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June 22, 2008

Doug Clay

Pentecost 6

Proper 7, Year A

RCL
To read the lessons for the day click here:

http://www.io.com/~kellywp/YearA_RCL/Pentecost/AProp7_RCL.html

Genesis 21:8-21, Psalm 86:1-10, 16-17, Romans 6:1b-11, Matthew 10:24-39

O Lord, make us have perpetual love and reverence for your holy Name, for you never fail to help and govern those whom you have set upon the sure foundation of your loving-kindness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Matthew 10:24-39

Jesus said to the twelve disciples,

“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 Beelzebub, 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.

"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."

There is a tradition that says, “One should not discuss politics, sex, or religion in the work place.” I understand this completely as my particular office is host to co-workers with widely differing and strongly held opinions that are often at the opposite end of the spectrum from my own. I experienced the negative effects of these discussions several years ago when during a particularly closely fought general election this edict was not strongly enforced. The political debates which began and grew in the lunch room eventually became very personal and at times unnecessarily hurtful.

Traditionally, in the church, there has been a tendency, also, not to rationally discuss issues of business, sex, and politics. I believe this is a faulty response and we should be deliberate in our efforts to address these issues of daily life. The difference in these situations is that, as Christians, we are called upon to actively rely upon our religion (or our spiritual and ethical values) while we make the daily decisions required in our work and home environment. We are called to apply our morality and Christian principles within all of our interpersonal relationships. (Our family/and sexual relationships being our most intimate – and possibly most prone to abuse). And we are called upon to practice our faith and follow our beliefs within our community (where our political and cultural actions can have a large impact on the greater world within which we live). There at times seems to be a general amnesia about history and forgetfulness of the changes that have occurred in society --- the changes which have altered the way that our current society views events.

We, in other words, look at everything through the filter of our culture and the filter of the present time. We interpret events through filter of our personal experiences and our individual personalities. Some of the cultural filters are particularly resistant to change and can effect events and relationships over long periods of time.

One great example of this is the issue of slavery and how it still affects race relationships here in the United States. I, as do many people, find it difficult to comprehend the idea of one person laying an ownership claim onto another person. This position, which I feel is a well developed, logical and ethical position, and which places value on each individual equally was many centuries in developing. In the times of Abraham, as in the times of Jesus and Paul, it was simply an accepted fact that some people were slaves and other people were slave owners. The slaves even then were generally of a different race or nationality from the slave owners. Even so, the change in understanding of these relationships has its seeds in those ancient times. Abraham released Hagar; an Egyptian with whom he had conceived a son Ishmael after his son Isaac was born with his wife Sarah.

Jesus challenged the societal views of slavery when he responded to James and John (Matthew 20:25-27) who requested to sit at his left and right hand in his kingdom by saying, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you, Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve.”

Paul wrote in the letter to Galatians (3:28, 4:6-7), “there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female for you are all one in Christ ---you are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise, ---God sent the Spirit of the Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out ‘Abba, Father’ so you are no longer a slave---God has made you also an heir.”

These concepts of freedom have ancient roots but the practice of slavery was strong in this country – this society which we pride ourselves as being based on the principles of freedom and the value of the individual - until 1862 when President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. Even that though, freed only the slaves in the Confederate States (over which he had no direct power). This proclamation did lead toward the total abolition of slavery in the United States two years later. But still the cultural filters remained powerful – through another 100 years into the Civil Rights era of the 1960’s. If one follows the news, these cultural filters are still active today and we must still think deeply and compassionately to fulfill our role as Heirs to God’s Spirit.

Today, though, I want to talk about another powerful cultural filter - marriage. But first I feel a need to state several facts about me and my life. Many of you know me and know these things about me:

First, I consider myself a Christian and an Episcopalian. I have been active in St. Paul’s Episcopal Church from very soon after I moved to Sacramento about 10 years ago. I was actively involved in the Metropolitan Community Church in Ft. Lauderdale for 16 years before I moved here from that city. I also attended church as I grew up in the Methodist Church in Springview, and was baptized there at the age 14.

Second, I am also gay and have been living in a committed relationship with my partner, Mark Kane, for more than 25 years. This is not a condition or “alternative lifestyle” which I just chose. I struggled a lot when I was younger to be different than I am. One of the gifts that my faith in God has taught me is that I am created in the image of God. The acceptance of this knowledge and the integration of it into my entire life, including the spiritual, has made me a more complete person.

Third, Mark and I have done everything that we can, legally and within the Church, to make known our commitment to one another and to live a life exhibiting the truth and in the spirit of our existence. We had a “Holy Union Ceremony” in the Metropolitan Community Church, in which we pledged our love, support and lifelong commitment to one another before God, on July 15, 1984. When we moved to California, we registered our relationship with the Secretary of State of California as “Domestic Partners” on February 29, 2000 to affirm our relationship and to maintain whatever legal rights are afforded us by making that declaration.

There is a bit of a joke here at St. Paul’s, that for the past several years, whenever the lectionary comes around to a reading which talks about marriage or divorce, or gives instruction on how husbands and wives should relate to one another, it falls on a Sunday on which I am scheduled to preach. I have always been a little uncomfortable and reluctant to delve too deeply into this subject because as a gay male in a long-term relationship I have found it difficult to be authoritative and unbiased in dealing with the subject.

The Episcopal Church and even our Northern California diocese has been deeply involved in trying to address the issues of gender and sex as well as identifying the relationship and role of gay people in the structure of the church.

Our government, through all of this has been steadfast in its definition that excludes the family relationships of same gender couples from the definition and the social endorsement of those relationships as “marriages”. In the election of 2000, Californians codified the definition of marriage to include only “one man and one woman”. The legislature implemented a separate legal status for domestic partners and this is, except for a short window of time in a definitely unique place called San Francisco, how the political and governmental culture has looked at our relationships.

We today though are at a different and unique place. The debate continues in the church, but the State of California, for this moment in time, has extended the validation for our relationships (by identifying them as marriages) and sanctioned our families as the supportive committed entities that they have always been. Yes, the disagreement and debate will continue. Studies and opinion polls show that as gay and lesbian people live their lives openly and interact honestly with our neighbors and friends, support for our families continues to increase. But this issue will be brought up once again before the voters this November and the traditional status quo may be reestablished. However, for this day and for the next 141 days California law states that couples of the same gender can commit their lives to one another, we can form families which support one another physically, spiritually and financially and those families will be on an equal footing as families formed by mixed gender couples. Unlike the actions of the mayor of San Francisco – whom it can be argued – overstepped the authority of his position, the regulations of the state of California are the rules that legally control and normalize marriage.

There are those who strongly believe that the traditional rules that marriage is between one man and one woman are sacrosanct. I may be speaking to some of you holding that opinion today. I certainly value your opinion and understand the power of tradition that is behind those views. But I offer to you that views on marriage are not static and the current cultural and religious filters are just that, current cultural and religious filters. I believe these views were developed and are perhaps fixed in ancient understanding of relationships. And I offer that in our culture, these filters are no longer applied to relationships other than these specific ones of same gender couples.

Our reading today from Genesis offers us a bit of the family story of Abraham. Abraham is honored as a chosen man of God, and is seen as the patriarch of the Jewish people, the religious root of modern Judaism, Islam and our Christian family. Many of the action of Abraham and his immediate descendents would not fit into the modern cultural filter of marriage. Abraham was married to Sarah and in their travels moved to a place ruled by a king Abimelech. Abraham was afraid of the king’s power, so pretended that Sarah was his sister and allowed the king to have her. (Not my definition of a supportive husband). Sarah also did not have any children until she was quite old, so she had her husband sleep with her slave Hagar so they could have an heir. Of course after Hagar’s son Ishmael was born she and Sarah “had issues”. Hagar ran away, and then she came back although into the same contentious situation. Sarah later had a son Isaac, became jealous and insisted that Abraham send Hagar and Ishmael away. These are the stories of human relationships and not the only ones of these early times concerning the patriarchs - the fathers of our religion.

But what do these stories tell us about the present? These people of ancient times may have been aware and lived within their culture but time and time again the basic stories of our religion are about a leader breaking from the old traditions. They are stories of change and of new relationship with God and with one another.

Jesus’ parables and teachings in particular are about freeing ourselves from old ways of thinking. To look for and experience the new relationship with God where our lives are based on faith, trust and on love for one another.

Today’s gospel reading tells us not to expect tradition to be our answer. Today’s gospel tells me to not have fear-and to live in the truth of my life. “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. It is not in traditional family relationships that Jesus tells us to find peace. Far from it – it is in faith and in living in truth and light, and in love that our lives have meaning.

Look at life through these new filters – support relationships that are committed to one another. There is no need to fear any loving supportive family.

Love God with all your heart and all your soul and your entire mind. Love your neighbor as yourself.