, a leader of the synagogue. He fell at Jesus’ feet and begged him to come to his house, for he had an only daughter, about twelve years old, who was dying. As he went, the crowds pressed in on him. Now there was a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years; and though she had spent all she had on physicians, no one could cure her. She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his clothes, and immediately her hemorrhage stopped. Then Jesus asked, “Who touched me?” When all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the crowds surround you and press in on you.” But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; for I noticed that power had gone out from me.” When the woman saw that she could not remain hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before him, she declared in the presence of all the people why she had touched him, and how she had been immediately healed. He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.” While he was still speaking, someone came from the leader’s house to say, “Your daughter is dead; do not trouble the teacher any longer.” When Jesus heard this, he replied, “Do not fear. Only believe, and she will be saved.” When he came to the house, he did not allow anyone to enter with him, except Peter, John, and James, and the child’s father and mother. They were all weeping and wailing for her; but he said, “Do not weep; for she is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. But he took her by the hand and called out, “Child, get up!” Her spirit returned, and she got up at once. Then he directed them to give her something to eat. Her parents were astounded; but he ordered them to tell no one what had happened.”

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Believe and she will be saved, faith healed that bold woman who had hemorrhaged for more years than the sick daughter was alive, Jesus was master not just over sickness but over death too. We often times get very discouraged and say, ‘Why bother even going to God with this, it is hopeless’. But then we hear that voice of Jesus say to us ‘Do not Fear, only Believe!’ Fear stops us from going to God, but God welcomes us at all times. We may not see children raised from the dead but we can see God’s power if we only believe and stop being so fearful.

Reading 2

[Jesus] brings salvation through his life and Spirit, restoring women to full personal dignity in the reign of God, and inspiring their liberation from structures of domination and subordination. This is a challenging christology, as in every form of liberation theology. It signals a genuine Copernican revolution, this time not dethroning the earth in favor of the sun, but patriarchy in favor of community of genuine mutuality. If it is good news to the oppressed, it can be fearful to the oppressor, The call once again is for conversion of hearts and minds, and structures, so that the reign of God may take firmer hold in this world.

-Elizabeth Johnson, Consider Jesus

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This is an important message for Queer Christians even if we are not women because so long as there is oppression of any kind we are not truly free ourselves. This is especially true of women's rights due to the fact that it is the patriarchy that fears gay men most (gay men seen as taking away or giving up masculinity, thus betraying their sex). We must seek equality not for queers alone or women alone but equality for all, because we are all children of God, and precious in the sight of God. Those who oppress us will know we are beloved by God (see Rev 3:9).

August 13

Reading 1

Luke 9:1-9

“Then Jesus called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal. He said to them, “Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money--not even an extra tunic. Whatever house you enter, stay there, and leave from there. Wherever they do not welcome you, as you are leaving that town shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.” They departed and went through the villages, bringing the good news and curing diseases everywhere. Now Herod the ruler heard about all that had taken place, and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had been raised from the dead, by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the ancient prophets had arisen. Herod said, “John I beheaded; but who is this about whom I hear such things?” And he tried to see him.”

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Sent out to do good we are told an important principle by Jesus, we must come in peace but our peace will not stay where there is not peace. So go out and seek only what you truly wish to find, and let peace and good will go out to everyone you meet, it will always come back to you either returning from unwelcomed recipients or their peace coming out to you.

Reading 2

Light of Welcome

There is a tradition in Catholic Ireland that on Christmas Day each family puts a lighted candle in the window of their home, so that if Saint Joseph and the Virgin Mary should be passing by they may know that within, beside a fire and a table blessed by the Grace of God, the family awaits them.

“Wherever I may be throughout the world, if a Bulgarian, who might be in distress, should pass my house, he will find the candle of welcome burning in the window. Let him know on my door and it will be opened to him, whether he is a Catholic or Orthodox. My Bulgarian brothers, you have only to enter to find in my house the warmest and most affectionate hospitality.....”

-Alden Hatch, A Man Named John, The Life of Pope John XXIII

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I first heard this quote in the wonderful movie Priest, and it is beautiful, the beloved Pope stating that not only on Christmas, but wherever he maybe and whenever it is, there is a welcome for whoever might need a friend. This is hospitality in it’s truest sense. A welcome of strangers is something we almost never do, but perhaps we lose a privilege by not doing it. Let your light shine, and may there be loving welcome in your dwelling. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it. Hebrews 13:2 NRSV

August 14

Reading 1

Luke 9:10-17

“On their return the apostles told Jesus all they had done. He took them with him and withdrew privately to a city called Bethsaida. When the crowds found out about it, they followed him; and he welcomed them, and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed to be cured. The day was drawing to a close, and the twelve came to him and said, “Send the crowd away, so that they may go into the surrounding villages and countryside, to lodge and get provisions; for we are here in a deserted place.” But he said to them, “You give them something to eat.” They said, “We have no more than five loaves and two fish--unless we are to go and buy food for all these people.” For there were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, “Make them sit down in groups of about fifty each.” They did so and made them all sit down. And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. And all ate and were filled. What was left over was gathered up, twelve baskets of broken pieces.”

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Five loaves and two fish, maybe enough for the disciples and Jesus but for over 5000, impossible. When we think with out the power of God we can only see the lack and obstacles to overcomes but Jesus blessed the food to the service of God and it was enough, more than enough for 12 baskets of food were left over. We this day look around and see more need than we can provide but when we simply turn over to God what we possess, God will work powerfully in our life and we will find what we thought was not enough actually leaves us with left-overs.

Reading 2

Then I saw a most splendid light, and in that light, the whole of which burnt in a most beautiful, shinning fire, was the figure of a man of a sapphire color, and that most splendid light poured over the whole of that shining fire, and the shinning fire over all the splendid light, and that most splendid light and shinning fire over the whole figure of the man, appearing one light in one virtue and power. And again I heard that living light say to me: This is the meaning of the mysteries of God, that it may be discerned and understood discreetly what that fullness may be, which is without beginning and to which nothing in wanting, who by the most powerful strength planted all the rivers of the strong places.

On which account you see this most splendid light, which is without beginning and to whom nothing can be wanting; this means the Father, and in the figure of the man of sapphire color, without spot of the imperfection of envy and iniquity is declared the Son, born of the Father, according to the humanity, in the world, in time. The whole of which burns in a most beautiful, shinning fire, which fire without a touch of any dark mortality shows the Holy Spirit, by whom the same only-begotton Son of God was conceived according to the flesh, and born in time of the virgin, and poured forth the light of true brightness upon the world.

But that splendid light pours forth all that shining fire, and that shinning fire all that splendid light, and the splendid light of the fire, the whole figure of the man, making one light existing in one strength and power.

-Hildegard of Bingen, Visions

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The unity of God, what we Christians refer to as the Trinity is a wonderful thing, with many things used as examples from the 3 leaves on a shamrock by Patrick, to the 3 parts of an egg (shell/yolk/white), and even water existing in three states simultaneously (vapor/ice/water). All these examples are imperfect but lead in the right direction. Some people criticize Christians as having 3 Gods, but it is merely different manifestations of our one God for we believe with the Children of Israel: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” (Deu 6:4-5, NIV). We recognize God is one (Heb. 'echad; cluster, indicates plurality in unity), the image of a cluster of grapes. And so we find God chiefly in 3 different aspects, God being, God’s Spirit going out into all the universe, and God’s Child Jesus, the incarnate One (who might also be the Angel of Yahweh in the Old Testament who made His presence known to Abraham and others). Praise be God now and forever. May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. -2Cor 13:14, NIV

August 15

Reading 1

Luke 9:18-27

“Once when Jesus was praying alone, with only the disciples near him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” They answered, “John the Baptist; but others, Elijah; and still others, that one of the ancient prophets has arisen.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered, “The Messiah of God.” He sternly ordered and commanded them not to tell anyone, saying, “The Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.” Then he said to them all, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it. What does it profit them if they gain the whole world, but lose or forfeit themselves? Those who are ashamed of me and of my words, of them the Son of Man will be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. But truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God.” ”

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Jesus wanted to know what people were saying about Him, was His message getting across or not? The people thought good things about Jesus but it wasn’t the whole story. Then Jesus asked the more important question who do you say I am, and Peter responds that Jesus is Messiah. That is the truth, but Jesus wants them to know what it really means to be God’s Messiah, what it means to be Messiah’s disciple-death and denial, but the glory of God’s kingdom is in view for those who take the hard path. Who lose their life only to find a better life in Christ. Who do you say Jesus is, and are you prepared to lose your life in order to find it?

Reading 2

If we have any natural defect, either in mind or body, let us not grieve and be sorry for ourselves. Who is there who ever receives a gift and tries to make bargains about it? Let us then return thanks for what [God] has bestowed on us. Who can tell whether, if we had a larger share of ability or stronger health, we should not have possessed them to our destruction.

-St. Alphonosus Liguori

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Pain truly is a gift no one seems to want. But many saints have viewed suffering as a form of solidarity with Christ. And it is very true that as long as the body of Christ is suffering Jesus suffers. Jesus is slain from the foundation of the world, suffering continuously till the end of this era. We shouldn't seek suffering and should do our best to relieve it, but just remember you are never suffering alone Jesus is there with you always, even till the end of the age.

August 16

Reading 1

Luke 9:28-36

“Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”--not knowing what he said. While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. Then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!” When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen.”

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Weighed down with sleep the disciples nearly miss this epiphany, this transfiguration of Jesus to heavenly glory. If we are to stay awake, stay alert and keep our eyes open we too may be blessed with visions of the divine, we too may hear the voice of God. Keep alert for you know not where or when the Divine will break in on the ordinary, to quote the title of a book, truly ‘every bush is burning’ you just have to see the Divine fire and listen for the voice of God.

Reading 2

Thirty spokes converge on a single hub,

but it is in the space where there is nothing

that the usefulness of the cart lies.

Clay is molded to make a pot,

but it is in the space where there is nothing

that usefulness of the clay lies.

Cut out doors and windows to make a room,

but it is in the spaces where there is nothing

that the usefulness of the room lies.

Therefore,

Benefit may be derived from something,

but it is in nothing that we find usefulness.

-Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching

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Sometimes the most productive thing we can do for our prayer life is nothing, literally do nothing. These times of quietness help to open us up to God. God works from nothingness too, for we know “By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.” (Heb 11:3, NLT). We also know of God’s manifestation to Elijah “[God] said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.” Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence.When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.” (1Ki 19:11-13, NRSV) We see how Elijah knew God wasn’t in the grand that God was coming, but it the absolute stillness of silence. And like Elijah we can go out into that silence to listen to God. “Be still, and know that I am God!” Psalm 46:10, NRSV

August 17

Reading 1

Luke 9:37-45

“On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met [Jesus]. Just then a man from the crowd shouted, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son; he is my only child. Suddenly a spirit seizes him, and all at once he shrieks. It convulses him until he foams at the mouth; it mauls him and will scarcely leave him. I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.” Jesus answered, “You faithless and perverse generation, how much longer must I be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here.” While he was coming, the demon dashed him to the ground in convulsions. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. And all were astounded at the greatness of God. While everyone was amazed at all that he was doing, he said to his disciples, “Let these words sink into your ears: The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into human hands.” But they did not understand this saying; its meaning was concealed from them, so that they could not perceive it. And they were afraid to ask him about this saying.”

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Jesus knows His time is drawing near and doesn’t try to hid it. The disciples are unable to cure the boy even though they had cured many others on their own. Jesus of course heals the boy, but once again offers warning to His disciples, the time is short, but they still do not understand His words, nor do they have the courage to ask about the saying. We can’t do everything, but we like those disciples need to always go to Jesus for help, we need to listen to what God is telling us and when we don’t understand we need to ask for God’s help and the Holy Spirit will illumine our minds.

Reading 2

We cannot change the world by a new plan, project or idea. We cannot even change other people by our convictions, stories advice and proposals, but we can offer a space where people are encouraged to disarm themselves, to lay aside there occupation, and preoccupations and to listen with attention and care to the voices speaking in their own center. How important is it to become empty in order that we may learn is well illustrated in the following Zen story:

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Nan-in, a Japenesse master during the Meiji era (1868-1912) received a university professor who came to inquire about Zen. Nan-in served tea. He poured his visitors cup full, and then kept pouring. The professor watched the overflow until he could no longer restrain himself. “It’s overfull. No More will go in!” “Like this cup,” Nan-in said, “you are full of your opinions and speculations. How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup?”

-Henri J. M. Nouwen, Reaching Out

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It certainly does seem in this world it is the poor who more easily embrace Jesus, and it very while might be due to the fact that the poor know they are empty and are so more likely to respond to the gifts that will fill them. We remember that fine rich young ruler, whom Jesus loved. He was a good person, perhaps a little proud, but Jesus asks of him what will break that pride, and self reliance. Go, sell all, and give, then come and follow me. It was too much for the rich young man to do but in essence that is what Jesus asked Peter and the other disciples to do...they just didn't have as much to give up so it was easier. But thanks be to God salvation is possible for all of us, for nothing is impossible with God.

August 18

Reading 1

Luke 9:46-50

“An argument arose among them as to which one of them was the greatest. But Jesus, aware of their inner thoughts, took a little child and put it by his side, and said to them, “Whoever welcomes this child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me; for the least among all of you is the greatest.” John answered, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he does not follow with us.” But Jesus said to him, “Do not stop him; for whoever is not against you is for you.” ”

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We have many groups of Christians that try to argue there is no salvation outside of their group, and in general most Christians say there is no salvation apart from Christ. I truly believe Christ died to redeem the whole of creation, but to say one form of belief is necessary seems to me a heresy (a foolish argument). God’s grace is wider and broader than we can ever know. While I would not advise someone to leave the faith of the Church, I will not say anyone who knows they need Divine help in order to be whole is damned, simply because that one is not a Christian. It seems to me that the sin against the Holy Spirit is simply our refusal to acknowledge the need of God in our life. Whoever is not against Jesus is for Jesus. It sounds strange, but then the dynamics of God’s kingdom are never what we would expect.

Reading 2

That same day, when Saul had finished talking with David, he kept him and would not let him return any more to his father’s house, for he saw that Jonathan had given his heart to David and had grown to love him as himself. Jonathan and David made a solemn compact because each loved the other as dearly as himself. Jonathan stripped off the cloak and tunic he was wearing, and gave them to David, together with his sword, his bow, and his belt.....Saul’s anger blazed up against Jonathan and he said, ‘You son of a crooked and rebellious mother! I know perfectly well you have made a friend of the son of Jesse only to bring shame on yourself and dishonour on your mother.

-1Sa 18:1-4, 20:30, REB

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Conservatives can offer as many denials as they like, but until that day in Glory when Jonathan and David tell me there was nothing sexual in their relationship, I shall not doubt their relationship was that of lovers. It has been called a model of the commitment that should between a man and his wife, and I believe that is what it is, a committed passionate relationship. Jonathan offers all he has to David out of love, and loves him like his own soul. Two souls knitted together as the King James Version puts it. The first few verse of chapter eighteen reads beautifully just as laid out, but I did add the verse from chapter twenty to make a point. Saul insults Jonathan because of his intimate relationship with David, Saul knew the love from the start but had no idea how deep it went till it was too late, Jonathan was head over heals, and Saul found it shameful. Our parents may not approve of our spouses (especially if we are queer and they don’t accept us as God created us), but let us strive to have a relationship like theirs a love that knits two hearts into one.

August 19

Reading 1

Luke 9:51-56

“When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. And he sent messengers ahead of him. On their way they entered a village of the Samaritans to make ready for him; but they did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. When his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” But he turned and rebuked them. Then they went on to another village.”

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Son’s of thunder indeed. This quick tempered brothers would have called down lightning on this inhospitable Samaritans. While Jesus rebuked them and moved along. Jesus had been harsh on inhospitality in the past, why so lenient now we might ask and the answer seems plain. They were heading to Jerusalem, like so many before them passed by this village, how many insults hurled by pilgrims, had these people taken, how many people of God abused them? Queers, and especially Queer Christians are modern day Samaritans in many ways. We have been hurt by those who think of queers as sick and Queer Christians as nothing but pretenders, though we hold most things in common. Let us welcome all, even those who might view us as enemies, we never know when Christ is passing through our midst and when we are rejected let us just pray that they may find healing.

Reading 2

Every one of our sins is a compensatory activity. We desire to compensate for a felt lack.

Avarice - that desire to get more of something: money, possessions, knowledge, even to get more spirituality, so we will not feel our lack so acutely.

Gluttony - stuffing the void with food and drink. It is often said that “We are what we eat,” but too often we eat because we do not know what or who we are.

Lust - to force a so-called union with another because we feel inwardly so disunited; to employ power over another’s body to compensate for a sense of our own powerlessness.

Envy - when we feel we have no fortune we will necessarily be sad at another’s good fortune. When we dislike ourselves for not having enough whatever, we are going to dislike others who have more of whatever.

Anger - how easily we are threatened when we feel we are lacking. How intense our self-hatred is when we experience failure within. When we despise ourselves, rage is our only option.

Pride - a common saying is pride is at the bottom of all sins. But what is at the bottom of pride? A terrifying feeling of insignificance. When we feel worthless we are driven to cloak shame with arrogance. The lower our self-esteem, the haughtier our hubris. When we feel dead, we crave acclaim to assure we are not.

Sloth - even sloth results from a deadly feeling, a feeling of emptiness. But in sloth we desire to settle into that hole, to be comfortable in our emptiness. Sloth is too believe in, fully accept and to be content to rot in our self-made grave. But sloth is the most cunning of all sins. It can be camouflaged by frantic activity, activity designed to keep us in the tomb, rather than face our resurrection.

-John Jacob Raub, Who told you that you were naked?

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Father Raub’s departure from the more typical view of the “seven deadly sins” should be taken seriously. When a monk from a Trappist monastery, who has spent much time dealing day to day with nature of our most common failings, it is wise for us to at least expand our definitions. While I may have trouble with Raub’s ultimate conclusions he is right in pointing out that so very often what we have been told is a sin is nothing more than a human precept. God was there in love for a naked Adam and Eve, God is there and clothes them after the fall. And God is there for you too, in whatever state you feel yourself to be in. Cry out to heavenly parent, God is there to heal and help you.

August 20

Reading 1

Luke 9:57-62

“As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 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.” To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” But Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” Jesus said to him, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” ”

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Truly following Christ is never an easy thing, there is no guaranteed lodging on this earth, family commitments are superseded by commitment to God, and we are not free to go where we want but only where the Spirit leads us. Why would anyone want to be a Christian some might ask, and the truth is, we are guaranteed a home in eternity, we have a family that is larger and more loving than any earthy one, and we are never alone even when by our self because the Spirit is with us always. Much is given up, but not in comparison to what is gained.

Reading 2

My LORD GOD, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will does not actually mean I am doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it. Therefore I will trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never lead me to face my perils alone.

-Thomas Merton, Thoughts in Solitude

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Follow this advice, and hope our enemies follow this advice, then most certainly “in everything, as we know, [God] co-operates for good with those who love God and are called according to [God’s] purpose.” Rom. 8:28 REB

August 21

Reading 1

Luke 10:1-16

“After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. He said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house!’ And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the laborer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; cure the sick who are there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you. Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.’ I tell you, on that day it will be more tolerable for Sodom than for that town. “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the deeds of power done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But at the judgment it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? No, you will be brought down to Hades. “Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.” ”

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Hospitality is important and those cities who will not welcome Christ will fair worse than the inhospitable Sodom. Let us be welcoming, listen to all servants of God, for we do not want to reject God. If all who believed in God were so welcoming and willing to go forth, truly God’s Kingdom would break in and the wolves would be over ran by the lambs.

Reading 2

Hospitality

Really honest receptivity means inviting the stranger into our world on his or her own terms, not on ours. When we say, “You can be my guest if you believe what I believe, think the way I think and behave as I do,” we offer love under the condition or for a price. This leads easily to exploitation, making hospitality into a business. In our world in which so many religious convictions, ideologies and life styles come into increasing contact with each other, it is more important than ever to realize that it belongs to the essence of a Christian spirituality to receive our fellow human beings into our world without imposing our religious viewpoint, ideology or way of doing things on them as a condition for love, friendship and care...

When we want to be really hospitable we not only have to receive strangers but also confront them by an unambiguous presence, not hiding ourselves behind neutrality but showing our ideas, opinions and life style clearly and distinctly. No real dialogue is possible between somebody and a nobody. We can enter into communication with the other only when our own life choices, attitudes and viewpoints offer boundaries that challenge strangers to become aware of their own position and to explore it more critically....

Turning the other cheek means showing our enemies that they can only be our enemies while supposing that we are anxiously clinging to our private property, whatever it is: our knowledge, our good name, our land, our money, or the many objects we have collected around us. But who will be our robber when everything he wants to steal from us becomes our gift to him? Who can lie to us, when only the truth will serve him well? Who wants to sneak into our back door, when our front door is wide open?...In a fearful environment it is not east to keep our hearts open to a wide range of human experiences. Real hospitality, however, is not exclusive but inclusive and creates space for a large variety of human experiences.

-Henri J. M. Nouwen, Reaching Out

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Some of us have not always found hospitality where we have gone, it is not our place to judge or worry of that. Our goal is to become hospitable people and as Heri Nouwen points out in the reading is that part of hospitality is being fully who we are, after all it's harder to hate a person than a faceless group. Let us strive to be more inclusive to our fellow humans, God will take care of the rest. Do not neglect to show hospitality; by doing this, some have entertained angels unawares. Hebrews 13:2, REB

August 22

Reading 1

Luke 10:17-24

“The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!” He said to them, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning. See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” At that same hour Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over 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 anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” Then turning to the disciples, Jesus said to them privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.” ”

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Rejoice not in the power you hold as a Christian, rejoice not that sin can no longer molest you freely, but rejoice that your name is in Book of Life. Rejoice, you are part of the heavenly family. Rejoice that God has revealed in the mysteries of salvation to you, for God has kept them hid from far more intelligent than you or I. Rejoice because we know and see what many others have never known, we know God as sibling, as indwelling our hearts, and no longer simply as creator. Praise be to you God; Creator, Redeemer, and Spirit: One. Now and forever. Amen.

Reading 2

Have you ever noticed how uniquely adapted each animal is to it’s environment and it's way of life? On land, a duck waddles along ungainly on it’s webbed feet. In the water, it glides along smooth as glass. The rabbit runs with ease and great bursts of speed, but I’ve never seen one swimming laps. The squirrel climbs anything in sight but cannot fly (unless you count great airborne leaps from limb to limb), while the eagle soars to the mountaintops.

Each creature has its own set of capabilities with which it will naturally excel...unless it is expected or forced to fill a mold it doesn’t fit. A duck is a duck-and only a duck. It is built to swim not climb. A squirrel is a squirrel-being expected to swim will drive a squirrel nuts. Eagles are beautiful creatures in the air but not in a foot race. The rabbit will win every time- unless, of course, the eagle gets hungry....

If God made you a duck saint-you’re a duck, friend. Swim like made but don't get bent out of shape because you wobble when you run. Furthermore, if you are an eagle saint stop expecting the squirrel saints to soar...or rabbit saints to build the same kind of nests you do. Accept your[self]....Stop comparing. Enjoy being you.

-Chuck Swindoll, The finishing touch.

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God in wisdom made nature a wonderful variety, each of us truly are unique. Many queer people have spent time in the past (and some even now) wishing they were not a duck, they want so much to be like everyone else. Value your uniqueness God does!

August 23

Reading 1

Luke 10:25-37

“Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the law? What do you read there?” He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.” But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.’ Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.” ”

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Who is my neighbour? In this age of catch phrases including ‘Global Village’ and ‘World Wide Web’ we come to a closer understanding of what Jesus tried to illustrate. All people are our neighbour, even those who we would call enemy. We can walk past ignoring, justifying why we can not help but in the end when we fail to take the needs that present themselves to us we are proving we do not love our neighbour. Let us practice mercy and kindness to all, especially to those who hate us, then we will be living our faith.

Reading 2

Black and White

Many people are caught up in a world that is all to black and white, indeed, we as Christians in many ways do live in a black and white world though (black being the absence of light and white being a presence of light, but within that white is a multitude of colors). In the same simple way we can come down to saying this or that is either right or wrong. It has long been accepted even by the legalist to keep God's law is to love, for one day a Lawyer approached Christ saying, ""Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus said to him, "What is written in the law? What do you read there?" The lawyer answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself." And Jesus said to him, "You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live."" (Luke 10:25-28). It seems so simple so black and white, but we often times wish to complicate things as the lawyer did by wanting definition of who is a neighbour, when the end comes it appears that the hated outcast and the wretched needy are neighbours. We as Christians may say ‘I love my neighbour’, yet still hold malice towards that drug dealer down the street or any of a number of social misfits. Perhaps the problem isn't really about the question 'Who is my neighbour?' but really 'Who is my God?' Do we have a God who hates and damns 'the roach poisoning our community' or do we have as our God a God who is Love, who understands the pain and circumstance that has brought one of Her own children to this dark point in their life? Let that one who is with out sin cast the first stone. Be careful for by the same measure you may one day be judged. In a world full of darkness, can we do anything else other than light a lamp to push back the darkness, but how can hate bring about this light? When we are attacked in the following days, we must learn to respond with love pure and simple, love that does not simply ignore for that is apathy, not love. But I mean a love that prays 'This one is spewing darkness in the form of hate--Lord please bring them light and love'. For it is a fearful thing to kick against the goads and call unclean what God has made clean . A form of self delusion that without God's great and gracious love might end with rot... For as Christ says, "Thus you will know them by their fruits. "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name?' Then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers.' (Mt 7:20-23). For the blessed St. John writes that "Those who say, "I love God," and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen." and Whoever says, "I am in the light," while hating a brother or sister, is still in the darkness. Whoever loves a brother or sister lives in the light, and in such a person there is no cause for stumbling. But whoever hates another believer is in the darkness, walks in the darkness, and does not know the way to go, because the darkness has brought on blindness." (1Jo 2:9-11, 4:20). So let us live in the way of love, stand in truth of love, and live a life of love, for the only other option is literally too dark to think of choosing.

-DWF

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I give you a new commandment: love one another; you must love one another just as I have loved you. John 13:34

August 24

Reading 1

Luke 10:38-42

“Now as they went on their way, [Jesus] entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what he was saying. But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.” ”

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The better part that will not be taken away is a food for the soul, a massive feast is not needed but Martha is doing what she feels compelled too. When we are compelled to do or to refrain from doing that is fine and it is proper for us to follow that call, but to try to force others into doing what we feel called to is not only arrogant but also hurtful. Each one has a task and a position that only they can fulfill in the plan of God. It is not wrong to ask for help, but it is wrong to disturb another’s calling.

Reading 2

I shall exalt you, Lord; you have lifted me up and have not let my enemies be jubilant over me.Lord my God, I cried to you and you healed me. You have brought me up, Lord, from Sheol, and saved my life as I was sinking into the abyss. Sing a psalm to the Lord, all you his loyal servants; give thanks to his holy name. In his anger is distress, in his favour there is life. Tears may linger at nightfall, but rejoicing comes in the morning. I felt secure and said, ‘I can never be shaken.’ Lord, by your favour you made my mountain strong; when you hid your face, I was struck with dismay To you, Lord, I called and pleaded with you for mercy: ‘What profit is there in my death, in my going down to the pit? Can the dust praise you? Can it proclaim your truth? Hear, Lord, and be gracious to me; Lord, be my helper.’ You have turned my laments into dancing; you have stripped off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,

that I may sing psalms to you without ceasing. Lord my God, I shall praise you for ever.

-Psalm 30, REB

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This is one of my favorite psalms. The line ‘Tears may linger at nightfall, but rejoicing comes in the morning.’ has always struck me as most poignant, the imagery is of a wayfaring traveller who comes to stay only for the night, and the continually abiding presence of joy in the morn. How often do the despair of our soul look bleakest in the dark of night, but with a good nights rest so often God is able to give us a new perspective. If this night things look grim for you hold on for God’s favor rests on God’s beloved children, and there is life for you, because God is your helper.

August 25

Reading 1

Luke 11:1-13

“[Jesus] was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” He said to them, “When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us. And do not bring us to the time of trial.” And he said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; for a friend of mine has arrived, and I have nothing to set before him.’ And he answers from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been locked, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.’ I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, at least because of his persistence he will get up and give him whatever he needs. “So I say to you, Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for a fish, will give a snake instead of a fish? Or if the child asks for an egg, will give a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” ”

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Blessings showered on those who ask God, and why because we know God to be our heavenly parent who is good. While we will not get things we ask out of wrong motives we must be persistent. For God to know we think intimately enough to ask as a child would to a parent fills the Godhead with such joy. Ask of the Divine Creator to our forth the Spirit on you, for that is all that is really needed, thanks be to God.

Reading 2

Prayer is fellowship with God. The struggle for a new and more Christian social order is difficult, progress is slow, defeats are many. Great patience and perseverance is required. Continued faith, loyalty, and action demand an awareness that [people] are not striving alone. Unless one is confidently aware that a power greater than that of [humanity] is moving in the direction of a just, humane, and righteous order [one] is likely to lose confidence in the final outcome, to tired and relax [one’s] effort. Prayer is a means of putting ourselves into an attitude and relationship such that God can reveal [God]self to us....There are individual Christians whose attitude towards life is largely negative and for whom Christianity is chiefly a category of “don’ts,” but they are poor representatives of the religion of Jesus, their concept of his religion being sadly warped... When as Christians we yield to the spirit of discouragement and despair, we acknowledge that the gospel is not what it declares itself to be, the good news of God...

- Wade Crawford Barclay, Challenge and Power

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“May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father (who has loved us and given us unending encouragement and unfailing hope by his grace) inspire you with courage and confidence in every good thing you say or do.” 2 Thessalonians 2:16,17, Phil.

August 26

Reading 1

Luke 11:14-28

“Now [Jesus] was casting out a demon that was mute; when the demon had gone out, the one who had been mute spoke, and the crowds were amazed. But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons.” Others, to test him, kept demanding from him a sign from heaven. But he knew what they were thinking and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself becomes a desert, and house falls on house. If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand?--for you say that I cast out the demons by Beelzebul. Now if I cast out the demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your exorcists cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out the demons, then the kingdom of God has come to you. When a strong man, fully armed, guards his castle, his property is safe. But when one stronger than he attacks him and overpowers him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted and divides his plunder. Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it wanders through waterless regions looking for a resting place, but not finding any, it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ When it comes, it finds it swept and put in order. Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and live there; and the last state of that person is worse than the first.” While he was saying this, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts that nursed you!” But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it!” ”

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The work of Satan! How often is that phrase used today to describe something a religious leader does not like, it has been used more often than I care to think of to describe Queer Christians. But let us not judge our fellow Christians, but simple let eternity be judge. Descent or tradition is no guarantee of blessing but hearing the word of God and obeying it is the way to blessing. So listen to the command of Jesus love God fully and love neighbour as self.

Reading 2

In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the skirt of his robe filled the temple. Seraphim were in attendance on him. Each had six wings: with one pair of wings they covered their faces and with another their bodies, and with the third pair they flew. They were calling to one another, ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.’ As each called, the threshold shook to its foundations at the sound, while the house began to fill with clouds of smoke. Then I said, ‘Woe is me! I am doomed, for my own eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts, I, a man of unclean lips, I, who dwell among a people of unclean lips.’ One of the seraphim flew to me, carrying in his hand a glowing coal which he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. He touched my mouth with it and said, ‘This has touched your lips; now your iniquity is removed and your sin is wiped out.’ I heard the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?’ I said: ‘Here am I! Send me.’

-Isaiah 6:1-8, REB

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When people are called by God they often time refuse, saying they are unworthy or unqualified, but this never deters our Lord. In this case the high angel grabs a coal and burns the uncleanness away. Is is no need to fear looking at the one who has made us clean. Indeed God said ‘You must not call unclean what God has made clean.’ God has made you clean through Christ, our guilt has been removed sins forgiven. God has no hands but yours, no voice but yours, when you hear God call answer, for you are already prepared, otherwise God would never have called.

August 27

Reading 1

Luke 11:29-32

“When the crowds were increasing, [Jesus] began to say, “This generation is an evil generation; it asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. For just as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so the Son of Man will be to this generation. The queen of the South will rise at the judgment with the people of this generation and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and see, something greater than Solomon is here! The people of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the proclamation of Jonah, and see, something greater than Jonah is here!”

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A wisdom greater than the wisest of humans ever to live is Jesus’, a prophet more true with a message more clear than Jonah of old is Jesus. People traveled far to see Solomon and Nineveh repented but the generation Jesus spoke to were not interested in wisdom or words from God, but sought entertainment, a sign. How much are many of us like this people of old. When did worship cease to be about hearing the word, meditating on God and joining brothers and sisters in prayer? Now I am afraid people have itching ears, they wanting to have an eloquent speaker, powerful music with top quality singing. Now there is nothing wrong with any of those things, all can be used to worship God, but it is when they become a necessity that we have left wisdom and left the Word of God and gone chasing after signs. Truly those of that adulterous spirit will find nothing but condemnation from those who sought wisdom and the Word of God.

Reading 2

Wisdom is not only Knowledge

Augustine said:

‘The wise will shine like stars and those who can make others wise will be bright with eternal splendor.’

‘Feed your soul on divine readings; they will prepare for you a spiritual feast.’

Jerome said:

‘It is much better to speak the truth clumsily than to wax eloquent with a lie.’

Gregory said:

‘Wisdom is to fear God and keep far from evil.’

‘The beginning of wisdom is to avoid evil: the second stage is to do good.’

‘Whoever wants to understand what [one] is hearing must hasten to translate what [one] has already heard into action.’

Isidore said:

‘Simplicity joined with ignorance is called stupidity: simplicity joined with prudence is called wisdom.’

-Defensor Grammaticus, Book of Sparkling Sayings

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How much better than gold it is to get wisdom, and to gain discernment is more desirable than silver. Proverbs 16:16, REB

August 28

Reading 1

Luke 11:33-36

“ “No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar, but on the lampstand so that those who enter may see the light. Your eye is the lamp of your body. If your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light; but if it is not healthy, your body is full of darkness. Therefore consider whether the light in you is not darkness. If then your whole body is full of light, with no part of it in darkness, it will be as full of light as when a lamp gives you light with its rays.” ”

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Are you full of light or full of darkness? Pray that our Lord who is the light of the world may so flood your body with light that we shall be as beacons reflecting the gracious light of God.

Reading 2

Why did this [legalistic] kind of religion develop in America, of all places? Well, first of all, America is the place to which the puritans came, and their fixation on stark antitheses (God and Satan, saints and sinners), their conviction that you’re damned unless you believe exactly the right doctrine, and their tendency to equate immorality with sex all helped lay the foundations for todays legalistic Christianity. So did pragmatism and materialism of the pioneers, who respect for “honest work” and suspicion of professors, philosophers, and others who don't produce anything “real” spelled success for faiths that involved quantifiable sacrifice, little or no abstract reflection, and a concrete payoff in the form of a tangible heaven. Those pioneers’ individualistic sentiments, moreover, made them distrust ecclesiastical elites and accept the right of every person to interpret the Bible according to his or her own lights; this emphasis on scripture also fed by the notion of America as a new Eden, which, as the religious historian George M. Marsden has noted, “readily translated into Biblical primitivism,” the idea that “the Bible alone should be one’s guide.” Yet given those pioneers’ literal mindedness and aversion for abstract interpretation, it was a short-and disastourous-step from the idea of the Bible as guide to a twisted instance on biblical literalism.

-Bruce Bawer, Stealing Jesus

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Paul Gibson says “Deciding to read and proclaim is an ongoing process because we do not simply submit to the Bible, we engage with it.” and so we must not read dead letters on a page, but life giving words quickened by the Holy Spirit. Through Her guidance we will always come to Truth God has for us. Let us also remember the words of William Blake as he writes in The Everlasting Gospel:

Both read the Bible day and night,

But thou read’st black where I read white.

August 29

Reading 1

Luke 11:37-54

“While [Jesus] was speaking, a Pharisee invited him to dine with him; so he went in and took his place at the table. The Pharisee was amazed to see that he did not first wash before dinner. Then the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. You fools! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also? So give for alms those things that are within; and see, everything will be clean for you. “But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and herbs of all kinds, and neglect justice and the love of God; it is these you ought to have practiced, without neglecting the others. Woe to you Pharisees! For you love to have the seat of honor in the synagogues and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces. Woe to you! For you are like unmarked graves, and people walk over them without realizing it.” One of the lawyers answered him, “Teacher, when you say these things, you insult us too.” And he said, “Woe also to you lawyers! For you load people with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not lift a finger to ease them. Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets whom your ancestors killed. So you are witnesses and approve of the deeds of your ancestors; for they killed them, and you build their tombs. Therefore also the Wisdom of God said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute,’ so that this generation may be charged with the blood of all the prophets shed since the foundation of the world, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it will be charged against this generation. Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge; you did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering.” When he went outside, the scribes and the Pharisees began to be very hostile toward him and to cross-examine him about many things, lying in wait for him, to catch him in something he might say.”

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We have here Jesus burning in anger against legalism. I think this day about people who expand laws, I remember reading once a commentary and in dealing with the 10 commandments which had expanding the commandment against adultery to include every form of sexuality outside marriage. I think of those who will not use medicine because they think faith alone will heal them and their families. And finally I see that last line about lying in wait to entrap Jesus. These poor fellows were not letting words sink into their hearts but examining them to see which one might be used to entrap Him. Legalists take away the knowledge of grace, refusing to enter into grace, they hinder those who enter. Put no stumbling block in the path of another. Build up life and do not tear it down as did those who killed the prophets. Who will you be this day Cain or Abel?

Reading 2

To do justice-love means seeking right-relatedness with others and work to set right all wrong relations, especially distorted dynamics of domination and subordination. Embracing the goodness of our sexuality, of our erotic desire for wholeness and connectedness is, therefore, a Godly gift to us. Erotic power, rightly ordered, grounds and moves on, gently yet persistently, to engage in creating justice with love for ourselves and all others.

-Presbyterians and Human Sexuality 1991

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The Lord has told you mortals what is good, and what it is that the Lord requires of you: only to act justly, to love loyalty, to walk humbly with your God. -Micah 6:8 REB

August 30

Reading 1

Luke 12:1-12

“Meanwhile, when the crowd gathered by the thousands, so that they trampled on one another, [Jesus] began to speak first to his disciples, “Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees, that is, their hypocrisy. Nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known. Therefore whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be proclaimed from the housetops. “I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that can do nothing more. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him! Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten in God’s sight. But even the hairs of your head are all counted. Do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows. “And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God; but whoever denies me before others will be denied before the angels of God. And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. When they bring you before the synagogues, the rulers, and the authorities, do not worry about how you are to defend yourselves or what you are to say; for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that very hour what you ought to say.” ”

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Get out of the closet, live a life of integrity. There is no dark corner to act with hypocrisy for the light blazes brighter than noon day revealing all dark corners. There are no places where the voices will not carry with the loudness of a waterfall. People can do nothing to us but harm our bodies, our souls rest in Jesus alone and Christ seeks in us unity and truthfulness. Trust in God’s divine providence that numbers our very hairs and keeps track of the most insignificant of creatures by our view. If we are in Christ the Spirit shall come and She will teach us what to say at that very hour when we need it. Deny not your Lord, but deny not you very being, the work of our God’s hand, you oh Queer Christian.

Reading 2

THE INTIMATE FRIENDSHIP OF JESUS

WHEN Jesus is near, all is well and nothing seems difficult. When He is absent, all is hard. When Jesus does not speak within, all other comfort is empty, but if He says only a word, it brings great consolation.

Did not Mary Magdalen rise at once from her weeping when Martha said to her:

“The Teacher is here, and is calling for you”? Happy is the hour when Jesus calls one from tears to joy of spirit.

How dry and hard you are without Jesus! How foolish and vain if you desire anything but Him! Is it not a greater loss than losing the whole world? For what, without Jesus, can the world give you? Life without Him is a relentless hell, but living with Him is a sweet paradise. If Jesus be with you, no enemy can harm you. Whoever finds Jesus finds a rare treasure, indeed, a good above every good, whereas [one] who loses Him loses more than the whole world. The [one] who lives without Jesus is the poorest of the poor, whereas no one is so rich as whoever lives in His grace.

It is a great art to know how to converse with Jesus, and great wisdom to know how to keep Him. Be humble and peaceful, and Jesus will be with you. Be devout and calm, and He will remain with you.

You may quickly drive Him away and lose His grace, if you turn back to the outside world. And, if you drive Him away and lose Him, to whom will you go and whom will you then seek as a friend? You cannot live well without a friend, and if Jesus be not your friend above all else, you will be very sad and lonely.

Thus, you are acting foolishly if you trust or rejoice in any other. Choose the opposition of the whole world rather than offend Jesus. Of all those who are dear to you, let Him be your special love.

Let all things be loved for the sake of Jesus, but Jesus for His own sake. Jesus Christ must be loved alone with a special love for He alone, of all friends, is good and faithful. For Him and in Him you must love friends and foes alike, and pray to Him that all may know and love Him.

Never desire special praise or love, for that belongs to God alone Who has no equal. Never wish that anyone’s affection be centered in you, nor let yourself be taken up with the love of anyone, but

let Jesus be in you and in every good individual.

Be pure and free within, unentangled with any creature. You must bring to God a clean and open heart if you wish to attend and see how sweet the Lord is. Truly you will never attain this happiness unless His grace prepares you and draws you on so that you may forsake all things to be united with Him alone.

When the grace of God comes to a [person one] can do all things, but when it leaves [a person one] becomes poor and weak, abandoned, as it were, to affliction.

Yet, in this condition he should not become dejected or despair. On the contrary, [one] should calmly await the will of God and bear whatever befalls [one] in praise of Jesus Christ, for after winter comes summer, after night, the day, and after the storm, a great calm.

-Thomas Á Kempis, The Imitation of Christ

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God said to him, “Fool! This very night the demand will be made for your soul; and this hoard of yours, whose will it be then?” So it is when someone stores up treasure for himself instead of becoming rich in the sight of God.’ Luke 12:20-21 NJB

August 31

Reading 1

Luke 12:13-21

“Someone in the crowd said to [Jesus], “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” But he said to him, “Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?” And he said to them, “Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.” Then he told them a parable: “The land of a rich man produced abundantly. And he thought to himself, ‘What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?’ Then he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.” ”

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Justice here and now. We all want our fair share, but Jesus tells us not to be consumed with all kinds of greed. We must not store up for ourselves and our posterity but store up treasures in God’s kingdom. For unless we do we shall be like that one who God calls fool in the parable above, when our soul is demanded from us. There is no lasting kingdom or wealth but the kingdom of God, and there no lasting wealth but what we have given unto God.

Reading 2

The bread you store up belongs to the hungry; the cloak that lies in your chest belongs to the naked; the gold you have hidden in the ground belongs to the poor.

-St. Basil

A person who owns nothing- or more precisely, who desires to own nothing as a personal possession-in spirit owns everything. He can look at a beautiful valley, regardless of who the legal owner is, and rejoice in it’s beauty. He can look at any fine building, and marvel at the artistry in it’s construction. He can use any tool which someone lends him, and admiral the skill with which it is designed. He who owns much is concerned only with the things he owns-in spirit owns nothing. He cannot admire the beauty of any part of God’s creation unless he is the legal owner. He cannot rejoice in the artistry of any building unless it belongs to him. Beauty and artistry belonging to other people simply evoke jealousy and envy in his breast. And even the things he does own cause him no lasting pleasure, because as soon as he has acquired one thing, he is calculating how he can acquire another. Those who are poor are the truly rich; those who are rich are the truly poor.

-St. John Crysostom

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Oh how challenging the fathers of the church our to us here in modern world. Who of us doesn’t envy another’s possessions or worse feel we have possession of another person. All persons should be free and we must hold loosely all things so being able to say with Job (1:21) “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, naked I shall return again. Yahweh gave, Yahweh has taken back. Blessed be the name of Yahweh!”. Even more troubling is the excess we have in our life, consider what you really need and give to the poor.

September

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September 1

Reading 1

Luke 12:22-34

“[Jesus] said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? If then you are not able to do so small a thing as that, why do you worry about the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you--you of little faith! And do not keep striving for what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not keep worrying. For it is the nations of the world that strive after all these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, strive for his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

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Treasure: the word itself conjures up many fanciful images, diamond, gold, (or maybe to an accountant stocks and treasury bills), but for the Christian our treasure is not to be in chests buried or fat bank accounts, but treasure in heaven. The real concern of the Christians heart should not be what will I eat or what I wear, but what will my brother eat, what will my sister wear. We can not get past ourselves or our possessions sometimes, but in eternity what we possessed here and now has no more value than monopoly money at the local store. The love and concerned you showed others on this earth is what really is accredited to you in eternity. If you heart is trapped here in this old earth with some bauble or wealth, how will you ever reach God who is beyond these passing things? Strive for God for God’s will, and these things will come unto you as well. But when they come hold on to them loosely, thank the Lord for them and be more than wiling to let them go. Give to the poor and needy for you have been given all through God. Then you truly can be happy on earth, and wealthy in heaven.

Reading 2

We live in a culture of achievement and production which believes that people should and do get what the deserve. As Christians we know that is not so. The infinite bounty of God begins with the gift of life itself and continues with everything that sustains it. Our activity is not so much earning our way as cooperating with the Creator God in transforming history into God's reign of justice and love. Building this attitude of grateful response into our lives requires a constant cultivation of faith against the seeming self-evident "way things are" around us. -Sandra M. Schneiders, IHM, New Wineskins, p. 186

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“God sets himself against the proud, but he shows favor to the humble.” 1 Peter 5:5 NLT, God’s economy is totally opposite our own.

September 2

Reading 1

Luke 12:35-48

“ “Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit; be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks. Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them. If he comes during the middle of the night, or near dawn, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves. “But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.” Peter said, “Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for everyone?” And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and prudent manager whom his master will put in charge of his slaves, to give them their allowance of food at the proper time? Blessed is that slave whom his master will find at work when he arrives. Truly I tell you, he will put that one in charge of all his possessions. But if that slave says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and if he begins to beat the other slaves, men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk, the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour that he does not know, and will cut him in pieces, and put him with the unfaithful. That slave who knew what his master wanted, but did not prepare himself or do what was wanted, will receive a severe beating. But the one who did not know and did what deserved a beating will receive a light beating. From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from the one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded.”

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Accountability is a scary thing but we who have known the love of Christ are accountable for our actions. Will we treat people with love and care, knowing Jesus will be back at anytime, or will we live for ourselves and abuse the world and the people in it whom God created and loves? Christians are not alone responsible for everything that happens but in the end, but we hold greater culpability when we destroy people and the world for we who have known the love of God are called to bring light and not darkness. Servants of God we are, but yet in the presence of God we are the ones served, it is a dichotomy which makes no sense to the world but for us Christians it is the truth that has set us free.

Reading 2

The core of sin is our making ourselves the center of life, rather than accepting the holy God as the center. Lack of trust, self-love, pride, these are three ways in which Christians have expresses the real meaning of sin. The consequences of sin is in the self-imposed loneliness of a loveless life.

There is some light...in all profound religion which the Christian faith can accept as true. Anglican theology always seeks a synthesis of faith and reason which leaves each open to the dynamic influence of the other. The Logos incarnate in Christ fulfils and incorporates the highest human reason. We cannot by our own power reach high enough to meet God in his ultimate truth. His word reaches down to us.

Gustaf Aulén, bishop of the Swedish Lutheran Church...[says] in short for the Christian the work of justice is one with the work of love. in this sense love is the fulfillment of the law, as Paul says. Aulén vigorously argues that the function of human law is not only to restrain evildoers. It has the creative function of laying foundations for human fellowship.

A critical understanding of the Bible is essential if the Church is to be kept free from serving a new idol in the literal word of a book rather than in the truth which is expresses through human and limited means.

Everyone who tries to say what the Christian faith and life is for [them], is engaging in theological work.... We never exhaust the meaning of Jesus Christ. All human knowledge is relevant to our knowledge of him. He does not destroy but fulfils all other truth, else he would not be the Christ... Theological doctrines are valid only in so far as they point us to the fuller truth which is there in God's word in Christ.

The Christian faith is that we are created for a personal life in community where each I sustained by the others. We can have this life only if in humility we confess our dependance upon the Holy Source of Life, acknowledge God's judgment on human idols and confess our own continuing temptation to idolatry. Christianity believes in [humanity] more deeply than any other historic faith; because it believes that [a human's] spirit can be open to the cleansing and humbling which comes when God meets [that one] in self-giving love. The Christian faith gives no pat answers or panaceas. What it says is that life in all its struggle is good at the core, and that under God there is offered new life in the love which fills all struggle with meaning.

-UNKNOWN

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“Share each other’s troubles and problems, and in this way obey the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to help someone in need, you are only fooling yourself. You are really a nobody. Be sure to do what you should, for then you will enjoy the personal satisfaction of having done your work well, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else.” Galatians 6:2-4, NLT.

September 3

Reading 1

Luke 12:49-53

“ “I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what stress I am under until it is completed! Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division! From now on five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three; they will be divided: father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.” ”

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Fire, one of the most destructive forces we experience on this earth, but also one of the most helpful, more so to previous generations, who used raw fire for light, heat, and cooking. To come to bring fire is to bring light, to bring purification, to separate the gold from the dross was our Lord’s goal. It is ture our Lord brings a peace, a warm glow to those who embrace God, but that fire of God changes everything so much that sometimes there can no longer be the unity with the former like there was, the heat and brightness breaks apart our former lives. Queers, when we come out, often experience this division much more than modern day Christians do, but for both actions there can be lose, for some people are never able to accept anything different than themselves. If you are rejected for being queer or being Christian rejoice and remember you have a family larger than you can imagine in Christ Jesus our Lord, One who never will reject you.

Reading 2

Compassion: Compassion isn't about whether you approve or disapprove of what someone is saying; it's about understanding another person. It isn't about promoting your agenda; it's about comprehending someone else's. Compassion, if it has any meaning at all, needs to be translated into action. Generosity is a matter of the size of the heart, not the size of the gift.

-John Michael Talbot with Steve Rabey, The lessons of St. Francis:How to Bring Simplicity and Spirituality into Your Daily Life

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“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” Colossians 3:12-14, NIV.

September 4

Reading 1

Luke 12:54-59

“[Jesus] also said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, you immediately say, ‘It is going to rain’; and so it happens. And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be scorching heat’; and it happens. You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time? “And why do you not judge for yourselves what is right? Thus, when you go with your accuser before a magistrate, on the way make an effort to settle the case, or you may be dragged before the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, and the officer throw you in prison. I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the very last penny.” ”

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We have changed little, we are able to see plainly what is happening on earth but we all to often blind ourselves to spiritual realities around us. Jesus came to redeem; but Satan lives to be the ultimate prosecuting attorney (for that is his name “The Accuser”). But the good news is we have an Advocate, one who can not lose. It’s never too late and all you need to retain Jesus’ help is admit you need Christ, that without God you are not whole. When you do, you will be able to judge rightly all things. Will you trust in your own ability or will you have a divine interceder? You never know when the veil of this flesh will be torn away, and it will be to late to call.

Reading 2

I still hear Christians, including the Pope, say that being homosexual is no more or less sinful than being anything else; however practicing homosexuality is a sin.

Such Christians are probably seeing themselves as more open-minded and liberal than those who would simply scathingly condemn a homosexual, but I’m not sure there is any difference in what is actually being said.

When we say that a homosexual should not practice homosexuality, what we are actually saying is that a gay person is okay, as long as she/he is not having intercourse with a same-sex partner.

In actuality, we are demanding celibacy, or heterosexual responses from a non-heterosexual person, or no sexuality at all. I know Jesus said some would be Eunuchs for the Kingdom’s sake, but I don’t believe that our Lord left us a directive to decide who would be Eunuchs, and who would not.

From the beginning, in the garden, while we were yet in our Perfect State, God said it was not good for a human to be alone-a helpmate was necessary. throughout all generations, we have needed a “significant other,” our one-to-one relationship person, our lover, our mate, our other half; our one human being that loves us enough to liberate and set us free to be uniquely whole, to be ourselves honestly, while they know us in every mood, response, and attitude....Our ability to love is the most Godlike aspect of our humanism.... Dare we tell any people that they may not love, they may not mate, they may not have a helpmate in life?

-Rev Sylvia Pennington, But Lord They’re Gay

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Sylvia went from trying to convert homosexuals to ministering to them. She was transformed by the Spirit much like Saul's Damascus experience. Saul was never the same using his Greek name Paul after, and Sylvia was never the same again, but had a powerful vital ministry during her all too brief life. Pray for those who persecute you, live for God openly who you are!

September 5

Reading 1

Luke 13:1-9

“At that very time there were some present who told [Jesus] about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. He asked them, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them--do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did.” Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. So he said to the gardener, ‘See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?’ He replied, ‘Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’ ” ”

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We read in Ezekiel, “The soul who sins is the one who will die.” (18:20, NIV), we all die not because we are worse than another but because we all are sinners, we have all failed to reach the point of perfection. Trouble makers murdered, workers amidst a contruction acident, people at the wrong place at the wrong time, they died not because they were worse than you or me, but beacuse we all shall die, because of the sin that has marred the whole of creation. The good news is though that although we maybe fruitless as the fig tree we have an advocate with God, One who pleads our case. We are nothing that should be saved but the love of Jesus saves us, and nutures us. Let us be fruitful not out of fear of death but out of love for the One who loves us.

Reading 2

Social Peace & Interior Peace

This is founded on the general respect for the personal dignity of [humanity]. The Son of God became [human], and in so doing he redeemed not merely [hu]mankind as a whole, but the individual [human] too: “...the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me”, writes St Paul to Galatians (Gal. 2:20).

And if God has loved [humanity] so much it means that [humanity] belongs to him, and that the human person must be treated with the greatest respect.

This is the Church’s teaching. For the solution of social problems she has always kept her eyes fixed on the human person, and has taught that material wealth and organizations–property, economics, the State–exist primarily for [humanity’s] sake, not [humanity] for them. The disturbances which wreck the internal peace of nations mainly arises from this, that [humanity] has been treated almost exclusively as a tool, as merchandise, or as an obscure wheel in a mass of machinery, a mere production unit.

Only when we accept [one’s] personal dignity as our criterion for judging [a person] and [one’s] activities, shall we find the means to placate civil strife and bridge differences that are frequently profound between, for example, employers and workers. Above all, we shall be able to ensure for the family those conditions of life, work and assistance which will enable it to better fulfill its role as a living cell of society, the first community established by God himself for the development of the human personality.

No, peace can have no solid foundations unless our hearts are filled with [familial] love, which must unite all who have the same origins and are called to the same destiny. Awareness of belonging to the same family liberates the heart from covetousness, greed, pride and the will to dominate, which are the sources of all disputes and wars; it unites all in a noble bond of generous solidarity........When every now and then, among the thorns of life, we find the Lord has set a spray of jasmine or a rose, or some other lovely flower, our hearts are filled with joy–but these little things cannot give us real peace. They are but a respite. St Gregory the Great finely says that they are like a “little breathing space”; they are indeed a breath of peace, but of an armed peace that has to be defended...from temptations. The enjoyment of peace is something much more perfect. It depends on the triumph of the work of God’s mercy in our souls. St Augustine says: one hope, one faith, one promise: your mercy.

In Psalm 135 (136) this mercy, this “steadfast love”, is referred to no fewer than twenty-six ties, for his mercy endures forever. And this is what strengthens us in our endeavor to preserve interior peace.

St Leonard of Porto Maurizio has given us precious counsel on this theme: “In my midday examination of conscience I shall look briefly into my heart, to see whether it enjoys interior peace, founded on the holy will of God, so that I may confirm this peace if it should be imperiled. My Jesus, mercy.

To preserve my peace I make four resolves:

1. To be dead to the world and all that is not God.

2. To live in total abandonment to the will of Divine Providence.

3. To welcome suffering, interior or exterior.

4. Not to try to undertake much work, other than that pertaining to my own ministry, under obedience.”

-Pope John XXIII

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Let us never devalue each person whom God considers infinately valuable. indeed as Jesus said in Luke 12, ‘Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten in God’s sight. But even the hairs of your head are all counted. Do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.’ we tend to devalue humans evey day some for no more reason than who they are, heterosexuals may devalue us who are queer, queers my devalue “breeders”, the list could go on at infinitum. Devaluing human life (or one variety of it) is what allowed the evils of the Nazis to happen and the geoncides since then. If Christ loves each one enough to die for them, who are we not to love them ourselves. Children, love must not be a matter of theory or talk; it must be true love which shows itself in action. 1 John 3:18 REB. We know Christ is our peace (see Eph 2:14), and so those of us in Christ should let that peace flow out to those around us, let us be like broken vessels. A broken vessel can’t hold water and might not seem much good but it allows that spring of water in us to flow out till we are like a fountain offering refreshment to those we come in contact with us. The peace is imperiled only when we allow the situation in the world to cut off the flow from the Source, and so I end this reflection with a quote from a hymn, “God’s peace is flowing like a river, flowing out from you and me, flowing out into the desert setting all the captives free.”

September 6

Reading 1

Luke 13:10-17

“Now [Jesus] was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. And just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight. When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, “Woman, you are set free from your ailment.” When he laid his hands on her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God. But the leader of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had cured on the sabbath, kept saying to the crowd, “There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be cured, and not on the sabbath day.” But the Lord answered him and said, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger, and lead it away to give it water? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, be set free from this bondage on the sabbath day?” When he said this, all his opponents were put to shame; and the entire crowd was rejoicing at all the wonderful things that he was doing.”

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Legalism, or perhaps jealousy reign in this story. This woman was probably known to the town, perhaps even a regular devotee to the synagogue. We don’t even see that she asked to be healed, but the pain of this woman tugs so at the heart of Jesus he can not bear her suffering any longer and heals her. The woman praises God, but the leader no longer the centre of attention condemns Jesus for healing on the Sabbath. All kinds of good deeds will be done on the Sabbath to care for property but this woman, this child of God, is to be left in her pitiable condition because it’s not the day to unbind someone. Praise be to God unbinding comes not from mortals but from God. I hear so often that the time is not the right time for full inclusion of Queer Christians, that it will cause a split, there will come a right day ‘sympathizers’ say. But I say this is the day, Jesus let no one stop Jesus from healing on the Sabbath and you Queer Christian let no one stop you from the full inclusion in God’s family. When the legalist comes, simply be like the healed woman and praise God. All our opponents will be put to shame, and the freedom we have in Christ will spread to others.

Reading 2

Self is always with me in a double vocation which should lead me to sanctity, I cling to faults which many people of the world and in the world would have corrected in themselves..... It seems to me I have outlived myself. I see the time coming when I shall be good for almost nothing. As my health has taken on new vigor, that uselessness will be harder to bear after I have had so much to do....for although I can read English, as I know the meaning of printed words, it is quite a different thing to understand it when it is spoken, or to speak it myself, because of extreme difficulty of the pronunciation, which one can never master at my age.... So I dread becoming a doting old lady in second childhood before death catches up with me. In the meantime I shall plant and tend our truck garden. They say we shall have small success this year, for the ground has been covered with snow three times since the beginning of this month....I find in this quiet work one very great advantage–it brings such peace of soul, and this arises, no doubt, from contact with the beauty of nature, which lifts one up to the Creator.

-Lousie Callan, Philippine Duchesne

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A bitter sweet look at the life of an elderly sister, but even though she feels unable to do what work she would want for God, she is obviously still expereienceing the blessing of communion with God. This leads us to see all life as being valuable for if one can do nothing other than pray to God one has fufilled enough to satisfy God. We urge you, brothers, to admonish those who are undisciplined, encourage the apprehensive, the weak and be patient with everyone. Make sure that people do not try to repay evil for evil; always aim at what is best for each other and for everyone. Always be joyful; pray constantly; and for all things give thanks; this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. 1Th 5:14-18, NJB

September 7

Reading 1

Luke 13:18-21

“[Jesus] said therefore, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what should I compare it? It is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in the garden; it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.” And again he said, “To what should I compare the kingdom of God? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.” ”

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The love of God may starts out in one little corner of one person’s life but like a seed allowed to grow, like yeast allowed to multiply, it spreads and there is no limit. God’s love is poured forth on us in greater measure as we as we pour it forth from out hearts. You are leaven in this world, grow for the love of God.

Reading 2

The presence of God can only be realized when the sense are stilled, when we have settled down in an atmosphere of expectancy, of hope, and of faith. In this state of relaxation and peace, we wait. That is all we can do, just wait. That is all we can do, just wait. We cannot bring god to us for God is already here, in this inner stillness, in this quietness and confidence.

Meditation is an invitation for God to speak to us or to make [God]self known to us; it is not an attempt to reach God, since God is omnipresent....When we make contact [with God], not only are our sins forgiven but we are healed. It is not a question of a person’s first becoming good before [one] can come under God’s grace. No, it operates in the reverse order: Let God’s grace touch a person, and it will make [that one] good. The Spirit within will change the outer life; the inner grace will appear outwardly....

-Joel Goldsmith, Practicing the Presence

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“Let go, relax and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psa 46:10 (NASB, alterate reading)

September 8

Reading 1

Luke 13:22-30

“Jesus went through one town and village after another, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem. Someone asked him, “Lord, will only a few be saved?” He said to them, “Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able. When once the owner of the house has got up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,’ then in reply he will say to you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’ Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’ But he will say, ‘I do not know where you come from; go away from me, all you evildoers!’ There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrown out. Then people will come from east and west, from north and south, and will eat in the kingdom of God. Indeed, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.” ”

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Many people claim to know God but their lives bear not the fruit of God. They claim to have fellowship with God, and to teach about God but in the end all is lost. Strive to enter the narrow gate. Be not fat on pride and self righteousness, for you will find yourself far to large to enter that gate. It is much easier for the sinner who realizes there is nothing worthy about themself to enter, and so is fulfilled the last will be first, the first last. Bear the fruit of love, and enter the kingdom of God.

Reading 2

In the same way the Spirit comes to the aid of our weakness. We do not even know how we ought to pray, but through our inarticulate groans the Spirit himself is pleading for us, and God who searches our inmost being knows what the Spirit means, because he pleads for God’s people as God himself wills; and in everything, as we know, he co-operates for good with those who love God and are called according to his purpose. For those whom God knew before ever they were, he also ordained to share the likeness of his Son, so that he might be the eldest among a large family of brothers[ and sisters]; and those whom he foreordained, he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. With all this in mind, what are we to say? If God is on our side, who is against us? He did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all; how can he fail to lavish every other gift upon us? Who will bring a charge against those whom God has chosen? Not God, who acquits! Who will pronounce judgement? Not Christ, who died, or rather rose again; not Christ, who is at God’s right hand and pleads our cause! Then what can separate us from the love of Christ? Can affliction or hardship? Can persecution, hunger, nakedness, danger, or sword? ‘We are being done to death for your sake all day long,’ as scripture says; ‘we have been treated like sheep for slaughter’— and yet, throughout it all, overwhelming victory is ours through him who loved us. For I am convinced that there is nothing in death or life, in the realm of spirits or superhuman powers, in the world as it is or the world as it shall be, in the forces of the universe, in heights or depths — nothing in all creation that can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

-Romans 8:26-39, REB

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If God is on our side, have ever more beautiful words been spoke. God says what we know not how to say, God acquits us from all guilt, it is God, yes Jesus, who pleads for us when accusers bring complaint against us. God’s love for us children is so intense, it is like the love of a mother. Isaiah says, “Can a woman forget the infant at her breast, or a mother the child of her womb? But should even these forget, I shall never forget you.” (49:15, REB). Though God’s love is as deep as a mother’s, God’s love is even deeper, for God will never forget us, never allow separation from us. This is the good news, that our God loves us so greatly that we can never be separated from our Father-our Mother, in heaven. Oh Queer Christian, know that no matter where you go, no matter what persecution you face from within the Church or without, God’s love is yours always in Christ our Lord.

September 9

Reading 1

Luke 13:31-35

“At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to [Jesus], “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.” He said to them, “Go and tell that fox for me, ‘Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work. Yet today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on my way, because it is impossible for a prophet to be killed outside of Jerusalem.’ Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you. And I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.’ ” ”

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Jesus did not seek to evade death but to let death come when it would. We often play it safe, and keep from actions that would endanger us or our positions, but a life unlived is hardly a life. Jesus ran not from the dangers but embraced life to it’s fullest. The heart is full of sorrow till it learns ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.’ So many today refuse to be gathered into our Divine Mother’s love, and until we do, and acknowledge the blessedness of God’s servant, we will be too timid to live life fully, we will run off and hid because of the threats. Queer Christian blessed are you, and even when people threaten you physically or spiritually, remember Jesus ignored the threats and lived life to the fullest, you can do the same with Christ’s help.

Reading 2

Giving the Devil Its Due

A few years ago, Karl Menninger wrote a book titled Whatever Became of Sin? Since sin is basically defined as choosing evil or good, we can’t understand sin with out evil. Perhaps it’s time someone wrote a book titled Whatever happened to Evil? It has become unfashionable to believe in evil at all–particularly among certain New Age groups. The immensely popular A Course in Miracles, and all the books and workshops, and groups that are based on it, are examples of those who deny the very existence of evil. A Course in Miracles, which is basically Hindu philosophy written in Christian language, teaches absolutely everything in the universe is illusion anyway. If something appears to be evil to you, you are just not seeing it right.

That is nonsense–and dangerous nonsense, at that. Have you ever noticed that the people who are the most adamant that there is no evil are those who, by virtue of their socioeconomic status, are the most isolated from it’s effects? Have you ever met a poor black woman from the ghetto, for instance, who goes to a Course in Miracles group? Walk into an inner-city crack house, or an AIDS ward in a public city hospital, and then tell me it's only my misperception that makes it seem evil. In fact, it’s not only socioeconomic status, but also a great deal of luck that allows one to entertain this notion. Try telling a mother who just saw her ten-year-old child run over by a Mack truck that there is no evil in the world.

For centuries, “the problem of evil” has plagued theologians, philosophers, and everyone else. Perhaps the most universal religious question is why there is suffering and evil in the world. For a person of faith, the question is often framed as “If God is all-good and all-powerful, why does god allow suffering and evil?”

Only five answers are really possible:

1. God creates evil and sends it to us for some inscrutable “higher purpose.”

2. God somehow allows or uses evil or is in collusion with it–which still does not explain it’s very existence.

3. We create our own life situations that we may perceive as evil, though they are really only “lessons to be learned,” as various New Age thinkers teach.

4. The question itself is meaningless because the universe is simply random and without a plan or purpose, So “good” and “evil” are mere chance.

5. The existence of evil in the world is the work of the Evil One, the enemy of God and humanity.

The expiation that works beset for me is a combination of numbers two and five. Concurring with process theologians, I believe that God has endowed the universe, at all levels, with a tremendous capacity for freedom. God doesn’t “do something” about evil because it's not in the nature of God to interfere with the awesome freedom of the creation. The answer to why there is evil in the world, then, is that God allows us, and all creatures to make our own choices, and we often choose to create evil for each other.

-Robert Williams, Just As I Am

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Choices are not always easy but sometimes simple common sense can help us choose good from evil. Next time you have to make a choice think of which path with lead to greater love for all creatures. ‘There is no such thing as a good tree producing bad fruit, nor yet a bad tree producing good fruit. Each tree is known by its own fruit: you do not gather figs from brambles or pick grapes from thistles. Good people produce good from the store of good within themselves; and evil people produce evil from the evil within them. For the words that the mouth utters come from the overflowing of the heart. Luke 6:43-45, NRSV

September 10

Reading 1

Luke 14:1-14

“On one occasion when Jesus was going to the house of a leader of the Pharisees to eat a meal on the sabbath, they were watching him closely. Just then, in front of him, there was a man who had dropsy. And Jesus asked the lawyers and Pharisees, “Is it lawful to cure people on the sabbath, or not?” But they were silent. So Jesus took him and healed him, and sent him away. Then he said to them, “If one of you has a child or an ox that has fallen into a well, will you not immediately pull it out on a sabbath day?” And they could not reply to this. When he noticed how the guests chose the places of honor, he told them a parable. “When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not sit down at the place of honor, in case someone more distinguished than you has been invited by your host; and the host who invited both of you may come and say to you, ‘Give this person your place,’ and then in disgrace you would start to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit down at the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher’; then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at the table with you. For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” He said also to the one who had invited him, “When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” ”

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One gets almost the feeling this dinner was a set up, what will Jesus do? They watch carefully but get only a lesson in humility as Jesus asks them questions. Jesus goes on to to tell how really to behave at a dinner, be humble, invite without any thought of what you might get back someday. Selfless behavior brings reward from God, humility brings about it’s own type of exaltation. We never hear that Jesus healed the man, perhaps that is a lesson in trying to force the hand of God, just as when people tried to force Jesus to judge the adulterous woman. Seek not the rewards of the earth but the rewards of Heaven.

Reading 2

THE LOVE OF SILENCE AND SOLITUDE

Set aside an opportune time for deep personal reflection and think often about God’s many benefits to you. Give up all light and frivolous matters, and read what inspires you to repentance of soul and not just what entertains the mind.

If you abstain from unnecessary conversation and useless visiting, as well as from listening to idle news and gossip, you will find sufficient and suitable times for your meditations. The great saints avoided the company of [people] as much as they could, because they wanted to live for God in silence.

Someone once said: “As often as I have been out among [people], I have returned less a [person].” We experience the very same thing when we talk over long. it is easier to be completely silent than to refrain from talking too much; it is easier to be at home than to always be on one’s guard in public.

If you aim as fervent spiritual life the you to must turn back from the crowds as Jesus did. The only [one] who can safely appear in public is the one who wishes [one was] at home. [One] alone can safely speak who prefers to be silent. Only [one] can safely govern who prefers to live in submission, and only [one] can safely command who prefers to obey.....

Though you may appear to be a model religious, or even a holy hermit, never look upon yourself as totally secure as long as you are in this world.

Those who are highly esteemed by others risk great danger by becoming over confident. Therefore, it is better for us not to be wholly free from temptation, but to be frequently assailed and, thus, we will not seek assurance in ourselves, nor become bloated with pride, nor too readily seek consolation from the world.

How undisturbed a conscience we would have if we never went searching after ephemeral joys nor concerned ourselves the affairs of the world! What great peace and tranquility would be ours if we severed ourselves from useless preoccupations, put our trust in God, and thought only of divine things and our salvation!

-Thomas Á Kempis, The Imitation of Christ

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For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. Luke 14:11 NRSV

September 11

Reading 1

Luke 14:15-24

“One of the dinner guests, on hearing this, said to [Jesus], “Blessed is anyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!” Then Jesus said to him, “Someone gave a great dinner and invited many. At the time for the dinner he sent his slave to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come; for everything is ready now.’ But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of land, and I must go out and see it; please accept my regrets.’ Another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out; please accept my regrets.’ Another said, ‘I have just been married, and therefore I cannot come.’ So the slave returned and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and said to his slave, ‘Go out at once into the streets and lanes of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.’ And the slave said, ‘Sir, what you ordered has been done, and there is still room.’ Then the master said to the slave, ‘Go out into the roads and lanes, and compel people to come in, so that my house may be filled. For I tell you, none of those who were invited will taste my dinner.’ ” ”

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Blessed is anyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God! This statement is very true but those eating are the last ones who would expect to find at that great feast. The respected guests refuse to come, always a good reason given, but the result is the same, they do not come. What is your reason for not coming to the table of God? Is there something more exciting going on, do you have a new toy to break in, a new person in your life? The trouble is there will never be an ideal time, so come now, bring your new spouse, put off the task at hand. At the end of life few people say ‘I wish I’d spent more time at work.’, and few people say, ‘I wished I’d spent less time with God.’

Reading 2

When we are faced, through the challenging words of Jesus, with the necessity of laying up for ourselves “treasures in heaven,” we are apt to think that this is a very difficult thing to do, involving years of painful self-discipline and “character training.” This is a false idea, for the essential thing in Christianity is making friends with Jesus Christ, and the true “treasures in heaven” are simply this friendship with God in Christ. Jesus calls [people] into this friendship. “Henceforth I call you not servants...but friends.” The “true riches” spoken of in this parable are nothing more than the friendship of God in Jesus Christ. The heavenly treasure does not lie in the moral character we form within our present personality through stern discipline of will and emotion or anything like that. Such “righteousness” will be shown up as “filthy rags” in the day of crisis. To lay up heavenly riches means to come now to Jesus Christ in personal trust and love. This friendship will abide forever.

Jesus, in passing, urges that if a [person] is wise. [one] will put even [one’s] material resources into this matter of the service of God. “make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness.” All reliable commentators are agreed that Jesus in these words is calling for a wise stewardship of money in His service. That money is usually an evil thing is freely admitted here by Jesus. He calls it the “mammon of unrighteousness.” It is the source of trouble and strife on the earth. It causes wars, murders, hatreds, family quarrels. It is a tainted evil thing, and yet it can be made the instrument for forming those relationships that will last into the world beyond. The unjust stewards makes friends with his lord’s money, using it to bind hi human hearts to himself. Filthy stolen money it was, but his action gives us a hint of what money can do in the service of God. Happy the [one] who leans that by the grace of God, not only [one’s] brains and [one’s] energy and [one’s] imagination can be thrown into the service of God for an everlasting purpose, but also [one’s] money.

-Ronald Wallace, Many Things in Parables

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This treasure is easy to lay up, in service to needy here and far (be it emotionally or physically needy people). It is a treasure which is not bought for money but with love, it is true money may be used lovingly and got in this way but we already know that those who do good deeds merely to be seen have their reward. It is God’s good pleasure to give us the “Kingdom”, oh Queer Christian be kind and loving, generous and caring, for this is the best way to make friends with Jesus, but at the very least use money to bring good to the suffering everywhere. I would like to leave you with the words of E. L. Philips, “Lord of life, help me to maintain the vital balance between material necessities and spiritual blessings that release us by faith to generosity in stewardship and trust in love. Amen.”

September 12

Reading 1

Luke 14:25-35

“Now large crowds were traveling with [Jesus]; and he turned and said to them, “Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it will begin to ridicule him, saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’ Or what king, going out to wage war against another king, will not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one who comes against him with twenty thousand? If he cannot, then, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for the terms of peace. So therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions. “Salt is good; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; they throw it away. Let anyone with ears to hear listen!” ”

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Today as in Jesus’ day there are many fair weather followers of Jesus. Jesus doesn’t want half hearted commitment, Jesus wants your life fully. If you are not prepared to give all for God, you cannot be a disciple of Christ. This seems harsh but in the end a life spent sitting on the picket fence is no easier. Giving up all to follow God does not mean losing all but simply means nothing is held closer than God, all is given over to God for the purpose of God.

Reading 2

This is my prayer-

That, though I may not see,

I be aware

Of the Silent God

Who Stands beside me.

That, though I may not feel,

I be aware

Of the Mighty Love

Which doggedly follows me.

That, though I may not repsond,

I be aware

That God,–my Silent, Mighty God,

Waits each day and through each night

For me,

For me–alone.

-Edwina Gateley, Silent God

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This lovely poem brings back to mind the story of the Prodigal Son, in which the Father appears to be actively looking for the son’s return as he spots his son when he is yet far off. God not only passively waits for us but seeks us out actively like a good shepherd. ‘For the Lord God says: Now I myself shall take thought for my sheep and search for them. As a shepherd goes in search of his sheep when his flock is scattered from him in every direction, so I shall go in search of my sheep and rescue them, no matter where they were scattered in a day of cloud and darkness. Ezekiel 34:11-12

September 13

Reading 1

Luke 15:1-10

“Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to [Jesus]. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.” So he told them this parable: “Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. “Or what woman having ten silver coins, if she loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” ”

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Grace pure and simple. Jesus runs out after the wandering lamb and when it is found scoops it up in His arms, placing it on His shoulders lovingly carrying it home. The lamb did nothing but wander, but the Lord sought it, and the Lord rejoices over this one who has been brought back. A coin lost and found bringing rejoicing, to the owner and her neighbours. Whether you are one of many and you’ve wandered off or maybe you are one of a few and been lost in the shuffle of life, either way Jesus is seeking you. Jesus longs to have you in His arms, to hold you up for all to see as the woman did with joy to her coin. Angels rejoice over those who are brought back to God, let those who never remember a time of being lost, or wondering off not resent the found but rejoice with God and all of heaven, and remember, even though they were lost, they too were always still God’s own.

Reading 2

Only when we have come in touch with our own life experiences and have learned to listen to our inner cravings for liberation and new life can we realize that Jesus did not speak, but that he reached out to us in our most personal needs. The Gospel doesn’t just contain ideas worth remembering. It is a message responding to our individual human condition. The Church is not an institution forcing us to follow its rules. It is a community of people inviting us to still our hunger and thirst at it’s tables. Doctrines are not alien formulations which we must adhere to but the documentation of the most profound human experiences which, transcending time and place, are handed over from generation to generation as a light in our darkness.

-Henri J. M. Nouwen, Reaching Out

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Now this Lord is the Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And all of us, with our unveiled faces like mirrors reflecting the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the image that we reflect in brighter and brighter glory; this is the working of the Lord who is the Spirit.

Such by God’s mercy is our ministry, and therefore we do not waver but have renounced all shameful secrecy. It is not our way to be devious, or to falsify the word of God; instead, in God’s sight we commend ourselves to every human being with a conscience by showing the truth openly. 2Co 3:17-4:2, NJB Queer Christians can realize in this dark world that where the Spirit of God is there is freedom. This speaks to us deeply and is especially good news to those who have been in a bondage to legalistic rules. God’s desires through the Church is to calm and nourish us spiritually. As the above passage shows this freedom can help us to renounce the oppressive slavery of the closet, it is not a shameful secret we are queer, but something to show openly and truthfully in the sight of God. Look into the mirror boldly and see the child God created and loves.

September 14

Reading 1

Luke 15:11-32

“Then Jesus said, “There was a man who had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the property that will belong to me.’ So he divided his property between them. A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and traveled to a distant country, and there he squandered his property in dissolute living. When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs. He would gladly have filled himself with the pods that the pigs were eating; and no one gave him anything. But when he came to himself he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger! I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands.”’ So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him. Then the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly, bring out a robe--the best one--and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!’ And they began to celebrate. “Now his elder son was in the field; and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. He called one of the slaves and asked what was going on. He replied, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has got him back safe and sound.’ Then he became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and began to plead with him. But he answered his father, ‘Listen! For all these years I have been working like a slave for you, and I have never disobeyed your command; yet you have never given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for him!’ Then the father said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.’ ” ”

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See what love is shown to the children, even the child who wandered off and lost everything, he is still embraced by his Father, given the best robe and his return is celebrated. The older son’s resentment is not ignored and their father explains his actions, and why he should join in the celebration over his younger brother. This of course is a parable where God is the father. We must rejoice over the return of children and never look on it as less love for ourselves, never begrudge the grace poured out on the returning child. Let us never slander our siblings but embrace them and rejoice, even as God does.

Reading 2

Simplicity means that we live close enough to the limits of our resources so that we can rely on God’s providence and appreciate the beauty of life. Simplicity fosters spontaneity, truthfulness, and clear speech. Simplicity also is required of anyone who seeks justice, peace, and equitable stewardship of resources. Simplicity is not a simple way to live. It requires serious reflection to sort out what is necessary and what is luxury. With all the pressures to by this and have that, it is difficult to be satisfied just having enough to be generous and caring. It is not simple to speak plainly and truthfully. We are tempted to equivocate, massage the truth, and manipulate our speech. Only conscious and consistent meditation, prayer and examination can help us live the simplicity of Jesus.

-Audrey Gibson & Kieran Kneaves, Praying with Louise de Marillac

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Stay away from the love of money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never forsake you.” That is why we can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper, so I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” (Heb. 13:5-6 NLT) We can all so easily be consumed with what we have or what position we have, but we must learn to be truthful and not live for material things. Let us follow Christ and live simply, that others may simply live.

September 15

Reading 1

Luke 16:1-15

“Then Jesus said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was squandering his property. So he summoned him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Give me an accounting of your management, because you cannot be my manager any longer.’ Then the manager said to himself, ‘What will I do, now that my master is taking the position away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. I have decided what to do so that, when I am dismissed as manager, people may welcome me into their homes.’ So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ He answered, ‘A hundred jugs of olive oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it fifty.’ Then he asked another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He replied, ‘A hundred containers of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill and make it eighty.’ And his master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the children of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light. And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth so that when it is gone, they may welcome you into the eternal homes. “Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much. If then you have not been faithful with the dishonest wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to another, who will give you what is your own? No slave can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all this, and they ridiculed him. So he said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of others; but God knows your hearts; for what is prized by human beings is an abomination in the sight of God.”

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“You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of others; but God knows your hearts; for what is prized by human beings is an abomination in the sight of God.” Let us take this line to heart. Let God alone be your justifier, for God knows us fully, and our self righteousness is putrid in God’s sight. People know how to use their wealth to make friends on earth, how to use it to keep themselves in comfort. So we as Christians must be as wise in making friends of God, wealth and the resources of this life are passing, so whatever we possess let us use it to make friends for eternity. Let us decide who our master will be, our possessions (or desire for them) or God alone.

Reading 2

Do as perfectly as you can the tasks of your everyday life, even the most trivial. It is quite simple. Follow our Lord [Jesus] like a little child. I skip after him as best I can, I put my trust in him and abandon all care.

-Titus Brandsma, Carmelite

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Todays passage is short but profound and points to two points from Jesus’ teaching, we much be like children to enter, and be trustworthy in small things (otherwise you will never be trustworthy in large things).

September 16

Reading 1

Luke 16:16-18

“ “The law and the prophets were in effect until John came; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is proclaimed, and everyone tries to enter it by force. But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away, than for one stroke of a letter in the law to be dropped. “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and whoever marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.”

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The law was never designed for anything other than showing us how far from the ideal we were, and no reasoning around was able to nullify one dot or dash. Probably one of the most common things in Jesus days as our own was divorce- it was easy for a man, and in an age where parents usually choose your first wife it isn’t hard to see how situations might be less than ideal. But this left the woman in Jewish culture with no rights. There was no alimony in Christ’s day, and divorcing a woman was near the same as kicking her on to the streets. The good news in this passage is the word until the law has been fulfilled in Christ, and all those who rest in Christ have fulfilled the law. Let us love in faith and truth, then we will fulfill the law of Christ. Where the kingdom breaks in the law has ceased to exist, are you in the kingdom or under the burden of the law?

Reading 2

Once sex is no longer confined to procreative genital acts and masculinity and femininity are exposed as social ideologies, then it is no longer possible to argue that sex/love between two persons of the same sex cannot be a valid embrace of bodily selves expressing love. If sex/love is centered primarily on communion between two persons rather than on biological concepts of procreative complementarity, then the love of two persons of the same sex need be no less than that of two persons of the opposite sex. Nor need their experience of ecstatic bodily communion be less valuable.

- Rosemary Radford Ruether, Professor of Historical Theology.

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Love with integrity the one you choose. ‘Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace to you all who are in Christ.’ 1 Peter 5:14, NJB

September 17

Reading 1

Luke 16:19-31

“ “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man’s table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores. The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side. He called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these flames.’ But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony. Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.’ He said, ‘Then, father, I beg you to send him to my father’s house-- for I have five brothers--that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment.’ Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.’ He said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’ ” ”

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There are people in need all around us, the sad thing is the world of nature has more pity than we do. This man living in luxury, had no compassion on Lazarus at his gate. The rich man wants pity or at least warning for his family, but none will be given because people like these are deaf to the voice of God no matter where it comes from. We too are rich, we see the poor siting across our borders, making their way to our gates hoping to find mercy, but instead all that is found is apathy or worse yet scorn. As Christians do you promote immigration from poor countries and aid to poorer countries? Do you activly support aid to the less fortunate in your own country? Or are you another rich person who will be burning in agony, looking on those in paradise you cared nothing about?

Reading 2

TO FIND THE CREATOR, FORSAKE ALL CREATURES

Lord if I am to arrive at that point in the spiritual life where neither [hu]man nor creature is to be an obstacle in my way, then need I a still greater grace. As long as there is anything that holds me down I cannot freely fly to You.

He wished to fly who said: “Who will give me the wings of a dove? I would fly and be at rest.” What [person] enjoys greater rest than the one whose sight is always directed on God? Who has greater freedom than the [person] who desires nothing on earth?

When a [person’s] mind is totally taken up with God [one] rises above creatures, completely forgets [one]self, and acknowledges that among creatures there is no equal to You, [our] Creator.

Unless a [person] is set loose from all creatures he cannot freely turn [one]self to divine things, and the reason why there are so few who devote themselves to the contemplative life is because only a few know how to separate themselves completely from creatures and transitory things.

Much grace is needed to lift up the soul and carry it far above itself. Unless a [person] be raised in spirit, liberated from creatures, and totally united to God, then all that [one] knows and possesses profits nothing.

[One] who Esteems anything to be great, other than the one who is eternally and immeasurably good, will always remain but a paltry individual tied down to this earth of ours. Whatever is not God is nothing and ought to be recognized as nothing....

Many individuals desire to be contemplative but they are unwilling to take the necessary steps to attain it. Their greatest obstacle is that they remain on the level of sign and sensible reality and give little attention to self-mortification.

I do not know by what spirit we, who claim to be spiritual [people], are being lead or what our goals are, when we exert so much effort and expend so much time on transitory and useless things and rarely give any thought to recollection and the interior life....

Since our inner inclinations are severely corrupted, it follows that every act flowing from them is also corrupt inasmuch as it comes from a weak and defective source. But from a pure heart there flows the fruit of a good life.

We inquire about how much a [person] might have accomplished in life but never seek the motives that lead [one] to act. We ask whether [one] is strong, rich, handsome, competent, or whether [one] is a good writer, a pleasing singer, or an energetic worker, but we refrain from asking whether [one] is poor in spirit, meek, patient, or how devout [one] is.

Nature looks on a [person’s] outward appearance but grace views [one’s] inward reality; nature is, thus, frequently misguided but grace, since it trusts God, is never deceived.

-Thomas Á Kempis, The Imitation of Christ

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[Jesus] said to them, ‘You are the people who impress others with your righteousness; but God sees through you; for what is considered admirable in human eyes is detestable in the sight of God. Luke 16:15 REB

September 18

Reading 1

Luke 17:1-10

“Jesus said to his disciples, “Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to anyone by whom they come! It would be better for you if a millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea than for you to cause one of these little ones to stumble. Be on your guard! If another disciple sins, you must rebuke the offender, and if there is repentance, you must forgive. And if the same person sins against you seven times a day, and turns back to you seven times and says, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive.” The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” The Lord replied, “If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you. “Who among you would say to your slave who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, ‘Come here at once and take your place at the table’? Would you not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, put on your apron and serve me while I eat and drink; later you may eat and drink’? Do you thank the slave for doing what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, ‘We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!’ ” ”

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Be not proud of doing good but thank God that you were able to do good. Forgiveness truly can come out only of our faith as the disciples seem to indicate in their request, but Jesus’ point to me seems to say, ‘You have enough faith, if your faith to forgive, if you have faith even the size of a seed you would be doing the impossible’. So forgive all people, forgive them now and as often as they sin against you, and in the end be not proud you forgave, for you have done only what our Master has required.

Reading 2

Teach us, Lord,

to serve you as you deserve,

to give and not to count the cost,

to fight and not to heed the wounds,

to toil and not to seek for rest,

to labour and not to ask for any reward

save that of knowing that we do your will.

Amen.

-Ignatius of Loyola

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This moving prayer is a wonderful example of the selflessness service that has often characterized the Society of Jesus, which he founded. It also reminds me of Jesus great example so beautifully laid out by St. Paul, proceeded by an admonition to be selfless, “If then our common life in Christ yields anything to stir the heart, any consolation of love, any participation in the Spirit, any warmth of affection or compassion, fill up my cup of happiness by thinking and feeling alike, with the same love for one another and a common attitude of mind. Leave no room for selfish ambition and vanity, but humbly reckon others better than yourselves. Look to each other’s interests and not merely to your own. Take to heart among yourselves what you find in Christ Jesus: ‘He was in the form of God; yet he laid no claim to equality with God, but made himself nothing, assuming the form of a slave. Bearing the human likeness, sharing the human lot, he humbled himself, and was obedient, even to the point of death, death on a cross! Therefore God raised him to the heights and bestowed on him the name above all names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow — in heaven, on earth, and in the depths — and every tongue acclaim, “Jesus Christ is Lord,” to the glory of God the Father.’ ” (Philip. 2:1-11, REB)

September 19

Reading 1

Luke 17:11-19

“On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, they called out, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” When he saw them, he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were made clean. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. He prostrated himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus asked, “Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.” ”

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Praise from an unexpected source. Jesus cleansed the ten lepers, but only this ‘Samaritan’ (an unclean, uncouth, and despised by ‘good Jews’) returned to offer God praise. Faith had made this one ‘whole’ (as the KJV renders it), the others had their bodies restored to health, this one had his whole being made right. Have you been made whole or simply made clean? You, oh Queer Christian, are cleansed like all other Christians in the blood of the lamb, but are you returning to God in faith and thanking God showing that you are actually now whole?

Reading 2

Set your mind on the higher gifts. And now I am going to put before you the best way of all.

Though I command languages both human and angelic — if I speak without love, I am no more than a gong booming or a cymbal clashing. And though I have the power of prophecy, to penetrate all mysteries and knowledge, and though I have all the faith necessary to move mountains — if I am without love, I am nothing. Though I should give away to the poor all that I possess, and even give up my body to be burned — if I am without love, it will do me no good whatever.

Love is always patient and kind; love is never jealous; love is not boastful or conceited, it is never rude and never seeks its own advantage, it does not take offence or store up grievances. Love does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but finds its joy in the truth. It is always ready to make allowances, to trust, to hope and to endure whatever comes.

Love never comes to an end. But if there are prophecies, they will be done away with; if tongues, they will fall silent; and if knowledge, it will be done away with. For we know only imperfectly, and we prophesy imperfectly; but once perfection comes, all imperfect things will be done away with. When I was a child, I used to talk like a child, and see things as a child does, and think like a child; but now that I have become an adult, I have finished with all childish ways. Now we see only reflections in a mirror, mere riddles, but then we shall be seeing face to face. Now I can know only imperfectly; but then I shall know just as fully as I am myself known.

As it is, these remain: faith, hope and love, the three of them; and the greatest of them is love.

Make love your aim;

- 1 Corinthians 12:31-14:1, NJB

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Paul’s hymn of love is most beautiful, and points to our need to make love the aim of our life. Most all things come to an end, but love never ends. Love is the best of all, let us contemplate this great song of love, so we can be more loving with through the One who lives in us, the Author of Love.

September 20

Reading 1

Luke 17:20-37

“Once Jesus was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was coming, and he answered, “The kingdom of God is not coming with things that can be observed; nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There it is!’ For, in fact, the kingdom of God is among you.” Then he said to the disciples, “The days are coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. They will say to you, ‘Look there!’ or ‘Look here!’ Do not go, do not set off in pursuit. For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day. But first he must endure much suffering and be rejected by this generation. Just as it was in the days of Noah, so too it will be in the days of the Son of Man. They were eating and drinking, and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed all of them. Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot: they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, but on the day that Lot left Sodom, it rained fire and sulfur from heaven and destroyed all of them --it will be like that on the day that the Son of Man is revealed. On that day, anyone on the housetop who has belongings in the house must not come down to take them away; and likewise anyone in the field must not turn back. Remember Lot’s wife. Those who try to make their life secure will lose it, but those who lose their life will keep it. I tell you, on that night there will be two in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. There will be two women grinding meal together; one will be taken and the other left.” Then they asked him, “Where, Lord?” He said to them, “Where the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.” ”

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There are no outward signs of the kingdom, the kingdom is where Christians are, it is the peace and the love we share. The return of Christ will be evident to all and will come no matter what you are doing or who you are with, Jesus will come in His own time. The signs of that day are not the signs you expect. Not miracles, but the persecution of the body of the Lord, like vultures would prey on a dead body. Queer Christian worry not about the vultures who fly around you, know you are in the body of Christ, and will be raised on that Day. Remember Lot’s wife and look back not on the times before Jesus, Christ will be there to take you to Himself all in good time.

Reading 2

From Unceasing Thinking to Unceasing Prayer

Our minds are always active. We analyze, reflect, day-dream, or dream. There is not a moment during the day or night when we are not thinking. You might say our thinking is “unceasing.” Sometimes we wish that we could stop thinking for a while; that would save us from many worries, guilt feelings, and fears. Our ability to think is our greatest gift, but it is also the source of our greatest pain. Do we have to become victims of our unceasing thoughts? No, we can convert our unceasing thinking into unceasing prayer by making our inner monologue into a continuing dialogue with God, who is the source of all love.

Let’s break out of our isolation and realize that someone who dwells in the center of our beings wants to listen with love to all that occupies our minds.

-Henri Nouwen, Bread for the Journey

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Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Quench not the Spirit. -1Th 5:16-19 KJV

September 21

Reading 1

Luke 18:1-8

“Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Grant me justice against my opponent.’ For a while he refused; but later he said to himself, ‘Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.’” And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” ”

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Queer Christian do not give up the hope of full inclusion, and justice throughout the body of Christ. Be persistent in your prayer, God longs to answer our prayer. Give up not quickly but in your desperation cry out day and night and remember the admonishing question: ‘When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?’ So do not give up, but keep faith, Jesus loves you fully.

Reading 2

If love is the Soul of Christian Existence, it must be the heart of every other Christian virtue. Thus for example, justice without love is legalism; faith without love is ideology; hope without love is self-centeredness; forgiveness without love is self abasement; fortitude without love is recklessness; generosity without love is extravagance; care without love is mere duty; fidelity without love is servitude. Every Virtue is an expression of love, No virtue is really a virtue unless it is permeated, or informed, by love [see 1 Cor 13].

-Richard P. McBrien, Catholicism, p 977

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Unless love is our aim, all will be vanity.

September 22

Reading 1

Luke 18:9-14

“[Jesus] also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.” ”

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Going to Church and doing all the right things is no entry ticket to heaven. Justification is more about right thinking of oneself than about right actions. We all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory, but how are we to be right in God’s sight if we feel superior to others. They too are children of God fallen like you, humble yourself, then God may exalt you to the glory of Heaven.

Reading 2

In order to practice the virtues it is not necessary to be attentive to all of them all the time. In fact, this tends to turn one’s thoughts and affections back on oneself so that they become entangled. Humility and charity are the dominant chords; all other virtues are overtones of these. It’s only necessary that these two be carefully observed:one very lowly, the other very lofty. The preservation of an entire structure depends on the foundation and the roof. If you continue the exercise of these two with conviction, when you come up against the others, they won’t give you any difficulty. These are the mother of the virtue’s; the others follow them as little chicks follow mother hens. (Françios de Sales)

-Wendy Wright, Bond of Perfection

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Reflecting on all the words and actions of Jesus we see this quote is really quite evident from them, for the vast majority of it shows humility being exalted (or self-righteousness being condemned), and always a sense of God’s love and our duty to love God and neighbour fully. If we truly want to be virtuous let us not become entangled with self and form a self-righteousness but let us loving be as servants whose actions are natural from our love of our Master and God’s people, and our humility knowing we must do what God calls us to do. Letting humility and love be our Mothers, we will learn all that is necessary at their feet.

September 23

Reading 1

Luke 18:15-17

“People were bringing even infants to [Jesus] that he might touch them; and when the disciples saw it, they sternly ordered them not to do it. But Jesus called for them and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.” ”

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The love, trust, carefree attitude and unconditional acceptance of a child. These things are what Jesus wants in those who would follow Him. Are you willing to regain those qualities to enter God’s Kingdom? People may laugh and scorn you but in the end it is God’s opinion that really matters.

Reading 2

Remember the famous lines of Henry Thoreau? It was a quotation frequently heard during the late 1960’s: “If a [person] does not keep pace with [one’s] companions, perhaps it is because [one] hears a different drummer. Let [one] step to the music which [one] hears, however measured or far away.”... I would like to share with you an old Japanese story called “The Silk Drum.”

Once upon a time, long ago in ancient Japan, there lived a mighty lord who realized that his death was very near. He urged his only daughter, the Lady Yumiyo, that she should marry.... “Am I, your father, to die without seeing you married and without seeing my grandchildren?”

His daughter replied, “No, father, for I shall fashion a drum of silk which will be stretched over a bamboo frame. The man who hears the note when my fingers strike the drum, that man will I marry.”

“What foolishness!” said the old man. “A silk drum does not make any sound. Poor me, I shall die without seeing my grandchildren.”...

“My Lord,” said the young man, “I have come to marry your daughter.”

“She is only for the man who hears her silk drum. Do not tell me that you have heard it’s sound in your far-off kingdom, across the mountains and the seas?”

The young man answered, “You are correct, my Lord, no sound of the drum has reached me.”

“Then, stranger,” said the father, “be on your way, like all the others before you. Why do you even linger here?”

“Because, my Lord,” said the young stranger, “I hear it’s silence.”

And the Lady Yumiyo smiled and put away her silken drum, for she had no further use for it.....

Those who hear the silk drum of heaven do indeed, as Henry Thoreau said, keep a different pace than their companions. But you and I, like frustrated suitors in the old Japanese story, are so eager to love God and strain our ears to hear a divine voice. And when we fail to hear anything, when we fail to see anything, we express our religious dilemma and are told, “You must have faith. You must learn to believe in that which you cannot see, touch or hear.” Such pious sounding advise only sets our feet to an arid pathway. For how can we ever learn to love with such a totality of energy – with all our heart, all our soul and all our strength – unless we do hear, see and feel? Can we, like the young stranger in the old Japanese story, hear the “silence” of that sacred silk drum? Can we hear the voice of God in it’s very silence? Can we feel the intimate touch of the Divine Lover in the presence of every touch?

If we desire to love with such a totality and to express that love by living in prayerful unity with the Divine Mystery, then two things will be necessary. First, we will keep in mind that the God we believe in is the God we will experience. ... [I]f we believe that God does indeed play upon a silken drum, plays upon it with a lover’s fingers, then the strongest proof for the existence of God will be the absence of God! And then, in that “silent, silken void,” our daily lives will be filled – no, rather crowded and overflowing –With experiences of God.

If we desire to become persons who love with such an intensity, with whole hearts and minds, the second point we need to keep in mind is that we will never hear the silence of the Sacred Silk Drum unless we learn to sit still. We must learn how to sit peacefully in order to quiet the inner noise as well as the external racket of our lives. Those persons whose lives are full of constant noise, who are unable to listen and find it necessary to be constantly talking, these can never be lovers of one another or of [God]. If we wish to learn how to pray all ways and always, then we must learn the art of listening. Listening – not simply patiently pausing until the other person is finished speaking so that we can speak – is truly bearing with a heart that is quiet and is at peace.

-Edward Hays, Pray All Ways

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Know God:

We have recognised for ourselves, and put our faith in, the love God has for us. God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him. 1 John 4:16, NJB

Expereience God:

‘Be still and acknowledge that I am God, supreme over nations, supreme over the world.’~ Come, let us bow low and do reverence; kneel before Yahweh who made us! For he is our God, and we the people of his sheepfold, the flock of his hand. If only you would listen to him today! Psalm 46:10 ~ 95:6-7, NJB

September 24

Reading 1

Luke 18:18-30

“A certain ruler asked [Jesus], “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; Honor your father and mother.’” He replied, “I have kept all these since my youth.” When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “There is still one thing lacking. Sell all that you own and distribute the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” But when he heard this, he became sad; for he was very rich. Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” Those who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?” He replied, “What is impossible for mortals is possible for God.” Then Peter said, “Look, we have left our homes and followed you.” And he said to them, “Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not get back very much more in this age, and in the age to come eternal life.” ”

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The disciples were still expecting the cushy life, that the kingdom would break in and that they would be flooded with riches, and Jesus bursts their bubble by announcing that it is hard for rich to enter heaven, possible with God but hard as fitting a big old animal into a pin hole. The riches of the Christian life are rarely here on earth, but God knows all our sacrifices and rewards fully in the life to come. We may have well given up a lot but what we have gained is more than we could ever dream.

Reading 2

O Lord, whatever share of this world

You could give me,

Give it to your enemies:

Whatever share of the next world

You want to give to me–

Give it to your friends.

You are enough for me.

O God, my whole concern and desire in this world,

Is that I should always remember you

Above all things of this world,

And that in the next

I should met with you alone.

That is why I always pray: “Your will be done.”

O my Lord,

if I worship you

from fear of hell, burn me in hell.

If I worship you

from hope of Paradise, bar me from it's gates.

But if I worship you

for yourself alone, grant me the beauty of your Face.

-Rabi‘a

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The thief may have said, ‘Jesus remember me in your kingdom’, but let us always remember Jesus, here and now as God’s Kingdom continues to break into this world.

In God alone there is rest for my soul, from him comes my safety;he alone is my rock, my safety, my stronghold so that I stand unshaken. Psalm 62:1-2, NJB

September 25

Reading 1

Luke 18:31-43

“Then [Jesus] took the twelve aside and said to them, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. For he will be handed over to the Gentiles; and he will be mocked and insulted and spat upon. After they have flogged him, they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise again.” But they understood nothing about all these things; in fact, what he said was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said. As he approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard a crowd going by, he asked what was happening. They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” Then he shouted, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Those who were in front sternly ordered him to be quiet; but he shouted even more loudly, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” Jesus stood still and ordered the man to be brought to him; and when he came near, he asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” He said, “Lord, let me see again.” Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has saved you.” Immediately he regained his sight and followed him, glorifying God; and all the people, when they saw it, praised God.”

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The followers of Jesus were blind to the words He spoke but the blind man had courage and vision while still blind crying out, even against the crowds for Jesus’ mercy. We too much be like that blind beggar and have faith in what we can not see that we will be healed and made whole. When the crowds tell us we are unworthy or fooling ourselves we must like this man cry out even louder, Jesus will not turn His back on those cries. Our Lord will come to us and our faith will have made us whole. Praise be to God.

Reading 2

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult. Selah There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. God is in the midst of the city; it shall not be moved; God will help it when the morning dawns. The nations are in an uproar, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts. The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah Come, behold the works of the LORD; see what desolations he has brought on the earth. He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire. “Be still, and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth.” The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah”

-Psalm 46, NRSV.

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This psalm contains two of the best loved quotes in the the psalter, ‘God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.’ and ‘Be still, and know that I am God!’. In the midst of the turmoil and change and unrest described in the psalms central section we realize that life does not end in utter despair and God will say, “Be sill” But it is because of the fact that we start out knowing that God is our refuge, strength and help. We know God is in ultimate control so we trust not in our own strength or the strenthg of animals but in the strength of God alone. “A large army will not keep a king safe, nor his strength save a warrior’s life; it is delusion to rely on a horse for safety, for all its power it cannot save. But see how Yahweh watches over those who fear him, those who rely on his faithful love, to rescue them from death and keep them alive in famine.” Psa 33:16-19, NJB

September 26

Reading 1

Luke 19:1-10

“[Jesus] entered Jericho and was passing through it. A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich. He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way. When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.” So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him. All who saw it began to grumble and said, “He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.” Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.” Then Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.” ”

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Even our most outlandish attempts to get to know God can and will be rewarded. Zacchaeus hanging in a tree, was blessed with Jesus’ presence despite the crowds disapproval, but change had come over Zacchaeus and he had entered the kingdom, salvation had come and joy was in heaven, for Jesus had come for just this seeking the lost and saving them.

Reading 2

From childhood, it has been instilled in us that we need certain people and certain things to make us happy. We are told repeatedly that we need money, home, companionship, family, vacations, automobiles, television sets, and all the paraphernalia considered essential to modern living. The spiritual life reveals clearly that God's grace is our sufficiency in all things. We do not need anything in this world except [God's] grace.

-Joel Goldsmith, Practising the Presence

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Stop listening to the world and listen to the Psalmist: “Rest in God alone, my soul! [God] is the source of my hope.” Ps. 62:5 NJB

September 27

Reading 1

Luke 19:11-27

“As they were listening to this, [Jesus] went on to tell a parable, because he was near Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately. So he said, “A nobleman went to a distant country to get royal power for himself and then return. He summoned ten of his slaves, and gave them ten pounds, and said to them, ‘Do business with these until I come back.’ But the citizens of his country hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man to rule over us.’ When he returned, having received royal power, he ordered these slaves, to whom he had given the money, to be summoned so that he might find out what they had gained by trading. The first came forward and said, ‘Lord, your pound has made ten more pounds.’ He said to him, ‘Well done, good slave! Because you have been trustworthy in a very small thing, take charge of ten cities.’ Then the second came, saying, ‘Lord, your pound has made five pounds.’ He said to him, ‘And you, rule over five cities.’ Then the other came, saying, ‘Lord, here is your pound. I wrapped it up in a piece of cloth, for I was afraid of you, because you are a harsh man; you take what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.’ He said to him, ‘I will judge you by your own words, you wicked slave! You knew, did you, that I was a harsh man, taking what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow? Why then did you not put my money into the bank? Then when I returned, I could have collected it with interest.’ He said to the bystanders, ‘Take the pound from him and give it to the one who has ten pounds.’ (And they said to him, ‘Lord, he has ten pounds!’) ‘I tell you, to all those who have, more will be given; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. But as for these enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them--bring them here and slaughter them in my presence.’ ” ”

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To oppose God is not only fool hardy but dangerous, but almost as dangerous is taking the gift entrusted us, and doing nothing with it. Life is a gift but if you have buried in the sand afraid it will be lost, afraid of living, you have betrayed the promise of Jesus that He brings the full and abundant life to those who live in Him. There are no sidelines you’re either the Lord’s worker or God’s enemy. Anything else and you are just fooling yourself into believing nothing is better than nothing. The nothing Jesus condemns is doing nothing with what you have been given.

Reading 2

When Jesus talks about the presence of the kingdom of God, he uses ordinary secular stories or parables. We think of them now, unfortunately, as religious stories. But originally they were not, He takes an ordinary, nonreligious situation: a woman loses a [coin]; a man gets mugged on a highway; a business man hires workers at union wages; a young man wants to leave home and strike out for himself; [a woman seeks justice from an unjust judge]...... [Jesus] uses stories that have nothing to do with religion and says the kingdom of God is like that.

Even when Jesus talks about angels and demons, images so far removed from our day and age, he is being thoroughly secular; for secular, of course, means to be part and parcel of your own age and time. So Jesus used thought forms and common beliefs of his age because he was part and parcel of his age, not apart from it. Presumably today Jesus would use our scientific vocabulary and speak of hormones and psychoses and the father-image. Even when Paul uses words like redemption, he is using a secular image taken directly from the slave market. But we have so spiritualized it, it has completely lost the secular taste, and flavor it had at first....

“That by encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope.”[Rom 15:4] I don’t know about you, but I cling to the hope that the Scriptures give me in days like these. Not only because of the fact that God is and that [God] loves this desperate world, but because of the way those Scriptures were written and have come to us. It’s the story of living, sweating, rejoicing, struggling, dying men and women just like you, just like me. And your story. Rejoice in it. give thanks and sing. For the hope is not fanciful or ephemeral; it is rooted in a God who enters into the dirt and just and joys of life precisely where you are now. Just like a child in the dust and dirt and joy of a stable.

-Edmund Steimle, From Death to Birth

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The realness of the people in scripture is most comforting, people fought, failed did wrong but still were children of God. We do not have people recorded with their defects removed from their personality or life, but real people warts and all. God is with you now no matter where you might be or go, if your travels take you to a bar or a bath house God is with you. Rejoice in the fact you cannot be seperated from God and God understands your life fully. The scriptures written long ago were all written for our instruction, in order that through the encouragement they give us we may maintain our hope with perseverance. And may God, the source of all perseverance and all encouragement, grant that you may agree with one another after the manner of Christ Jesus, and so with one mind and one voice may praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In a word, accept one another as Christ accepted us, to the glory of God. -Romans 15:4-7, REB

September 28

Reading 1

Luke 19:28-40

“After [Jesus] had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. When he had come near Bethphage and Bethany, at the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of the disciples, saying, “Go into the village ahead of you, and as you enter it you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ just say this, ‘The Lord needs it.’” So those who were sent departed and found it as he had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?” They said, “The Lord needs it.” Then they brought it to Jesus; and after throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. As he rode along, people kept spreading their cloaks on the road. As he was now approaching the path down from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had seen, saying, “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!” Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, order your disciples to stop.” He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out.” ”

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God’s praise will never be silenced, were all of humanity to hold it’s tounge the Earth would still give forth praise to God’s glory. Stones are just as capable as you in offering praise to our common creator. Next time someone tells you to not pray or glorify God ask yourself why should the rocks and nature be the only things to offer praise to our Lord?

Reading 2

[One] who attempts to act and do things for others or for the world without deepening [one’s] own self-understanding, freedom and capacity to love, will not have anything to give others. [That one] will communicate to them nothing but the contagion of [that one’s] own obsessions, [that one’s] aggressiveness, [that one’s] ego-centered ambitions, [that one’s] delusions about ends and means, [that one’s] doctrinaire prejudices and ideas... We have more power at our disposal today than we have ever had, and yet we are more alienated and estranged from the inner ground of meaning and of love than we have ever been. The result of this is evident. We are living through the greatest crisis in the history of [humanity]; and this crisis is precisely in the country that had made a fetish out of action and has lost (or perhaps never had) the sense of contemplation. Far from being irrelevant, prayer, meditation and contemplation are of the utmost importance in America today.

-Thomas Merton, Contemplation in a World of Action

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If we do not take time to pray we will not ever know what it is God wants of us or have the strength to do it, Jesus prayed, so who are we to think we don’t need prayer. Even Jesus admonished Martha from trying to take her sister Mary away form her time of contemplation at His feet. [Jesus] told them a parable to show that they should keep on praying and never lose heart: Then will not God give justice to his chosen, to whom he listens patiently while they cry out to him day and night? I tell you, he will give them justice soon enough. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?’ Luk 18:1, 7-8, REB Prayer and faith are linked deeply, for if we want to deepen our faith, we must pray. And so we take the advice of the blessed apostle, “Persevere in prayer, with minds alert and with thankful hearts” Col. 4:2, REB

September 29

Reading 1

Luke 19:41-44

“As [Jesus] came near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, “If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. Indeed, the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up ramparts around you and surround you, and hem you in on every side. They will crush you to the ground, you and your children within you, and they will not leave within you one stone upon another; because you did not recognize the time of your visitation from God.” ”

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God will come to you this day. A long time ago a sage was told this in a dream, but during his busy preparations for God’s visit, a beggar stopped asking for alms. But the sage had no time for him but told him, ‘Come back another day, for today is not a good time, I have far too much to do.’ And so the preparations were made, and the sage sat down and rested falling asleep. God came and rebuke him say, ‘Why did you not receive me this day?’ and the sage replied, ‘I never saw you, nor did I hear you, when did you come?’ To which God stated, ‘I came in guise of a beggar but you told me to come another time.’ God’s visitation is not always as clear as Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, but would we have been any better? Jesus was Son of God but was a human, and probably nothing to inspire faith by appearance. Have you turned God away today? Have you failed to recognize the day of your visitation? Treat all people as you would Jesus, and then you will do well, as the writer of Hebrews said, angels are hosted unknown all the time.

Reading 2

The point is not esoteric but of immediate practical consequence: whatever else may be affirmed about a spirituality which has biblical precedent and style, spiritual maturity or spiritual fulfillment necessarily involves the whole person–body, mind, soul, place, relationships–in connection with the whole of creation throughout the era of time. Biblical spirituality encompasses the whole person in the totality of existence in this world, not some fragment or scrap or incident of a person. This book has no other aim than to commend, thus, the efficacy of the Incarnation.

-William Stringfellow, The Politics of Spirituality

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God’s salvation is not just to our spirit, but of the whole person, the Hebrew idea of Soul, is the combination of a body and a spirit equals a soul. Our souls, our whole beings, are saved, sanctified and renewed. We are a new creation in Christ. One of the greatest things of the incarnation is the fact that Christ took on our own corruptible nature so that He might grant us the ability to overcome our nature. That no longer would flesh be estranged from God, but flesh would be holy because God would be dwelling in it. Formerly you yourselves were alienated from God, his enemies in heart and mind, as your evil deeds showed. But now by Christ’s death in his body of flesh and blood God has reconciled you to himself, so that he may bring you into his own presence, holy and without blame or blemish. Yet you must persevere in faith, firm on your foundations and never to be dislodged from the hope offered in the gospel you accepted. This is the gospel which has been proclaimed in the whole creation under heaven, the gospel of which I, Paul, became a minister. -Col. 1:21-23

September 30

Reading 1

Luke 19:45-48

“Then [Jesus] entered the temple and began to drive out those who were selling things there; and he said, “It is written, ‘My house shall be a house of prayer’; but you have made it a den of robbers.” Every day he was teaching in the temple. The chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people kept looking for a way to kill him; but they did not find anything they could do, for all the people were spellbound by what they heard.”

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Be careful with how you behave, it is an easy temptation to desire riches but we are warned that God’s servants are to be ‘not greedy of filthy lucre’. People especially now a days are quick to think everyone is out only for a quick buck, and ministers and religiousists are only looking to pad their bank accounts or homes. But when we show something different, we will have people spell bound for we will show ourselves not acting like those of the world, because we are not, we are of God’s Kingdom.

Reading 2

Anyone can live the life of prayer. It is not long periods of quiet and leisure that are the great necessity of prayer; it is a habit, a humble spirit; a disciplined mind, a sense of order, self-control, an intelligent associating of ideas..... Every one must win [one’s] own soul.... The art of praying can be learnt, for contact with God can be practiced at all times, whatever one is doing. The exercises and problems of prayer are educed out of the very material of life itself.....

[T]here may be fortunate individuals who in their nature possess all these good gifts that most of us only gain from prayer and the strenuous attempt to follow Christ....Any person thus richly endowed is failing the rest of us if [one] is not fulfilling [one’s] function of setting up the way of salvation for the oppressed, the downtrodden, and the dispossessed....John Wesley said ‘The world is my parish.’ The parish priest of the world has no time to waste in arguing about religion; [they are] knitting up a [family] that shall confuse the war-mongers; [they are] abolishing poverty and riches; [they are] creating imperishable beauty wherever [they] go; [they are] redeeming [hu]mankind from the curse; [they are] establishing the Kingdom of Heaven.

Immediately [as] you awake set your first thought on God.... Do not think of {God] subjectively, as to your relation to [God], your failures, your sins, or your needs, but rather objectively. Let your whole-self become conscious of [God]. Think of [God] as shinning beauty, radiant joy, creative power, all-pervading love, perfect understanding, purity and serenity. This need take only a moment or two once the habit has formed, but it is of inestimable importance. It sets the tone for the whole day....

Consider yourself not ready to start the day, ill equipped, unprepared to mix with your fellows, until you have spent at least fifteen minutes in prayer. Count it as much a social necessity as washing. Some people spend this pre-breakfast prayer-time in a Church, others in a garden, some by their bedroom window, others walking abroad.....Prepare yourself, offering yourself afresh each day to God to serve at any sudden call, anyhow, anywhere- even on the Cross....

It is a good habit on entering [ANYPLACE] to practice conscious reverence for the personality of each of those already there. The mystics use to take time to unite themselves with their environment, so that, whatever it was and however unpleasant, it had no power to oppress them.[Make a] habit of looking at people-prince or beggar alike- not as strangers, however aloof they might hold themselves, but as dear comrades by silent use of the formula, ‘The spirit of god within me is going out to meet God’s spirit in you.’...

[Spiritual exercises] must never be evaded. It is more important than one’s dinner....I set myself the definite task of gaining renewal of vitality from God through relaxation...I continued indefinitely until my whole being seemed to be enveloped by a great sense of peace and I felt that the prayer of relaxation was like a good, strong raft on which [people] could ride over the deepest and blackest of waters in perfect safety and delight....

In many households the saying of grace has become somewhat of a farce.... It must be a very poor meal that does not spontaneously evoke some feelings of pleasure or sense of gratitude. [Once St Francis was saying grace over a few crusts of moldy bread out in the open of nature. And in response to a young brothers quip of ‘Was it necessary to thank God for a meal like this?’, Francis responded by speaking of the beauty of all creation as their banquet hall and]... ‘God has provided all this for you and for me- shall we not say grace?’

The more completely one lives, the more friends one has. They seem to be acquired unconsciously... [A] chance acquaintance can become a friend whose particular niche in one’s life could be filled by no other person. [Whose] outlook, [whose] significance, [whose] stimulus is like no one else’s. One may never see [that one] again but [that one’s] enrichment of one’s life is permanent, probably eternal. But most of our friends are seen again or talked of, sometimes even heard from, and inevitably they enter our mind when we are at prayer, for their problems elicit our acute interest and in some measure become our own. Many of them definitely ask for prayer...Pray for your friends. Continue instant into prayer, in season and out of season. Pray them out of their moods, and their partial, unbalanced lives into fullness of knowledge of God.

Never get into bed with a burdened or a heavy mind; whether it be a vague oppression or a definite fear, shame or remorse, anger or hate, get rid of the evil thing before you lie down to sleep.... Night is a holy time, a healthy time, a time of renewing and refreshment.... It is a folly ever to shirk the issue of a single, worrying, doubting thought. Face each one before you get into bed, face them in the presence of your Father who knows all your muddled feelings and understands your tempestuous passions.... One is at peace now with the world, with oneself and with God. One is ready for bed... Then, as drowsiness increases the words of committal can be used. ‘Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit.’

-Muriel Lester, Ways of Praying

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It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing psalms to your name, Most High, to declare your love in the morning and your faithfulness every night. Psalm 92:1-2 REB

October

~

October 1

Reading 1

Luke 20:1-8

“One day, as [Jesus] was teaching the people in the temple and telling the good news, the chief priests and the scribes came with the elders and said to him, “Tell us, by what authority are you doing these things? Who is it who gave you this authority?” He answered them, “I will also ask you a question, and you tell me: Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?” They discussed it with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ all the people will stone us; for they are convinced that John was a prophet.” So they answered that they did not know where it came from. Then Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.” ”

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Christ’s authority was obvious and one would have thought the good works would easily have pointed to Jesus’ Divine source. But just as these men were unable to make a decision in the past they were not willing to make one now, both John and Jesus claimed to be from God, John the Baptist the prophet, Jesus the Son. Too much is at stake, face will be lost if they answer either way to Jesus’ rejoinder. Many in churches today are modern ‘chief priests and the scribes’ they approach Queer Christians, and are not willing to affirm our full rights for inclusion in the the Church of Christ, but nor are they willing to deny us membership, just offer us a second class membership. But just as wisdom is vindicated by her children so will history be. One day people will look back and see this as silly as the rules of being a Christian in the third century, or the treatment of dark skinned people before the twentieth century. So we like Jesus sometimes in our frustrations refuse to answer the questions of the ‘officials’ we need only be true to God and answer to God alone.

Reading 2

Growing Beyond Self Rejection

One of the greatest dangers in the spiritual life is self-rejection. When we say, “If people really knew me, they wouldn't love me,” we choose the road of darkness. Often we are made to believe that self-deprecation is a virtue called humility. But humility is in reality the opposite of self-deprecation. It is a grateful recognition that we are precious in God’s eyes and that all we are is pure gift. To grow beyond self-rejection we must have the courage to listen to voice calling us God’s beloved sons and daughters, and determination always to live our lives according to this truth.

-Henri Nouwen, Bread for the Journey

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In the queer community we know rejection intensely, sometimes by family or friends, and even within the community there may be rejection, we are not beautiful enough, slim enough, butch enough, rich enough... But the good news is we can overcome all this rejection because we know God loves us and accepts us just as She created us in His image. Every child of God overcomes the world. Now, the victory by which the world is overcome is our faith, or who is victor over the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? 1 John 5:4-5, REB

October 2

Reading 1

Luke 20:9-19

“[Jesus] began to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard, and leased it to tenants, and went to another country for a long time. When the season came, he sent a slave to the tenants in order that they might give him his share of the produce of the vineyard; but the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. Next he sent another slave; that one also they beat and insulted and sent away empty-handed. And he sent still a third; this one also they wounded and threw out. Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.’ But when the tenants saw him, they discussed it among themselves and said, ‘This is the heir; let us kill him so that the inheritance may be ours.’ So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? He will come and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others.” When they heard this, they said, “Heaven forbid!” But he looked at them and said, “What then does this text mean: ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone’? Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls.” When the scribes and chief priests realized that he had told this parable against them, they wanted to lay hands on him at that very hour, but they feared the people.”

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No one can purchase an unshakable lease on the kingdom of Heaven by our own legalities, and self-righteousness, we are in that great vineyard by grace, and when we stop living in grace and fellowship with God, we will be tossed out. ‘Heaven forbid!’ we hear cried out, but the answer is clear. If we are honest with ourselves and God we will admit our failure and embrace that stone which we once rejected. Let us not fear the opinion of others but boldly do what we know we must. Let us lay hands on Jesus, not as these wanted for harm but, lay hands on Jesus to hold on to the One who keeps us in God’s kingdom, let us lay hands on the One who has become the desire of our souls. The beloved Son who we serve now and forever, God’s grace willing.

Reading 2

I beheld the ineffable fullness of God; but I can recall nothing of it save that I have seen the fullness of Divine Wisdom, wherein is all goodness.... The eyes of my soul were opened and I beheld the plenitude of God, by which I understood the whole world both here and beyond the sea, the abyss and all other things. In this I beheld nothing but Divine Power in a way that is utterly indescribable, so through the greatness of it's wonder the soul cried with a loud voice: ‘The world is full of God.’ Wherefore I understood that the world is but a little thing; and I saw the power of God above all things, and the whole was filled with it. After i had seen the power of God, [God’s] will and [God’s] justice, I was lifted higher still; and then I no longer beheld the power and the will as before....If thou seekest to know what I beheld, I can tell thee nothing save that I saw that I beheld a Fullness and a Clearness....a beauty so great that I can say nothing of it save that I saw the Supreme Beauty which contains in itself all goodness.

-Evelyn Underhill, The Essentials of Mysticism

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This profound writer of the early 20th century experience reminds me somewhat of Paul’s raptures, both his damascus road experience and also the one mentioned in the second letter to the Cortinthians, “I know a person in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know; God knows. And I know that such a person—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know; God knows— was caught up into Paradise and heard things that are not to be told, that no mortal is permitted to repeat.” (12:2-4, NRSV). These expereiences are not ends unto themselves no matter how ecstatic they are but they are items that we can draw strength from as we seek to do God’s will. If you feel compelled to share your visions do so to the glory of God, but be content to keep to yourself that which God wants between you two alone.

October 3

Reading 1

Luke 20:20-26

“So they watched [Jesus] and sent spies who pretended to be honest, in order to trap him by what he said, so as to hand him over to the jurisdiction and authority of the governor. So they asked him, “Teacher, we know that you are right in what you say and teach, and you show deference to no one, but teach the way of God in accordance with truth. Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?” But he perceived their craftiness and said to them, “Show me a denarius. Whose head and whose title does it bear?” They said, “The emperor’s.” He said to them, “Then give to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they were not able in the presence of the people to trap him by what he said; and being amazed by his answer, they became silent.”

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The question was valid but motives were evil. Some Christian groups claim to want dialogue with queer Christians but like these spies pretending to be honest the motives are wrong. I do not deny someone the right to hold an opinion, but to hide that opinion under a guise of civility is a putrid thing, mouthing acceptance is not enough, and should no longer be accepted. Queer Christians and queers in general are no long looking for tolerance or acceptance, we expect that at the very least. We seek affirmation, and until that day they learn to say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord’, let them fall silent. Jesus answered honestly and when we too answer with integrity God will silence our opponents.

Reading 2

Discourse on Loving-kindness that should be Done

What should be done by one skilled in good,

wishing to attain the state of peace, is this

(one should be) capable

and frank

and extremely honest

meek

and gentle

not proud

And contented

and easy to support

and few duties

frugal

and serene in faculties

and prudent

not rude

not fawning on families

One should not do

even the slightest thing

which other wise people

might deplore

(then one should think)

may they be happy and safe

may all beings be happy

Whatever living things that exist

weak

or strong

without exception

long

or big

or medium-sized

short, small or bulky

Those seen (visible)

or even unseen (not visible)

and those dwelling near or far

or creatures that still seek to be

may all beings be happy

Let no one deceive another

nor despise anyone anywhere

in anger or ill-will

let them not wish each other harm

Just as a mother might guard her son

with her life, her only child

just so towards all beings

let one cultivate a boundless mind

Let loving thoughts for all the world

be maintained boundlessly

above, below and all around

unchecked, without hate or enmity

Standing, walking

or sitting

or lying down

so long as one

is not sleepy one should develop this mindfulness

this is called divine abiding here

And not falling into (wrong) views

virtuous

endowed with vision

removing greed for sensual pleasures

one will surely not be born in any womb

again

-Buddhist Teaching

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This lovely poem reminds me of many teachings in the new testament from Peter’s ‘Let your conduct among unbelievers be so good that, although they now malign you as wrongdoers, reflection on your good deeds will lead them to give glory to God’ (1 Peter 2:12, REB); Showing how as Christians we are called to be good examples and as Queer Christians we are called to be honest about ourselves and who we are too. It is also reminds me particularly of James words ‘Where do these wars and battles between yourselves first start? Is it not precisely in the desires fighting inside your own selves? You want something and you lack it; so you kill. You have an ambition that you cannot satisfy; so you fight to get your way by force. It is because you do not pray that you do not receive; when you do pray and do not receive, it is because you prayed wrongly, wanting to indulge your passions. Adulterers! Do you not realise that love for the world is hatred for God? Anyone who chooses the world for a friend is constituted an enemy of God. Can you not see the point of the saying in scripture, ‘The longing of the spirit he sent to dwell in us is a jealous longing.’? But he has given us an even greater grace, as scripture says: God opposes the proud but he accords his favour to the humble.’ (James 4:1-5, NJB); Humility is the grace that helps us to lead balanced lives and allows God’s presence more fully into our lives. Think on this poem and let God use it to speak to you, not despising the truth it holds.

October 4

Reading 1

Luke 20:27-40

“Some Sadducees, those who say there is no resurrection, came to him and asked him a question, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies, leaving a wife but no children, the man shall marry the widow and raise up children for his brother. Now there were seven brothers; the first married, and died childless; then the second and the third married her, and so in the same way all seven died childless. Finally the woman also died. In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had married her.” Jesus said to them, “Those who belong to this age marry and are given in marriage; but those who are considered worthy of a place in that age and in the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. Indeed they cannot die anymore, because they are like angels and are children of God, being children of the resurrection. And the fact that the dead are raised Moses himself showed, in the story about the bush, where he speaks of the Lord as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Now he is God not of the dead, but of the living; for to him all of them are alive.” Then some of the scribes answered, “Teacher, you have spoken well.” For they no longer dared to ask him another question.”

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‘You have spoken well’, words of compliment from an enemy. When we speak, if we speak from the Spirit’s guidance, we too will have our enemies no longer harassing us for the Spirit delivers all truth to people. Children of God, freed from death, freed from the commitments and ownership issues of this earth, we join Moses in God’s presence, not Moses alone but Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Hannah, Ruth, and Miriam; all those who enter to the presence of God, alive forever more. Amen.

Reading 2

Creation: Francis loved God so much that he wanted all of creation to join him in his celebration. Thank God for the beauty of creation, which includes you! Focus on needs instead of wants. Simplify! Recycle anything you can. Perhaps you are being called to make a radical break with modern consumer society, which has brutalised nearly everything it has touched. If so, join the creation friendly counterculture, which seeks to heal the world through ancient and time tested principles.

-John Michael Talbot with Steve Rabey, The lessons of St. Francis:How to Bring Simplicity and Spirituality into Your Daily Life

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Alleluia! Praise Yahweh from the heavens, praise him in the heights. Praise him, all his angels, praise him, all his host! Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all shining stars, praise him, highest heavens, praise him, waters above the heavens. Let them praise the name of Yahweh at whose command they were made; he established them for ever and ever by an unchanging decree. Praise Yahweh from the earth, sea-monsters and all the depths, fire and hail, snow and mist, storm-winds that obey his word, mountains and every hill, orchards and every cedar, wild animals and all cattle, reptiles and winged birds, kings of the earth and all nations, princes and all judges on earth, young men and girls, old people and children together. Let them praise the name of Yahweh, for his name alone is sublime, his splendour transcends earth and heaven. Psalm 148:1-13, NJB

October 5

Reading 1

Luke 20:41-47

“Then [Jesus] said to them, “How can they say that the Messiah is David’s son? For David himself says in the book of Psalms, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.”’ David thus calls him Lord; so how can he be his son?” In the hearing of all the people he said to the disciples, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets. They devour widows’ houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.” ”

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Wanting to be seen as pious, wanting the respect of all around, but taking no thought to how their actions are harming the helpless. How can they do anything but receive greater condemnation? I know of a minister in Alberta, who preaches hell-fire and damnation for homosexuals often, and he does this because he suspects his son is queer. How can this one have anything but condemnation from God and his child because of the hateful pain caused by him. Pain that goes out not to the child alone but every Queer Christian in that Church, and they are there. I know not for sure, but I suspect it’s not being queer that this minister fears but being labeled as being the father of a queer boy. Losing that respect that normality has offered. Let us as Queer Christians help the oppressed and pray for these who are oppressors. Stop muddying the water’s and shepherd the sheep.

Reading 2

BEWARE OF GOD

The word of Yahweh was addressed to me as follows, ‘Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them, “Shepherds, the Lord Yahweh says this: Disaster is in store for the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Are not shepherds meant to feed a flock? Yet you have fed on milk, you have dressed yourselves in wool, you have sacrificed the fattest sheep, but failed to feed the flock. You have failed to make weak sheep strong, or to care for the sick ones, or bandage the injured ones. You have failed to bring back strays or look for the lost. On the contrary, you have ruled them cruelly and harshly. For lack of a shepherd they have been scattered, to become the prey of all the wild animals; they have been scattered. My flock is astray on every mountain and on every high hill; my flock has been scattered all over the world; no one bothers about them and no one looks for them.

“Very well, shepherds, hear the word of Yahweh: As I live, I swear it — declares the Lord Yahweh — since my flock has been pillaged and for lack of a shepherd is now the prey of every wild animal, since my shepherds have ceased to bother about my flock, since my shepherds feed themselves rather than my flock, very well, shepherds, hear the word of Yahweh: The Lord Yahweh says this: Look, I am against the shepherds. I shall take my flock out of their charge and henceforth not allow them to feed my flock. And the shepherds will stop feeding themselves, because I shall rescue my sheep from their mouths to stop them from being food for them.

“For the Lord Yahweh says this: Look, I myself shall take care of my flock and look after it. As a shepherd looks after his flock when he is with his scattered sheep, so shall I look after my sheep. I shall rescue them from wherever they have been scattered on the day of clouds and darkness. I shall bring them back from the peoples where they are; I shall gather them back from the countries and bring them back to their own land. I shall pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in all the inhabited parts of the country. I shall feed them in good pasturage; the highest mountains of Israel will be their grazing ground. There they will rest in good grazing grounds; they will browse in rich pastures on the mountains of Israel. I myself shall pasture my sheep, I myself shall give them rest — declares the Lord Yahweh. I shall look for the lost one, bring back the stray, bandage the injured and make the sick strong. I shall watch over the fat and healthy. I shall be a true shepherd to them. “As for you, my sheep, the Lord Yahweh says this: I shall judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and he-goats. Not content to drink the clearest of the water, you foul the rest with your feet. And my sheep must graze on what your feet have trampled and drink what your feet have fouled. Very well, the Lord Yahweh says this: I myself shall judge between the fat sheep and the thin sheep. Since you have jostled with flank and shoulder and butted all the ailing sheep with your horns, until you have scattered them outside, I shall come and save my sheep and stop them from being victimised. I shall judge between sheep and sheep. “I shall raise up one shepherd, my servant David, and put him in charge of them to pasture them; he will pasture them and be their shepherd.

-Ezezkial 34:1-23, NJB

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I once saw a T-shirt that said on the front ‘BEWARE OF GOD’, and on the back it said ‘The Lord is a shepherd!’, as I read it I literally broke out in laughter. It is of course no laughing matter for Christ Jesus is our Shepherd, this is good news for us Queer Christians. No longer will we be chased off but Jesus shall feed us and keep us safe Himself. ‘Pastors’ have long drank pure water of grace and Gods love for themselves and given out to drink that which has been contaminated by legalism that has driven many away. Our place is not to judge anyone but to cling to the Good Shepherd, and God in good time will judge. Let us pray that the aggressive he-goats, may be reformed, to the Glory of God alone.

October 6

Reading 1

Luke 21:1-4

“[Jesus] looked up and saw rich people putting their gifts into the treasury; he also saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. He said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them; for all of them have contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live on.” ”

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The smallest act of kindness is rewarded, smallest act of generosity given praise. How like a loving parent to a child is Jesus to this woman. We heard yesterday the condemnation of those who devour widows homes and here we have it. A poor woman giving, true the gift is minute, not worth a thing really but it is a gift out of love, love for God. Had she been in a crowd with a one of those speakers saying ‘Give all to God, you can't out give God, give till it hurts.’ Was the temple full of such charlatan preachers? I can’t know for certain but I suspect it was more than the animal sellers and money changers that upset Jesus, and caused him to call the temple a den of thieves. Gifts given to God out of poverty are more precious and more dear to God, anyone can give a cup of water from a large tank, but when all you have is a canteen with a few sips left, giving that away shows not only love for the one to whom it is given, but shows faith. May those with more resources give more so that those with few need not give at all. In a more modern setting I ask is it not far more fair for a richer person to pay higher taxes and let the poorer one their money to live on?

Reading 2

I saw that [God] is everything which is good, as I understand. And in this [God] showed me something small, no bigger than a hazelnut, lying in the palm of my hand, as it seemed to me, and it was as round as a ball. I looked at it with the eye of my understanding and thought: What can this be? I was amazed it could last, for I thought that because of it’s littleness it would suddenly have fallen into nothing. And I was answered in my understanding: It lasts and always will, because God loves it; and thus everything has being through the love of God.

-Julian of Norwich, Revelations of Love

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This lovely vision of Mother Julian reminds me of a small soap bubble catching the suns light, looking so incredible fragile. Sometimes we feel like that, we know God’s love but we feel so fragile and without strength but the reminder we need is God’s love is our true sustenance and the gates of hell shall not prevail over us no matter what. There are people of many faiths that try to burst the bubble that God loves queer people just as they are, but this bubble can't be broke because it is a showing of God's love, and the truth will not be extinguished any more than a candles light can be put out by the darkness around it. Rejoice in God’s love and share it with others, for we recieved it freely.

October 7

Reading 1

Luke 21:5-28

“When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, [Jesus] said, “As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down.” They asked him, “Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign that this is about to take place?” And he said, “Beware that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name and say, ‘I am he!’ and, ‘The time is near!’ Do not go after them. “When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end will not follow immediately.” Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues; and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven. “But before all this occurs, they will arrest you and persecute you; they will hand you over to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors because of my name. This will give you an opportunity to testify. So make up your minds not to prepare your defense in advance; for I will give you words and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict. You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, by relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. You will be hated by all because of my name. But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your souls. “When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near. Then those in Judea must flee to the mountains, and those inside the city must leave it, and those out in the country must not enter it; for these are days of vengeance, as a fulfillment of all that is written. Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing infants in those days! For there will be great distress on the earth and wrath against this people; they will fall by the edge of the sword and be taken away as captives among all nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. “There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in a cloud’ with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” ”

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When the times of trouble and trial come, when all seems to go wrong those of us who are in Christ can hold our head up high, knowing that redemption is nearer us today than that day we first believed. In the end nothing shall perish of us because Jesus’s loves keeps those who are God’s own safe, even when our bodies be destroyed they are safe in the Lord. When we are attacked we need not trouble our minds over extensive arguments but allow the Spirit to speak through us and in so doing have a more powerful defense than any mortal could compose. So look not with dread in days of destruction but look for the coming restoration, and hold you head high once again, knowing you will be with Jesus always.

Reading 2

What we believe we understand about out own soul is, after all, only a fleeting reflection of what will remain God’s secret until the day all will be made manifest. My great joy consists in the hope of that future clarity. Faith in the secret history must always strengthen us when what we actually perceive (about ourselves or about others) might discourage us.

-Edith Stein, Self-Portrait in Letters

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In my estimation, all that we suffer in the present time is nothing in comparison with the glory which is destined to be disclosed for us, for the whole creation is waiting with eagerness for the children of God to be revealed. It was not for its own purposes that creation had frustration imposed on it, but for the purposes of him who imposed it — with the intention that the whole creation itself might be freed from its slavery to corruption and brought into the same glorious freedom as the children of God. We are well aware that the whole creation, until this time, has been groaning in labour pains. (Romans 8:18-22, NJB) It is hard for us and the body of Christ, as the age of Christ comes upon us fuller and fuller, as it has for the past two thousand years, more of God’s love and children are manifest. It is painful because new life is painful, but it is well worth it. Even though we become discouraged by the hatred exposed to Queer Christians, let us take comfort in the fact that in the end all shall be revealed, and faith can be enough for us now.

October 8

Reading 1

Luke 21:29-38

“Then [Jesus] told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees; as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. “Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day catch you unexpectedly, like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.” Every day he was teaching in the temple, and at night he would go out and spend the night on the Mount of Olives, as it was called. And all the people would get up early in the morning to listen to him in the temple.”

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Many people look at the tragedies of life, the destruction and suffering and say, ‘If God exist’s how can this happen?’ But we as Christians know that suffering is a result of the fall, suffering is not an option for life, but the good news is not that we suffer, but that when we suffer God is near us. I speak not only eschatologically but also of the daily sufferings. Christ suffers with us intimately because we are the His body, and so we suffer with Christ on the cross from the beginning of time till the culmination of the age. Christ hangs there suffering, redeeming, and so it continues and intensifies till it is fulfilled and suffering will be no more, thanks be to God.

Reading 2

Receive a blessing

for all that may be required of you,

that love may drive out fear,

that you may be more perfectly

abandoned to God,

and that peace and contentment

may reign in your heart,

and through you may spread

over the face of the earth.

The blessing of God,

Giver of life,

Bearer of Pain,

Maker of love,

Creator and Sustainer,

Liberator and Redeemer,

Healer and Sanctifier,

be with you

and all whom you love,

both living and departed,

now and forever. Amen.

-Jim Cotter

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Speak....saying, Thus you shall bless [my children]: You shall say to them,

The LORD bless you and keep you;

the LORD make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you;

the LORD lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.

Numbers 6:23-26

October 9

Reading 1

Luke 22:1-6

“Now the festival of Unleavened Bread, which is called the Passover, was near. The chief priests and the scribes were looking for a way to put Jesus to death, for they were afraid of the people. Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was one of the twelve; he went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers of the temple police about how he might betray him to them. They were greatly pleased and agreed to give him money. So he consented and began to look for an opportunity to betray him to them when no crowd was present.”

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Satan enter’s Judas, was Judas’ love of money what opened the door? Whatever the reason the die is caste and the friend of Jesus will become His betrayer. The betrayal was not to be in the open, but to be done in secret. Yet nothing done is secret will be kept from the light. Do you, oh Queer Christian, betray God who created as you are or our Lord for money? Do you live a life of deceit a life in the closet because you worry of the economic implications? It is never too late in this life throw back the blood money and live free, act openly, then Satan will have no opportunity to enter you.

Reading 2

Lord Jesus Christ; Let me seek you by desiring you,

and let me desire you by seeking you;

let me find you by loving you,

and love you in finding you.

I confess, Lord with thanksgiving,

that you have made me in your image,

so that I can remember you, think of you, and love you.

But that image is so worn and blotted out by faults,

and darkened by the smoke of sin,

that it cannot do that for which it was made,

unless you renew and refashion it.

Lord, I am not trying to make my way to your height,

for my understanding is in no way equal to that,

but I do desire to understand a little of your truth

which my heart already believes and loves.

I do not seek to understand so that I believe,

but I believe so that I may understand;

and what is more,

I believe that unless I do believe, I shall not understand.

Amen.

-Anselm

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Hear, O LORD, when I cry aloud,

be gracious to me and answer me!

“Come,” my heart says, “seek his face!”

Your face, LORD, do I seek.

Do not hide your face from me.

-Psalm 27:7-9, NRSV

October 10

Reading 1

Luke 22:7-38

“Then came the day of Unleavened Bread, on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. So Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover meal for us that we may eat it.” They asked him, “Where do you want us to make preparations for it?” “Listen,” he said to them, “when you have entered the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you; follow him into the house he enters and say to the owner of the house, ‘The teacher asks you, “Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?”’ He will show you a large room upstairs, already furnished. Make preparations for us there.” So they went and found everything as he had told them; and they prepared the Passover meal. When the hour came, he took his place at the table, and the apostles with him. He said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I tell you, I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he said, “Take this and divide it among yourselves; for I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” Then he took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And he did the same with the cup after supper, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. But see, the one who betrays me is with me, and his hand is on the table. For the Son of Man is going as it has been determined, but woe to that one by whom he is betrayed!” Then they began to ask one another, which one of them it could be who would do this. A dispute also arose among them as to which one of them was to be regarded as the greatest. But he said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those in authority over them are called benefactors. But not so with you; rather the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like one who serves. For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one at the table? But I am among you as one who serves. “You are those who have stood by me in my trials; and I confer on you, just as my Father has conferred on me, a kingdom, so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. “Simon, Simon, listen! Satan has demanded to sift all of you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your own faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” And he said to him, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death!” Jesus said, “I tell you, Peter, the cock will not crow this day, until you have denied three times that you know me.” He said to them, “When I sent you out without a purse, bag, or sandals, did you lack anything?” They said, “No, not a thing.” He said to them, “But now, the one who has a purse must take it, and likewise a bag. And the one who has no sword must sell his cloak and buy one. For I tell you, this scripture must be fulfilled in me, ‘And he was counted among the lawless’; and indeed what is written about me is being fulfilled.” They said, “Lord, look, here are two swords.” He replied, “It is enough.” ”

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Here we see the first Holy Communion between Christ and believers, enacted in remembrance of this holy night, every Sunday in millions of churches. But before it can even be completed, arguing breaks out about who is the greatest, let it not be so among us. Let us not push and shove to be first, no try to withhold anyone from the body and blood of our Lord. We all come by grace, and if so it will be enough, our faith shall take us to the table, and we shall be made whole through the body and blood of our Lord.

Reading 2

O Lord Jesus Christ, so permeate my thought that it could be seen that I am thinking of You. And how would one see it? Would it be in my glance turned towards the heavens? That might also mean I was looking at stars, or visions, or at chimeras. No, if Your example gave me such a conviction that though scorned and mocked I proclaimed Your doctrine, then one would see in me (not in my glance but in my daily life) that I was thinking of You.

And you celestial Powers, you who undergird the good, you heavenly host, help me raise my voice so that if possible it may be heard throughout the whole world–I have only one word to say, but if the power were given me to say that single word, that single phrase in such a fashion that it would remain fixed and unforgettable–my choice is made; I know what it would say: “Our Lord Jesus Christ was nothing, oh, remember this, Christendom.” Amen.

-Soren Kierkegaard

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For who is the greater: the one at table or the one who serves? The one at table, surely? Yet here am I among you as one who serves! (Luke 22:27, NJB) Christ born in humble place, lived a life of humble means with no home, no place to lay his head each night, and finally hanging naked in agony on a Roman cross with theives. Who was our Lord? In His life He was poor, but His goal was not riches. His goal was to bring people to God, to pay the ultimate price of frienship, laying down His life for His followers (till the end of time). Christ was poor Christ was humble, Christ choose shame that others might have glory, and we are all called upon again and again in the New Testament to follow Christ to imitate Christ. Kieregaard was right unless Christ is seen in our life’s actions no one will know Jesus is part of us. Be humble for Jesus was humble.

October 11

Reading 1

Luke 22:39-46

“[Jesus] came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples followed him. When he reached the place, he said to them, “Pray that you may not come into the time of trial.” Then he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, knelt down, and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me; yet, not my will but yours be done.” Then an angel from heaven appeared to him and gave him strength. In his anguish he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down on the ground. When he got up from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping because of grief, and he said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not come into the time of trial.” ”

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As a Queer Christian the first words of this section struck me, ‘Jesus came out!’ Now although this has only to do with Jesus actions of leaving the house this section parallels what can often happen in a queers life. You come out of the closet of darkness, out of lies to the light, you go out as before yet much is different, sorrows increase and we ask to have the taken away, but the cup is ours to drink. Let us seek always to do God's will even if friends fail us, let us strive to be faithful to the One who will never fail us, Jesus our Lord.

Reading 2

The Gospel hath brought life and immortality to light, for we know Whom we have believed; and "perfect love casteth out fear." Not even the problems of sickness, sorrow, suffering, and death are unnoticed. "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning." The tears of earth's night hang as dewdrops on flower and tree, presently to sparkle like diamonds in the morning sun. For, in that night of nights has Christ mingled the sweat of human toil and sorrow with the precious blood of His agony, and made it drop on earth as sweet balsam to heal its wounds, to soothe its sorrows, and to take away its death.

-Alfred Edersheim, Sketches Of Jewish Social Life

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That is the reason for my present plight; but I am not ashamed of it, because I know whom I have trusted, and am confident of his power to keep safe what he has put into my charge until the great day. Hold to the outline of sound teaching which you heard from me, living by the faith and love which are ours in Christ Jesus. -2Ti. 1:12-13

October 12

Reading 1

Luke 22:47-53

“While [Jesus] was still speaking, suddenly a crowd came, and the one called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He approached Jesus to kiss him; but Jesus said to him, “Judas, is it with a kiss that you are betraying the Son of Man?” When those who were around him saw what was coming, they asked, “Lord, should we strike with the sword?” Then one of them struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his right ear. But Jesus said, “No more of this!” And he touched his ear and healed him. Then Jesus said to the chief priests, the officers of the temple police, and the elders who had come for him, “Have you come out with swords and clubs as if I were a bandit? When I was with you day after day in the temple, you did not lay hands on me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness!” ”

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A kiss is of course intimate, a gesture of greeting among friends in many cultures still today, but this kiss was different not a kiss of friendship but a kiss of betrayal. I have a portrait of the last super in my kitchen, in it John is reclining on the breast of Christ and Judas is turned with a look of jealousy in his eye, and I can not help but remember the words in Oscar Wilde’s The Ballad of Reading Gaol:

“Yet each man kills the thing he loves,

  By each let this be heard,

Some do it with a bitter look,

  Some with a flattering word,

The coward does it with a kiss,

  The brave man with a sword.”

Love gone awry does awful things, a love for money, a disillusionment with things going not according to what Judas imagined. Judas’ actions speak loud but even in the midst of being handed over to death, Jesus heals His enemy, whom Peter attacks. The time has come for darkness to try to extinguish the light. But even in this dark distress the light can not stop being light. Let our kisses always be true then they will be light and life, and not bring death.

Reading 2

Coming out as sacrament is a deliberately provocative image...[But c]oming out is not only sacramental; it is also prophetic. Coming out calls everyone to account for his or her deeds and misdeeds–it is a double-edges sword, allowing us to celebrate our victories, while at the same time piercing hypocrisy and complacency. If we have truly done our work, then we as a religious community will be deeply unsettled by what we find: homophobia and heterosexism that are entrenched in almost ever aspect of our religious lives, even the lives the religious lives of we religious liberals. As a result, it serves and will continue to serve as a witness to us that much work needs to be done. We are a pilgrim church, which means we can never rest on our laurels, especially when inherent worth and dignity of all individuals are not fully recognized. So then the obvious question is, what next?... In many ways, I envision a coming-out liturgy as the beginning of such a journey to new life, reconciliation, and communion.....

[R]eflecting on what coming out has meant to me and how the communities I have been a part of impacted that process, for better or worse. The image of Lazarus....kept recurring for me, particularly the image of Jesus commanding those in Lazarus’s community to unbind this resurrected man. For me, it underscores beautifully the nexus of God, humanity, and community– each has a part to play in this drama. Thus my experience has like Lazarus’s, reflected this nexus: God has called me out of the lifeless existence of the closet, I have answered this call, and I have continued the journey, thanks to the communities that have unbound me. I am profoundly grateful to those who have assisted me and given me the courage to be queer, and thus challenge [my own] and other faith traditions is to continue “unbinding us and letting us go”!

-Benjamin Perkins, “Coming out, Lazarus’s and Ours”, in ‘Take Back The Word’

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The truth sets us free and brings us full life. [Jesus] cried in a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out!’ The dead man came out, his feet and hands bound with strips of material, and a cloth over his face. Jesus said to them, ‘Unbind him, let him go free.’ John 11:43-44, NJB.

October 13

Reading 1

Luke 22:54-62

“Then they seized [Jesus] and led him away, bringing him into the high priest’s house. But Peter was following at a distance. When they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat among them. Then a servant-girl, seeing him in the firelight, stared at him and said, “This man also was with him.” But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know him.” A little later someone else, on seeing him, said, “You also are one of them.” But Peter said, “Man, I am not!” Then about an hour later still another kept insisting, “Surely this man also was with him; for he is a Galilean.” But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about!” At that moment, while he was still speaking, the cock crowed. The Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the cock crows today, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.”

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Do you deny knowing one you love, or have you been denied by one you love? It is a hurtful thing, something many of us have been guilty of. Peter’s denial was especially poignant seeing he had swore he would never deny Jesus and would die before that. We may not have made made such an oath, but it hurts none the less to refuse to acknowledge another. Queers often can not acknowledge others for fear of betraying a friend, but that mutual denial hurts all. Cock’s are crowing all around us, who have you denied knowing, who have your words betrayed? Weep over the words but turn back to that one and be faithful, now and unto eternity, even as Peter became a bulwark of the faithful in Christ.

Reading 2

I bid you love everyone with the love of charity, but have no friendship except with those who can share virtuous love with you. What a good thing it is to love on earth as we shall love in heaven, and learn to cherish one another here as we shall do for ever there.

I am not talking of mere love which extends to everyone, but of the spiritual friendship by which two or more share in each others devotion and spiritual affections, making them of one mind. Such well may well say, “Behold how good and joyful a thing it is to live together in unity.” [Ps 133:1]

Do not form any other friendships. I say form because you must not forsake or despise those friendships to which you are called by duty among relatives, those connected with you, benefactors and neighbours. I am only speaking of those you select yourself.

Some say it is better to have no special friends or attachments, that they engross the heart, distract the mind and foster jealousies. But they are mistaken. They have read that individual and excessive friendships are hurtful to religious life, and imagine it to be the same for the rest of the world, but it is not so. In the world it is necessary to be bound together in friendship, to stimulate each other in doing good.

Francis de Sales, A Thirst for God

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Even within the cloistered walls of religious life St. Aelred said to his monks, “It is no small consolation in this life to have someone you can unite with you in an intimate affection and the embrace of a holy love, someone in whom your spirit can rest, to whom you can pour out your soul, to whose pleasant exchanges, as to soothing songs, you can fly in sorrow... with whose spiritual kisses, as with remedial salves, you may draw out all the weariness of your restless anxieties. A man who can shed tears with you in your worries, be happy with you when things go well, search out with you the answers to your problems, whom with the ties of charity you can lead into the depths of your heart; . . . where the sweetness of the Spirit flows between you, where you so join yourself and cleave to him that soul mingles with soul and two become one.” Christ had friends, the beloved disciple, who was particularly close to, and Peter, James, and John (if John was not the beloved disciple), that inner core of the disciples. It is good to choose friends (and for that matter lovers) who are spiritually compatible with you for Paul writes, “Do not team up with unbelievers. What partnership can righteousness have with wickedness? Can light associate with darkness? Can Christ agree with Belial, or a believer join with an unbeliever? Can there be a compact between the temple of God and idols? And the temple of the living God is what we are. God’s own words are: ‘I will live and move about among them; I will be their God, and they shall be my people.’ ” 2Cor 6:14-16, REB

October 14

Reading 1

Luke 22:63-71

“Now the men who were holding Jesus began to mock him and beat him; they also blindfolded him and kept asking him, “Prophesy! Who is it that struck you?” They kept heaping many other insults on him. When day came, the assembly of the elders of the people, both chief priests and scribes, gathered together, and they brought him to their council. They said, “If you are the Messiah, tell us.” He replied, “If I tell you, you will not believe; and if I question you, you will not answer. But from now on the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God.” All of them asked, “Are you, then, the Son of God?” He said to them, “You say that I am.” Then they said, “What further testimony do we need? We have heard it ourselves from his own lips!” ”

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This assembly was unable to accept the truth, Jesus was condemned ironically enough for speaking truth. Treated with contempt, hoping to provoke a response, a poor one. Queer Christians too are often provoked beaten and mocked, whether physically or emotionally, or both it’s chief design is to provoke response, to get us to show ‘our true colors.’ When enemies come to provoke you be they fundamentalistic Christians or unbelieving queers, let your response be like Jesus’, respond speaking only the truth, no matter the cost.

Reading 2

The day comes, burning like a furnace; all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble, and that day when it comes will set them ablaze, leaving them neither root nor branch, says the Lord of Hosts. But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings, and you will break loose like calves released from the stall. On the day I take action, you will tread down the wicked, for they will be as ashes under the soles of your feet, says the Lord of Hosts.

Remember the law of Moses my servant, the rules and precepts which I told him to deliver to all Israel at Horeb.

Look, I shall send you the prophet Elijah before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes. He will reconcile parents to their children and children to their parents, lest I come and put the land under a ban to destroy it.

-Malachi 4, REB

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An ominous way to end the Hebrew scriptures (in most Christian Bibles), but amid the gloom there is hope. It is only the arrogant and evildoers who need fear. Jesus has risen, with healing in his wings, and the oppressed and captive are free as calves skipping through a field. and perhaps the best news is that day brings reconciliation. On that day when we shall be known and know fully, as Paul puts it, the fullest healing shall come, healing that we can only hope and strive for now. No longer will Queer Christians be looked down upon by other Christians, no longer will hate and division appear in families but all shall be well. This is God’s good news.

October 15

Reading 1

Luke 23:1-25

“Then the assembly rose as a body and brought Jesus before Pilate. They began to accuse him, saying, “We found this man perverting our nation, forbidding us to pay taxes to the emperor, and saying that he himself is the Messiah, a king.” Then Pilate asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” He answered, “You say so.” Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, “I find no basis for an accusation against this man.” But they were insistent and said, “He stirs up the people by teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee where he began even to this place.” When Pilate heard this, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. And when he learned that he was under Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him off to Herod, who was himself in Jerusalem at that time. When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, for he had been wanting to see him for a long time, because he had heard about him and was hoping to see him perform some sign. He questioned him at some length, but Jesus gave him no answer. The chief priests and the scribes stood by, vehemently accusing him. Even Herod with his soldiers treated him with contempt and mocked him; then he put an elegant robe on him, and sent him back to Pilate. That same day Herod and Pilate became friends with each other; before this they had been enemies. Pilate then called together the chief priests, the leaders, and the people, and said to them, “You brought me this man as one who was perverting the people; and here I have examined him in your presence and have not found this man guilty of any of your charges against him. Neither has Herod, for he sent him back to us. Indeed, he has done nothing to deserve death. I will therefore have him flogged and release him.” Then they all shouted out together, “Away with this fellow! Release Barabbas for us!” (This was a man who had been put in prison for an insurrection that had taken place in the city, and for murder.) Pilate, wanting to release Jesus, addressed them again; but they kept shouting, “Crucify, crucify him!” A third time he said to them, “Why, what evil has he done? I have found in him no ground for the sentence of death; I will therefore have him flogged and then release him.” But they kept urgently demanding with loud shouts that he should be crucified; and their voices prevailed. So Pilate gave his verdict that their demand should be granted. He released the man they asked for, the one who had been put in prison for insurrection and murder, and he handed Jesus over as they wished.”

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One perhaps could not refer either to Pilate or Herod as good men but the old saying prevails none the less in this case, ‘All evil needs to previal is for good people to do nothing.’ Pilate and Herod both found no reason to condemn Jesus to death yet neither made a serious effort to free Jesus. The crowds who were on Jesus’ side only a week ago are now perhaps not shouting for His crucifixation so much as remainig silent while others shouted for it. Do you actively stand againts evil? Do you speak up against evil done in front of you? If you have answered no to these questions I ask you, who will speak?

Reading 2

THE TREES AND THE AX

A Man came into a forest and asked the Trees to provide him a handle for his ax. The Trees consented to his request and gave him a young ash-tree. No sooner had the man fitted a new handle to his ax from it, than he began to use it and quickly felled with his strokes the noblest giants of the forest. An old oak, lamenting when too late the destruction of his companions, said to a neighboring cedar, "The first step has lost us all. If we had not given up the rights of the ash, we might yet have retained our own privileges and have stood for ages."

--Aesop

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This ancient Greek tale tells a powerful truth which can be heard clearer in the profoundly haunting words of Martin Niemoller: “When the Nazis came to get the Communists, I was silent, because I was not a Communist. When they came to get the Socialists, I was silent. When the came to get the Catholics, I was silent. When they came to get the Jews, I was silent. And when they came to get me, there was no one left to speak.” Speak out boldly what the Spirit would have you say, God has no lips other than ours.

October 16

Reading 1

Luke 23:26-43

“As they led him away, they seized a man, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming from the country, and they laid the cross on him, and made him carry it behind Jesus. A great number of the people followed him, and among them were women who were beating their breasts and wailing for him. But Jesus turned to them and said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For the days are surely coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed.’ Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us’; and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’ For if they do this when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?” Two others also, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” And they cast lots to divide his clothing. And the people stood by, watching; but the leaders scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God, his chosen one!” The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine, and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.” One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying, “Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” He replied, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” ”

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‘Jesus remember me’, a favorite prayer of Martin Luther, this thief who against all logic decided to take a chance, to reach out to this one who suffered with him, was it a long shot he hoped might pay off, was it simply he could not stand to see more abuse hurled at this one who had done nothing but offend the powers that be? He may have genuinely come to believe in Jesus hearing the words witnessing the way Jesus responded to all those around the cross. But whatever the reason the request was granted for our Lord turns no one away who comes to Him. Jesus remember me, and the reward, today you will be with me in paradise. That is truly the secret of eternal life in Christ, it begins not the moment we die but the moment we call upon God. We come to Jesus and that very day we are with Jesus in paradise, this paradise is the blessedness given to us in Christ. It is why Jesus can say the Kingdom of Heaven is in your midst. The repentant thief had a reward beyond the grave, but the reward started the moment Jesus spoke those words.

Reading 2

When Christ said: “I was hungry and you fed me,” he didn’t mean only the hungry for bread and for food; he also meant the hunger to be loved. Jesus himself experienced this loneliness. He came amongst his own and his own received him not, and it hurt him then and it has kept on hurting him. The same hunger, the same loneliness, the same having no one to be accepted by and to be loved and wanted by. Every human being in that case resembles Christ in his loneliness; and that is the hardest part, that’s real hunger......Actually we are touching Christ’s body in the poor. In the poor it is the hungry Christ we are feeding, it is the naked Christ that we are clothing, it is too the homeless Christ that we are giving shelter. It is not just hunger for bread or the need of the naked for clothes or the homeless for a house made of bricks. Even the rich are hungry for love, for being cared for, for being wanted, for having someone to call their own.

-Mother Teresa of Calcutta, A Gift for God

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It is almost laughable to think we could give God gifts, God who needs nothing. The gifts God seeks are not for God’s use though, they are the use of our hands and resources so that we can help usher in God’s Kingdom, help it break into this dark world. No matter where you are there is a need to be filled. Unless you act to fulfill all the needs of those around you how will all have the abundant life Christ promised? I talk not so much about material resources, although if you are abundant in those share, but no one has too little love to share. Love is the one thing God gives us in unbounded measure, and which we must never restrict to anyone. “Truly I tell you: anything you did for one of my brothers [or sisters] here, however insignificant, you did for me.” Mat 25:40, REB

October 17

Reading 1

Luke 23:44-49

“It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, while the sun’s light failed; and the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” Having said this, he breathed his last. When the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God and said, “Certainly this man was innocent.” And when all the crowds who had gathered there for this spectacle saw what had taken place, they returned home, beating their breasts. But all his acquaintances, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.”

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Darkness seems to have prevailed-literally, the sun refused to shine, but just when all seemed most lost, Jesus flies to the Father: ‘Into your hands I commend my spirit.’ With that the light began to return, I do not know if the sun shone then or not, but the truth of who Jesus was, an innocent man was made manifest. The people beat their breast that they had allowed such a horrible thing to happen. All this witnessed by the women who stood at a distance, those who had witnessed the death would be the first to hear the good news of the resurrection, indeed Mary Magdalene was the first to see the risen Christ. Beat not your breast you were unable to do anything but stand with these women in solidarity, say with that one who proclaimed Christ’s innocent, with that soldier who proclaimed Christ’s divinity.

Reading 2

The most powerful metaphor [for God] for me is Creator..... If I could create a symbol to express helping, nourishing, feeding role of God-with-us, it would be a massive, gentle earth mother who enfolds her offspring with warmth and love, protecting them from outside harm; a nursing mother who never pushes her child away, a goddess of great wisdom and beauty, a simple kind of beauty, eyes that smile Love into anyone receiving their gaze. Life-giver is feminine; it’s flesh and blood delivery and deliverance from the darkness of our lives, it’s Spirit breathed into me at the moment of my coming into the world.

-Paula Farrell Sullivan, The Mystery of My Story

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Although we are most familiar with Father imagery, God is portrayed as mother too, even Jesus compared Himself to a mother hen desiring to gather Jerusalem as chicks under Her wings. God is beyond gender or physicality, and it is never wrong to view God as any good thing of creation even female!

You were unmindful of the Rock that bore you;

you forgot the God who gave you birth.

-Deu 32:18

October 18

Reading 1

Luke 23:50-56

“Now there was a good and righteous man named Joseph, who, though a member of the council, had not agreed to their plan and action. He came from the Jewish town of Arimathea, and he was waiting expectantly for the kingdom of God. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then he took it down, wrapped it in a linen cloth, and laid it in a rock-hewn tomb where no one had ever been laid. It was the day of Preparation, and the sabbath was beginning. The women who had come with him from Galilee followed, and they saw the tomb and how his body was laid. Then they returned, and prepared spices and ointments. On the sabbath they rested according to the commandment.”

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Like Joseph of Arimathea, let us be bold in doing good, doing what is right, give of your own resources, even as he gave Christ his own tomb. Be like the women observing carefully, preparing what must be done. And just as these obeyed the law of the sabbath and rested so let us obey the law of Christ and love.

Reading 2

[In his epistle] James implies that if we had [wisdom] we should count it all joy when we fall into trouble. What a difference that would make to many of us! And even if we came short of rejoicing, and were only able to subdue our discontent and impatience, and to rise above the transient troubles of the eternal treasure which it cannot lessen, the eternal glory which it cannot dim, how great a thing would this be! This wisdom, if we had it, would transfigure life. You have an unreasonable employer; wisdom would teach you to regard his unreasonableness as a divinely appointed discipline to train you to good temper. A [person] has greatly wronged you; wisdom would teach you to regard the wrong as giving you the opportunity of fulfilling our Lord’s precept: “Bless them that curse you, pray for them that despitefully use you.” Your occupation is dreary monotonous, badly paid; wisdom will teach you to work as unto the Lord and not unto [people], and this will bring down into your work-[place] light from heaven. You lose money that you have worked hard for; wisdom will teach you that this loss will help you not to put your trust in uncertain riches. And so when a [person] once comes to see that human life is surrounded by infinite horizons, all things will be changed; conduct will have a new law, the heart will find a new peace.

-Robert William Dale, The Gospel of Suffering

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Suffering is not something we should seek but it will come sometimes from the fact that we are queer, sometimes for another reason. We are called by James and this mans words to look for the divine purpose in suffering, or rather look for a divine use to this suffering in our life. No one is HIV+ as God’s purpose but the suffering a person goes through who is sick can be used in our life to show the God’s grace around us and to help others go though the same thing. My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing. If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given you. James, 1:1-5, NRSV

October 19

Reading 1

Luke 24:1-12

“But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in, they did not find the body. While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.” Then they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened.”

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The joy of the resurrection is mixed with sadness that these women were not believed. These women some of whom probably provided for the Jesus and disciples, these who were privilege enough to be the first to hear the good news of the resurrection were not believed. Indeed Peter goes to the tomb and is amazed to find it empty. Let us be accepting of good news, not quick to disbelieve but be like Peter willing to run and stoop to see the truth.

Reading 2

“See, my servant will prosper; he will be highly exalted. Many were amazed when they saw him--beaten and bloodied, so disfigured one would scarcely know he was a person. And he will again startle many nations. Kings will stand speechless in his presence. For they will see what they had not previously been told about; they will understand what they had not heard about. Who has believed our message? To whom will the LORD reveal his saving power? My servant grew up in the LORD’s presence like a tender green shoot, sprouting from a root in dry and sterile ground. There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him. He was despised and rejected--a man of sorrows, acquainted with bitterest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way when he went by. He was despised, and we did not care. Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God for his own sins! But he was wounded and crushed for our sins. He was beaten that we might have peace. He was whipped, and we were healed! All of us have strayed away like sheep. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on him the guilt and sins of us all. He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led as a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth. From prison and trial they led him away to his death. But who among the people realized that he was dying for their sins--that he was suffering their punishment? He had done no wrong, and he never deceived anyone. But he was buried like a criminal; he was put in a rich man’s grave. But it was the LORD’s good plan to crush him and fill him with grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have a multitude of children, many heirs. He will enjoy a long life, and the LORD’s plan will prosper in his hands. When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied. And because of what he has experienced, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins. I will give him the honors of one who is mighty and great, because he exposed himself to death. He was counted among those who were sinners. He bore the sins of many and interceded for sinners.”

-Isaiah 52:13-53:12, NLT

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One could almost call this the Gospel according to Isaiah, and indeed Philip tells us (along with the Ethiopian Eunuch), that this One whom Isaiah prophesied about hundreds of years before Jesus came. Was that great healer, but unlike any healer of today or then, Jesus cured us with His own suffering, Jesus took the punishment that was ours. Indeed the one who was perfect humanity, was abused till hardly any semblance of humanity was left. Christ is that Righteous Servant who bears all our sins, and thanks be to God, allows us to be counted righteous.

October 20

Reading 1

Luke 24:13-35

“Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, “What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?” They stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?” He asked them, “What things?” They replied, “The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him.” Then he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?” Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures. As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. But they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.” So he went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?” That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. They were saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!” Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.”

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We too are far too often blind to the truth in front of us, we proclaim what we have known but can’t recognize the truth right in front of us. Jesus is merciful to us, as He was to these two men: Explaining, working on hearts, till finally our Lord’s presence is visible. Jesus has come to you today did you see Him, did you hear His voice? Was Christ not there the moment you awoke, in the people you said hello to as you went about your day? Jesus is present because we have given our hearts to be His throne. Jesus may not appear to us in the flesh as He did to Cleopas and his friend, but His presence is just as undeniable every day, which should have us like these two quick to proclaim the good news, “The Lord ...has appeared to [us]!” Alleluia, Christ has risen! Christ has risen indeed, Alleluia!

Reading 2

Holy Trinity,

divine and blessed relationship,

bless the ecstasy of these lovers

as their faces kiss,

as their bodies touch,

as in their lovemaking

they overcome the fear and the hatred

and the garbage heaped upon them

by the church and the culture.

Bless their adoration of each other

as they worship the holy imprint

of your divine beauty

and enjoy the communion

of a loving covenant.

May such sacrament

bring them ever closer to you,

Lover of us all.

-Chris Glacer, Coming Out To God

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O Lord bless us with your light. “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” John 1:5

October 21

Reading 1

Luke 24:36-49

“While they were talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost. He said to them, “Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate in their presence. Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you--that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” ”

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Where Jesus’ followers are gathered, talking about God, Jesus will be there, bringing peace. Jesus shows such grace calming their fears, putting up with their doubts, reminding them of the God’s promises. Let us too wait for the right moments, but when the Spirit moves us, and clothes us with power, let us go forth boldly.

Reading 2

Hear the words of one possessed by the Spirit 'Peace be with you, peace be with you; peace be with those who help you! For your God has helped you!'(1Ch 12:19) Now this words of old were spoke to King David but how much more to us children of God who like David, live in a time of uncertainty, not always sure who is on our side. It is time such as these we remember the great hymn of St. Paul in Romans (8:31-39) : ' After saying this, what can we add? If God is for us, who can be against us? Since he did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for the sake of all of us, then can we not expect that with him he will freely give us all his gifts? Who can bring any accusation against those that God has chosen? When God grants saving justice who can condemn? Are we not sure that it is Christ Jesus, who died - yes and more, who was raised from the dead and is at God's right hand - and who is adding his plea for us? Can anything cut us off from the love of Christ - can hardships or distress, or persecution, or lack of food and clothing, or threats or violence; as scripture says: For your sake we are being massacred all day long, treated as sheep to be slaughtered? No; we come through all these things triumphantly victorious, by the power of him who loved us. For I am certain of this: neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nothing already in existence and nothing still to come, nor any power, nor the heights nor the depths, nor any created thing whatever, will be able to come between us and the love of God, known to us in Christ Jesus our Lord. ' We are marked and sealed in Christ, no one can condemn us and no one or thing can separate us from God's love. We know that many condemn others for worshiping wrong, for loving wrong, and for numerous heresies (literally foolish questions). But let us receive that peace, because God will allow nothing to separate us from God's great love.

-DWF

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Let Christ’s peace be arbiter in your decisions, the peace to which you were called as members of a single body. Always be thankful. Col. 3:15

October 22

Reading 1

Luke 24:50-53

“Then [Jesus] led them out as far as Bethany, and, lifting up his hands, he blessed them. While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven. And they worshiped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy; and they were continually in the temple blessing God.”

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When we have received the blessing of God we are unable to stop from worshiping God, from being full of the joy that Jesus brings. Jesus left earth leading His followers and blessing them, but Jesus remains in Heaven offering blessing to those whom He died to redeem. Thanks be to God for such grace as this.

Reading 2

“In the first book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus did and taught from the beginning until the day when he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. After his suffering he presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. While staying with them, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the promise of the Father. “This,” he said, “is what you have heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” He replied, “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.””

-Acts 1:1-11, NRSV

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Many sincere Christians spend vast amounts of times studying to learn the time when Jesus shall return, it is only human curiousity to want to know something, and one can hardly blame the disciples for staring up after this awesme sight, this asscension of Christ. Just as Christ needed no ones help to ascend to heaven He will need no ones help to return either, Jesus clearly told the disciples not worry about the schedule of the kingdoms coming but merely to go out and proclaim the good news that God’s kingdom has started to burst into time. What joyous news. I say to you, are you staring up into heaven or are you living your life for Jesus here and now?

October 23

Reading 1

John 1:1-18

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. (John testified to him and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’”) From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.”

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The dawn of time, before there was a ‘before’ there was the Logos, Jesus who came bringing life into creation. This same One who created all things in the fullness of time became incarnate, incarnate in the person Jesus of Nazareth, heralded by the Baptist, Jesus brought light and life, the ability for us who were separated from God our Creator to become actual children of God. Our Lord Jesus, full of grace and truth, has made known God to us. Let us follow follow Jesus who brought grace and truth:which brought life. And that replaces the law brought by Moses, which brought only death.

Reading 2

When it comes to the maintenance of a cosmic order, God requires no [hu]man's assistance; but when it comes to the achievement of a historic justice and peace, [God] is necessarily dependent, to some extent, upon human co-operation. Hence this view of God's activity in history leaves the Christian with a goading conviction that, confronted with a situation that is plunging millions of [one's] fellows into a black abyss of misery and despair, [one] simply cannot look on and do nothing, unless [one] is capable of deserting and betraying God.

-E. F. Tittle, Christian in an Unchristian Society p.9-10

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Follow carefully the call of God for as we hear the warning clearly in Esther. Salvation may come from elsewhere, but if it does, that missed opportunity you may regret forever. Who is to say this isn’t a providential placement of you in the royal court. God has placed you where you are for a reason.

October 24

Reading 1

John 1:19-28

“This is the testimony given by John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” He confessed and did not deny it, but confessed, “I am not the Messiah.” And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the prophet?” He answered, “No.” Then they said to him, “Who are you? Let us have an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’” as the prophet Isaiah said. Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. They asked him, “Why then are you baptizing if you are neither the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?” John answered them, “I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not know, the one who is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandal.” This took place in Bethany across the Jordan where John was baptizing.”

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The ascetic John was also very humble and took not the title of prophet or the identity of Elijah whom Jesus later said John had come in Elijah’s spirit. John was on a mission to turn the hearts of the people to God alone, making them ready for the coming of God, blazing the trail that would lead Jesus to redeeming the creation. These ‘men of God’ asking John why he baptizes, as if he had no right to do what God called him too, reminds me of people who try to stop women, queers, or people of another race from proclaiming the good news, from going into the service of God. This is wrong for God uses whom God chooses, and we must not call common what God has made Holy. We, it is true may only baptize with water (do the works of mortals) but we do this so the One who comes with Power, giving the Spirit to all who put their trust in God. We may not be worthy to be the most menial servant of that One but then no one is, it is Grace alone that makes us worthy.

Reading 2

It is not in vain that Scripture compares the Word of God, in it’s nature and effects, to light. The sun’s light shines don upon us pure and colorless; but it breaks forth from earthly objects only in a variety of colors, and all of them contribute to the beauty of our earth. Where these colors stand next to one another in their natural arrangement, and sparkle and play upon one another, there we see the rainbow–the arch of peace–resplendent in it's perfect beauty. Only when we reunite the various broken rays, is pure colorless light restored. So it is with the Word of God. It has shone upon earth through the Son of God, pure in its heavenly splendor. But in every other person it becomes a unique light, braking forth in an individual color. The beauty of Christ’s church consists in the fact that, in the fellowship of believers, all these colors are harmoniously united, all the diverse human views and representations of the one salvation gently flow together. That is what it means to seek truth in love.

-Friedrich Schleiermacher, Servant of the Word

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The Church is incomplete without Queer Christians, we are part of the spectrum of believers, part of the body of Christ. When we are excluded the beauty of the Church is dimissed because something is missing something that can not be replaced for we are our own unique color. “For just as in a single human body there are many limbs and organs, all with different functions, so we who are united with Christ, though many, form one body, and belong to one another as its limbs and organs.” Romans 12:4-5, REB

October 25

Reading 1

John 1:29-34

“The next day [John] saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him; but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel.” And John testified, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God.” ”

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The Son of God revealed by John the Baptist, Jesus, who by birth was 6 months younger than John, is declared by John to be before him. And so it is true Jesus was before all of Creation. The Spirit descends like a dove and remained on Jesus, when He was baptized, the One who knew no sin, came and said wash me, for I too am a human, I too will identify with those separated from God that they may draw unto God. Grace, upon grace the Son of God has come, come as a Lamb, and takes away the sins of the world, the sins of the ‘Kosmos’, all of creation.

Reading 2

One of the most intriguing descriptions of sex as a spiritual experience I have ever read is that of Larry Uhrig, an MCC minister in Washington D.C. He describes an anonymous sexual encounter at Rehoboth Beach,... From the first meeting. he knew his partner understood the sanctity of sex:There was something about him, a deepness in his eyes, the kind that makes you nervous. He had a penetrating power which striped me naked, and seduced the spirit along with the flesh.

He and his anonymous partner were on a blanket on the beach on a clear night, and his partner asked him to lie back and simply enjoy his attentions. I lay there, on my back, staring into an incredible sky while this man proceeded to give my genitals his attention with passion and commitment.

Something beyond words began to happen. I felt the earth under me, solid, as I saw the heavens turning above me. We felt like one unit, the earth, the heavens, and I. My mind began to expand the scene and my erect organ seemed to raise not just into my partner’s mouth, but from the earth into the heavens. A high monument, stirring the stars. Tears filled my eyes as I began to feel God’s presence with me, with us. I dared to pray. “Go, it’s me. I want you to have all of me. I want my semen to flow as a gift to you. My body fluid; intimate symbol of life, to pour out in gratitude. Receive all of me.” It was as if my partner was God drawing life from me. I was loving both this man and God. Then I saw more keenly still the white flow of the Milky Way. My prayer went on. “Let my semen flow into the Milky Way. I want each sperm to add to the billions of stars.” A pulse began to throb within me. The surging sea and my body rhythm were one. I began to seek to give myself to God. No longer could I differentiate between the sexual experience and my prayer life. In the spirit, I prayed. In a new language of ecstacy, I spoke. Some call it tongues, others the language of private prayer. I knew it to be a private communication between god and me....For Uhrig to have had such an experience simultaneous with a sexual orgasm was, for him, an experience of deep healing, driving out the last residue of internalized homophobia and sex negativism, He would never again put his sexuality and his spirituality in separate boxes.....

Our particular vocation as queer Christians today is to recover the...practice [of] sacred sex; you can offer your sexual experiences, as the Rev. Larry Uhrig described, to the Christian God. I am exercising my Christian priesthood just as much when I have a respectful, transcendent, sacred encounter with another naked man as when I celebrate the Eucharist, As I once wrote in a poem to a lover, “I can worship God in the Sacrament of the alter or at the temple of your body.” I invite you, queer Christian, to begin to recover the ancient mysteries of sacred sex, to encounters as offerings to Christ, to the God who sanctified human bodies by becoming incarnate in one.

-Robert Williams, Just As I Am

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This powerful reading breaks down the walls totally between sexuality and spirituality, walls that should not have been there in the first place. Living out this call will mean abandoning the comfortable bounds of legalism to being lead by the Spirit. Offering ourselves up spiritually as Paul says in Romans (Rom. 12:1), “I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” A sacrifice is a dedication, learn to dedicate all your life to God totally and unreservedly. You will risk condemnation but remember what Paul said to the Corinthians (1Cor. 2:15), “Those who are spiritual discern all things, and they are themselves subject to no one else’s scrutiny.” God is our judge and if we live in love and dedicated fully to God alone through Jesus Christ there is no need to fear ever again, for “In love there is no room for fear; indeed perfect love banishes fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and anyone who is afraid has not attained to love in its perfection.” -1 John 4:18, REB

October 26

Reading 1

John 1:35-42

“The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, “Look, here is the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher), “where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon. One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated Anointed). He brought Simon to Jesus, who looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter).”

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John decreases while Christ increases. The disciples of John see the Lamb of God who John had been heralding. These disciples follow Jesus and stay with Him, and bring others too Him, but contact with Jesus brings change, Andrew brings his brother to Jesus and immediately he goes from Simon to Peter. So too when you encounter Jesus you will have change sometimes radical, thanks be to God always for God’s glory.

Reading 2

Contemplation

Stillness: Be still my body – restless, fretful frame–

Be still my mind and stem your winding ways–

Be still my spirit, languid, lax and lame;

Be still, be still, that I my God may praise.

Lord, in this stillness, I your Word may hear–

Word of indictment of the sins deplored,

Word which drives away fear,

Word of forgiveness which rests me assured.

Lord, in the stillness, my spirit renewed,

Steel me with courage for life’s stern employ,

Show me the way that with your grace imbued,

I may go forward aglow with your joy.

Silence: I plead for silence–

The silence [mortal’s] busy-ness destroys–

The sparkling silence of stars at night

The sparkling silence which the moon employs–

Noiseless their work – hushed as a holy rite.

I plead for silence–

The silence which casts an eerie spell

On all the clatter of our sad world’s noise,

And sanctified, assures: ‘All shall be well’,–

Enfolded thus I shall reign my poise.

Solitude: Alone, Alone – though not the world to shun;

My solitude’s divine.

I sought it freely when my tasks were done,

To meditate on thine.

Cleansed by thy mercy of sin’s sultry stain,

Washed clean for service royal,

I stand alert and, at your service, deign

No task as thine as toil.

All glory, Lord, all glory to your name;

Anew I dedicate

Myself, that words and deeds may yet proclaim

Your power to recreate.

Meditation and Contemplation are two methods of prayer which are in fact complementary, though contemplation is often regarded as a more advanced form of prayer. Each demands that we carve out periods of stillness, silence and solitude from our busy lives, moments when we set out to meet God person to person, that we may go out to serve [God] more surely in [God’s] world. A friend of mine use to find a poor simple old man sitting in his city church very frequently and one day asked what he did there for so long so often, His answer was: ‘I just sits ‘ere thinking about God in all ‘is glory, of ‘ow ‘e loves me and of ‘ow I must love ‘im– and ‘ow us all must love ‘im’. I am sure that the great ‘Contemplatives’ of the Church would say that old man was ‘not far from the Kingdom of God’.

-Bishop Cyril Bulley, Glimpses of the Divine

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Contemplation and meditation have nothing to do with intelligence, but simply with a desire to draw nearer to God. Bishop Bulley’s poem and comments are a wonderful presentation of contemplation. The psalmist says ‘Be still and know that I am God’ and that is the start to contemplation. Know that the Lord has singled out for himself his loyal servant; the Lord hears when I call to him. Let awe restrain you from sin; while you rest, meditate in silence: Psalm 4:3-4, REB

October 27

Reading 1

John 1:43-51

“The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.” Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said of him, “Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!” Nathanael asked him, “Where did you get to know me?” Jesus answered, “I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you.” Nathanael replied, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” Jesus answered, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these.” And he said to him, “Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.” ”

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More followers gather around our Lord. I must say Nathanael’s remark reminds me of the cutting jab you’d hear coming from a drag queen. Jesus speaks to Nathanael though revealing He has saw Nathanael while he was still sitting under the tree. This impresses Nathanael to no end, but Jesus point is that knowledge is not the important thing, the important thing is that Jesus is the link from heaven to earth, the path from creation to God. Look at Christ and see Jacob’s ladder, in the flesh.

Reading 2

Several years before his death in ‘72, a remarkable rabbi, Abraham Joshua Heschel, suffered a near-fatal heart attack from which he never fully recovered. A dear friend visiting him found him woefully weak. Just about able to whisper, Heschel said to him: “Sam, when I regained consciousness, my first thought was not of despair or anger. I felt only gratitude to God for my life, for every moment I had lived. I was ready to depart. ‘Take me, O Lord’ I thought ‘I have seen so many miracles in my lifetime’ ” Exhausted by the effort, Heschel paused then added: “That is what I meant when I wrote [in the preface to his book of Yiddish poems]: ‘I did not ask for success; I asked for wonder. And you gave it to me.’ ”

-Walter Burghardt, Still Proclaiming Your Wonders

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What is wonder and awe but the realization that we are in God’s presence, what greater awe can we have than when we realize that every bush is burning with the love of God’s Holy presence and every barren place is actually a stairway to heaven. Then he had a dream: a stairway rested on the ground, with its top reaching to the heavens; and God's messengers were going up and down on it. When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he exclaimed, "Truly, the LORD is in this spot, although I did not know it!" In solemn wonder he cried out: "How awesome is this shrine! This is nothing else but an abode of God, and that is the gateway to heaven!" Gen 28:12, 16, 17 NAB

October 28

Reading 1

John 2:1-11

“On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” Now standing there were six stone water jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to them, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. He said to them, “Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward.” So they took it. When the steward tasted the water that had become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now.” Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.”

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A kindness offered. No one would have been hurt if the wine had run out, only thing saved here is a good time and the host’s reputation. Jesus performs this act, of changing the base and common into something wonderful. The same happens to peoples, Jesus comes to hearts hard as stones, and Jesus speaks and the hearts are made new, flesh tender yet strong. We are told this was the first sign performed in Cana by Jesus, and I think it is fitting that the first sign was one of pure grace, with no real need, a kindness performed to ones lacking in luxuries.

Reading 2

Whose is the misery? Whose the remorse? Whose are the quarrels and the anxiety? Who gets the bruises without knowing why? Whose eyes are bloodshot? Those who linger late over their wine, those always sampling some new spiced liquor. Do not gulp down the wine, the strong red wine, when the droplets form on the side of the cup. It may flow smoothly but in the end it will bite like a snake and poison like a cobra. Then your eyes will see strange sights, your wits and your speech will be confused; you become like a man tossing out at sea, like one who clings to the top of the rigging; you say, ‘If I am struck down, what do I care? If I am overcome, what of it? As soon as I wake up, I shall turn to the wine again.’

-Proverbs 23:29-35, REB

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The queer community in general has a real problem with alcoholism, we see so many people who seem to live their lives like the person in the proverb here, living to drink. It’s an addiction but it is also often to mask pain, the pain of hollow relationships, the pain of deception, the pain of how friends and neighbours have reacted to learning we are queer (or at least our assumption of their reactions), and most sadly how religious authorities (perhaps once beloved) demonize queers. If one doesn’t realize one is loved and cherished by God what hope is there why not eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we perish. There is no love for me in this world. The solace that Queer Christians have is that we know that God loves us just as God created us to be. We know that there is more to life than the pleasure of the moment, we know that when the pleasure comes we can shout out to God with thanksgiving for it. Do not call evil any substance but if that substance is ruining your life, relationships (lovers, friends or with God) or health you have got to face the fact you have a problem. If you do maybe a spiritually based program like AA (and yes there are exclusively queer AA groups too) can help, or perhaps recognition of the problem with prayer can be enough. Share the good news of God’s care and love to others, then maybe they will not have pain needing to be deadening.

October 29

Reading 1

John 2:12-25

“After this [Jesus] went down to Capernaum with his mother, his brothers, and his disciples; and they remained there a few days. The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. He told those who were selling the doves, “Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!” His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” The Jews then said to him, “What sign can you show us for doing this?” Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and will you raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking of the temple of his body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this; and they believed the scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken. When he was in Jerusalem during the Passover festival, many believed in his name because they saw the signs that he was doing. But Jesus on his part would not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people and needed no one to testify about anyone; for he himself knew what was in everyone.”

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There is a wonderful wisdom in Jesus’ actions, working the works God gave Jesus to do, allowing all to come to Him, but not entrusting Himself to any. It’s not that we shouldn’t trust, indeed we Christians are called to trust beyond what normally seems prudent. But ultimately we entrust ourselves to no one at all but to God alone. God wants our testimony, our lives, our hearts, but God would not cease being God if, we failed, God knows we will fail but the good news is Jesus forgives us and and comes to us again and again inviting us to do the work of God.

Reading 2

God Became [Human]. My [child], I know every [one]'s inner state. I know well and I reveal myself to each heart, according to its needs. There is no better way of bringing [one] into holiness than by revealing myself to [that one]. I became [human], so that [people] may know God. I came to reveal that God is not as a distant stranger or a tyrant, but one full of love and no stranger to [humanity], for [humanity] was made in the image of God.

[One] has this natural desire to see the God whom [one] loves. But the Father cannot be seen. God is by nature incomprehensible. [One] who would comprehend God must have [God’s] nature. [Humanity] is a comprehensible creature and as such [one] cannot see God. Yet God is love and [God] has endowed [humanity] with that same faculty of love. So in order that [humanity’s] craving for love might be satisfied, God adopted a form of existence that [humanity] could comprehend. And God became [human]. [God] is visible to [God’s] children. They may see God and enjoy [God] with all the holy angels (Col. 1:15; 2:9). That is why I said, 'Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father' (John 14:9-10).

And although I am called the Son, while I am in the form of [humanity], I am the eternal and everlasting Father (Isa. 9:6).

Heat and Light. I and the Father and the Holy Spirit are one. In the sun there is both heat and light, but light is not heat and heat is not light, yet both are one, though different in their forms. Similarly, I and the Holy Spirit, proceeding from the Father, bring light and heat into the world. The Spirit which is the baptismal fire, burns to ashes all sin in the hearts of believers making them pure and holy. I, who am the true Light (John 1:9; 8:12), disperse all dark, evil desires and lead believers in the way of holiness, to bring them finally to their eternal home. Yet we are not three but one, just as the sun is one.

- Sundar Singh, At the Masters Feet

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‘I am the light of the world. No follower of mine shall walk in darkness; he shall have the light of life.’ John 8:12 REB We often do not understand God perfectly but we remember the words of Paul, “My knowledge now is partial; then it will be whole, like God’s knowledge of me.” 1Co 13:12 And that is the good news God knows us better than we could ever know ourselves.

October 30

Reading 1

John 3:1-15

“Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. He came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.” Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’ The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” Jesus answered him, “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things? “Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.”

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Nicodemus comes in darkness seeking the light, but he finds he must be reborn, born not a second time of the flesh but born by the Spirit. Nicodemus and us remain in darkness till we see that blazing serpent hanging on that cross, offering forgiveness to all that will look upon Him. Blazing in light so bright as to illumine the whole of creation. It is a supreme irony that although we associate Satan with a serpent and Christ with a lion, in fact the image of a lion for Satan is more common than for Christ and the image of a Serpent for Jesus more common than that of the lion. Let us remember that Jesus is that one who will bring us to the eternal life of Heaven because it was He who came down from Heaven to give it, in the redemption through His blood.

Reading 2

OUTWITTED

HE drew a circle that shut me out-

Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout.

But Love and I had the wit to win:

We drew a circle that took him in!

-Edwin Markham

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This is probably the shortest reading in this collection but this has to be one of the most profound of all. Written over a hundred years ago, it’s truth and beauty is enduring. We have had circles drawn to keep us out, and those circles are far from being erased yet, but what we are to do like the poet and draw inclusive circles encompassing all. Even as God’s love emcopasses all. This reminds me of a beautiful tale, of a non-Christian man dying in a small village. One of his closet friends, a devout man, went to his Priest and said, “Father my friend was such a good man, please perform the cervice and bury him in the church yard.”

The Priest was troubled, he knew well the man and thought well of him but also knew as an unbaptized, non-beleiver he could not be laid to rest in hallowed ground, and so replied, “My child I will of course preform the service but I can not allow him to be burried in the church yard, my hands are tied by the laws of the church.”

The disapointed man nodded agreeingly, looking downcast, he reasoned atleast the furneral will be proper. And indeed it was a wondeful service, and the man was buried outside the church yards fence. In a couple of days, when he retruned and to his horror he could not find the grave marker, the man falling down to his knees began to weep, the Priest saw him and came over to the fence and asked, “What is wrong my dear Child?”

“Father, my good friends grave has vanished without a trace, and I am deeply trouble.” To which the priest answered, “ You misunderstand my Child, the night after the funeral, I moved the fence over to inlcude his grave.”

‘This is why we labour and struggle, because we have set our hope on the living God, who is the Saviour of all’—the Saviour, above all, of believers. 1 Tim 4:10 REB

October 31

Reading 1

John 3:16-21

“ “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.” ”

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Who is the one who draws away from the cross of Christ who refuses to look on the One but those who pierced Him. Those who continue causing the suffering. Condemned because the will not join in our Lord’s suffering, the suffering of the body of Christ. Life eternal is the gift offered us that day upon that tree. And all of us who believe in Jesus are not condemned, thanks be to God that the world, that is all of creation (kosmos) is saved through Jesus our Lord, redemption has come to us who believe but Jesus actions brought restoration to all of creation.

Reading 2

God’s intention seems to be to create persons who are sexual in the fullest sense of the word, with a sexual system that responds to sexual pleasuring. ‘And God saw that the creation was GOOD’ (Gen 1:31). [What is] a theology of sexual pleasure that is relevant for daily Christian living?...

[Theology] is God and God’s relation to the world, [so]it is important to ask ‘What is in the mind of God regarding our creation?’ There are several ways of exploring the mind of God.

one of those ways is through the Bible. A powerful description of God in the New Testament is that God is love (1 John 4:8-9). Jesus certainly presented a God of love in his ministry and he affirmed this when he responded to the Pharisees with ‘the greatest commandment’ to love God, oneself, and others. John affirms love as central when he states that ‘...God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son’ (John 3:16). Love seems to be a central reality in the mind of God and is not abstract or static, but dynamic and active. The love described above also defines god’s relationship to the world and how God wants humans to relate to each other.

Another way to sort out the mind of god is through findings of scientific research. If all of creation is from god, then the more we learn about creation, the more in touch we will be with the mind of God. In the works...of Masters and Johnson, Kaplen, Reed, and many others... we have learned much about human sexual function. I am in awe at our creation as sexual beings. Our capacity for love, for relationship, and our ability to responds with such deep and meaningful sexual pleasure is a humbling experience. To restrict sexual pleasuring to the procreational function, and to validate sexual pleasure only when it occurs in heterosexual relationships, diminishes the creative capacities God gave humans for expressing love.

Finally, the mind of God can be discerned whenever humans seek wholeness, that is, to integrate mind, body and spirit. The quest for wholeness and spiritual oneness with God and each other is experienced in every period of history and among all peoples. When the integration of love, sexuality and spirituality are experienced, God’s intention is born anew in the world. Sexual pleasuring does not hinder either spiritual growth, or service to humanity. The current focus on sexual meaning in our time is a reaction of humans striving to understand the nature of their sexuality. Many are fearful of the implications. Maybe one of those implications will be the rediscovery that the entire universe is our potential sexual orientation and that we can find sexual pleasure in all the dimensions of our life. That will happen when we join our sexual self with our spiritual self and seek appropriate ways of expressing that pleasure in all our relationships.

And we ourselves know and believe that the love which God has for us. God is love, and whoever lives in love lives in union with God and God lives in union with him.

-William R. Stayton, A Theology of Sexual Pleasure

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May God lead us to wholeness, may all we do be in an effort to seek that wholeness.

November

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November 1

Reading 1

John 3:22-36

“After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he spent some time there with them and baptized. John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim because water was abundant there; and people kept coming and were being baptized --John, of course, had not yet been thrown into prison. Now a discussion about purification arose between John’s disciples and a Jew. They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, the one who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you testified, here he is baptizing, and all are going to him.” John answered, “No one can receive anything except what has been given from heaven. You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah, but I have been sent ahead of him.’ He who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. For this reason my joy has been fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease.” The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks about earthly things. The one who comes from heaven is above all. He testifies to what he has seen and heard, yet no one accepts his testimony. Whoever has accepted his testimony has certified this, that God is true. He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure. The Father loves the Son and has placed all things in his hands. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but must endure God’s wrath.”

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John graciously accepts Jesus’ rising popularity, he realizes he is only the best man at the wedding of his friend Jesus. But this wedding is unlike most, for the brides keep increasing in number and the groom pours out the Spirit freely, without measure. It is a lavish affair with all who come receiving eternal life, asked only to obey, and to obey Christ is to love God fully and neighbour as self, anything else can only earn God’s wrath.

Reading 2

What is essential for each one of us is to know our needs (they vary from person to person) and to find a way to realize them, or a path of purification that is consonant with the values and state of life that we have choosen. The formula will be different for each one and will be subject to revision thoughout life. What must be avoided is an existance in whihch unrecognized needs are repressed and look for satisfaction in various guises, contrary to gospel values to which we want to commit ourselves, One reason it is so difficult to fine and maitain a healthy equilibrium in our life is the mimited range of possibilities that it offers for the realaization of human needs. The solitary life necessarily places itself under the sign of the Cross, of a radiacal transfiguration that cannot be fruitful except under the influence of great love. We must begin with an intense spiritual life and an adequatly developed human maturity. We can’t take short cuts with impuity. We can renouce only what we possess, one way or another.

-a Carthusian, 17th Conference; July 1978

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The formula of new life and the parths we travel are all unique as our own being, but giving ourselves up to God is not an option but the exact starting point each child of God much take on the path the spiritual wholeness. Living of the gospel requires great sacrifices but the fruit it offers is more than compenstaion. There is no single path for everyone but God will guide each one if you let God's Spirit into your heart. “Therefore, my friends, I implore you by God’s mercy to offer your very selves to him: a living sacrifice, dedicated and fit for his acceptance, the worship offered by mind and heart. Conform no longer to the pattern of this present world, but be transformed by the renewal of your minds. Then you will be able to discern the will of God, and to know what is good, acceptable, and perfect.” Romans 12:1-2, REB

November 2

Reading 1

John 4:1-30

“Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard, “Jesus is making and baptizing more disciples than John” --although it was not Jesus himself but his disciples who baptized-- he left Judea and started back to Galilee. But he had to go through Samaria. So he came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well. It was about noon. A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” (His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?” (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” The woman said to him, “Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well, and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?” Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.” Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come back.” The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; for you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true!” The woman said to him, “Sir, I see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us.” Jesus said to her, “I am he, the one who is speaking to you.” Just then his disciples came. They were astonished that he was speaking with a woman, but no one said, “What do you want?” or, “Why are you speaking with her?” Then the woman left her water jar and went back to the city. She said to the people, “Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done! He cannot be the Messiah, can he?” They left the city and were on their way to him.”

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Boundaries broken, for men don’t talk to strange women, and Jews not to Samaritans. But Jesus reaches out to this lonely woman coming for water when she would lest expect to run into anyone. The conversation turns from well water to Spiritual water, to the great debate of where worship should take place. To this day people ask worship should take place. Even as God is Spirit we must worship God from our inner beings from our spirit. That is the first, where, but the second is just as important, we must worship in truth. Queer Christians have long known what it is to worship in deception, but that is not how God wishes to receive our worship, let us worship openly as God made us, hiding nothing from the One who made us, then let us run off in freedom telling others we have found One who knows all, who is from God and leads unto God. So know that you need not be in a church building, but simply giving yourself over to God’s Spirit, in truth, then you can worship God anywhere.

Reading 2

Jesus calls us to a new way of being in the world. What this means for the spiritual journey of marginal persons such as women is that God’s redeeming action is taking place right now as they seek their own liberation and that of others. Far from supporting the oppression of women, Jesus’ vision calls for the elimination of structures of domination and submission. All who call themselves his disciples share this prophetic mission. The stories of women in the New Testament portray the liberating power of Jesus’ presence and message.

-Kathleen Fischer, Women at the Well

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‘If you stand by my teaching, you are truly my disciples; you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’ (John 8:31-32, REB). The truth is Christ opposes the oppression of all from the people struggling under legalism, to women, to even gentiles. All distinctions are gone in Christ, to update Paul’s words “There is no such thing as Jew and Greek, slave and free, male and female[, straight and queer]; for you are all one person in Christ Jesus.” (Gal 3:28, REB altered). May this truth inspire us to lead lives ‘out’ in honesty and integrity.

November 3

Reading 1

John 4:31-42

“Meanwhile the disciples were urging [Jesus], “Rabbi, eat something.” But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” So the disciples said to one another, “Surely no one has brought him something to eat?” Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work. Do you not say, ‘Four months more, then comes the harvest’? But I tell you, look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting. The reaper is already receiving wages and is gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.” Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I have ever done.” So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days. And many more believed because of his word. They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Savior of the world.” ”

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More necessary than food for our mouth is food for our souls, doing the will of God. God’s will is never in the future but always now, do not say one day I shall harvest for that day may never come for you. The fields are constantly full of ripe produce to be harvested for the Kingdom’s sake. From the seed that was one woman many were harvested. Will you turn and harvest or continue saying four more months, and then the harvest?

Reading 2

Service: What is crime, but abuse of some by others? What is war, but this abuse played out on a larger stage and spread across the globe? What is famine, but the imbalance of the world's resources, with some having nothing while others have plenty? If we've lived in sync with with God's will and served our brothers and sisters in need, we will inherit heaven. If we've lived lives of selfishness and self-centeredness, hell, whatever mysterious region that may be, is the place for us.

-John Michael Talbot with Steve Rabey, The lessons of St. Francis:How to Bring Simplicity and Spirituality into Your Daily Life

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“Because it is God’s pleasure that foolish and narrow-minded [people] may be put to shame by your good behaviour: As those who are free, not using your free position as a cover for wrongdoing, but living as the servants of God; Have respect for all, loving the [believers], fearing God, honouring the king.” 1 Peter 2:15-17, BBE

November 4

Reading 1

John 4:43-54

“When the two days were over, [Jesus] went from that place to Galilee (for Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in the prophet’s own country). When he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, since they had seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the festival; for they too had gone to the festival. Then he came again to Cana in Galilee where he had changed the water into wine. Now there was a royal official whose son lay ill in Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and begged him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. Then Jesus said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.” The official said to him, “Sir, come down before my little boy dies.” Jesus said to him, “Go; your son will live.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and started on his way. As he was going down, his slaves met him and told him that his child was alive. So he asked them the hour when he began to recover, and they said to him, “Yesterday at one in the afternoon the fever left him.” The father realized that this was the hour when Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” So he himself believed, along with his whole household. Now this was the second sign that Jesus did after coming from Judea to Galilee.”

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Another sign in Cana, but Jesus is resistant to performing mirciles here, for some reason Jesus seems to know that they are not so much seeking God but seeking a show, a sign to entertain them. Jesus heals the offical’s son, but only from a distance without any fanfare, for Jesus never needed a crowd to cure, but prefered to work in private. Jesus wanted faith not in the works He did but the words of truth He offered up. Yet these people, like us, our far quicker to beleive from what we see than from what we hear, but remember what Jesus tells us, ‘Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.’ John 20:29

Reading 2

 It would be a mistake to suppose, that the highest state of inward experience is characterized by great excitements, by raptures and ecstasies, or by any movements of feeling which would be regarded as particularly extraordinary.

             One of the remarkable results in a soul of which faith is the sole governing principle, is, that it is entirely peaceful. Nothing disturbs it.  And being thus peaceful, it reflects distinctly and clearly the image of Christ; like the placid lake, which shows, in its own clear and beautiful bosom, the exact forms of the objects around and above it.  Another is, that having full faith in God and divested of all selfishness and resistance in itself, it is perfectly accessible and pliable to all the impressions of grace.

-Fenelon's Maxims of the Saints

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We may pray and not achieve a ecstatic state, and most of us will not experience a great out of body raptures like Paul. But this in no way should dissuade you from prayer. The fruit of prayer is primarily peace, unlike the world can ever give, even the great mystics experienced times of barrenness in prayer, but they saw it as testing....may we see it the same.

November 5

Reading 1

John 5:1-15

“After this there was a festival of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate there is a pool, called in Hebrew Beth-zatha, which has five porticoes. In these lay many invalids--blind, lame, and paralyzed. One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be made well?” The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; and while I am making my way, someone else steps down ahead of me.” Jesus said to him, “Stand up, take your mat and walk.” At once the man was made well, and he took up his mat and began to walk. Now that day was a sabbath. So the Jews said to the man who had been cured, “It is the sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your mat.” But he answered them, “The man who made me well said to me, ‘Take up your mat and walk.’” They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Take it up and walk’?” Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had disappeared in the crowd that was there. Later Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “See, you have been made well! Do not sin any more, so that nothing worse happens to you.” The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.”

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Legalism raises it’s ugly head here. Jesus cured this one bound by sickness for thirty-eight years, telling him to grab his mat and go home, but rather than seeing the miracle of the healing these people saw only one breaking the law and Jesus being doubly a sinner as breaking the law and encouraging others to break the law. This man who had waited long for healing probably felt disheartened by the rebuke, but Jesus finds him again and encourages him, it matters not what they say, you are well. So it is with Queer Christians, we are whole, have been made so by Christ Jesus, and though legalists may tell us things to discourage us and our freedom in Christ, we know what Jesus has done for us, wisdom will be vindicated by her fruits.

Reading 2

David raised this lament over Saul and Jonathan his son; and he ordered that this dirge over them should be taught to the people of Judah. It was written down and may be found in the Book of Jashar: Israel, upon your heights your beauty lies slain! How are the warriors fallen! Do not tell it in Gath or proclaim it in the streets of Ashkelon, in case the Philistine maidens rejoice, and the daughters of the uncircumcised exult. Hills of Gilboa, let no dew or rain fall on you, no showers on the uplands! For there the shields of the warriors lie tarnished, and the shield of Saul, no longer bright with oil. The bow of Jonathan never held back from the breast of the foeman, from the blood of the slain; the sword of Saul never returned empty to the scabbard. Beloved and lovely were Saul and Jonathan; neither in life nor in death were they parted. They were swifter than eagles, stronger than lions. Daughters of Israel, weep for Saul, who clothed you in scarlet and rich embroideries, who spangled your attire with jewels of gold. How are the warriors fallen on the field of battle! Jonathan lies slain on your heights. I grieve for you, Jonathan my brother; you were most dear to me; your love for me was wonderful, surpassing the love of women. How are the warriors fallen, and their armour abandoned on the battlefield!

-2 Samuel 1:17-27

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This lament for a father and a son, a beloved friend, closer than a brother, is a most moving elegy. It is interesting to note that the Targum is, “more than the love of two women,” speaking of course of Micah Jonathan’s Sister, and Abigal David’s second wife. People who want to deny the love of Jonathan and David had a sexual componet mention David’s six wives, but the love he found better was that which he had with Jonathan. What pain to hear of one you love having died. Let me be romantically foolish for a moment, and suggest that his four later wives were to help him forget about Jonathan. But he could not forget and remembering that love he sought out Jonathans one remaing son, Mephibosheth, who David resotred wealth to, and gave a continuing place at his table. So wonderful was that love, is that love.

November 6

Reading 1

John 5:16-30

“Therefore the Jews started persecuting Jesus, because he was doing such things on the sabbath. But Jesus answered them, “My Father is still working, and I also am working.” For this reason the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because he was not only breaking the sabbath, but was also calling God his own Father, thereby making himself equal to God. Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, the Son does likewise. The Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing; and he will show him greater works than these, so that you will be astonished. Indeed, just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whomever he wishes. The Father judges no one but has given all judgment to the Son, so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Anyone who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. Very truly, I tell you, anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life, and does not come under judgment, but has passed from death to life. “Very truly, I tell you, the hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For just as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself; and he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. Do not be astonished at this; for the hour is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and will come out--those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation. “I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge; and my judgment is just, because I seek to do not my own will but the will of him who sent me.”

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What wonderful news, we who hear the words of Jesus and accept them are given eternal life, passing not into judgment, but to life alone. Jesus the Son of God, eternally begotten and equal to the Creator. Let us follow Jesus’ example seeking not to do our own will but the will of God, let us seek not our own honor but God’s honor alone.

Reading 2

[Many persons have commemorated the death of a friend with beautiful buildings and memorials,] But this ode of David over Jonathan outranks them all. “Thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women.” David had a greater heart; a heart, if we may say, whose strings were almost too open to the gentle, yet strong winds of affection, both of men and of women. But this was the great affection of David’s life, his love for Jonathan....

Sometimes friendships have a selfish basis. [People] talk of making “contacts,” they join a club, or an association, for the sake of contacts, and acquaintances and friendships are formed on that basis. But here is the greatest friendship of history, a love at first sight and one that many waters could not quench nor the floods of adversity drown; and yet on one side, on the side of Jonathan, the man who was the leader in this friendship had nothing whatever to gain, but from the standpoint of this world everything to lose. The higher David rose the lower must sink the fortunes of Jonathan. If David became king, Jonathan would lose the throne. On his side there was nothing to gain; nothing but what perhaps was the greatest of all, the fervent love of a great heart like David’s.

-Clarence Macartney, Sermons On Old Testament Heroes

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Let this be an an example of the love and life God calls Queer Christians to. For all too often relatiohsips in our community seem to be ruled by the question, ‘How does this benefit me?’, when the real question must be, ‘Do I love this person?’ If the answer to that question be yes, it is your duty to be with them and build a life togother no matter the cost. Love never counts the cost but always seeks the good of it’s beloved. Jonathan would lose the thorne but the love of David was worth any price. I love how this authorfrom the 1950’s clearly usues languageof lovers when quoting from the Song of Solomon to describe the nature of Jonathan and David’s love. Jonathan’s and David’s love are an example to all people but espcially to us Queer Christians, thanks be to God for it.

November 7

Reading 1

John 5:31-47

“ “If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true. There is another who testifies on my behalf, and I know that his testimony to me is true. You sent messengers to John, and he testified to the truth. Not that I accept such human testimony, but I say these things so that you may be saved. He was a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light. But I have a testimony greater than John’s. The works that the Father has given me to complete, the very works that I am doing, testify on my behalf that the Father has sent me. And the Father who sent me has himself testified on my behalf. You have never heard his voice or seen his form, and you do not have his word abiding in you, because you do not believe him whom he has sent. “You search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that testify on my behalf. Yet you refuse to come to me to have life. I do not accept glory from human beings. But I know that you do not have the love of God in you. I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; if another comes in his own name, you will accept him. How can you believe when you accept glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the one who alone is God? Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father; your accuser is Moses, on whom you have set your hope. If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. But if you do not believe what he wrote, how will you believe what I say?” ”

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Such a tragic phrase, ‘Yet you refuse to come to me to have life.’ How many people refuse to come to God and find life, how many seek righteousness on their own, or would rather accept one coming in their own glory rather than glorifying God alone. Cling to the One who would be your Lover, who would hold you close kissing your tears and washing your whiter than snow. Reject not Jesus who died for you, believe the testimony of the scriptures and of those who have gone before us. Jesus will never accuse those who are His own. Glorify God now and always. Amen.

Reading 2

We point to Christ in different ways, and we point to Christ in one the same way. We point to Christ in different ways, because he calls us to do different things. Stephen, first to be martyred, pointed to Christ with his blood; Augustine and Aquinas, gifted minds, pointed to Christ with their theology. Teresa of Avila pointed to Christ as a mystic action...people in professions point to Christ by penetrating technology with the gospel; civil servants, by planning passionately for peace.... Amid all this diversity, we point to Christ in one the same way, because Christ calls all of us to be one person. Whatever you are called to do, you point to Christ ultimately by who you are; and in the concrete this means you point to Christ in the measure that you are Christlike.

-Walter Burghardt, Lovely in Eyes Not His

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We as Christians are called to point to Christ, we are called that no matter our race, age, or sexuality. Pray to God that you may be a worthy example inspiring others to life with God. All God wants you to be is to be faithfully who God created you to be. Follow my example as I follow Christ’s. 1Co 11:1, REB So we are ambassadors for Christ; it is as though God were urging you through us, and in the name of Christ we appeal to you to be reconciled to God. 2Co 5:20, NJB

November 8

Reading 1

John 6:1-15

“After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias. A large crowd kept following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick. Jesus went up the mountain and sat down there with his disciples. Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near. When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?” He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do. Philip answered him, “Six months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.” One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?” Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was a great deal of grass in the place; so they sat down, about five thousand in all. Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, “Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost.” So they gathered them up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled twelve baskets. When the people saw the sign that he had done, they began to say, “This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world.” When Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself.”

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Crowds gathering in a remote place, but there is nothing to eat. Jesus tests the faith of His disciples by asking where they will get food to feed them, but the disciples can only say six months wages wouldn’t buy enough food, even if there was food to buy. Jesus indeed blesses the little boy’s lunch, and it feeds the multitude, an incredible sign. This sign cause the fickle people to dream of food provided always, as in the day of Moses, wanting to make Jesus king because of this sign, so Jesus escapes. Jesus was not looking to be One who gave food for the flesh alone but Jesus wanted to give food for the soul. The point is not what we want, or what will make life easier for us, but what is God’s will, what God has called us to do. Accept the Lord’s blessings but do not think you can force God into doing what you want, learn to pray that God’s will may be made your own, learn to recognize there are times to be alone, alone with God.

Reading 2

“For I am about to create new heavens and a new earth; the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I am creating; for I am about to create Jerusalem as a joy, and its people as a delight. I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and delight in my people; no more shall the sound of weeping be heard in it, or the cry of distress. No more shall there be in it an infant that lives but a few days, or an old person who does not live out a lifetime; for one who dies at a hundred years will be considered a youth, and one who falls short of a hundred will be considered accursed. They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit. They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat; for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be, and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall not labor in vain, or bear children for calamity; for they shall be offspring blessed by the LORD--and their descendants as well. Before they call I will answer, while they are yet speaking I will hear. The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, the lion shall eat straw like the ox; but the serpent--its food shall be dust! They shall not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain, says the LORD.”

-Isaiah 65:17-25, NRSV.

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Although there are other visions in the Bible of the new heaven and earth this probably my favorite. For it shows that the restoration is not just for humanity alone but for all of creation. Greek Orthodox theology sees Christ redemption as redemption of all of creation, and it is. Justice longevity, and peace among all creatures will one day be a reality. Tears will be banished and so shall distress. This is good news this is our hope. Jesus will complete that which He started over 2000 years ago. This is the good news Paul speaks of in Romans 8 “For I reckon that the sufferings we now endure bear no comparison with the glory, as yet unrevealed, which is in store for us. The created universe is waiting with eager expectation for God’s sons to be revealed. It was made subject to frustration, not of its own choice but by the will of him who subjected it, yet with the hope that the universe itself is to be freed from the shackles of mortality and is to enter upon the glorious liberty of the children of God. Up to the present, as we know, the whole created universe in all its parts groans as if in the pangs of childbirth. What is more, we also, to whom the Spirit is given as the firstfruits of the harvest to come, are groaning inwardly while we look forward eagerly to our adoption, our liberation from mortality.” (18-23, REB).

November 9

Reading 1

John 6:16-24

“When evening came, [Jesus’] disciples went down to the sea, got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were terrified. But he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the land toward which they were going. The next day the crowd that had stayed on the other side of the sea saw that there had been only one boat there. They also saw that Jesus had not got into the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. Then some boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus.”

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The disciples alone on a rough sea, in the black of night. Jesus comes light of the world to His own in darkness and turmoil, and when Jesus enters the boat suddenly they are at their destination. The lesson here is plain, we are traveling, hoping to be with Jesus and when Jesus is with us, we have reached the destination of our journey. When Jesus finds us, let us learn to remain with Him, for our journey maybe over, but the journey of Jesus continues on, we take on this journy because we never want to leave our Lord again.

Reading 2

Recalling God

In the midst of very busy days and hectic schedules, it is not easy to maintain our awareness of God and our communion with holy mystery. One way to “catch our breath,” the breath of God’s Holy Spirit within us, is to program ourselves with a little exercise of taking time out at intervals during the day just to stop and simply remember God in that brief moment of interrupting business as usual.

Try this discipline recommended by Lanza del Vasto: Stop what you are doing three times in the morning, and three times in the afternoon, at intervals of two hours. Don’t do anything.

For half a minute, just recall God’s presence, sense God’s love, enjoy God’s creation. Breathe deeply; go inward into yourself; make room in your outer routine and your inner being for God to speak. Not every break in the routine will bring a revelation of God. It will, at very least, though, bring renewed perspective to whatever it is you are doing at the time. Everyone has thirty seconds in two hours simply to be open to a sense of the sacred.

- R.H. Bell and B.L. Battin, Seeds of the Spirit

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People often say they have no time for prayer but the above reading reminds us we always can make time for brief periods of intercourse with God. This simple but deep form of prayer can help us be more like the monks of old who prayered 8 times a day and the psalmist who says, “Seven times each day I praise you for the justice of your decrees.” (119:164, REB).

November 10

Reading 1

John 6:25-40

“When they found [Jesus] on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” Jesus answered them, “Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.” Then they said to him, “What must we do to perform the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” So they said to him, “What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” Then Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and anyone who comes to me I will never drive away; for I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. This is indeed the will of my Father, that all who see the Son and believe in him may have eternal life; and I will raise them up on the last day.” ”

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The work of God is to believe in Jesus, to believe in Jesus is to follow Him, to offer love to God fully and neighbour as self. Jesus is our true bread and our true drink. God gives this bread of life to all who ask, God gives us this Bread that is Christ, and like a mother offering suck, Jesus will never drive away hungry souls, but will raise us up on that Day.

Reading 2

Truth is One

People worship God according to their tastes and temperaments. The mother cooks the same fish differently for her children, that each one may have what suits [their] stomach. For some she cooks the rich dish of pilau. But not all children can digest it. For those with weak stomachs she prepares soup. Some again like fried fish or picked fish. It depends on one’s taste...

I see people who talk about religion constantly quarreling with one another. Hindus, Mussulmans, Brahmos, Saktas, Vaishnavas, Saivas all quarrel with one another. They haven't the intelligence to understand that He who is called Krishna is also Siva and the Primal Shakti, and that it is He, again, who is called Jesus and Allah. “There is only one Rama and He has a thousand names.”

Truth is one; only it is called by different names. All people are seeking the same Truth; the variance is due to the climate, temperament, and name. A lake has many ghats. From one ghat the Hindus take water in jars and call it jal. From another ghat Mussulmans take water in leather bags and call it pani. From a third the Christians take the same thing and call it “water.” Suppose someone says that this thing is not jal but pani, or that it is not pani but water, or that it is not water but jal. It would indeed be ridiculous. But this very thing is at the root of friction among sects, their misunderstandings and quarrels. This is why people injure and kill on another, and shed blood, in the name of religion. But this is not good. Everyone is going toward God. They will all realize Him if they have sincerity and longing of heart.

-Ramakrishna

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Benedictine Pascaline Coff writing in ‘Many Mansions’ says, “Mindful now of our own rich tradition of meditation and contemplative prayer and eager to learn what is “true and holy” in other religions, the time is right for us to learn from one another, from whatever culture and religion, all is helpful in moving toward a simpler life, a deeper life, and a more authentic life in which the inner experience of God is primary and energizing and centering!” I do not ask you to give up the pure milk that is the Gospel, I only ask you not reject fruits from foreign lands, which can nourish too. Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD ~~~ Do not quench the Spirit, do not despise prophesying, but test everything; hold fast what is good, abstain from every form of evil. Deu 6:4~~~1Th 5:19-22

November 11

Reading 1

John 6:41-59

“Then the Jews began to complain about [Jesus] because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” They were saying, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” Jesus answered them, “Do not complain among yourselves. No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me; and I will raise that person up on the last day. It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me. Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” So Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live forever.” He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum.”

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In their minds Jesus was too ordinary, too common to be from God, they knew all about Him they wanted, and Jesus was not the Messiah they expected. Jesus offered them the true drink and true bread which are His blood and flesh but they could not accept this, it was beyond their ability to comprehend. Indeed it is beyond our ability to comprehend too, but God’s grace draws unto Christ people who will believe, and so it is God’s grace alone that gives us life eternal. Do not reject someone because they appear to common, because they appear too radical, for such as these are reflections of Christ.

Reading 2

When we are....constantly being loved into existence within the very divine trinitarian love and fashioned through graced knowledge and love into images of the Trinity, we are so constituted in our very being and powers, Thomas (Aquinas) teaches, that we have not only a natural capacity for such a divine-like (supernatural) existence and life but also a necessary drive implanted in us by God. Therefore, whether consciously or not we are always seeking God as our only true beatitude, our only ultimate good or end. The gift of existence given us, within and by God’s knowledge and love, implants in us an affective thirst to seek and enjoy God perfectly. a thirst that can never be satisfied by any creaturly good. This inborn thirst, derived from knowledge, is the root source of human free choice, an essential component of any spirituality. Affectivity is at the center of all human striving for beatitude.

-Walter Principe, Affectivity and the Heart of Thomas Aquinas’ Spirituality

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This reading expresses well what I meant by the title of this book ‘The Ecstasy of God ’, being a seed in every mortals heart. There is a void only God can fill but God wants to fill it not simply to make one whole but to give blessing to give it overflowing joy and so we join the psalmist in saying ‘As a hind longs for the running streams, so I long for you, my God. I thirst for God, the living God; when shall I come to appear in [God’s] presence?’ Psalm 42:1-2, REB

November 12

Reading 1

John 6:60-71

“When many of [Jesus’] disciples heard it, they said, “This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?” But Jesus, being aware that his disciples were complaining about it, said to them, “Does this offend you? Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But among you there are some who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the first who were the ones that did not believe, and who was the one that would betray him. And he said, “For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted by the Father.” Because of this many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him. So Jesus asked the twelve, “Do you also wish to go away?” Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.” Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you, the twelve? Yet one of you is a devil.” He was speaking of Judas son of Simon Iscariot, for he, though one of the twelve, was going to betray him.”

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Jesus’ words swept through His followers like a wind through the threshing floor, removing the chaff from the grain. Jesus ask those who remain if they really want to be there, and the answer is what is in all hearts of those who have come to experience God through Jesus. There is no other place to turn only Jesus has eternal life to offer, because Jesus is from God. And so we hear those words yet again in our ears, ‘Do you want to go away?’ May the love of God bind us to Jesus always enabling us to answer, ‘NO!’

Reading 2

“Then David blessed the LORD in the presence of all the assembly; David said: “Blessed are you, O LORD, the God of our ancestor Israel, forever and ever. Yours, O LORD, are the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty; for all that is in the heavens and on the earth is yours; yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and you are exalted as head above all. Riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might; and it is in your hand to make great and to give strength to all. And now, our God, we give thanks to you and praise your glorious name. “But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to make this freewill offering? For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you. For we are aliens and transients before you, as were all our ancestors; our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no hope. O LORD our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a house for your holy name comes from your hand and is all your own. I know, my God, that you search the heart, and take pleasure in uprightness; in the uprightness of my heart I have freely offered all these things, and now I have seen your people, who are present here, offering freely and joyously to you. O LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our ancestors, keep forever such purposes and thoughts in the hearts of your people, and direct their hearts toward you. Grant to my son Solomon that with single mind he may keep your commandments, your decrees, and your statutes, performing all of them, and that he may build the temple for which I have made provision.””

-1 Chronicles 29:10-19, NRSV.

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This powerful prayer of David’s has had much influence in the Church, it contains the prototype of the ending doxology we add to our, Lord’s Prayer. We offer God nothing that has not first been received from God’s hand, and we are here on this earth so briefly, but God knows our hearts, and we can pray for the future, work hard to do what we can here and when we go to be with God, know we are home at last, free from pain, hatred and inequality.

November 13

Reading 1

John 7:1-13

“After this Jesus went about in Galilee. He did not wish to go about in Judea because the Jews were looking for an opportunity to kill him. Now the Jewish festival of Booths was near. So his brothers said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea so that your disciples also may see the works you are doing; for no one who wants to be widely known acts in secret. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.” (For not even his brothers believed in him.) Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always here. The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify against it that its works are evil. Go to the festival yourselves. I am not going to this festival, for my time has not yet fully come.” After saying this, he remained in Galilee. But after his brothers had gone to the festival, then he also went, not publicly but as it were in secret. The Jews were looking for him at the festival and saying, “Where is he?” And there was considerable complaining about him among the crowds. While some were saying, “He is a good man,” others were saying, “No, he is deceiving the crowd.” Yet no one would speak openly about him for fear of the Jews.”

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Sad when not even your own family will have confidence in you, and even more so when people are out to kill you. Yet there were people who thought positive things about Jesus, but their fear kept them from speaking. Let your fear, oh Queer Christian, never keep you from proclaiming the truth. Fear not when people hate you for it hated the One who is our Lord. Queer Christian if you are unable to worship in the open, worship secretly, but never fail to worship.

Reading 2

The heavens tell out the glory of God, heaven’s vault makes known his handiwork. One day speaks to another, night to night imparts knowledge, and this without speech or language or sound of any voice. Their sign shines forth on all the earth, their message to the ends of the world. In the heavens an abode is fixed for the sun, which comes out like a bridegroom from the bridal chamber, rejoicing like a strong man to run his course. Its rising is at one end of the heavens, its circuit reaches from one end to the other, and nothing is hidden from its heat. The law of the Lord is perfect and revives the soul. The Lord’s instruction never fails; it makes the simple wise. The precepts of the Lord are right and give joy to the heart. The commandment of the Lord is pure and gives light to the eyes. The fear of the Lord is unsullied; it abides for ever. The Lord’s judgements are true and righteous every one, more to be desired than gold, pure gold in plenty, sweeter than honey dripping from the comb. It is through them that your servant is warned; in obeying them is great reward. Who is aware of his unwitting sins? Cleanse me of any secret fault. Hold back your servant also from wilful sins, lest they get the better of me. Then I shall be blameless, innocent of grave offence. May the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my mind be acceptable to you, Lord, my rock and my redeemer!

-Psalm 19, REB

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The last sentence of this beautiful psalm strikes me deep: ‘thoughts of my mind’ (‘meditation of my heart’[NRSV]/‘whispering of my heart’ [NJB]) are acceptable to our God, and why? Because we strive to follow the commandment of the law of God which Jesus summed up as love; love for God and love for neighbour, truly this will give joy to the heart following it. So every thought can be a prayer to God. Join in all of creation in crying out God’s glory. Look for God in that creation for sometimes the most wonderful religious experience can be the beauty of a sunset, the over powering smell of a field of flowers. God is our strength and the One who redeems us from so many oppressions. So the next time you face forces of oppression from homophobia or some other evil remember your God is your Rock, and your Redeemer!

November 14

Reading 1

John 7:14-24

“About the middle of the festival Jesus went up into the temple and began to teach. The Jews were astonished at it, saying, “How does this man have such learning, when he has never been taught?” Then Jesus answered them, “My teaching is not mine but his who sent me. Anyone who resolves to do the will of God will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own. Those who speak on their own seek their own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and there is nothing false in him. “Did not Moses give you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. Why are you looking for an opportunity to kill me?” The crowd answered, “You have a demon! Who is trying to kill you?” Jesus answered them, “I performed one work, and all of you are astonished. Moses gave you circumcision (it is, of course, not from Moses, but from the patriarchs), and you circumcise a man on the sabbath. If a man receives circumcision on the sabbath in order that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me because I healed a man’s whole body on the sabbath? Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.” ”

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This is the problem of all of us, judging by appearances rather that with right judgment. This is the cause for inequality of many types, women are kept from ministry in some churches because it appears to go against what they read. Queers are judged abominations for the same reasons. But these things are mere appearances, perceptions mortals have made, no one keeps the law perfectly yet many want not grace to live but grace to keep the law. For they are looking for their own glory and not that of our God.

Reading 2

8 Common Myth's and Reality......

1. Myth: All gays are effeminate and all lesbians are masculine.

Reality: Except for a small percentage of individuals, it is impossible to recognize a gay or lesbian simply by his/her appearance or mannerisms.

2. Myth: Gays desire to be women and lesbians desire to be men.

Reality: While homosexuals generally choose a sexual partner of the same gender, their gender identity is similar to that of heterosexuals. A male views himself as male and does not desire to be female. Females view themselves as females and do not desire to be males.

3. Myth: In a homosexual couple one partner will assume the dominant male role and one will assume the submissive female role.

Reality: It has been verified that the majority of gays and lesbians reject the entire practice of male-female role playing.

4. Myth: Gays are child molesters.

Reality: The vast majority of child molesting is done by heterosexual men to young girls.

5. Myth: People are either straight or gay.

Reality: It is a mistake to conceptualise homosexuality and heterosexuality as comprised of two separate categories because many people have had both experiences.

6. Myth: Gays and lesbians are mentally ill.

Reality: Personality tests reveal no differences (except for sexual preferences) between homosexuals and heterosexuals.

7. Myth: Gays are to blame for the AIDS epidemic

Reality: Blaming a deadly disease on the group who, in the United States, has suffered and died disproportionally from AIDS is a classic case of blaming the victim.

8. Myth: People choose to be gay or lesbian.

Reality: It appears that some people are naturally heterosexual in orientation and others are naturally homosexual, just as some people are naturally left-handed and others are naturally right-handed. There is little choose involve in each case.

-adapted from Rural Gays and Lesbians:Building on the Strengths of Communities, Smith & Mancoske, Editors.

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Have nothing to do with superstitious myths, mere old wives’ tales. Keep yourself in training for the practice of religion; for while the training of the body brings limited benefit, the benefits of religion are without limit, since it holds out promise not only for this life but also for the life to come. 1Ti. 4:7-8

November 15

Reading 1

John 7:25-44

“Now some of the people of Jerusalem were saying, “Is not this the man whom they are trying to kill? And here he is, speaking openly, but they say nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Messiah? Yet we know where this man is from; but when the Messiah comes, no one will know where he is from.” Then Jesus cried out as he was teaching in the temple, “You know me, and you know where I am from. I have not come on my own. But the one who sent me is true, and you do not know him. I know him, because I am from him, and he sent me.” Then they tried to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him, because his hour had not yet come. Yet many in the crowd believed in him and were saying, “When the Messiah comes, will he do more signs than this man has done?” The Pharisees heard the crowd muttering such things about him, and the chief priests and Pharisees sent temple police to arrest him. Jesus then said, “I will be with you a little while longer, and then I am going to him who sent me. You will search for me, but you will not find me; and where I am, you cannot come.” The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we will not find him? Does he intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? What does he mean by saying, ‘You will search for me and you will not find me’ and ‘Where I am, you cannot come’?” On the last day of the festival, the great day, while Jesus was standing there, he cried out, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, ‘Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.’” Now he said this about the Spirit, which believers in him were to receive; for as yet there was no Spirit, because Jesus was not yet glorified. When they heard these words, some in the crowd said, “This is really the prophet.” Others said, “This is the Messiah.” But some asked, “Surely the Messiah does not come from Galilee, does he? Has not the scripture said that the Messiah is descended from David and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?” So there was a division in the crowd because of him. Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him.”

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Another invitation made, this time one for those who are thirsty to come and drink freely. Drink deeply, Christian, for God pours forth beyond measure Spirit in our lives to satisfy our thirst. But it satisfies not us alone but flows from our hearts to satiate others and to cause them to crave the pure water that is the Spirit.

Reading 2

As long as persons are contrained to wait for a time when the creative spirit will inspire them, and then they will create. mediatate, sing–this is an indication that their souls have not yet been illuminated. Surely the soul sings always. It is robed in might and joy, it is surrounded by a noble delight, and persons must raise themselves to the height of confronting the soul, of recognizing it’s spiritual imprints, the rushing of it’s wings that abound in the majesty of the holy of holies, and...always be ready to listen to the secret of it's holy discourse. Then they wil know that it is not at one time rather than another, that the soul engenders in us new thrusts of wisdom and thought, song and holy mediatation. At all times, in every hour, it releases streams of precious gifts. And the streams that flow from it are holy treasures, fountains of understanding, stored with good sense. God’s compassions are nre each morning, great is Go’s faithfulness.

-Abraham Isaac Kook, Light’s of Holiness

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This I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. (Lam 3:21-23, NIV), we do not pray with David ‘do not take your Holy Spirit from me’, because we recognize that Jesus sent the Spirit to dwell in us always. For our bodies to be temples for the Spirit of God, now and then we have times of dryness, but we realize that spring of God’s Spirit is in us, more than willing to fill us if only we do not hinder it for Jesus says “let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, ‘Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.’ ” (John 7:38, NRSV).

November 16

Reading 1

John 7:45-52

“Then the temple police went back to the chief priests and Pharisees, who asked them, “Why did you not arrest [Jesus]?” The police answered, “Never has anyone spoken like this!” Then the Pharisees replied, “Surely you have not been deceived too, have you? Has any one of the authorities or of the Pharisees believed in him? But this crowd, which does not know the law--they are accursed.” Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus before, and who was one of them, asked, “Our law does not judge people without first giving them a hearing to find out what they are doing, does it?” They replied, “Surely you are not also from Galilee, are you? Search and you will see that no prophet is to arise from Galilee.” ”

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The words of Jesus were powerful, yet those who hardened their hearts refused to believe. Even when sensible words are spoken by Nicodemus, they refuse to listen stating that no prophet is to arise from Galilee. And that is the problem of many this day. They take silence to be negativity. Some scholars who admit the Bible has little if nothing to say about homosexuality will be so bold as to say, that since there is silence there can be no approval for same sex relationships. What spurious reasoning for God blesses many things and places never mentioned in the text of the Bible. God is no respecter of persons but gives freely to all who do what is right, loving even as Jesus loved. Queer Christian, know that God blesses you and your relationships even if others will not or claim God doesn’t.

Reading 2

“The words of the Teacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. Vanity of vanities, says the Teacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity. What do people gain from all the toil at which they toil under the sun? A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever. The sun rises and the sun goes down, and hurries to the place where it rises. The wind blows to the south, and goes around to the north; round and round goes the wind, and on its circuits the wind returns. All streams run to the sea, but the sea is not full; to the place where the streams flow, there they continue to flow. All things are wearisome; more than one can express; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, or the ear filled with hearing. What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; there is nothing new under the sun. Is there a thing of which it is said, “See, this is new”? It has already been, in the ages before us. The people of long ago are not remembered, nor will there be any remembrance of people yet to come by those who come after them.”

-Ecclesiastes 1:1-11, NRSV

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This seemly eternal pesismist talks of the futility of life and the repeatitive nature of the universe and it is true as time flows on “the more things change, the more they stay the same.” But although we all experince times of these feeling, we know that it is simply not true, no two moments in time are alike, each of us are a unique creation of God. Jeremiah may may ask, “Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? And you, can you do right, being so accustomed to wrong?” (13:23, NJB) but we who are in Christ know as Paul says, “For anyone united to Christ, there is a new creation: the old order has gone; a new order has already begun.” (2 Cor 5:17, REB) and this new work with in us, this rebirth in Spirit, is the thing that most enables us to overcome the feelings of being in a hopless cycle. Thanks be to God.

November 17

Reading 1

John 7:53-8:11

“Then each of them went home, while Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him and he sat down and began to teach them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery; and making her stand before all of them, they said to him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” They said this to test him, so that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” And once again he bent down and wrote on the ground. When they heard it, they went away, one by one, beginning with the elders; and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus straightened up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, sir.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again.” ”

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Put yourself not in danger again. I will not condemn you either. What wonderful words of grace and peace. This set up to trap Jesus back-fires when Jesus turns it around and says who of you are without sin to kill this erring child of God? It is hardly surprising the the older left first, then the younger, for with age comes reflection, knowledge that what we once though of as perfection we now realize was no more than a child’s attempt to draw a circle. Spiritually when we age we see better. Let us not plot against people but forgive them and refuse to judge the slave of another, for we share a common Master, Christ Jesus.

Reading 2

IS IT A SIN TO LOVE THEE?

Is it a sin to love thee? The my soul is deeply dyed,

For my life blood, as it gushes, takes the crimson from love’s tide;

And I feel it’s waves roll o’er me and the blushes mount my brow

And my pulse quicken wildly, as love dreams come and go:

I feel my spirit’s weakness; I know my spirit’s power;

I have felt my proud heart struggle in temptation’s trying hour;

Yet, amid the din of conflict, bending o’er life’s hallowed shrine,

Yielding all, my soul had murmured, I am thine, forever thine!

Is it a sin to love thee? What were existence worth,

Bereft of all the heaven that lingers still on earth!

Friendship’s smiles, like gleams of sunlight, shed the feeling o’er the heart,

But the soul still cries for something more than friendship can impart.

Frozen hearts, like ice-bound eyries, that no summer ray can melt,

Vainly boast their power to conquer what there hearts have never felt;

But envy not their glory, ‘mid the rapture that is mine,

When with earnest soul I tell thee I am thine, forever thine!

Is it a sin to love thee? Gentle voices round me fall,

And I press warm hearts about me-but I’ve given thee my all.

What through stern fate divides us, and our hands, not hearts, be riven-

My all of earth thou hast-wilt more? I dare not offer heaven!

But in some blessed moment, when dark eyes flashing meet,

When I feel thy power so near me, feel thy heart’s quick pulses beat,

The I know-may God forgive me-I would everything resign

All I have, or all I ever hope for-to be thine-forever thine.

Is it a sin to love thee? I remember while the hour

When we would our love to conquer, resist temptations power;

When I feel my heart was breaking and my of of life was gone;

When I wept the hour I met thee, and the hour that I was born;

But a hidden storm was ragging, amid the muffed din

I flung my arms upon thy bosom, with thy warm hands clasped in mine,

I smiled through tears and murmured: I am thine forever thine.

Is it a sin to love thee? with love’s signet on thy brow?

Though thy lot be dark as Hades I’ll cling to thee as now;

Not mine the heart to fail thee, when other cheeks grow pale;

We shared the storm together; I’ll stand by the through the gale.

Though our bark may drift asunder, yet, with true hearts beating high,

Let golden sunlight cheer us, or angry storm clouds fly.

From our helms with steady brightness our beacon lights shall shine,

after the watchwords on our pennons shall be-thine, forever thine.

Is it a sin to love thee? When I bed the knee in prayer,

And before a High Omniscience my burdened heart lay bare,

On the breath of love to heaven ascends thy blessed name,

And I plead weak and erring nature, if loving thee be shame.

Heaven knows ‘tis no light sacrifice I’ve offered up to thee,

No gilded dream of fancy, but my beings destiny.

Since our fates may not conquer here, divide thy lot from mine-

In starlit world above us, call me thine-forever thine!

--UNKNOWN

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This poem of forbidden love may not tell the tale of queer love, but it shows great pain in the writers heart, and reminds me of the passage; “Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm; for love is strong as death, passion fierce as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire, a raging flame. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it. If one offered for love all the wealth of his house, it would be utterly scorned.” Song of Solomon 8:6,7 “Make love your aim” 1 Corinthians 14:1 REB

November 18

Reading 1

John 8:12-30

“Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” Then the Pharisees said to him, “You are testifying on your own behalf; your testimony is not valid.” Jesus answered, “Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid because I know where I have come from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going. You judge by human standards; I judge no one. Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is valid; for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me. In your law it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is valid. I testify on my own behalf, and the Father who sent me testifies on my behalf.” Then they said to him, “Where is your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.” He spoke these words while he was teaching in the treasury of the temple, but no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come. Again he said to them, “I am going away, and you will search for me, but you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.” Then the Jews said, “Is he going to kill himself? Is that what he means by saying, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come’?” He said to them, “You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins, for you will die in your sins unless you believe that I am he.” They said to him, “Who are you?” Jesus said to them, “Why do I speak to you at all? I have much to say about you and much to condemn; but the one who sent me is true, and I declare to the world what I have heard from him.” They did not understand that he was speaking to them about the Father. So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will realize that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own, but I speak these things as the Father instructed me. And the one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what is pleasing to him.” As he was saying these things, many believed in him.”

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All flesh dies in sin, even the one sinless human, Jesus dies carrying the sins of all eternity and of all creation. But we need not die in sin, for Christ offers to all who believe life eternal, removing us spiritually from this dark world and place us in the light that is Christ Jesus. Let us learn to imitate Jesus in always doing what is pleasing to God.

Reading 2

Three Movements of the Spiritual Life

1. Loneliness to Solitude:The movement from loneliness to solitude, is not a movement of growing withdrawal from, but rather w movement forward, a deeper engagement in the burning issues of our time. The movement from loneliness to solitude is a movement that allows us to perceive interruptions as occasions for a conversion of heart, which makes our responsibilities a vocation instead of a burden, and which creates the inner space where compassionate solidarity with our fellow human beings becomes possible. The movement from loneliness to solitude is a movement by which we reach out to our innermost being to find there our great healing powers, nor as a unique property to be defended but as a gift to be shared with all human beings. And so, the movement from loneliness to solitude leads us spontaneously to the movement from hostility to hospitality.

2. Hostility to Hospitality: To convert hostility into hospitality requires the creation of the friendly empty space where we can reach out to our fellow human beings and invite them to a new relationship. This conversion is an inner event that cannot be manipulated but must develop from within. Just as we cannot force a plant to grow but can take away the weeds and the stones which prevent it's development, so we cannot force anyone to such a personal and intimate change of heart, but we can offer the space where such a change can take place...Can we reach out to God, the source and giver of our own and our neighbour’s life? If the answer is no, the solitude and hospitality remain vague ideals good to speak about but unreal in daily life. The movement from illusion to prayer, therefore, is the most crucial movement of the spiritual life undergirding [the first too mention] thus far.

3. Illusion to Prayer:When we cast off our illusions of immortality we can create an open-ended space in which we can stretch out our arms to God who transcends all our expectations, dreams and desires. We will probably never be fully free from illusions, just as we will never truly be fully free from loneliness and hostility. But when we recognize our illusions as illusions, we also will recognize the first outlines of prayer. We are always on the move between the two poles of illusion and prayer..... Often our first and most visible response [to life's many overwhelming problems] is a protest bursting forth from our bewilderment.... But such a protest is the continuation of our illusion that we know what life is all about, that we rule it and determine it’s values as well as it’s goals. We do not and are challenged instead to convert our protest against the absurdities of the human existence into a prayer lifting us beyond the boundaries of our existence to [God] who holds our life in his hands and heart with boundless love and mercy....When we reach out to God individually as well as in community, constantly casting off the illusions that keep us captive, we can enter into the intimate union with [God] while still waiting for the day of [God’s] final return. Then the words of the old pilgrim song will become our words:

I lift up my eyes to the mountains;

where is help to come from?

Help comes to me from Yahweh

who made heaven and earth.

No letting out footsteps slip!

This guard of yours, he does not doze!

The guardian of Israel

Does not doze or sleep.

Yahweh guards you, shades you.

With Yahweh, at your right hand

Sun cannot strike you down by day,

nor the moon at night.

Yahweh guards you from all harm,

he guards your lives,

he guards your leaving, coming back,

now and for always.

(Psalm 121 [JB])

-Henri J. M. Nouwen, Reaching Out

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Children of men, how long will you be heavy of heart, why love what is vain and chase after illusions? Realize that Yahweh performs wonders for [God’s] faithful, Yahweh listens when I call to [God]. Psalm 4:2-3 NJB

November 19

Reading 1

John 8:31-41

“Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” They answered him, “We are descendants of Abraham and have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean by saying, ‘You will be made free’?” Jesus answered them, “Very truly, I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not have a permanent place in the household; the son has a place there forever. So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. I know that you are descendants of Abraham; yet you look for an opportunity to kill me, because there is no place in you for my word. I declare what I have seen in the Father’s presence; as for you, you should do what you have heard from the Father.” They answered him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing what Abraham did, but now you are trying to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. You are indeed doing what your father does.” They said to him, “We are not illegitimate children; we have one father, God himself.” ”

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Truth and freedom are two things queers have come to cherish. Freedom to live how God created us, living not lives of deception but lives of truth. Freedom is no ones by birth and indeed we all were at one time slaves to sin. But when Jesus came into our lives freedom came. The truth of God’s love, the truth that is Jesus, makes us children of God with Jesus. Others can protest and call themselves children of God, but their actions will reveal the truth, if they do not love and reach out as Christ did are God's children? Luther uses wonderful imagery, talking of Jesus hanging on the Cross suffering with us, with arms outstretched, welcoming all people. Embracing Jesus frees us,and brings us to truth forever.

Reading 2

Rom 1....God gave them up to dishonoring of their bodies in homosexual relationships (1:24-27). Homosexuality then is not in Paul's view so much sin itself as a consequence of sin, and yet it is evil for Paul in that it is destructive of the human self.

Present knowledge makes it difficult to agree with Paul that sinful rebellion is the sole or even a primary cause of homosexuality. But Paul's apparent underlying principle may be right. Rebellious rejection of God deforms the depth of human life where the roots of all sexuality lies.

Some Greek moralists defend pederasty (sexual relations between adult men and young boys) as superior to heterosexuality. Among the arguments were (1) it contributes to the wisdom of youth; (2) it is more masculine; and (3) it is more "according to nature". Other moralists condemned pederasty with such arguments as:(1) it is effeminate; (2) it lacks mutuality permanence; (3) it is exploitative; (4) it is the expression of insatiable lust; (5) it is contrary to nature.

Paul essentially agreed with the opponents of pederasty. He held homosexuality to be generated by insatiable lust--consumed with passion (v.27). And he believed that it was chosen--they exchanged (v.26). And perhaps most emphatically he held it to be contrary to nature, against God's created intention as an order immanent in the world of humankind.

People will debate whether homosexuals are more lustful than heterosexuals. That homosexuality is simply chosen and not biologically or socially determined is too facile an assumption. What about "contrary to nature"?

For Paul and the ancient world generally there is no such thing as a homosexual nature or orientation. There is one nature--what we would call a heterosexual one. Thus what Paul is condemning as unnatural is homosexual acts by people whom he takes to have a heterosexual nature. His underlying principle, then, is that people when they act should do so in accordance with their nature. If Paul then could be confronted with the reality of a homosexual nature, he would not be consistent with himself if he claimed that homosexual acts by people with a homosexual nature are contrary to nature.

--Dan O. Via, Mercer Bible Commentary

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This above all: to thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any[one]. —William Shakespeare This truly is truth that will set you free.

November 20

Reading 1

John 8:42-47

“Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now I am here. I did not come on my own, but he sent me. Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot accept my word. You are from your father the devil, and you choose to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. Which of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? Whoever is from God hears the words of God. The reason you do not hear them is that you are not from God.” ”

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We speak out in truth, the words given by the Spirit but are not believed. When we are not believed though let us not be too disenchanted for we know truth can only be accepted by those who are of God. People often prefer the hate and lies, to the pure truth because fearing the unknown is easier than embracing the known. The Israelites would have remained in slavery and even returned to slavery in Egypt, had God let them. Freedom was a foreign truth they would not embrace. Let us be like Joshua and Caleb who alone in their generation accepted truth and reached the promised land. Truth not embraced is as useless as medicine not taken.

Reading 2

The conduct of the powerful is almost invariably a mockery of God. Nothing more is required, by way of fulfilling the biblical formula for idolatry, than the rich being themselves, that is, neglect the poor, live off them, exploit their labor, under pay them, rob them, of dignity and hope.

And this sublime, self-deluded charade usually goes on in the midst of the most persuasive cover-up imaginable.

The ultimate deception, of course in one’s own soul, persuaded of the justice of manifest injustice.

-Daniel Berrigan, Uncommon Prayer

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This truly is idolatry and it was according to Ezekiel the true sin of Sodom. The cry of the religious right is true ‘Sodomites are walking our streets, running our countries,’ the sad thing is that many of them actually think of themselves as upright, as ‘good corporate citizens’. Are you exploiting the poor, or supporting institutions who do? Think about it, especially if you are a Queer Christian, know what a sodomite is a don’t become one, or stop being one. “The crime of your sister Sodom was pride, gluttony, calm complacency; such were hers and her daughters’ crimes. They never helped the poor and needy; they were proud, and engaged in loathsome practices before me, and so I swept them away as you have seen.” Eze. 16:49-50, NJB

November 21

Reading 1

John 8:48-59

“The Jews answered him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?” Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon; but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is one who seeks it and he is the judge. Very truly, I tell you, whoever keeps my word will never see death.” The Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon. Abraham died, and so did the prophets; yet you say, ‘Whoever keeps my word will never taste death.’ Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? The prophets also died. Who do you claim to be?” Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, he of whom you say, ‘He is our God,’ though you do not know him. But I know him; if I would say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you. But I do know him and I keep his word. Your ancestor Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day; he saw it and was glad.” Then the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, before Abraham was, I am.” So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.”

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To keep Jesus’ words is never to see death, but to pass from life to life. These people couldn’t accept Jesus and betrayed the fact they were not true children of Abraham as they claimed, they called Jesus a half-bred, but Jesus paid it no mind, knowing He was from God. Jesus is before all of creation as John’s narrative opens. Let us ignore those who call us names to insult us and rather like Jesus focus on the truth that is from God alone, knowing that God is with us.

Reading 2

Be Yourself

Often we want to be somewhere other than where we are, or even to be someone other than who we are. We tend to compare ourselves constantly with others and wonder why we are not as rich, as intelligent, as simple, as generous, or as saintly as they are. Such comparisons make us feel guilty, ashamed, or jealous. It is important to realize that our vocation is hidden in where we are and who we are. We are unique human beings, each with a call to realize in life what nobody else can, and to realize it in the concrete context of the here and now.

We will never find our vocations by trying to figure out whether we are better or worse than others. We are good enough to do what we are called to do. Be yourself!

-Henri Nouwen, Bread for the Journey

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Feeling of inadequacy and longing for something else haunt us all, whether it is Paul’s long to depart the body tormented by his thorn in the flesh, or Moses denial of the ability God knew he had. None of us are perfect but God is not asking you to be anything other than the best you can be, life to the full of who God made you to be, that is the reason Christ comes, or so he says in John (10:10). Maybe we long for another era, ‘I was born too late’, or ‘I was born ahead of my time’, neither are true for God put you when you are for Her own good purpose. Find your joy and purpose in the present as who you are, Child of God. Do not ask why the old days were better than the present; for that is a foolish question. Ecc. 7:10, REB

November 22

Reading 1

John 9:1-12

“As [Jesus] walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him. We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man’s eyes, saying to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see. The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar began to ask, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?” Some were saying, “It is he.” Others were saying, “No, but it is someone like him.” He kept saying, “I am the man.” But they kept asking him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ Then I went and washed and received my sight.” They said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I do not know.” ”

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Illness is a result of a marred universe, but sickness comes on people randomly because this universe is not perfect. People get AIDS not because they are promiscuous, though some who do are, people develop cancer not because they were bad and deserved it, but like all others it comes by chance. People who scream out AIDS is God’s judgment on homosexuals, are about as accurate as people saying breast cancer is God’s judgment on women. Let us spend less time focusing on the illness and more time focusing on the beloved child of God and healing the illness.

Reading 2

Community, A Quality of the Heart

The word community has many connotations, some positive, some negative. Community can make us think of a safe togetherness, shared meals, common goals, and joyful celebrations. It can also call forth images of sectarian exclusivity, in-group language, self-satisfied isolation, and romantic naiveté. However, community is first of all a quality of the heart. It grows from the spiritual knowledge that we are alive not for ourselves but for one another. Community is the fruit of our capacity to make the interests of others more important than our own (see Philippians 2:4). The question, therefore is not “How can we make community?” but “How can we develop and nurture giving hearts?”

-Henri Nouwen, Bread for the Journey

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The queer community has many of the both positive and negative aspects of a community, as perhaps does most groups in our world, but we as Queer Christians need to encourage positive community growth, so let us develop new hearts, with God’s help. I shall give them a single heart and I shall put a new spirit in them; I shall remove the heart of stone from their bodies and give them a heart of flesh Ezek. 11:19, NJB Nothing is to be done out of jealousy or vanity; instead, out of humility of mind everyone should give preference to others, everyone pursuing not selfish interests but those of others. Php. 2:3-4 NJB

November 23

Reading 1

John 9:13-34

“They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. Now it was a sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. Then the Pharisees also began to ask him how he had received his sight. He said to them, “He put mud on my eyes. Then I washed, and now I see.” Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not observe the sabbath.” But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?” And they were divided. So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him? It was your eyes he opened.” He said, “He is a prophet.” The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight and asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?” His parents answered, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but we do not know how it is that now he sees, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.” His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that anyone who confessed Jesus to be the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.” So for the second time they called the man who had been blind, and they said to him, “Give glory to God! We know that this man is a sinner.” He answered, “I do not know whether he is a sinner. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” They said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” He answered them, “I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?” Then they reviled him, saying, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.” The man answered, “Here is an astonishing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but he does listen to one who worships him and obeys his will. Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” They answered him, “You were born entirely in sins, and are you trying to teach us?” And they drove him out.”

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A man born blind sees and all these officials can do is complain that because it happened on a Sabbath it was most assuredly a sin. This man does not know Jesus as Messiah, but he knows Jesus to be of God, he knows that though blind now he sees. And for this confession he is driven out, forsaken not even supported by his fearful parent’s. Let us have the courage of this man, who was touched by God and refused to deny it. Queer Christian you have been touched by God, and listen not to legalism, and worry not if your abandoned by family or expelled form Church, for Jesus shall never leave you.

Reading 2

Forgiveness, the Cement of Commnity Life

Community is not possible without the willingness to forgive one another “seventy-seven times” (see Matthew 18:22). Forgiveness is the cement of community life. Forgiveness holds us together through good and bad times, and it allows us to grow in mutual love.

But what is there to forgive or ask forgiveness for? As people who have hearts that long for perfect love, we have to forgive one another for not being able to give or receive that perfect love in our everyday lives. Our many needs constantly interfere with our desire to be there for the other unconditionally. Our love is always limited by spoken or unspoken conditions. What needs to be forgiven? We need to forgive one another for not being God!

-Henri Nouwen, Bread for the Journey

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Then Peter came to him and asked, ‘Lord, how often am I to forgive [someone who] goes on wronging me? As many as seven times?’ Jesus replied, ‘I do not say seven times but seventy times seven. Mt. 18:21-22 REB

November 24

Reading 1

John 9:35-41

“Jesus heard that they had driven him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” He answered, “And who is he, sir? Tell me, so that I may believe in him.” Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he.” He said, “Lord, I believe.” And he worshiped him. Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment so that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become blind.” Some of the Pharisees near him heard this and said to him, “Surely we are not blind, are we?” Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now that you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.”

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Our gracious Lord approaches the one whom He had healed and offers him a new fellowship, a new family. This man born blind looks on his Lord with faith, worshiping. Jesus’ kingdom is once again described as a great reversal, the blind seeing and the seeing being blinded. But those who see and still do not respond have there guilt, for what excuse can there be when you know the truth and reject it?

Reading 2

What would become of me, O God, without your shepherding care? How often have I, like a careless sheep, gone astray!

But yours is a “love that wilt not let me go.” Into the deepest darkness of my wandering, your presence follows me. As sure as the beating of my heart, and as quiet, is your voice calling me back to you.

Truly, I am lame from wandering, weary of loneliness, and thirsty for the water of life.

So, here and now I would and do return to you, the shepherd of my soul, knowing fully well that only in your fold and by your side can I find salvation and peace. Amen.

-Anonymous

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The image of God as shepherd/Christ as the Good Shepherd is a very tender image. The image of tender and intimate care, a shepherd lives with the sheep, tends those helpless creatures much like a mother for her children. Jesus tells us the good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep. The imagery of the 23rd psalm is rich and deeply loved, most surely the favorite psalm of more people than any other. Much of that owes to the image of God as a caring shepherd, defendeder, guide, leading to abundant life, and never forsaking us. You were straying like sheep, but now you have turned towards the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls. 1Peter 2:25, REB

November 25

Reading 1

John 10:1-21

“ “Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.” Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them. So again Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away--and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.” Again the Jews were divided because of these words. Many of them were saying, “He has a demon and is out of his mind. Why listen to him?” Others were saying, “These are not the words of one who has a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?” ”

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Entering via the Gate that is Christ leads to having life abundantly. It places us in the sheep-fold with the Lamb of God who is our Shepherd. The paradoxes in the last two sentences need not be reconciled for faith is a mystery not to be explained but to be lived. When we follow Christ and His words we may be called crazy, but we know we are in God, our Creator’s love. Christ laid down His life for us, is it too much to ask us to live ours for Him?

Reading 2

DEVOTIONS

For the longest time, he dismissed it

as a vestige of childhood–that evening prayer

he’d faithfully recited, night after night,

alone in bed, until his twenty-third year.

He stopped abruptly. A strange affair;

one friendly embrace, and the haze

obscuring his heart had scattered, disclosing

the abominable hunger harbored there.

He sought godless virtue, He let his heart

lead him to water, yet never drank.

Year after year, he frequented the rank

barrooms, staring, thirsting, standing apart,

His only lovers he conjured in solitude.

Miraculously beautiful and wise,

they were virtuous, as one of flesh and blood

couldn't be. It shone in their eyes.

Years passed. Then, on a spring night

no different from any other, a benign face

appeared before him, and two radiant eyes.

Fall in love, he fell . . . or so he thought,

till one day in almost-winter it struck

like thunder in his breast: not only his flesh

was taking long-sought nourishment from flesh.

Quietly, too, his soul had been partaking.

Flesh had come accompanied by grace; the light

in his love’s eyes was the love of God.

It was that which filled him, night after night,

in his love’s warm arms. And so he prayed.

-Bruce Bawer, Coast to Coast

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This one of faith who has long repressed his sexuality, finds that in partaking of God’s gift of sex, his body and surprisingly his Soul is nourished. It is not sexual acts that are unholy but the abuse and misuse of them that are wrong. Even the normally ascetic Paul encourages this expression of love, even if only by concession. “The [spouse] should give to [thier partner their] conjugal rights, and likewise the [other spouse to their partner]. For [a spouse] does not have authority over [their] own body, but the [their partner] does; likewise the [other spouse] does not have authority over [their] own body, but [their partner] does. Do not deprive one another except perhaps by agreement for a set time, to devote yourselves to prayer, and then come together again” -1 Corinthians 7:3-5, NRSV altered

November 26

Reading 1

John 10:22-42

“At that time the festival of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon. So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered, “I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name testify to me; but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep. My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no one can snatch it out of the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.” The Jews took up stones again to stone him. Jesus replied, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these are you going to stone me?” The Jews answered, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you, but for blasphemy, because you, though only a human being, are making yourself God.” Jesus answered, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, you are gods’? If those to whom the word of God came were called ‘gods’--and the scripture cannot be annulled-- can you say that the one whom the Father has sanctified and sent into the world is blaspheming because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’? If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me. But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” Then they tried to arrest him again, but he escaped from their hands. He went away again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing earlier, and he remained there. Many came to him, and they were saying, “John performed no sign, but everything that John said about this man was true.” And many believed in him there.”

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A truly blessed assurance is it that we are in God’s hand and no one will ever snatch us away. More sure than a mother holding on to her babe, or a child his blanket, or one their lover, is our Saviors hold on us. It’s not a grip that crushes but a grip that embraces like a hug, held so gently, held so tenderly. Listen to the voice of our Shepherd, the One who is lover of our soul and believe in Jesus, feel Christ’s love.

Reading 2

Rahner asserts that to speak of the human is to speak of the divine and vice versa. He describes God as the mystery in human experience. For him, then, God is the depth dimension in experiences such as solitude, friendship, community, death, hope and, as such, is the orientation towards the future. Rahner goes so far as to say that loneliness, disappointments and the ingratitude of others can be graced moments because they open us to the transcendent. The silence of God, the toughness of life and the darkness of death can be graced events. This mystery of grace discloses itself as a forgiving nearness, a hidden closeness, our real home, a love which shares itself, something familiar which can turn to from the alienation of our own empty and perilous lives. When we are in touch with ourselves authentically, we experience God.... Over and over again, he urges simple fidelity to duty and daily humdrum love... Rahner’s contemplative approach to the mystery of God in human experiences can enable us who are convinced that we live in a world of grace to speak of God in secular terms. His understanding of the Christian life as a mysticism of everyday faith can free us to seek and find God not only in times of formal prayer, but also in times of suffering, celebration, service, and self-emptying, which we can view as opportunities for faith. His experience of prayer as surrender of the heart can help us to concentrate on it’s fruits, the way we let go of all that can keep us from being open to the mystery of God in our lives.

-Annice Callahan, Traditions of Spiritual Guidance

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All these died in faith, before receiving any of the things that had been promised, but they saw them in the far distance and welcomed them, recognising that they were only strangers and nomads on earth. People who use such terms about themselves make it quite plain that they are in search of a homeland. If they had meant the country they came from, they would have had the opportunity to return to it; but in fact they were longing for a better homeland, their heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, since he has founded the city for them. (Hebrews 11:13-16 NJB) Truly we are strangers and pilgrims (or as the NJB renders it nomads). Pilgrims seek the places of holiness, and we are continually wondering ourselves to that state of the kingdom of God, it comes near us in the events of our everyday lives and activities. Perhaps we as Queer Christians will never find that fully welcoming homeland here and now among all, but God is our city and is not afraid to be called our God. Let our lives journey to and in Jesus always.

November 27

Reading 1

John 11:1-16

“Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair; her brother Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent a message to Jesus, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” But when Jesus heard it, he said, “This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, after having heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now trying to stone you, and are you going there again?” Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Those who walk during the day do not stumble, because they see the light of this world. But those who walk at night stumble, because the light is not in them.” After saying this, he told them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to awaken him.” The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will be all right.” Jesus, however, had been speaking about his death, but they thought that he was referring merely to sleep. Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. For your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” Thomas, who was called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” ”

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Jesus calls us to follow him while it is light and so we try. But we often like the disciples cannot understand what is going on. Although Thomas had a misconception about what would happened he had the right idea, we must follow Jesus even if it means death. Few people are willing to live for Jesus, and an even fewer willing to die for Jesus. But if we sleep in Christ we shall arise with Jesus at His coming. We need not fear those haunting words, Jesus stayed two days longer in the place where he was. For all shall be well in God’s timing.

Reading 2

Sts. Barlaam & Josaphat, Monks

“This City is the world, and the citizens are the princes of darkness....Then death comes upon us unexpectedly and we are submerged in the place of darkness. But by the hands of the poor we can store up riches in eternity.”

According to legend, St Josaphat was the son of an Indian king who had persecuted his Christian subjects. When a seer foretold that Josaphat himself would one day become a Christian, the king had him locked up in seclusion. Eventually, however, the young man was converted by Barlaam, a wondering monk of Mt. Sinai, who approached him in the guise of a merchant offering to sell “a pearl of great price.” After receiving baptism, Josaphat renounced his throne and all worldly wealth. Instead he retired to the desert with Barlaam to pursue his ongoing quest for moral and spiritual truth.

This story, which was long ago attributed to St. John of Damascus, had a long and extremely influential life in the Christian East and West, especially in the Middle Ages. In recent times it has been traced to a Georgian monk on Mt. Athos in the eleventh century, from which source it was circulated in Latin as well as Greek versions, but also in many Slavonic and vernacular translations.

The story is clearly legendary. What is especially interesting is the complicated history of the tale. Scholars have shown that the Christian legend was a translation of an Islamic version, which had in turn been taken from Manichean sources in Western Asia. Going back further, the story is ultimately traced to Siddhartha Gautama. the Hindu prince who renounced his family wealth, and worldly power to seek the path of enlightenment. Sitting under the Bo tree he became the future Buddha or “Bodhisattva.” In the transmigration of the story this word became Bodisaf (Manichee), Yudasaf (Arabic), Lodasaph (Georgian), Ioasaph (Greek), and finally Josaphat (Latin).

Wilford Cantwell Smith has offered this story as an illustration of the principle that every religious tradition has developed interaction with others. After tracing the above-noted prehistory of the story, he proceeds to look at it’s ongoing effects. He notes that Tolstoy cited this story in his Confessions and described the effect it had in promoting his own conversion. It was largely reading Tolstoy that the Indian Mohandas Gandhi was converted tot he message of nonviolence (and incidentally rediscovered the spiritual traditions of his homeland). It was in turn by reading Gandhi that martin Luther King, Jr., discovered the methods of nonviolence which he applied in the United States.

At various turns we find the power of a story of religious conversion– specifically an impulse to turn from the world agenda of wealth and power–serving as a catalyst in spiritual awakening and conversion of others. So by this curious route, the Buddha became a Christian saint who inspired later generations of Christians to pursue the path of enlightenment. Rather than disavow Sts. Barlaam and Josaphat as figures of legend, it might be better to celebrate them as patron saints for an age of inter-religious dialogue.

-Robert Ellsberg, All Saints:Daily Reflections on Saints, Prophets, & Witnesses For Our Time

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And it in turn the influence continues as Mel White has started his Soulforce Mission (http://www.soulforce.org/) “Determined to help end the suffering of God’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered children... ~ Determined to help change the minds and hearts of religious leaders whose anti-homosexual campaigns lead (directly and indirectly) to that suffering... ~ Determined to be guided in our every action by SOULFORCE - the principles of relentless nonviolent resistance as lived and taught by M.K. Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr... ~ And in the process of bringing hope and healing to our society, find redirection and renewal for our minds and spirits.” Such cross pollination of religious ideals can only strengthen each other, and as Paul says: Do not stifle inspiration or despise prophetic utterances, but test them all; keep hold of what is good and avoid all forms of evil. 1Th 5:19-22 REB

November 28

Reading 1

John 11:17-37

“When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, some two miles away, and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them about their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary stayed at home. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” She said to him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world.” When she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary, and told her privately, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” And when she heard it, she got up quickly and went to him. Now Jesus had not yet come to the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. The Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary get up quickly and go out. They followed her because they thought that she was going to the tomb to weep there. When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus began to weep. So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?” ”

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The temporary pain of separation death causes affected even Jesus, even though He knew He was going to raise Lazarus from the dead, He wept. He who is the resurrection and the life is crying over one who has died. Pain is suffered even when we know our loved one is with God. The lose of friend, parent or mate is only slightly less painful knowing that we shall be reunited. Jesus feels the pain of these two dear sisters and shares it, even as Jesus shares all our pain as He hangs on the cross, slain from the foundation of the world to the consummation of the restoration. Weep when so moved, it’s not a sign of lack of faith, but a sign of empathy, of deep feelings.

Reading 2

It is inevitable that we should be sad when those we love depart from us by dying. Although we know we know they are not leaving us for ever, that they but gone a little ahead of us, that we who remain will follow them, nevertheless our nature shrinks from death, and when it takes a loved one we are filed with sorrow simply because of our love for that person. That is why the Apostle did not tell us that we should not be saddened, but that we should not be saddened in the same way as those who have no hope. In the death of those who are close to us we experience both sadness at the necessity of losing them, and hope of getting them back. By the former we are distressed, by the latter consoled; in the one our weakness touches us, in the other faith restores us. In our loss the human condition mourns, but through hope the divine promise heals.

--Augustine of Hippo, Sermon 172

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We wish you not to remain in ignorance, friends, about those who sleep in death; you should not grieve like the rest of [hu]mankind, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again; so too will God bring those who died as Christians to be with Jesus.

This we tell you as a word from the Lord: those of us who are still alive when the Lord comes will have no advantage over those who have died; when the command is given, when the archangel’s voice is heard, when God’s trumpet sounds, then the Lord himself will descend from heaven; first the Christian dead will rise, then we who are still alive shall join them, caught up in clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Thus we shall always be with the Lord. Console one another, then, with these words. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17

November 29

Reading 1

John 11:38-44

“Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, “Father, I thank you for having heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.” When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.” ”

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Jesus thanks God publicly setting an example for us to follow, we may know well that God hears us, even answers our pray, but it is necessary to share thanksgiving with others so they can know what God has done and believe. For Queer Christians this text is very rich, it is a resurrection to life once again for Lazarus, but when we come out of the closet, that place worse than a tomb, we like Lazarus find that we are unbound and let go. It is a new lease on life, a life living in the truth that gives us the ability to see the glory of God and share it with others. People fear that the closet is full of stench of dirty secrets, but it’s not there for God has brought life and not death, God has brought life abundantly and diversely, thanks be to God.

Reading 2

The Spiritual Work of Gratitude

To be grateful for the good things that happen in our lives is easy, but to be grateful for all our lives– the good as well as the bad, the moments of joy as well as the moments of sorrow, the successes as well as the failures, the rewards as well as the rejections–that requires hard spiritual work. Still, we are only truly grateful people when we can say thank you to all that has brought us to the present moment. As long as we keep diving our lives between events and people we would like to remember and those we would rather forget, we cannot claim the fullness of our beings as a gift of God to be grateful for.

Let’s not be afraid to look at everything that has brought us to where we are now and trust that we will soon see in it the guiding hand of a loving God.

-Henri Nouwen, Bread for the Journey

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I wish you joy in the Lord always. Again I say: all joy be yours. Php 4:4, REB

‘Remember, acceptance is acknowledging our sexuality as something God given. Self-love is thanking God for the gift.’-Ken Hanes

November 30

Reading 1

John 11:45-57

“Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him. But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what he had done. So the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the council, and said, “What are we to do? This man is performing many signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and destroy both our holy place and our nation.” But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all! You do not understand that it is better for you to have one man die for the people than to have the whole nation destroyed.” He did not say this on his own, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus was about to die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but to gather into one the dispersed children of God. So from that day on they planned to put him to death. Jesus therefore no longer walked about openly among the Jews, but went from there to a town called Ephraim in the region near the wilderness; and he remained there with the disciples. Now the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went up from the country to Jerusalem before the Passover to purify themselves. They were looking for Jesus and were asking one another as they stood in the temple, “What do you think? Surely he will not come to the festival, will he?” Now the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that anyone who knew where Jesus was should let them know, so that they might arrest him.”

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Rather than rejoice in the bring back to life of Lazarus, those Pharisees could only think of losing there prestige and position. Are we like those Pharisees caring more about ourselves and our churches structure than what God has planned and is doing? If we are we are just like those officials, we may say the right things but we are simply seeking to kill Jesus, actually foil God’s plan rather than helping it. Do we look at Jesus and the rag tag band with Him in the wilderness and see only a threat or will we see a movement so powerful that nothing will be the same, all will be a new creation?

Reading 2

Oh, come to the water all you who are thirsty; though you have no money, come! Buy and eat; come, buy wine and milk without money, free! Why spend money on what cannot nourish and your wages on what fails to satisfy? Listen carefully to me, and you will have good things to eat and rich food to enjoy. Pay attention, come to me; listen, and you will live. I shall make an everlasting covenant with you in fulfilment of the favours promised to David. Look, I have made him a witness to peoples, a leader and lawgiver to peoples. Look, you will summon a nation unknown to you, a nation unknown to you will hurry to you for the sake of Yahweh your God, because the Holy One of Israel has glorified you. Seek out Yahweh while he is still to be found, call to him while he is still near. Let the wicked abandon his way and the evil one his thoughts. Let him turn back to Yahweh who will take pity on him, to our God, for he is rich in forgiveness; for my thoughts are not your thoughts and your ways are not my ways, declares Yahweh. For the heavens are as high above earth as my ways are above your ways, my thoughts above your thoughts. For, as the rain and the snow come down from the sky and do not return before having watered the earth, fertilising it and making it germinate to provide seed for the sower and food to eat, so it is with the word that goes from my mouth: it will not return to me unfulfilled or before having carried out my good pleasure and having achieved what it was sent to do. Yes, you will go out with joy and be led away in safety. Mountains and hills will break into joyful cries before you and all the trees of the countryside clap their hands. Cypress will grow instead of thorns, myrtle instead of nettles. And this will be fame for Yahweh, an eternal monument never to be effaced. Thus says Yahweh: Make fair judgement your concern, act with justice, for soon my salvation will come and my saving justice be manifest.

-Isaiah 55:1-56:1, NJB

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‘There is no such thing as a free lunch,’ we are cynically told, but Yahweh our God offers drink to all who thirst and food that truly satisfy for all who seek. God is not like us petty humans but does not hold a grudge but gladly accepts all, even one who killed and blasphemed like Paul had. Our deeds may fail and show no result but God’s word goes forth and brings not just life, but recreation, once I was but a thistle, but now I am a mighty cypress tree unto God. All that is asked of us is love for God completely, and neighbour as self, manifesting it self in justice for all, in fairness. This is the joy of our Lord.

December

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December 1

Reading 1

John 12:1-11

“Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him. Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, “Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?” (He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.) Jesus said, “Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.” When the great crowd of the Jews learned that he was there, they came not only because of Jesus but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death as well, since it was on account of him that many of the Jews were deserting and were believing in Jesus.”

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Thanks out poured by a sister, Mary’s brother had been raised and Mary shows extravagant love by anointing the feet of Jesus with costly perfume. Love is often extravagant, but those with little love, or consumed with jealousy will not tolerate these extravagances shown, without protest. There are always opportunities to do good to the less fortunate, we must not ignore them, but we must be open to the moving of the Spirit and love extravagantly. Love counts not the cost, love thinks not about the danger, love embraces always. How unlike the hate and jealousy shown by the chief priests and Judas, whose jealousy could only lead to plans for murder, of both Jesus and Lazarus.

Reading 2

Humanly speaking a genuine gift is given freely, out of love and not out of necessity; its reception is occasion for gratitude and joy. In the divine freedom to be present to all creatures, empowering them to birth and rebirth in the midst of the antagonistic structures of reality, the Spirit is intelligible as the first gift, freely given and giving. Her loving in the world is gracious and inviting, never forcing never using violence but respectfully calling to human freedom, as a befitting gift.

-E. Johnson, She Who Is

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Now this Lord is the Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 2 Corinthians 3:17

December 2

Reading 1

John 12:12-19

“The next day the great crowd that had come to the festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord--the King of Israel!” Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it; as it is written: “Do not be afraid, daughter of Zion. Look, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt!” His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written of him and had been done to him. So the crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to testify. It was also because they heard that he had performed this sign that the crowd went to meet him. The Pharisees then said to one another, “You see, you can do nothing. Look, the world has gone after him!” ”

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How ironic that this same crowd who praises the entry of Jesus into the holy city of Jerusalem, will within six days be turned against this man. Perhaps it is chiefly because they were looking for a sign, Lazarus had been raised, lets see what else He will do to entertain us. The Pharisees at first may say there is nothing they can do, and in the grand scheme they were right, but this doesn’t stop them from going after Jesus to kill Him, to try to stop the coming of the Kingdom. Let us be careful that we are not running after Jesus for miracles or warm fuzzy feelings, there will be times of dryness in all peoples spiritual lives, the point is not adversity, but to grow even during that adversity. Go after Christ, but not as the world does looking for signs, but looking to follow Jesus, even to the dark hill of Golgotha.

Reading 2

Then a branch will grow from the stock of Jesse, and a shoot will spring from his roots. On him the spirit of the Lord will rest: a spirit of wisdom and understanding, a spirit of counsel and power, a spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord; and in the fear of the Lord will be his delight. He will not judge by outward appearances or decide a case on hearsay; but with justice he will judge the poor and defend the humble in the land with equity; like a rod his verdict will strike the ruthless, and with his word he will slay the wicked. He will wear the belt of justice, and truth will be his girdle. Then the wolf will live with the lamb, and the leopard lie down with the kid; the calf and the young lion will feed together, with a little child to tend them. The cow and the bear will be friends, and their young will lie down together; and the lion will eat straw like cattle. The infant will play over the cobra’s hole, and the young child dance over the viper’s nest. There will be neither hurt nor harm in all my holy mountain; for the land will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.

-Isaiah 11:1-9, REB

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Messiah comes and with Him all God’s gifts, this started with His birth in s stable, but this prophecy does not end will even the earth is recreated till there is no hurt or harm anywhere in creation. This utopia does not exist because creation has been separated from the Lord. When God comes and ‘knows’ us; makes love to creation, then and only then will we truly have full knowledge of God permeating the universe.

December 3

Reading 1

John 12:20-36

“Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor. “Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say--‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” The crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not for mine. Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die. The crowd answered him, “We have heard from the law that the Messiah remains forever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?” Jesus said to them, “The light is with you for a little longer. Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness may not overtake you. If you walk in the darkness, you do not know where you are going. While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become children of light.” After Jesus had said this, he departed and hid from them.”

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The time is coming for Jesus to die but already we see hints of the vastness of the fruit to be borne by Christ on the cross, even now Gentiles were coming to Jesus. Jesus invites all to embrace the light, to become children of the light. Then we will honor Christ our light, and glorify God with Him. The way of Jesus was not an easy path, but He remained faithful to it, and through being lifted up drew people from every nation under the sun to Him, while bringing redemption to all of creation.

Reading 2

Peace: If you love peace, then hate injustice, hate tyranny, hate greed–but hate these things in yourself, not in another. Ask God to give you the gift of his peace. Consciously practice goodness, purity, and non-resistance, no matter what others do to you. Be ready to respond in a conciliatory way when you find yourself in the middle of an argument or conflict.

-John Michael Talbot with Steve Rabey, The lessons of St. Francis:How to Bring Simplicity and Spirituality into Your Daily Life

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Bless your persecutors; never curse them, bless them. Rejoice with others when they rejoice, and be sad with those in sorrow. Give the same consideration to all others alike. Pay no regard to social standing, but meet humble people on their own terms. Do not congratulate yourself on your own wisdom. Never pay back evil with evil, but bear in mind the ideals that all regard with respect. As much as possible, and to the utmost of your ability, be at peace with everyone. Never try to get revenge: leave that, my dear friends, to the Retribution. As scripture says: Vengeance is mine — I will pay them back, the Lord promises. And more: If your enemy is hungry, give him something to eat; if thirsty, something to drink. By this, you will be heaping red-hot coals on his head. Do not be mastered by evil, but master evil with good. Romans 12:14-21 NJB

December 4

Reading 1

John 12:37-43

“Although [Jesus] had performed so many signs in their presence, they did not believe in him. This was to fulfill the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah: “Lord, who has believed our message, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” And so they could not believe, because Isaiah also said, “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, so that they might not look with their eyes, and understand with their heart and turn--and I would heal them.” Isaiah said this because he saw his glory and spoke about him. Nevertheless many, even of the authorities, believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they did not confess it, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved human glory more than the glory that comes from God.”

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I think Queer Christians often feel this pressure, the queer world has been hurt by so many in the Church that they reject anything to do with Jesus Christ. I know of queers who almost hide their religion to be more fully accepted in the queer world. Loving human glory more than the glory of God was wrong in Jesus’ day and it is wrong now. If you believe in Jesus, be not afraid ever to offer God glory, to be put out of a group is far better than being separated from God.

Reading 2

The “wounded healer” might be quite helpful for the purpose of fostering peace and nonviolence as well as for genuine human health. We first have to seek in ourselves the deepest roots of peacelessness and of temptation to aggressiveness. We will at the same time be able to discover our own resources for healing. Then we shall be able to help one another in the double effort of unmasking evil and unhealthy tendencies and of discovering our inner strengths for peace and health. All this will proceed much better if we are strongly motivated by earnest dedication to the gospel of peace. We learn to accept one another, appreciating the good without repressing the recognition of the shadows. Thus we shall join hands in the healing ministry of peace and nonviolence.

-Bernard Häring, The Healing Power of Peace and Nonviolence

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Queers truly are and must be wounded healers the pain and tension we have experienced can be used for good to foster understanding and love among groups. We must develop our creativity and ability to accept diversity and share these gifts with others. When we become promoters of peace and health we are following in Christ’s footsteps.

December 5

Reading 1

John 12:44-50

“Then Jesus cried aloud: “Whoever believes in me believes not in me but in him who sent me. And whoever sees me sees him who sent me. I have come as light into the world, so that everyone who believes in me should not remain in the darkness. I do not judge anyone who hears my words and does not keep them, for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. The one who rejects me and does not receive my word has a judge; on the last day the word that I have spoken will serve as judge, for I have not spoken on my own, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment about what to say and what to speak. And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I speak, therefore, I speak just as the Father has told me.” ”

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Belief in Jesus deleivers from judgment to life, but more than that it illumes our dark surroundings and places us in that ineffable light of God’s love. Jesus spoke as God moved Him, so must we always speak just of the Spirit moves us too.

Reading 2

We can produce works that will call forth admiration and praise, but if the work we have done has not made us more holy–More like our Lord [Jesus]–it is of small value. If in doing it, there has been little effort to overcome our own will and judgment, our over eagerness;....if we show irritation under interruptions or when things do not please us, sensitiveness if our work doesn’t satisfy; these and similar reactions show the presence of [self], and unless this is combated, we shall do little for God hover perfect our works may appear.

-Mother Aloysius Rogers, Fragrance from Alabaster

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If I speak in the tongues of [humans] and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. -1Cor 13:1-3, NIV The difference from doing something for the praise you receive or the glory it gives to God is a fine line, for it is true the humble will be exalted, but I think an even better test is what is there of love in what I am doing (for we all like approval, be it peoples and/or God’s)? Then we can more honestly evaluate our works.

December 6

Reading 1

John 13:1-17

“Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas son of Simon Iscariot to betray him. And during supper Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” Jesus answered, “You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no share with me.” Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” Jesus said to him, “One who has bathed does not need to wash, except for the feet, but is entirely clean. And you are clean, though not all of you.” For he knew who was to betray him; for this reason he said, “Not all of you are clean.” After he had washed their feet, had put on his robe, and had returned to the table, he said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord--and you are right, for that is what I am. So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them. If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.”

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Jesus comes to us, Jesus our Master, but what strange behavior for a master, to take the most menial task of the lowliest servant and preform it. To wash the feet, the One who is Master of all became servant of all. We can be like Peter going to extremes either refusing to let the kindness be shown because we are too proud or swinging around fully and saying this isn't enough do more I need more of your grace. Too much grace is never a problem but let us be thankful for the perfect cleansing that Jesus provides and not be like the once timid Martin Luther in the Augustinian order who never felt clean or accepted by God. We are blessed because we know the grace that has cleansed us, so let us go off and being servants of others, for that is what Jesus does.

Reading 2

Jesus gives [the disciples] a simple, clear example of what discipleship is all about: service. Washing one another's feet, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked-here is the core of the Eucharist, our great miracle of love.... God’s table is large, as large as creation. All our invited, all are to have access to the necessity of food and the miracle of love. Both are essential to the fullness of life. Without food, the body languishes and dies; without love, our souls wither and our filled with despair. The leftovers in our lives? What are they and who will get them? So many people can live off our leavings if we would only share. This is hardly sufficient. Disciples of Christ give abundantly in imitation of the Master who gave his very self.

-Robert Morneau, Ashes to Easter

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The challenge for the Church and us as Christian’s is providing the opportunity for growth to full and abundant life. Necessities are something we should strive to see all have, but remembering that ‘Mortal’s do not live by bread alone’ God’s word and love are just as important...and the first example of need God talks about is the need (of the majority anyway) for companionship. Christians who tell us queers we can only feel God’s love if we exclude ourselves from this human necessity, for an intimate partner. This truly is the offering of a left over, second class, child of God status. Let us who are Queer Christians be always striving to offer all those around us a full place at God’s table, and that abundant life Christ came to give all.

December 7

Reading 1

John 13:18-30

“I am not speaking of all of you; I know whom I have chosen. But it is to fulfill the scripture, ‘The one who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.’ I tell you this now, before it occurs, so that when it does occur, you may believe that I am he. Very truly, I tell you, whoever receives one whom I send receives me; and whoever receives me receives him who sent me.” After saying this Jesus was troubled in spirit, and declared, “Very truly, I tell you, one of you will betray me.” The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he was speaking. One of his disciples--the one whom Jesus loved--was reclining next to him; Simon Peter therefore motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom he was speaking. So while reclining next to Jesus, he asked him, “Lord, who is it?” Jesus answered, “It is the one to whom I give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.” So when he had dipped the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas son of Simon Iscariot. After he received the piece of bread, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, “Do quickly what you are going to do.” Now no one at the table knew why he said this to him. Some thought that, because Judas had the common purse, Jesus was telling him, “Buy what we need for the festival”; or, that he should give something to the poor. So, after receiving the piece of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night.”

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The end is near, the betrayer is at hand. Jesus graciously sends Jusdas off asking him to do quickly what he was going to do. Judas leaves and the darkness falls. Statan’s hour is upon us and sorrow shall touch all our hearts. Even though Jesus tells the beloved disciple reclinig on Jesus’ breast who will betray Him, it is like the disciples can not believe that Judas could be the betrayer, he is trusted and even keeps the money. So often we are like those disciples ignoring our Saviors words, believing in our own opinions rather than God’s. Let us stay in the light and listen to the words of Jesus, for He is the only One who will never betray or fail us. We humnas will all fail but Jesus won’t. Judas overcome with impulse to betray Jesus, but let us remain true, let us through Jesus’ grace remain faithful to the One who is Lover of our Souls.

Reading 2

If You Love...

Surely everyone knows that human beings are social creatures and for that reason are not made for the solitary and uncivilized life. Nothing is better suited to our nature than to have continual relationships to seek one another out and to love one’s own kind.

The Lord asks no more than the fruit of the seed he has implanted in us, when he says: ‘A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another.’ [John 13:34]

To lead us to obey this precept he does not want the badge of recognition of disciples to consist in miracles. Rather he asserts: ‘By this all will know you are my disciples, if you love one another.’[John 13:35]

And between the commandments to love God and the commandment to love your neighbour, he has established so close a bond that he takes as done to himself anything done to brothers or sisters. He says: ‘I was thirsty and you gave me drink.’[Matt. 25:35] And he adds: ‘As you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.’ [Matt. 25:40]

The keeping of the first commandment includes the keeping of the second, and in the fulfillment of the second the first is fulfilled.

Whoever loves God loves his neighbour. The Lord says: ‘Anyone who loves me will keep my word’ [John 14:23] and ‘This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.’ [John 15:12]

So then, whosoever loves [one’s] neighbour loves God, and God reckons our unity with our brothers and sisters is unity with him.

One is reminded of Moses. He loved his brothers and sisters so much that he asked to be blotted out of the book of the living if the people did not receive forgiveness of their sins. [Exod. 32:32]

-Basil the Great, The Greater Rules

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“Never seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD. “Do not exploit the foreigners who live in your land. They should be treated like everyone else, and you must love them as you love yourself. Remember that you were once foreigners in the land of Egypt. I, the LORD, am your God.” Leviticus 19:18, 33-34 NLT

December 8

Reading 1

John 13:31-38

“When [Jesus] had gone out, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’ I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus answered, “Where I am going, you cannot follow me now; but you will follow afterward.” Peter said to him, “Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me? Very truly, I tell you, before the cock crows, you will have denied me three times.”

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I give you a new commandment.....you had ten but I give you only one. I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. Theological Dictionary of the New Testament points out that Jesus uses the same word (kainos) ‘New’ to describe that which cannot be mixed. Jesus comes and says no longer do you have 10 commandments, but now you have one. This isn’t antinomianism because although we are freed from the old law the new law is far more strict and all encompassing, but following Jesus makes the burden light for loving God, and loving each other as Jesus did can only be done with help of the Spirit.

Reading 2

The Ten Commandments are not rules for earning God’s favor; rather, they are given only after God has already shown favor and after God’s reign has been proclaimed (Exodus 15:18)...For those who see the world first and foremost as the sphere of God’s reign, every human activity and ethical decision–personal, political, ecological, and otherwise–will be grounded in and result from unreserved trust in God and the desire to embody God’s loving purposes for “the world, and all who live in it”.

-J. Clinton McCann Jr., New Interpreter’s Bible Volume IV

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We have God’s favor just as the children of Israel had God’s favor. So it is proof of God’s own love for us, that Christ died for us while we were still sinners. (Rom 5:8 NJB), with such love shown we should try to do what Jesus asked, which is: I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. (John 13:34 NRSV). It is not that we have God’s love less when we don’t love, but that for God’s reign to break fully into the world we much love as the rule. When people hate you for simple being the way God created you, it is hard to love them, but we must because it is the will of the Lover of our souls.

December 9

Reading 1

John 14:1-14

“ “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way to the place where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.”

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What wonderful news, there is room for all in God’s Kingdom, a place for each one, no longer will you, oh Queer Christian, ever feel out of place or not welcomed for God has made a special place for us all. We have known Jesus who is the way to the truth of life in God. Having seen Jesus we have seen the face of God. Which is why we strive to imitate Jesus as our perfect example. Let us live in Christ and He in us, then we shall ask rightly of God, and then all that is God's will shall be open to us.

Reading 2

How to Pray for What We Desire

THE VOICE OF CHRIST

My child, this is the way you must speak on every occasion: “Lord, if it be pleasing to You, so be it. If it be to Your honor, Lord, be it done in Your name. Lord, if You see that it is expedient and profitable for me, then grant that I may use it to Your honor. But if You know that it will be harmful to me, and of no good benefit to the welfare of my soul, then take this desire away from me.”

Not every desire is from the Holy Spirit, even though it may seem right and good. It is difficult to be certain whether it is a good spirit or a bad one that prompts one to this or that, and even to know whether you are being moved by your own spirit. Many who seemed at first to be led by a good spirit have been deceived in the end.

Whatever the mind sees as good, ask and desire in fear of God and humility of heart. Above all, commit the whole matter to Me with true resignation, and say: “Lord, You know what is better for me; let this be done or that be done as You please. Grant what You will, as much as You will, when You will. Do with me as You know best, as will most please You, and will be for Your greater honor. Place me where You will and deal with me freely in all things. I am in Your hand; turn me about whichever way You will. Behold, I am Your servant, ready to obey in all things. Not for myself do I desire to live, but for You — would that I could do this worthily and perfectly!”

A PRAYER THAT THE WILL OF GOD BE DONE

Grant me Your grace, O most merciful Jesus, that it may be with me, and work with me, and remain with me to the very end. Grant that I may always desire and will that which is most acceptable and pleasing to You. Let Your will be mine. Let my will always follow Yours and agree perfectly with it. Let my will be one with Yours in willing and in not willing, and let me be unable to will or not will anything but what You will or do not will. Grant that I may die to all things in this world, and for Your sake love to be despised and unknown in this life. Give me above all desires the desire to rest in You, and in You let my heart have peace. You are true peace of heart. You alone are its rest. Without You all things are difficult and troubled. In this peace, the selfsame that is in You, the Most High, the everlasting Good, I will sleep and take my rest. Amen.

-Thomas Á Kempis, The Imitation of Christ

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Whatever you ask in my name I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. John 14:13-14 NRSV

December 10

Reading 1

John 14:15-31

“ “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you. “I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live. On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.” Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will reveal yourself to us, and not to the world?” Jesus answered him, “Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; and the word that you hear is not mine, but is from the Father who sent me. “I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I am coming to you.’ If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you this before it occurs, so that when it does occur, you may believe. I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no power over me; but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us be on our way.”

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‘Do not let your hearts be trouble’, our Lord gives us peace and we are not alone, God’s Spirit is sent to us like a mother caring for a child. The Spirit is the One who gives us confidence to know that Christ is living in us and we in Christ and all with Christ in God. We show that oneness in God by loving as God has commanded us, as Jesus demonstrated. If God’s love has no part of us we prove that we are not following God, but merely are of the world. Praise be Jesus for sending the Spirit who teaches us all we need and guides all our ways.

Reading 2

"The essence of prayer does not consist in asking God for something but in opening our hearts to God, in speaking with Him, and living with Him in perpetual communion. Prayer is continual abandonment to God." "Prayer does not mean asking God for all kinds of things we want, it is rather the desire for God Himself, the only Giver of Life." "Prayer is not asking, but union with God." "Prayer is not a painful effect to gain from God help in the varying needs of our lives. Prayer is the desire to possess God Himself, the Source of all Life." "The true spirit of prayer does not consist in asking for blessings, but in receiving Him who is the giver of all blessing, and in living a life of fellowship with Him." "Prayer is not a kind of begging for favours; it is rather breathing and living in God." "A little child often runs to its mother and exclaims: 'Mother! Mother!' Very often the child does not want anything in particular, he only wants to be near his mother, to sit upon her lap, or to follow her about the house, for the sheer pleasure of being near her, talking to her, hearing her dear voice. Then the child is happy. His happiness does not consist in asking and receiving all kinds of things from his mother. If that were what he wanted, he would be impatient and obstinate and therefore unhappy. No, his happiness lies in feeling his mother's love and care, and in knowing the joy of her mother-love." "It is just the same with the true children of God; they do not trouble themselves so much about spiritual blessings. They only want to sit at the Lord's feet, to be in living touch with Him, and when they do that they are supremely content."

- Sundar Singh, Parables and Insights

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May we find content alone in God’s presence and the comforting words: I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. John 14:20

December 11

Reading 1

John 15:1-8

“ “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower. He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit. You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.”

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Living in Christ: we are no more than vines grafted into the root that is Jesus, who gives us water and food, even as we offer praise. We are helpless without the root, but when we abide in Jesus our fruit is bountiful. To separate ourselves from the root to to ask for death and destruction for our life is in the root alone. Let us abide in Jesus our root always, that our wills may become the will of God and so God’s will be done by us.

Reading 2

“Make your home in me as I make mine in you” (John 15:4 [JB]).... Our first home was in the womb of our earthly mother, but the womb of God is our “forever” home.... Living in God’s womb is living in the heart of the Trinity, Nicodemus asked Jesus if a grown person can indeed enter and find again the source of our being, the font of life-giving waters, the life of our life. God is pregnant with us–holding us, nourishing us, delighting in us, bringing us into birth with at each new moment–yet enveloping and embracing us forever in the fold of this Holy Womb. It is our refuge, our place of repose, our home.

-Teresa Boersig, Christmas Reverie

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Home is a special place, a place of welcoming safety, and in a dangerous cold world, it can often seem without a home for so many, especially those who are different. Queer Christians often have not found homes in their church of birth but the good news is that no church or even place on this earth is our lasting home. God is our lasting home though, and so if we are at home in God we can be home anywhere. Although they had not received the things promised, yet they had seen them far ahead and welcomed them, and acknowledged themselves to be strangers and aliens without fixed abode on earth. Those who speak in that way show plainly that they are looking for a country of their own. If their thoughts had been with the country they had left, they could have found opportunity to return. Instead, we find them longing for a better country, a heavenly one. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God; for he has a city ready for them. ~~~ If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is God’s Son, God dwells in him and he in God. Thus we have come to know and believe in the love which God has for us. God is love; he who dwells in love is dwelling in God, and God in him. Heb 11:13-16 ~~~ 1 John 4:15-16, REB

December 12

Reading 1

John 15:9-17

“As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete. “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father. You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name. I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another.”

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Let us abide in the love of God, so that joy can overflow our hearts , Jesus wants us not for His servants but as His friends. And so God is pleased to give us what we ask for in Jesus’ name. But what does it mean to ask for something in Jesus’ name, but to ask in faith for the will of God to be done, anything more than that is of evil inspiration that we might selfishly use things. Jesus actually laid down his life for us should we not all the more, use our lives in service of one another?

Reading 2

Most intimate Friend,

the church says no to homosexuality in any form

while my body seems to say yes to it in every form,

and my soul cautions there must be a middle way.

Why do I let either the church or my sexual urges

distract me from integrity of sex and spirit?

How I delight in the sensual dance!

-the delicious intimacy of letting go,

being open and vulnerable and embraced.

Yet there’s something fearsome about it;

I don’t want to entirely lose me in the dance,

nor you, God.

“ ‘All things are lawful,’

but not all things are helpful.”

The Apostle Paul is so right, God!

But why does your church so frequently

make sexuality a seductive enemy,

and spirituality a frigid expression?

If we could let go of our need for control,

if we could let our guard down a little,

we might delight in some delicious intimacy

of the body’s spiritual/sensual dance:

open and vulnerable, embracing one another,

within you, the Holy Expanse of our dance.

God, teach me personally the delight’s of intimacy!

A friend, facing death, is learning to let go,

to let go of the need to take charge, to control.

May I, facing life, also learn to let go.

Lead me along the paths of intimacy-

ways to let go of my need to control

lover, family, friends,

even the church and the world.

O God, thy will be done.

Forgive me all that denies me or betrays this.

So may I be forgiving,

for giving up control of others

and especially of you, God.

And may the church “let my people go”

to serve and praise you

in their dance of sense and spirit.

Amen.

-Chris Glacer, Coming Out To God

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Trust in God’s provident guidance and believe in God’s love for you. and remember “In this way the scripture was fulfilled: Abraham put his faith in God, and this was considered as making him upright; and he received the name ‘friend of God’. James 2:23

December 13

Reading 1

John 15:18-16:4

“ “If the world hates you, be aware that it hated me before it hated you. If you belonged to the world, the world would love you as its own. Because you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world--therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘Servants are not greater than their master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you; if they kept my word, they will keep yours also. But they will do all these things to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates me hates my Father also. If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not have sin. But now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. It was to fulfill the word that is written in their law, ‘They hated me without a cause.’ “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, he will testify on my behalf. You also are to testify because you have been with me from the beginning. “I have said these things to you to keep you from stumbling. They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, an hour is coming when those who kill you will think that by doing so they are offering worship to God. And they will do this because they have not known the Father or me. But I have said these things to you so that when their hour comes you may remember that I told you about them. “I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you.”

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Christians are bound to suffer because Jesus suffered. Queer Christians unfortunatly suffer mostly under those who call themselves Christians, but their misguided actions leads one to think otherwise. They put us out of the church, bater and kill us in some twisted thing they call ‘acting in the name of God’ or ‘doing God’s will.’ But when we hear or expereice such evil let us remember that they have not known the love of God or Christ, they act as of the world and accept not those who are God’s own. We will not lose heart though, for we know our redeemer lives, and has taken us to be apart from the world.

Reading 2

Our faith and our love must stand ready to receive joy when it is given and to accept it’s absence when it is not. This may be part of God’s mysterious design, or it may be part of our humanness. The important thing is that we are open to it’s freedom when joy comes. For it is possible for us to so constrain ourselves by worry and fear that God’s own liberating joy just barely manages to slip through the cracks-we never really open the door. It is very important in a life of prayer to foster that little virtue of hope; hope waits expectantly for joy but also has the fortitude to wrestle with despair. A poet calls hope “my little girl that wakes up fresh every morning.” Whenever worry and fear want to enter our house, we should bring a flower, that is something nice that we gather from our surroundings, and set it there for our joy. Then when the joy of God’s own life comes to liberate us we shall be ready for freedom.

-Miriam Elder, OCD

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Chrsit is the source of joy, but also freedom, so how much more should we Queer Christians be joyful who have been lead from the darkness of self hate and legalistic condemnation, into the freedom of Christ who created us as we are. Our liberation is at hand because God’s Reign is more fully working it’s way into this world.

December 14

Reading 1

John 16:5-16

“But now I am going to him who sent me; yet none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts. Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: about sin, because they do not believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will see me no longer; about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been condemned. “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you. “A little while, and you will no longer see me, and again a little while, and you will see me.” ”

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We are not able to bear all things Jesus would have us know but thanks be to God The Holy Spirit comes to tell us all that we need to know at the right time. The Holy Spirit glorifies Jesus even as Jesus glorifies God. The Holy Spirit is Christ’s gift from heaven, an abiding presence of Christ-self in our hearts so we never need fear being alone or unaided. We do not see Christ face to face now but we have the Spirit living in us and one day soon, we shall see Jesus forevermore.

Reading 2

Nothing that is worth doing can be achieved in our lifetime; therefore we must be saved by hope. Nothing which is true or beautiful or good makes complete sense in any immediate context of history; therefore we must be saved by faith. Nothing we do, however virtuous, can be accomplished alone; therefore we are saved by love. No virtuous act is quite as virtuous from the standpoint of our friend or foe as it is from our standpoint. Therefore we must be saved by the final form of love which is forgiveness.

-Reinhold Niebuhr, The Irony of American History

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I offer in reflection of this passage three thoughts:

a) Be true to God doing what you are called to, no matter what anyone may think, or how little it seems, God alone is the only valid judge.

b)“At present we see only puzzling reflections in a mirror, but one day we shall see face to face. My knowledge now is partial; then it will be whole, like God's knowledge of me.” (1Cor. 13:12 REB),

c)No rock so hard but that a little wave may beat admission in a thousand years. (Alfred, Lord Tennyson)

December 15

Reading 1

John 16:17-33

“Then some of his disciples said to one another, “What does he mean by saying to us, ‘A little while, and you will no longer see me, and again a little while, and you will see me’; and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?” They said, “What does he mean by this ‘a little while’? We do not know what he is talking about.” Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them, “Are you discussing among yourselves what I meant when I said, ‘A little while, and you will no longer see me, and again a little while, and you will see me’? Very truly, I tell you, you will weep and mourn, but the world will rejoice; you will have pain, but your pain will turn into joy. When a woman is in labor, she has pain, because her hour has come. But when her child is born, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy of having brought a human being into the world. So you have pain now; but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. On that day you will ask nothing of me. Very truly, I tell you, if you ask anything of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete. “I have said these things to you in figures of speech. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures, but will tell you plainly of the Father. On that day you will ask in my name. I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf; for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. I came from the Father and have come into the world; again, I am leaving the world and am going to the Father.” His disciples said, “Yes, now you are speaking plainly, not in any figure of speech! Now we know that you know all things, and do not need to have anyone question you; by this we believe that you came from God.” Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? The hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each one to his home, and you will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone because the Father is with me. I have said this to you, so that in me you may have peace. In the world you face persecution. But take courage; I have conquered the world!” ”

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Our weeping is only to be only short lived, our pain shall turn into the joy of new life and given through Christ with such meaesure that our joy may be complete. Our joy is not based on this world or it’s fleeting pleasure but on Christ alone who has conqured the world so let us never fear.

Reading 2

My joy is the salvation of the Lord and so even though the end has come and the joy of this earth has reached it's eventide, my joy will not fade, for where this is no need of sun, or moon for light neither does the covering that is darkness come near. Though pain may strike at my body yet my joy is great because the name of my Joy, Jesus, Yahweh is salvation. Praise and glory to the Lord in me through that grace that flows like the water from the throne, that flows that blood from His side. Washing me whiter than snow. AMEN. AMEN.

-DWF

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Now I know that Yahweh saves his anointed. He will answer him from his holy heaven, With the saving strength of his right hand. Psalm 20:6 (WEB)

December 16

Reading 1

John 17:1-19

“After Jesus had spoken these words, he looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed. “I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours. All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them. And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one. While I was with them, I protected them in your name that you have given me. I guarded them, and not one of them was lost except the one destined to be lost, so that the scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to you, and I speak these things in the world so that they may have my joy made complete in themselves. I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but I ask you to protect them from the evil one. They do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, so that they also may be sanctified in truth.”

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We are of Christ who is not of the world, no longer in the world. But we are not alone for God will keep us, Jesus does not call us to be taken out of the world but that we might be kept from evil, living in the world. Jesus tells us that we are sanctified in the truth, God’s word being truth. But just as Jesus sanctifies Himself for our sake, so we sanctify ourselves that the world may see and also be sanctified in Christ Jesus Redeemer of all creation.

Reading 2

Every believer is as ‘amen’ who will become an ‘alleluia’

I am what my father thought, I am what my mother prayed for.

I am the labour of my forebears.

I am their hopes, their sickness, their healings.

I am their loves, their struggles, even their blasphemies and their sins.

I am their dawn and sunsets, their pitiless winters, their trilling springs, their blazing summers, their tranquil autumns.

I am their births and deaths.

Scientist at one time use to speak, perhaps they still do, about heredity and, I think, about chromosomes and genes. I am no expert in that field. But I am quite sure in me, in my life and in my actions, there is present everything that those who existed before me ever did: all their struggles, their failures, their successes.

My freedom is tinged with the colour of their freedom, whatever it was like: more or less bright, more or less sombre, more or less filled with laughter.

When I make a choice, it is the latest choice, the most recent act of millions of people who form a single chain from far distant Adam right down to me.

In the cradle of my freedom are hatched countless eggs of lives preceding mine.

No one is an island. No freedom is isolated.....

We have twenty centuries of the Church’s life in our blood.

We are its heirs.

Not only in the sense we possess an inheritance to administer, but in the sense that we are like we are, because our ancestors were like they were....

We are dwarfs: They are giants.

For this reason we need their shoulders.

By living the Word, they have scanned the horizon of God’s plan for salvation. They can help us to see what they have seen.

Probably we shall see farther than they did thanks entirely to them. This is the miracle of the Christian tradition. By it we are re-united with the source, the Word, and we are nourished with the light and the witness of our predecessors....

‘My Father is working still, and I am working’ (John 5:17). This sentence spoken by Jesus in St John’s gospel opens to the [Church] Fathers the prospect of an incredible dynamism: the universe and the heart of every human being, the infinitely great and the infinitely small, are a unique workshop in which the Father and the Word fashion a new creation. It is a creation of blessedness, glorious and glorifying, where God will be ‘all in all’, where he will no longer be called God, but ‘God-with-us’.... For the [Church] Fathers, the book of nature, the book of history, and the book of the Bible are not three documents but one revelation.... ‘The Word of God is in your heart. The Word digs in this soil so that the spring may gush out,’ says Origen.

The reading of the Bible, therefore, is neither a work of erudition nor an excuse for pious transports of the soul. It is the reception of the Word that digs into us and saves us. As Jerome affirmed: ‘You are reading? No. Your betrothed is talking to you. It is your betrothed, that is, Christ, who is united with you. He tears you away from the solitude of the desert and brings you into his home, saying to you, “Enter into the Joy of the Lord.” ’...

In the last analysis, for the [Church] Fathers the finest exposition of the Bible is the life of the believer....In the end, human words, even those of exegesis, will pass away, as will all our struggles to be an ‘Amen’, that is to be believers who live the faith in unconditional obedience tot he will of the Father.

In the end, all that will remain in the sight of the Father will be the Eternal Word, the Glorified Christ, and the ‘Amens’ transfigured into ‘Alleluias’.

-Thomas Spidlik, Drinking from the Hidden Fountain

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May we in embracing God and and ourselves as God made us and through explorations of the creation around us be transformed from Amens to Alleluias.

December 17

Reading 1

John 17:20-26

“ “I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. “Righteous Father, the world does not know you, but I know you; and these know that you have sent me. I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.” ”

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Grace upon grace, Jesus asks for blessing not on His followers alone but on all those who will become followers of Jesus as we all become one body. Full of the love of God radiating the glory of God. The love that is in Christ eternally. And which shall be ours forever more, because God has made Christ known to us.

Reading 2

Meister Echart wrote, “As thou art in church or cell, that same frame of mind carry into the world, into it’s turmoil and it’s fitfulness.” Deep within us all there is an amazing inner sanctuary of the soul, a holy place, a Divine Center, a speaking voice, to which we may continuously return. Eternity is at our hearts pressing upon our time-torn lives....

Life from the Center is a life of unhurried peace and power. It is simple. It is serene. It is amazing. It is triumphant. It is radiant. It takes no time, but occupies all our time. And it makes our life programs new and overcoming. We need not get frantic. [God] is at the helm. And when our little day is done we lie down quietly in peace, all is well.

-Thomas Kelly, A Testament of Devotion

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For Queer Christians Echart’s words are a liberating call. No matter where we are whether in Church, our abodes, or in the world we are who God created us to be, once we have accepted that we can live in peace with God and everyone else. If remember that our Yes is YES and our No is NO, we shall be less anxious, for when the duplicity of life has been rent asunder and we are allowed to slow down to a more simple, honest pace. I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. John 16:33, NIV

December 18

Reading 1

John 18:1-11

“After Jesus had spoken these words, he went out with his disciples across the Kidron valley to a place where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered. Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place, because Jesus often met there with his disciples. So Judas brought a detachment of soldiers together with police from the chief priests and the Pharisees, and they came there with lanterns and torches and weapons. Then Jesus, knowing all that was to happen to him, came forward and asked them, “Whom are you looking for?” They answered, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus replied, “I am he.” Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. When Jesus said to them, “I am he,” they stepped back and fell to the ground. Again he asked them, “Whom are you looking for?” And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. So if you are looking for me, let these men go.” This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken, “I did not lose a single one of those whom you gave me.” Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it, struck the high priest’s slave, and cut off his right ear. The slave’s name was Malchus. Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword back into its sheath. Am I not to drink the cup that the Father has given me?” ”

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Jesus willingly goes to the cross, we see that the power of his words has the soldiers falling down, and so none of His disciples are lost. But even after seeing that sign Peter still wants to save Jesus,not realizing that it is Jesus’ actions that are about to redeem creation. We so often are like Peter who go and try to make happen what we think should happen, we ignore God’s will for our own, and so people are hurt. Thanks be to God, Jesus has Peter put down the sword and we know from Luke’s account that Jesus restores the ear. Jesus goes to drink that bitter cup and will drink it down including all the dregs that the creation might be saved.

Reading 2

Loving attention means a double awareness of what one is doing. It requires being aware of the activity in which one is engaged and aware of oneself as one engages in an activity. It is not just doing something with careful attention but being conscious of ones inner attitudes of compassion or hatred, gentleness or violence, patience or annoyance, hope or despair. The intent of this discipline is to do everything out of the loving energy of God that flows through us. When one becomes aware of the places where energy is blocked (with hatred, violence, annoyance, despair) one is able to transform one’s inner attitude and reform ones outer action.

A variation of this discipline is called “seeing through peaceful eyes” and is particularly dedicated to relationships with other people. In the course of one’s day, at work, in the family, with friends, with strangers, one holds inside a deep respect for the other person. One asks. “Why are you hurting?” One meets the other person with a loving intent and playfulness that acknowledge our common humanity and celebrate our mutual divinity as beloved people created in the image of God......

[For] a spiritual life is not a life apart from the world but a life together with all God’s people. Words of Meister Eckhart again make this point: “If a person were in a rapture as great as St. Paul once experienced [see 2 Co 12] and learned that a neighbor were in need of a cup of soup, it would be best to withdraw from the rapture and give the person the soup she needs.”

- R.H. Bell and B.L. Battin, Seeds of the Spirit

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What good is it, my friends, for someone to say he has faith when his actions do nothing to show it? Can that faith save him? Suppose a Fellow-Christian, whether man or woman, is in rags with not enough food for the day, and one of you says, ‘Goodbye, keep warm, and have a good meal,’ but does nothing to supply their bodily needs, what good is that? So with faith; if it does not lead to action, it is by itself a lifeless thing. -James 2:14-17, REB

December 19

Reading 1

John 18:12-18

“So the soldiers, their officer, and the Jewish police arrested Jesus and bound him. First they took him to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it was better to have one person die for the people. Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus. Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest, but Peter was standing outside at the gate. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out, spoke to the woman who guarded the gate, and brought Peter in. The woman said to Peter, “You are not also one of this man’s disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.” Now the slaves and the police had made a charcoal fire because it was cold, and they were standing around it and warming themselves. Peter also was standing with them and warming himself.”

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Peter who only moments ago was ready to die for Jesus now stands with our Lord’s captors warming himself, denying His lord. How often do we like Peter only perform lip service, and when there is any hint of danger shy away, denying the One who died for them. But even as Jesus forgave Peter so He forgives us, therefore, let us have courage and not deny our Lord again.

Reading 2

If Christmas is going to mean something to us this year, we must try through it's celebration to become more like Jesus. It is true we need friends who are agreeable and helpful to us; even Jesus had special friends. And in this sense charity begins at home, gut it only begins there. Our love and concern must spread beyond a small circle of companions. We cannot treat everyone in the same way, but we must not delibertly exclude anyone from our love and respect, whether it be beause of [his or her color, religion, nationality], or just plan old orneriness. in fact, if we want to become more like Jesus, the “undseirables” of this world have a special claim on us.

-C. Miller & J. Grindel, Until He Comes

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Another exclusion is of course all to familiar to us Queer Christians, sexual orientation. But rather than focus on the sins of another, let us examine our own. Most of us have people we find it very hard to love but do you have ‘a class’ of person you just can’t seem to love (self-destructive people, transgendered people, or maybe it’s the fundamentalists). Whoever we meet we are called to love them as God does. All are God’s children, and with God’s help we shall be able to love all people more like Christ did. Pray for strength, it isn’t going to be easy, but the commandment of Christ is to Love. I discover this principle, then: that when I want to do right, only wrong is within my reach. In my inmost self I delight in the law of God, but I perceive in my outward actions a different law, fighting against the law that my mind approves, and making me a prisoner under the law of sin which controls my conduct. Wretched creature that I am, who is there to rescue me from this state of death? Who but God? Thanks be to him through Jesus Christ our Lord! To sum up then: left to myself I serve God’s law with my mind, but with my unspiritual nature I serve the law of sin. It follows that there is now no condemnation for those who are united with Christ Jesus. In Christ Jesus the life-giving law of the Spirit has set you free from the law of sin and death. Rom. 7:21-8:2 REB

December 20

Reading 1

John 18:19-27

“Then the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and about his teaching. Jesus answered, “I have spoken openly to the world; I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all the Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret. Why do you ask me? Ask those who heard what I said to them; they know what I said.” When he had said this, one of the police standing nearby struck Jesus on the face, saying, “Is that how you answer the high priest?” Jesus answered, “If I have spoken wrongly, testify to the wrong. But if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike me?” Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest. Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. They asked him, “You are not also one of his disciples, are you?” He denied it and said, “I am not.” One of the slaves of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Did I not see you in the garden with him?” Again Peter denied it, and at that moment the cock crowed.”

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The cock crows and Peter continues the denials. While Jesus is beaten for speaking the truth. Often times people are beaten up verbally or emotional because they have said something wrong, but in the end was something wrong actually said or were people hurt by the truth? The next time you are rebuked for saying the truth, take Jesus as your example and ask what wrong was spoken, if the truth is rejected from the One of whom all truth comes, how much more will it be rejected by us imperfect disciples who like Peter, who can’t even remain faithful to Jesus when our hour of trial comes?

Reading 2

I want to advise you to leave everything but I do not want be presumptuous. If therefore you are unable to abandon everything which the world offers, you must so hold those things that are of this world that you may not be held by them in the world; that earthly interests may be possessed, not be the possessor, and that what you have should be under the control of your mind. Otherwise, if your mind is bound by the love of earthly things, it may itself rather be possessed by it’s own possessions.

Therefore let temporal possessions be what you use, eternal things what you desire. Let temporal goods be for use in the way, eternal gods be desired for when you arrive at your goal. Whatever goes on in the world, let it be as it were glanced at from the side. Let the eyes of our minds gaze straight ahead of us, while they are focused intently on the goal to which we shall come.

Let faults be torn up by the roots, torn away not only from the action in deed, but also from the meditation of the heart. See that the pleasures of the flesh, the anxiety of carefulness, the fervor of ambition do not hold us back from the great supper of the Lord, but also let us only touch obliquely as it were with our mind those honorable things which we do in the world, so that earthly things which delight us may so serve our body that they hinder our heart as little as possible.

My [brothers and sisters], we do not take it upon us to say to you that you should give up everything, but yet, even while holding to all things, you can if you wish, leave them, if you so handle temporal matters as to strive with the whole mind in eternal aims. That [person] uses the world as if [one] were not using it, who brings to the service of [one’s] life from outside all things necessary, and yet does not allow them to lord it over [one’s] mind, so they are subject to [one] and serve [one] from outside, and never break the concentration of [that one’s] mind as it aims to higher things. Whoever therefore are like this, have all earthly things for their use and not as objects of their desires. Therefore let there be nothing to hold back the desire of your mind. let not the love of anything in this world entangle you.

To carry out these things we have a mediator between God and [mortals], our helper, through whom we shall more quickly obtain everything, if we burn with true love for [Jesus], who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever. Amen.

-Gregory the Great, Homily 36

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Do not set your hearts on the world or what is in it. Anyone who loves the world does not love the Father. Everything in the world, all that panders to the appetites or entices the eyes, all the arrogance based on wealth, these spring not from the Father but from the world. That world with all its allurements is passing away, but those who do God’s will remain for ever. 1 John 2:15-17, REB

December 21

Reading 1

John 18:28-40

“Then they took Jesus from Caiaphas to Pilate’s headquarters. It was early in the morning. They themselves did not enter the headquarters, so as to avoid ritual defilement and to be able to eat the Passover. So Pilate went out to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this man?” They answered, “If this man were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you.” Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and judge him according to your law.” The Jews replied, “We are not permitted to put anyone to death.” (This was to fulfill what Jesus had said when he indicated the kind of death he was to die.) Then Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?” Pilate replied, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?” Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.” Pilate asked him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” Pilate asked him, “What is truth?” After he had said this, he went out to the Jews again and told them, “I find no case against him. But you have a custom that I release someone for you at the Passover. Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?” They shouted in reply, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a bandit.”

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What is truth? An ironic question to ask the One who is Truth incarnate what is truth. The kingdom is not of this world yet the rulers of this world hand Jesus over to be killed. Rejected by His own, the rouge Barrabbas was chosen for mercy, yet this is the truest view of the Crucifixion we have: The truth is killed, the innocent die, for the worst of sinners, for you and for I. Even though no case would be found against Jesus, Pilate complied with their wishes and crucified the only begotten Child of God. But remember it was done that we might live eternally with our King who reigns from the cross till that day when no evil is anymore.

Reading 2

After this Job broke his silence and cursed the day of his birth: Perish the day when I was born, and the night which said, ‘A boy is conceived’! May that day turn to darkness; may God above not look for it, nor light of dawn shine on it. May gloom and deep darkness claim it again; may cloud smother that day, blackness eclipse its sun. May blind darkness swallow up that night! May it not be counted among the days of the year or reckoned in the cycle of the months. May that night be barren for ever, may no cry of joy be heard in it. Let it be cursed by those whose spells bind the sea monster, who have the skill to tame Leviathan. May no star shine out in its twilight; may it wait for a dawn that never breaks, and never see the eyelids of the morning, because it did not shut the doors of the womb that bore me and keep trouble away from my sight. Why was I not stillborn, why did I not perish when I came from the womb? Why was I ever laid on my mother’s knees or put to suck at her breasts? For now I should be lying in the quiet grave, asleep in death, at rest with kings and their earthly counsellors who built for themselves cities now laid waste, or with princes rich in gold whose houses were replete with silver. Or why was I not concealed like an untimely birth, like an infant who never saw the light? There the wicked chafe no more, there the tired labourer takes his ease; the captive too finds peace there, no slave-driver’s voice reaches him; high and low alike are there, even the slave, free from his master. Why should the sufferer be born to see the light? Why is life given to those who find it so bitter? They long for death but it does not come, they seek it more eagerly than hidden treasure. They are glad when they reach the grave; when they come to the tomb they exult. Why should a man be born to wander blindly, hedged about by God on every side? Sighing is for me all my food; groans pour from me in a torrent. Every terror that haunted me has caught up with me; what I dreaded has overtaken me. There is no peace of mind, no quiet for me; trouble comes, and I have no rest.

- Job 3, REB

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The lament of Job is poignant and many Queer Christians know that despair of life wishing birth had not come to us. But this cry of pain is not the end of the story. Job himself has faith that redemption is his, that though he might die yet God will redeem him on that last day. The story of job is a story of suffering, but the days are not all dark, and we need not despair of life for we know our redeemer lives. We know that pain is but a temporary thing that will be done away with. God wants you to be happy, find happiness in God. No matter what your pain, be it your lover having just died of AIDS, or you are facing the pain of cancer or have just lost your mother, know that God restores the lost in better measure. The thing you’ve lost will usually not be restored identically but God has better for you, and for those of you who have lost a loved one, hold out hope for that blessed reunion in Eternity.

For I know that my Redeemer lives,

and that at the last he will stand upon the earth;

and after my skin has been thus destroyed,

then in my flesh I shall see God,

-Job 19:25-26, NRSV

December 22

Reading 1

John 19:1-16

“Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. And the soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they dressed him in a purple robe. They kept coming up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and striking him on the face. Pilate went out again and said to them, “Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no case against him.” So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!” When the chief priests and the police saw him, they shouted, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and crucify him; I find no case against him.” The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has claimed to be the Son of God.” Now when Pilate heard this, he was more afraid than ever. He entered his headquarters again and asked Jesus, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. Pilate therefore said to him, “Do you refuse to speak to me? Do you not know that I have power to release you, and power to crucify you?” Jesus answered him, “You would have no power over me unless it had been given you from above; therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.” From then on Pilate tried to release him, but the Jews cried out, “If you release this man, you are no friend of the emperor. Everyone who claims to be a king sets himself against the emperor.” When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus outside and sat on the judge’s bench at a place called The Stone Pavement, or in Hebrew Gabbatha. Now it was the day of Preparation for the Passover; and it was about noon. He said to the Jews, “Here is your King!” They cried out, “Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!” Pilate asked them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but the emperor.” Then he handed him over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus;”

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Beaten and mocked Pilate in his own way attempts to show mercy, and presents the beaten Jesus, complete with a crown of thorns , blood most likely everywhere, who can this be but one to die, for surely God would not have let the chosen come to such a condition. But this only incites the crowd to reject Him more, and make the real charges of blasphemy appear. For all the tries Pilate makes to free Jesus, none were at the risk of his own position so a lie prevails and the truth is thrust upon the scaffold. Let us be careful, when we have the chance to free the innocent let us do it no matter the cost, for truly no amount of washing of our hands in public will rid us of innocent blood.

Reading 2

It takes away my guilt when I blame your murder on the Jews, Jesus

Why should I feel guilty about it? I wasn't there. If I had been, I can’t imagine myself shouting anything about crucifying you.

The Roman soldiers were there, of course, along with Pontius Pilate. And the Jews were there, the Sanhedrin and those who cried for Barabbas instead of you.

I wasn’t there, Jesus, I had nothing to do with it.

I was there, Jesus, as you know. I am part of humanness, although I like to remember it only when i want something from my sister or brother or society at large, and like to forget it when it involves me in life outside myself.

I shouted for your crucifixion, Jesus. I taunted you as you bore your cross, and I stood in the crowd to watch you die.

I did this again just today, Jesus.

Forgive me. I ask for your mercy and forgiveness. But how can I ask forgiveness of Jews, after the pogroms, burnings, genocide, every form o discrimination and most of it in your name? In your own humanity you were a Jew, I am involved in your murder Jesus, as in the lives and deaths of countless Jews. I ask forgiveness of you for the guilt I share in the deaths of Jews murdered by Christians in your name, for the guilt I share in the countless persecutions of Jews by Christians in your name,

I am ashamed, I am mute.

-Malcolm Boyd, Are you Running With me, Jesus? A spiritual companion for the 1990s

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There was a young Jewish girl in the death camps who prayed constantly for her captors and when she was eventually killed a note was found in her pocket saying ‘I forgive all of you, for the evil done to me.’, this young girl must be a pattern for us, let us forgive those who hurt us even when they have no remorse. We need to ask God to help us to act only as Jesus would, and then in our arrogance that we have acted so, look to where we have failed and admit to this and seek forgiveness. Perhaps we have no right to seek forgiveness of others, but God will forgive if we only ask.

December 23

Reading 1

John 19:17-27

“and carrying the cross by himself, [Jesus] went out to what is called The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus between them. Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” Many of the Jews read this inscription, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek. Then the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but, ‘This man said, I am King of the Jews.’” Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.” When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts, one for each soldier. They also took his tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top. So they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see who will get it.” This was to fulfill what the scripture says, “They divided my clothes among themselves, and for my clothing they cast lots.” And that is what the soldiers did. Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, “Woman, here is your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.”

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The agony continues with a taunting sign, but Jesus in this pain looks and see’s his beloved, the one whom He loved (I point out here that although the relationship may have been innocent the word beloved is used in Greek to refer to one’s ‘bottom boy’) and His mother, how would these two go on, the would go on together. They would go on as mother and son. These two and a few other women the only followers not to desert Jesus the only ones to remain faithful to the end, and Mary Magdalene will be rewarded being the first to see the risen Christ, Jesus leaves us not alone but sends the Spirit and more than that gives us a new and better family that shall last eternally.

Reading 2

What I mean, my friends, is this: flesh and blood can never possess the kingdom of God, the perishable cannot possess the imperishable. Listen! I will unfold a mystery: we shall not all die, but we shall all be changed in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet-call. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will rise imperishable, and we shall be changed. This perishable body must be clothed with the imperishable, and what is mortal with immortality. And when this perishable body has been clothed with the imperishable and our mortality has been clothed with immortality, then the saying of scripture will come true: ‘Death is swallowed up; victory is won!’ ‘O Death, where is your victory? O Death, where is your sting?’ The sting of death is sin, and sin gains its power from the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear friends, stand firm and immovable, and work for the Lord always, work without limit, since you know that in the Lord your labour cannot be lost.

-1 Corinthians 15:50-58, REB

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Our bodies are fragile vessels that will eventually fail us some day, but no matter whether that day be tomorrow or 90 years from now, we worry not. Jesus has made us a child of God’s great Kingdom, and our future is not in a body of perishable nature but in a body of imperishable nature. Because of this great hope we are able to continue no matter what.

December 24

Reading 1

John 19:28-37

“After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to fulfill the scripture), “I am thirsty.” A jar full of sour wine was standing there. So they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the wine, he said, “It is finished.” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. Since it was the day of Preparation, the Jews did not want the bodies left on the cross during the sabbath, especially because that sabbath was a day of great solemnity. So they asked Pilate to have the legs of the crucified men broken and the bodies removed. Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who had been crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once blood and water came out. (He who saw this has testified so that you also may believe. His testimony is true, and he knows that he tells the truth.) These things occurred so that the scripture might be fulfilled, “None of his bones shall be broken.” And again another passage of scripture says, “They will look on the one whom they have pierced.” ”

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It is somehow most right to have this reading on the eve of our celebration of Christ’s birth, for this is the reason He came. Scripture was fulfilled when Mary had Jesus in the stable cave of Bethlehem, but so was it fulfilled when they crucified Him, pierced the one whom they had killed. The Sabbath draws near and so the Light shall rest from the creation, but the Light shall work in the death redeeming creation.

Reading 2

We have a tendency to read the infancy stories differently from the way they were intended, we read them with especial attention to the infancy, the virginity of Mary, and the historicity of the occurrences. But the stories are not particularly meant to provide information about anyone of these details. The point of the infancy narratives is not the infancy but the Christology involved in identifying and accepting the mature Jesus. The virginity of Mary is a theological statement about Jesus rather than a gynecological statement about Mary. It tells us that the Spirit responsible for the ministry and resurrection of Jesus was active in the origins of Jesus and that Jesus must be explained not in terms of human agency alone but in terms that are extraordinary and exceptional. The historicity of the various items of the infancy stories is marginal. These are stories that deal, instead, with the symbols and meaning, with theological reflection and cultural continuity.

-Anthony Padvano, Christmas to Calvary

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Just as it is not important for us to believe in a literal Adam and Eve, the importance of the story of Jesus birth has immense value even if you choose not to believe the reports in the Bible as literal history. While I believe in the virgin birth, I will not go as far as St Jerome who had violent arguments defending the fact Mary’s hymen was most certainly in tack before and after Jesus’ birth. We know perfectly well that Jesus used stories to draw our parallels to the spiritual reality He was trying to get across (hence the term parable). There was no historical good Samaritan or any of the other charters in his stories that we know of for sure, but they teach valuable and true lessons. Much in the same way Aesop’s fables have been embraced by Christians for thousand of years, for the lessons they expound. We must read the Bible with heart and mind and look to learn what is Spirit would speak to us about each passage, for this day.

December 25

Reading 1

John 19:38-42

“After these things, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, though a secret one because of his fear of the Jews, asked Pilate to let him take away the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission; so he came and removed his body. Nicodemus, who had at first come to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about a hundred pounds. They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it with the spices in linen cloths, according to the burial custom of the Jews. Now there was a garden in the place where he was crucified, and in the garden there was a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid. And so, because it was the Jewish day of Preparation, and the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.”

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As the wise men from the East brought gifts so at Jesus death a gift is made, a new tomb, and enough spice to bury a king. A linen covering all that would be on this body, which only moments ago hung naked on the cross. Do you give up you own place in the garden for Jesus, do you give beyond reason to Jesus? If not in this season of giving I ask you to consider, to follow the wise men and the these two Jewish leaders. Give, commit senseless acts of kindness, perform random acts of beauty. Then you reward will be great in the kingdom of God, so go and follow Jesus.

Reading 2

“ “Look at my servant, whom I strengthen. He is my chosen one, and I am pleased with him. I have put my Spirit upon him. He will reveal justice to the nations. He will be gentle--he will not shout or raise his voice in public. He will not crush those who are weak or quench the smallest hope. He will bring full justice to all who have been wronged. He will not stop until truth and righteousness prevail throughout the earth. Even distant lands beyond the sea will wait for his instruction.” God, the LORD, created the heavens and stretched them out. He created the earth and everything in it. He gives breath and life to everyone in all the world. And it is he who says, “I, the LORD, have called you to demonstrate my righteousness. I will guard and support you, for I have given you to my people as the personal confirmation of my covenant with them. And you will be a light to guide all nations to me. You will open the eyes of the blind and free the captives from prison. You will release those who sit in dark dungeons. “I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not give my glory to anyone else. I will not share my praise with carved idols. Everything I prophesied has come true, and now I will prophesy again. I will tell you the future before it happens.” ”

-Isaiah 42:1-9, NLT

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The word of God about Messiah, oh how Christ fit this so well, oh what good news it is for Queer Christians. We have been bruised and some of us are weak but God is our support. God’s truth and righteousness will prevail because Jesus seeks relief of the oppressed. Our goal must be to bring out this saving justice to all people everywhere. How terrible when the oppressed become oppressors, we must never succumb to the idols of our own power or previous victories, but follow the Lord always.

December 26

Reading 1

John 20:1-9

“Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead.”

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Darkness shall be on the face of the earth only a little while longer for the tomb is empty and now only that the grave clothes sit there like a Chrysalis of a butterfly Chrsit leaves a cocoon of the grave clothes behind emerging a new creation. Yet still they understood not what had happen. Jesus is not here but has risen indeed, thanks be to God.

Reading 2

The shepherds of the galaxies, the Hubble Telescope astronomers, have released photos of the universe from fourteen billion years ago. as I attempt to fathom the very notion of billions of years, my gaze settles on a large maple tree outdoors. Nestled in the fork of the trunk and a snow-covered limb, a squirrel wrapped in it’s tail is sleeping, it's ability to slumber while so precariously balanced is as mind boggling as the distance of light years–equally deserving of the “I-don’t-know-what” of God. Awareness is a gift, Meditation on God’s mystery, whether it be the creation of the universe or the ingenuity of providing squirrels with tails for winter sleeping, is gift, The presence of God in one’s life is a gift.

-Carmelites of Indianapolis

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The mysteries of God’s creation is broad and includes your own unique self a creation, for God has formed everything as God planed for God’s good purposes. Whether you are short or tall, queer or straight, thank God that you are who you are and seek the place God has for you in this world. You it was who fashioned my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for you fill me with awe; wonderful you are, and wonderful your works. You know me through and through: my body was no mystery to you, when I was formed in secret, woven in the depths of the earth. Psalm 139:13-25, REB

December 27

Reading 1

John 20:10-18

“Then the disciples returned to their homes. But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”; and she told them that he had said these things to her.”

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Mary faithful at the cross now faithful at the empty tomb, is confronted by the risen Christ, but she, like most who come across the risen Christ at first, do not recognize Him. Jesus is only a gardener to Mary now, only when Jesus mentions her name dose she recognize Jesus. How often do we run into Christ but see only a gardener, only a cab driver, only a waitress, but it was Christ in disguise, it was one who is in the body of Christ. Let us run and share the good news, Jesus is risen we have seen Him, for us in as much as we have seen Him in our siblings in the body of Christ. Let us love Jesus in heaven and here and now in those of His body.

Reading 2

To come together to celebrate, rest, delight, sense the presence of God in all things, and taste the promise offered by the resurrection of Christ is to engage in profound opposition to the destructive forces. In our day the humanocentriscm of much christology is expanding towards a cosmic vision of the significance of Jesus Christ. Both the example of Jesus and Spirit christologies point the way towards a new, urgently needed appreciation of the universality of reconciliation at work in out world through Christ. The promise that redemption is meant for all the peoples of the world and for the cosmos itself....

The Spirit is the shaper of the new creation, dwelling in the heart of all things and working to redeem them. In his letter to the Romans Paul expresses this very poetically. Al creation has been subjected to futility, but it is waiting with eager longing for the glory that is to come. It will be set free from it’s bondage to decay to share in the glorious liberty of the children of God.... In other words, it is not just human beings who are saved. We are of a piece with all creation, sharing with all creatures a common destiny. The new heaven and the new earth for which we hope includes the whole universe. The dynamic power effecting redemption at the end and weaving webs of community between all creatures in the interim is the Holy Spirit of the risen Christ, In this understanding, both spirituality and ethics direct us towards responsible stewardship of the earth.

-Elizabeth Johnson, Consider Jesus

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A wonderful thing about Orthodox theology is the fact they have always recognized that Jesus death was for the redemption of all creation, we need to go one step further and acknowledge with Paul that God is Savior of all people. This is not universality but merely stating God is no respecter of persons, and judges each one on what they have, know, and the condition of their hearts. What is salvation but reaching up to God and saying I have not within me the ability to save myself, have mercy. The created universe is waiting with eager expectation for God’s [children] to be revealed. It was made subject to frustration, not of its own choice but by the will of him who subjected it, yet with the hope that the universe itself is to be freed from the shackles of mortality and is to enter upon the glorious liberty of the children of God. Up to the present, as we know, the whole created universe in all its parts groans as if in the pangs of childbirth. What is more, we also, to whom the Spirit is given as the firstfruits of the harvest to come, are groaning inwardly while we look forward eagerly to our adoption, our liberation from mortality. Rom 8:19-23, REB We have put our trust in the living God and he is the Saviour of the whole human race but particularly of all believers. 1Ti 4:10 NJB

December 28

Reading 1

John 20:19-23

“When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” ”

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A locked door in no barrier to our lord, Jesus is with those who are either locked in or locked out. And Jesus comes bringing peace. Jesus brings the Spirit to those who believe in Him, and power to forgive in His name. No one can lock Jesus from you, Jesus longs to come to you and shower you with the Spirit.

Reading 2

To live according to the spirit is to enjoy “life and peace.” The Spirit of God dwells in such a one as the principle of life ([Rom] 8:6, 8:11). Spirituality, therefore, has to do with our way of being religious. We are not only alive by a principle which transcends us...; we are consciously aware of, in touch with, and motivated by, that principle of life.

To be “spiritual” means to know, and to live according to the knowledge, that there is more to life than meets the eye. To be “spiritual” means, beyond that, to know, and to live according to the knowledge, that God is present to us in grace as the principle of personal, interpersonal, social and even cosmic transformation. To be “open to the Spirit” is to accept explicitly who we are and who we are called always to become, and to direct our lives accordingly.

-Richard McBrien, Catholicism

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We are queer or straight, male or female, one of a numerous skin tones, and we are called to live as Christians as we are, as we were created. What we are becoming is a totally new creation, a child of God, and so we rejoice in that good news and strive to act as God would have us act. Spirituality must never be about pretending but being true to self, because only in that way can we be true to God. There are varieties of activity, but in all of them and in everyone the same God is active. In each of us the Spirit is seen to be at work for some useful purpose. 1Co 12:6-7, REB For anyone united to Christ, there is a new creation: the old order has gone; a new order has already begun. All this has been the work of God. [God] has reconciled us to [God]self through Christ, and has enlisted us in this ministry of reconciliation: 2Co 5:17-18, REB

December 29

Reading 1

John 20:24-31

“But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.” A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.”

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For those of us who have long come after Jesus and His first disciples lived we can appreciate the skepticism of Thomas. But just as Thomas can doubt for us, he can proclaim for the doubter too, ‘Jesus My Lord and my God.’ And for all who believe there is life in Jesus’ name. Life for queer, straight, male, female, slave and free; life for all those of us who are blessed because we have believed without seeing.

Reading 2

When Gagarian came back from space and made his remarkable statement that he never saw God in Heaven, one of our priests in Moscow remarked, “If you have not seen [God] on Earth, you will never see [God] in Heaven.”

-Anthony Bloom, Beginning to Pray

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Skeptics need no reason to doubt, for their doubt keeps them from belief. The agnostic Stepehen Hawkings wrote once about how the universes design cry’s out to the fact that there is a creator behind it. In a simular vain Paul says people are without excuse, “The retribution of God from heaven is being revealed against the ungodliness and injustice of human beings who in their injustice hold back the truth. For what can be known God is perfectly plain to them, since God has made it plain to them: ever since the creation of the world, the invisible existence of God and his everlasting power have been clearly seen by the mind’s understanding of created things. And so these people have no excuse: they knew God and yet they did not honour him as God or give thanks to him, but their arguments became futile and their uncomprehending minds were darkened. While they claimed to be wise, in fact they were growing so stupid” Romans 1:18-22. Paul is right for when we fail to see God in creation and Jesus in our fellow humans we will surely not be able to find God anywhere.

December 30

Reading 1

John 21:1-14

“After these things Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he showed himself in this way. Gathered there together were Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples. Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, “Children, you have no fish, have you?” They answered him, “No.” He said to them, “Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish. That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the sea. But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, only about a hundred yards off. When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred fifty-three of them; and though there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” because they knew it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.”

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Jesus was not loking for fish but looking to provide for the disciples. Jesus shows us the physicallity of His resurrection body by eating with them. Eating is important for life but it is also important for building relationships, consider eating with members of your Spiritual comunity, you may be surprised of the blessings it brings.

Reading 2

We should not judge the poor by their clothes and their outward appearance nor by their mental capacity, since they are often ignorant and uncouth. On the contrary, if you consider the poor in light of faith, then you will see that they take the place of God the Son, who choose to be poor. Indeed, in his passion, having lost even the appearance of man, foolishness to the Gentiles and a scandal to the Jews, he showed he was to preach the gospel to the poor in these words: “He has sent me to preach good news to the poor.” Therefore we should be of the same mind and should imitate what Christ did, caring for the poor, consoling them, helping them.

Christ chose to be born in poverty and took poor [people] as his disciples; he himself became the servant of the poor and so shared their condition that whatever good or harm done to the poor, he said he would consider it done to himself. Since God loves the poor, [God] also loves the lovers of the poor. When someone loves another, [one] loves those who love or serve that other. So we hope that God will love us on account of the poor. We visit them then, we strive to concern ourselves with the weak and the needy, we so share their sufferings that with the apostle we have become all things to all [people]. Therefore we must strive to be deeply involved in the cares and sorrows of our neighbour and pray to God to inspire us with compassion and pity, filling our hearts and keeping them full.

The service of the poor is to be preferred to all else, and to be performed without delay. If at a time set aside for prayer, medicine or help has to be brought to some poor [person], go and do what has to be done with an easy mind, offering it up to God as a prayer. Do not be put out by uneasiness or a sense of sin because of prayers interrupted by the service of the poor: for God is not neglected if prayers are put aside, if God’s work is interrupted, in order that another such work may be completed.

Therefore, when you leave prayer to help some poor [person], remember this–that the work of God has been done.

-Vincent de Paul, Writings

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Our Lord’s preference for the poor is clearly seen, when have you last brought good news to the poor? Do you give out of your resources no matter how small or grand they maybe? Even the widow put in the last two pennies she had into the temple treasury. We should not seek escapes from time of prayer through work for the poor, but when need arises for anyone during our prayer we are called by God to help, and then we may fully return with our whole heart to prayer. Our world unfortunately spitefully uses the poor but we as Christians, and especially as Queer Christian who have known the pain of prejudice, must look on the poor as our equals. James writes, “My friends, you believe in our Lord Jesus Christ who reigns in glory and you must always be impartial. For instance, two visitors may enter your meeting, one a well-dressed [person] with gold rings, and the other a poor [person] in grimy clothes. Suppose you pay special attention to the well-dressed [person] and say to him, ‘Please take this seat,’ while to the poor [person] you say, ‘You stand over there, or sit here on the floor by my footstool,’ do you not see that you are discriminating among your members and judging by wrong standards? Listen, my dear friends: has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to possess the kingdom he has promised to those who love him? And yet you have humiliated the poor [person]. Moreover, are not the rich your oppressors? Is it not they who drag you into court and pour contempt on the honoured name by which God has claimed you? If, however, you are observing the sovereign law laid down in scripture, ‘Love your neighbour as yourself,’ that is excellent. But if you show partiality, you are committing a sin and you stand convicted by the law as offenders. For if a [person] breaks just one commandment and keeps all the others, [one] is guilty of breaking all of them. For he who said, ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ said also, ‘You shall not commit murder.’ If you commit murder you are a breaker of the law, even if you do not commit adultery as well. Always speak and act as [people] who are to be judged under a law which makes them free. In that judgement there will be no mercy for the [person] who has shown none. Mercy triumphs over judgement.” -James 2:1-13, REB

December 31

Reading 1

John 21:15-25

“When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.” A second time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” And he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.” (He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, “Follow me.” Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them; he was the one who had reclined next to Jesus at the supper and had said, “Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?” When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about him?” Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? Follow me!” So the rumor spread in the community that this disciple would not die. Yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?” This is the disciple who is testifying to these things and has written them, and we know that his testimony is true. But there are also many other things that Jesus did; if every one of them were written down, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.”

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Three times Peter denies his Lord and now three times he affirms his love for Jesus, with the admonition to feed and tend the sheep. But it is not all green pastures of calm waters there are dangers Peter will face laying down the path of his life later. Like Peter we are often more curious about another person than ourselves, but let our life and focus be on Jesus, and our life in Christ, the one whom we are to follow. As this year comes to an end let us focus not on others but on Jesus’ plan for us, let us follow Him and while the new year may not easier, it will be easier to handle.

Reading 2

Prayer: Francis knew that the world (and maybe even the church) is full of people who mistake knowing things about God for actually knowing God. Prayer, like marriage, is a relationship that requires discipline and work. Don't expect to get very far in either marriage or prayer if all you want is the warm fuzzies. Feelings come and go, but love endures forever. Learn to endure in prayer and develop an evermore intimate relationship with God.

-John Michael Talbot with Steve Rabey, The lessons of St. Francis:How to Bring Simplicity and Spirituality into Your Daily Life

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It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing psalms to your name, Most High, to declare your love in the morning and your faithfulness every night to the music of a ten-stringed harp, to the sounding chords of the lyre. Your acts, Lord, fill me with exultation; I shout in triumph at your mighty deeds. How great are your deeds, Lord, how very deep are your thoughts! Anyone who does not grasp this is a stupid person, and a fool does not understand it: that though the wicked grow like grass and every evildoer prospers, they will be finally destroyed, while you, Lord, reign for ever. Psalm 92:1-8 REB

Appendix i

Mercer Bible Dictionary

(MBD is an award winning Bible dictionary done by the National Association of Baptist Professors of religion)

Homosexuality in the Bible.

Biblical imagery has been an enduring part of anti-homosexual polemic of both church and society in the western world. Numerous laws and court decisions through the centuries have cited biblical precedent as an authority in actions directed against homosexual activity on the assumption that the biblical tradition speaks forcefully and unequivocally against such activity.

In reality, the biblical record on this issue is subject to more than one interpretation. There are only a few specific references to homosexual activity, and their meaning and relevance for issues raised in the modern world are not agreed upon by all.

Homosexuality in the Old Testament. (1) Lev 18:22 and 20:13. from the sixth century B.C.E. priestly Holiness Code (Lev 17-26), are only specific condemnation of homosexual acts in the OT. The Holiness Code forbids acts that are "abominations" (to eba), that is ritual uncleanness or sins associated with gentiles (cf. 2 Kgs 16:3; Isa 44:19). The references to homosexual acts may therefore, be regarded as a reference to otherwise unknown acts associated with pagan shrines.

(2) The KJV used the word "sodomites"-usually regarded as an equivalent-in Deut 23:17-18, 1 Kgs 14:24, 15:12, 22:46 and 2 Kgs 23:7. There is, however, no justification for such a translation. The term in question, qades, simply means a male cultic figure, probably a prostitute, whose function parallel the female cultic figures also mentioned in the texts. There is no indication of homosexual activity in the texts.

(3) The Sodom story in Gen 19:1-26 (cf. Jud 19-21) has been interpreted as referring to homosexual acts. Derrick S. Bailey and others have argued that the demand by the men of Sodom to "know" Lot's guests had no inherent sexual connotation. Most commentators disagree, citing the substitute offer of Lot's daughters as having clear sexual implications. If homosexual acts were intended, however, they were clearly a certain type-i.e., same sex rape which was intended to show the dominance of the men of Sodom over these strangers. (A similar story appears in the Egyptian myth, "The Contending of Horus and Seth." where Seth dominated Horus by raping him.) OT references to the moral indignation felt toward Sodom-Ezek 16:49-50, Isa 1:10, 3:9, Jer 23:13, Wis 10:8, 19:4, Sir 16:8-refer to moral and social corruption, cynical selfishness, and lack of justice in Sodom, but makes no reference to sexual sins of any sort. It is only the first century C.E. (Philo and Josephus), when Jews were coming into contact with the homosexual practices accepted in the Hellenistic world, that the Sodom story was interpreted in terms of sexual sins. These sexual references were not, however, necessarily homosexual. Sodom's sin is describe as "licentiousness" and "lust of defiling passion" in 2 Pet 2:4-10, while Jude 6-7 refers to their indulging in "strange flesh" (as in the Book of Jubilees, most likely a reference to the potential sexual relationship between humans and angels).

Homosexuality in the New Testament. NT references to homosexuality came at a time when even Hellenistic writers (e.g., Seneca and Plutarch) were increasing critical of the exploitation and self-indulgence of homosexual acts directed against slaves and young boys.

(1) 1 Cor 6:9-10 (cf. 1 Tim 1:10) are often regarded as referring to homosexual acts, but in fact the exact nature of what is condemned is not clear. In 1 Cor 6:9-10 two terms are used. Malakoi has a basic meaning "soft" or "weak," and there is no compelling reason to translate the term as "effeminate," which is a euphemism referring to me subordinate partner in a relationship. While not a technical term for pederasty (the love, including sexual love, of young boys), malakoi is occasionally used in first century C.E. to describe people involved in pederatic practices. "Thus the use of malakos would almost certainly conjure up images of the effeminate call-boy, if the context otherwise suggested some form of pederasty" (Scroggs, 65). Arsenokoitai is a combination of words meaning "male" and sexual intercourse," but the precise nature of this sexual activity is not known for certain. Boswell points out that, as late as the twelfth century, Peter Cantor's listing of passages condemning homosexuality did not list either 1 Cor 6:6-10 or 1 Tim 1:10- a strange omission if general homosexual activity is the clear meaning of the language. The passages may be taken to refer to male sexual activity such as prostitution, or pederasty, but whether such prostitution included homosexual prostitution is less certain. What is reasonably clear in these texts is the condemnation of exploitive sexual acts such as prostitution (whether heterosexual or homosexual) and the use of children as sexual objects by adults.

(2) Rom 1:26-27 is the only unquestionable reference to homosexual acts in the NT. Here same sex acts that are contrary to nature (para physin), or contrary to human custom, are seen as the result of a denial of God's sovereignty. Modern applicability of this passage, however, depends upon the weight one gives to the social context of this passage and the possibility that that Paul is alluding to the abusive, exploitive forms of homosexual behavior-e.g., the holding of slaves as sexual objects, sex with young boys-characteristic of the disbelieving Hellenistic world.

Both OT and NT writers would certainly have assumed heterosexual relations as a social and religious norm. Heterosexual marriages were arranged early and usually without consultation with children. Biblical references to sexual activity (e.g., Gen 1-3) take for granted that they are heterosexual.

Homosexual activity associated with pagan worship and exploitative homosexual activity are clearly condemned. What is not clear, because it was not an issue in the biblical period, is whether involuntary homosexual orientation-the idea of a sexual orientation that is not voluntarily chosen is as recent as the nineteenth century-or committed, loving relationships between consenting persons of the same sex was to be condemned. Contemporary answers to theses questions are based on theological and social considerations and are not simply and directly derived from the biblical material itself.

--T. FURMAN HEWITT

Appendix ii

Address by Michael Ingham

, Bishop of New Westminster 27 September, 1996, St. Leonard's Church, Toronto, Canada

Three years ago, in July 1993, we held a debate in Vancouver between John Stott and Bishop Spong. It was held in the Cathedral on a hot summer's night and about 1400 people came. We turned 300 away at the door. It was an amazing evening. Both men spoke passionately and persuasively. They spoke with an evident measure of respect for each other. But what they described were two fundamentally different understandings of human sexuality, human freedom, the interpretation of Scripture, and indeed the Gospel itself, and they were applauded by two quite different sections of the audience.

Two things became clear that night: first, what a marvelous thing the Anglican Church is that we can hold together such diverse and opposite viewpoints within both our members and our leaders. Many of us remain in good relationship with each other despite disagreement on these fundamental issues. And second, what a huge gulf divides our church in its understanding of human sexuality.

For the greater part of my life I have believed that God has ordained the sexual act for men and women alone. For the greater part of my life I have believed that all forms of same-sex relationship are a distortion of the biblical ideal of marriage; that marriage is for men and women; that marriage is for life; that in the absence of marriage one should remain celibate; and that even if these ideals are difficult to live up to, they nevertheless represent a high and noble Christian ideal, and are the revealed will of God.

I thought that when you reached the really advanced levels of Christian faith you had to renounce sexuality altogether, that genuine faith required giving up the flesh, or as much of it as you possibly could, so you could lead a truly spiritual life. When I was a teenager, I thought that would probably happen when I was about forty. Today I've given up hope. My study of Scripture, and twenty years of pastoral work among all sorts and conditions of people, has led me in another direction. I still believe the Christian life means choosing the harder path of self-discipline and self-sacrifice over the easier path of following our selfish instincts. And I still believe that sexual relationships between people are profoundly sacramental, that is, an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace that connects people with each other at the deepest core of their being.

I continue to believe that sexual activity needs to be between people of relatively equal power, between people who have both the maturity and security to give themselves freely to each other in mutual love, and that all forms of exploitation and degradation, coercion and manipulation, are morally wrong. I also believe our Church has been correct to say that sexual activity achieves its highest expression in the context of a sacrificial commitment by one person to another, in a covenant of mutual love, that sex it is a sacred act and a sign of the unconditional love God has for us and for all creation. None of this has changed for me.

But I no longer believe that only heterosexual people are capable of such sacramental relationships, and I no longer agree with the double standard our church has imposed on gay men and lesbians as a condition of their inclusion within the Christian community. I continue to believe that the celibate or single life is always an option for people, that voluntary abstention from sexual relationships is a courageous choice and should be treated with respect. But I no longer believe sexual abstention can be required of an entire class of people, simply because of their sexual orientation, and regardless of their personal vocation and calling.

I've crossed over from one side of the divide to the other not because of I've lost sight of the Gospel, but because the Gospel itself cannot and will not sustain continued discrimination against people simply because they are attracted to others of the same sex. And after many discussions with people in countless coffee hours and forums after church, I have come to think that the basis for our continued denial of dignity and intimacy to gay and lesbian people is not theology but pathology. I believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ now requires us to recognise the full humanity of every child of God, whatever their sexual orientation.

Christian tradition has had an ambivalent view of sex. Starting with St. Paul who thought it better to marry than to burn - by which he meant that marriage is something people should do if they can't walk in the way of the Spirit - we have tended to rank sexuality low on the scale of human characteristics. Sex has been justified largely as a means of continuing the species, of producing children.

For that reason, it was restricted to relationships between men and women and to the covenant of marriage. Sex has been tolerated rather than celebrated through most of our history primarily because there seemed to be no way to get rid of it, and also I suspect because there was no other way to produce popes and bishops.

There is also, I think, a deeper reason. We have inherited a suspicion of Eros, the explosive and passionate power that is part of the human instinct. We have failed to see the erotic as a dimension of the creative life that makes us human. We have difficulty knowing how to direct its power positively, in ways that integrate and deepen our humanity. We have tended to separate the erotic from the spiritual.

The Greeks defined eros as "the drive toward union with the Other" and as such they saw it as part of God's design to draw us back to Godself, a kind of homing instinct that drives us toward passionate union with each other and with God. But instead of this positive view of eros, the early Church Fathers saw it as a dangerous force that threatens the purity of the spiritual life, as a destructive power that brings unpredictable chaos, or as the Orthodox scholar Philip Sherard has described it, "the spring head through which the tribes of evil pour into human nature." We have had a long history of ambivalence to sexuality, as something both necessary and nasty, and the 20th century has brought us face to face with it.

Nietzsche, the 19th century philosopher, was no fan of Christianity but he had some perceptive observations. He said: "Christianity gave Eros poison to drink. She did not die of it, to be sure, but she degenerated into vice." What he meant was that religious suspicion of sexuality has produced a distorted and unhealthy dis-integration within human nature. Suppress the erotic and it comes back as the pornographic. If you idealize love without sex, what you get is sex without love, the commercialization of sex, the objectification of sex and its reduction to a lonely and soul-destroying promiscuity. This is precisely what we've got today.

In Jungian language we might perhaps say that Christianity needs to integrate the erotic. If you try to suppress it, it will become your shadow - a dark force that will rise up and overwhelm you with its power, a deep and unresolved chaos that can unleash powerful destruction. This has been the experience of many Christians over the centuries.

The greatest bearers of this shadow have been women. Early on in history women were seen as symbols of the flesh, of the lower order of nature, as more susceptible to temptation and the wiles of the devil. Men were held to have the capacity for reason and for things of the Spirit. Women were for child-bearing, men were for affairs of state. Child-bearing remained for many years the sole justification of women's sexuality. They were regarded as essentially inferior to men.

The other great bearers of the shadow have been gay men. Western tradition placed them lower than women in society. They were believed to be passive and submissive in nature, even more so than women. They were therefore not men. Maleness was defined in heterosexual terms. Men who were by nature not attracted to women were rejected and sometimes hated.

The subjugation of women and the denigration of gay men as being less than women, has had disastrous consequences for millions of people. It has produced suffering the likes of which most of us cannot begin to imagine. Not just the outward things like public ridicule, violence, and discrimination in every area of life, but also the inner things, the deeply personal things. People have been driven to self-loathing, self-hatred, and some to despair and death.

Sexism and homophobia are profoundly linked to each other. They are two of the most dreadful children of our history. They are both consequences of our dualism and ambivalence about sex. They are aspects of the shadow that haunts our culture because we still need to integrate our sexuality in a healthier way.

There is nothing in the teaching of Jesus which supports this treatment of gay men and lesbians. On the contrary, it's hard to imagine our Lord condoning the contempt that has been directed against this community in his name. He seems to have been far more concerned with justice and with love than with male and female anatomy. His whole life was a demonstration of the importance of faithfulness in relationships. He revealed a faithful God. He taught us the meaning of fidelity. He remained faithful to us even unto death. He seems to have been less concerned with sex than with compassion and forgiveness.

Even the creation stories in the Bible suggest the same thing. Eve was given to Adam as a companion, according to Genesis, because it was not good in the eyes of God that Adam should be alone. Companionship, mutual love and comfort, the need to care for and sustain the creation itself as co-stewards with God - these are the first reasons given in the Bible for human sexual identity. Not the task of procreation, but mutual love and sacrifice. The Bible suggests that it is in exercising these gifts that men and women reveal the image of God.

We need to get beyond the reduction of sexuality to genital and biological activity. Sexuality is not simply an instrument for pro-creation. It's a means of celebrating and deepening the total realm of interpersonal love between mutually committed persons. Sexuality is sacramental of the care and compassion with which God loves the whole creation, uniting us in deep bonds of communion with each other and with the divine. There seems no reason to restrict it to heterosexual relationships, unless we continue to maintain that its purpose is primarily reproductive. There seems no more reason to deny sexual relationships to same-sex partners than there is to prohibit sex among couples who are infertile, couples who are elderly, or those who have no desire to have children at all.

If we can accept sexuality as a powerful and healthy dimension of human nature, and see its purpose as also playful, celebratory, healing, and in the right context profoundly holy, then we must ask why only heterosexual people have been allowed to express it openly and freely. What is the great harm in homosexual relationships? Why are we still being told they are a threat to the family? I have lived all my life in a family. It happens to be a nuclear family and a heterosexual one. Some of the people who have been most supportive to us over the years have been gay and lesbian people. They are not a threat to me or my children. They have extended our family and made us aware of other ways to be a family. This dark picture of homosexual threat to society is a scare tactic and it is designed to maintain a system which needs to be changed.

I would like to see the day when we can bless same-sex unions in church. I am unable to see a great danger in that. We bless battleships and oil tankers. We bless armies and soldiers and people going off to war. We bless dogs and cats (I can't say I do, but it happens). We bless homes and construction sites. But we can't bless people who want to make a commitment of their lives to each other before God - because that would imply approval of their lifestyle. But I can't for the life of me understand why the church approves of the lifestyle of the lizard and the poodle I saw blessed last year.

We have been told that homosexuality is sinful, that it is contrary to nature. And yet nothing can be contrary to nature that occurs in nature so widely. Human sexuality comes in a variety of forms, and each of them is morally neutral. Sexual orientation is neither moral or immoral by itself. What makes sexuality moral is when it builds up and supports truly human relationships, when it contributes to our growth and compassion. What is immoral is when sex is distorted for purely selfish and manipulative ends.

The greater immorality, in my view, has been the one visited on gay and lesbian people because they have been prevented from expressing their love in moral ways. The dominant culture has repressed and driven underground even the healthiest expressions of same-sex partnerships. We have driven you underground and then vilified you for being secretive and covert. We have prevented you from living in moral relationships and then accused you of having immoral ones. There have been too many ruined lives. Too many false healings. Too many tragic deaths. Too many innocent victims among family and friends.

The church should be in the business of defending loving and responsible relationships not undermining them. We need to encourage people to reclaim their sexuality in healthy, integrated ways, whether they are homosexual, bi-sexual or heterosexual.

I don't mean to suggest, of course, that all expressions of love between people need to be sexual. Most human relationships are not sexual and don't need to be. Ordinary friendships and family relationships are obvious examples. And there has always been a recognition in Christianity of those specially called to the single or celibate life. The voluntary renunciation of sexual activity is a particular gift of self-offering and service that some individuals are called to make, and it can be a deep expression of love and faithfulness. There is also a place for periods of voluntary sexual abstention in marriage itself. These things are rightly honoured in Christian tradition.

Unfortunately, celibacy has not always been voluntary. It has been imposed on people who have no calling to it, and required of people who cannot bear it. Far from being a blessing, in these situations it becomes a curse which denies normal, healthy human intimacy to people who are in every other way faithful servants of God. When people fail in it, as they often do, the response of the Church has been to blame the individual, when it would have been better to question the teaching. Imposed celibacy is a contradiction in terms.

Anglicanism, to its credit, along with Orthodoxy, has never imposed celibacy on its clergy. Our clergy are free to marry and enjoy all the freedoms and responsibilities of human intimacy. This is enshrined in the 39 Articles, no less! It's as if we have recognised from the beginning that ordination does not require renunciation of sexual life. Some individuals may have such a calling, it is true, but they are few in number. Anglicanism has instinctively recognised that human beings are sexual beings and so we have accorded the clergy the same marital privileges as the laity.

Except, that is, for gay and lesbian clergy. Here we meet the ambivalent double standard. Homosexual people alone must accept imposed celibacy. Homosexual Christians alone are denied the full expression of intimacy with their partners because only for them does the church now insist on the pro-creative theory of sex. Only for them does the church still require renunciation of the sexual life.

I believe we need to help the church to see both homosexuals and heterosexuals alike as people with the same legitimate yearnings, desires, hopes and dreams for stable, faithful and lifelong intimacy; that we are different only in the object of our attraction; that we share the same fundamental humanity, the same sinfulness, the same image of God given to us in creation; that we have the same Saviour and Lord who accepts us and loves us unconditionally. We are different only in what Richard Holloway calls a 'normative variation' which is quite common in nature. Normative variations are seen in racial and ethnic characteristics, in quite normal physical differences, in things like left-handedness. Helping the church to understand these things will require persistent education and courageous personal witness.

I think our strategy now should be to try to get the church to move on the blessing of unions. If we can get people to see that normal healthy intimacy is equally possible between people of the same sex as between people of the opposite sex, if we can show the importance of nurturing and supporting people who wish to commit their lives to each other, whatever their orientation, then we will have addressed a fundamental injustice. After this the issue of ordination will become a non-issue. Anglicans have not denied to the clergy the marital freedom enjoyed by the laity. What we need to do is to extend that freedom to all members of the Church.

Those on the other side of the divide will immediately pull out their Bibles and point to passages in Genesis and Leviticus and Romans and Corinthians and say the Word of God prohibits such freedom. They will say the Scriptural teaching is clear. They will say we are in rebellion against God's will.

And we need to say to them that God's will is to create some male and female, some called to singleness and some to marriage, some heterosexual and homosexual. God's will is to call all of us to freedom and responsibility through the proper integration of our sexuality. God's will is that we may know the fullness of life, not the repression and denial of life, and for this reason we can no longer support the repudiation of human rights and dignity among people for whom Christ died.

We need to say to them that the truth of Scripture is not served by selective quotation. We no longer believe women should be silent in church. We no longer believe in the divine right of kings and rulers, nor in the institution of slavery, nor in the prohibition against usury, nor in the slaughtering of scapegoats, nor in the beating of children with rods. All these we find in Scripture. But they are not God's Word. They are the words of an ancient culture. And an increasing number of us believe that the exclusion of gay and lesbian people falls into the same category.

Those of us who have crossed over the gulf continue to believe in the Word of God. We continue to believe that God's Word was spoken in Jesus Christ, the one who suffered and died that we might live, the one who was crucified by the excesses of misplaced religious belief, the one who said not a word against homosexuals nor sanctioned their rejection. We continue to look to him who consorted with prostitutes, tax collectors and sinners because they were the outcast of society, people whom he singled out for inclusion and adoption in God's kingdom before the righteous ones. We believe Jesus Christ continues to stand today with those who are outcast and abused because society has projected on to them the shadow of its own ambivalence and fears.

I hope to see the day when our church can welcome gays, lesbians and heterosexuals as equal members at the Eucharistic table, when sexual orientation is of no consequence to a person's dignity and freedom as a child of God. I hope to see the day when we can truly say like St. Paul that in Christ there is neither male nor female, Jew nor Greek, slave nor free - and go on to say neither black nor white, yellow nor brown, gay nor straight.

The double standard in our church compromises our integrity and our credibility. I would like to see us correct this situation for the sake of the Gospel itself.

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