An Invitation to an Invlusive Church-II

This post is only slightly different than the previous one, and is the precise language I used in a sermon I gave October 25 at 8 and 19 am.

An Invitation to an Inclusive Church

The curious fellow in our Gospel lesson today Mr. Bartimaeus, was blind; he was a blind beggar and the louder he screamed for Jesus’ mercy, the more sternly he was warned to hold his tongue. There are many forms of blindness, but as I see it, the blindness of an exclusive faith is perhaps the most profound blindness of all. Thus I can hold my tongue no more than the blind beggar can, because there is something that I can see that I need to share with anyone who will listen. It is not every day that a priest gets to preach to a wider audience than his own congregation, so let me say what is on my heart today.
We have now received an invitation from Catholicism to return to the Mother Church. For those unhappy over The Anglican/Episcopal Church’s “liberal” stance on the ordination of gays and their inclusion in our leadership and membership, there is room in Rome. For those unhappy about the ordination of women, there is spiritual refuge in the purview of the Holy See. Curiously enough, the church that brings you celibacy, will allow married Anglican/Episcopal Church clergy to return as well.
I must respectfully decline that invitation. While I am only one Episcopal Priest, and retired to boot, I find it a curiosity that this invitation comes as it does at a time when it is becoming more apparent than ever that folk are just folk; whether gay or straight, male or female, rich or poor, black or white and so on. How startling that something as obvious as this would be such a matter of controversy. Alas, this is not the first time when the church has been a safe refuge for bigotry. (sorry for the harsh language; but I cannot find another word for the behavior) It is no wonder that so many people have abandoned churches of all denominations. Our squabbles seem very small-minded especially when we review all the urgent issues of the day. No wonder indeed why so many opt out of “organized religion” even at a time when spiritual hunger runs so deep.
Even in Biblical material we are “one in Christ” as the blessed Apostle put; it without respect to classification by sex, gender, orientation, class, or ethnicity. In his very own words, he put it this way, “for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:26-28)
This is not at root a liberal/conservative issue it is a biblical one. It has its traditional dimensions as well. For instance, we figured out 600 years ago that it is a good idea to allow the clergy to marry. This is a splendid way to channel clerical libidinal energy. It is no assurance of rectitude, but the instances of clergy misconduct are far more likely to be held in check if there is a marriage within which to practice intimacy than if there is celibacy with no such outlet. Terrible things can happen to a church with celibacy as the only libidinal outlet as we well know, and the Anglican/Episcopal Church figured that out a long, long time ago.
The great question before us is this; are we a house of prayer for all people or not? Jesus made it clear by his courage in seeking out the lame, the halt, the blind (like our friend Bartimaeus), the prostitute, the tax collector, the leper and all the other outcasts that his church was to be a house of prayer for all people. This he did when he overturned the tables in the Temple in a radical revolution that continues to reverberate throughout the church.
There was a special place in his heart too for the “eunuchs” of his time. I wonder what he meant by the following startling saying; 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." (Matthew 19:11-12) You can define that term as you like, but they clearly were not a threat to folks of the opposite sex. There is considerable evidence that when the biblical material refers to “eunuchs” we were talking of folks whose interests lay with folks of the same sex. We now refer to this group as lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, and transgendered, LGBT for short. And isn't it interesting to note that even Jesus realized that there were those who would find this teaching a hard one to accept. The radical love of Jesus is often hard to take because it includes our enemies.
I believe that Jesus stood up for this crowd too as he stood up for us all, and I am convinced that is why they put him to death on the cross. Jesus was not a liberal. He merely loved everyone! That’s why God died. That’s why God is Risen. That’s why God will come again!
Therefore, I would like to extend an invitation to all you fine folks who have wondered all along why Rome won’t allow her priests to marry. You might find an Episcopal Church to your liking. We have bishops, priests and deacons, and the sacraments to boot, and the clergy can marry and all of us have to have background checks from an outside agency to be sure that we can comfortably call ourselves a “safe church” for children and others. We also figured out that women could take their place at the highest places of the church as bishops, priests, and deacons. Our Presiding Bishop is Katharine Jefferts Schori! Now we are more and more convinced that ordination and membership transcends sexual orientation as well. There are those who differ with us and cite passages in Leviticus and Paul that prescribe such a teaching.
I can cite passages in the Gospel, in Paul, in the Prophets that support a much more compassionate and loving interpretation on the faith tradition. Why anyone would use the bible to exclude people because of gender and orientation is puzzlement to me. But race, was used at another time to justify slavery and the bible has been used to thwart scientific advance as well. The same folks who want to exclude gays refused to look into Galileo’s telescope for about 600 years as well. Many still refuse Darwin's help in advancing us toward fuller understanding of the nature of human nature. They refuse to encourage scientific advancement in stem cell research that could help lead to important cures for so many diseases and ease human suffering. You can add to the list as your leisure.
So, by way of rejoinder to Rome, and some others who have parted company with us; allow me to invite you here; namely to the Episcopal Church; “A House of Prayer for All People”. We have lost quite a few members because of our love for the outcast. So there is plenty of room in most of our churches. More importantly there is plenty of room in God’s heart for you here too. The church has sent out too many chilly messages lately. The church has said terrible thing to gay folk and women. I thought you might like to hear one that proclaims the Good News of God in Christ...the news of a loving compassionate and inclusive church.
I would preach the Gospel today. God loves you and so do I…no exceptions. “We are a house of prayer for all People”…no exceptions, period. And so my friend Bartimaeus, I hope you can see now. Jesus said; Go in peace, your faith has made you well.

An Invitation to an Inclusive Church

We have now received an invitation from Catholicism to return to the Mother Church. For those unhappy over The Anglican/Episcopal Church’s “liberal” stance on the ordination of gays and their inclusion in our leadership and membership, there is room in Rome. For those unhappy about the ordination of women, there is spiritual refuge in the purview of the Holy See. Curiously enough, the church that brings you celibacy, will allow married Anglican/Episcopal Church clergy to return as well.

I must respectfully decline that invitation. While I am only one Episcopal Priest, and retired to boot, I find it a curiosity that this invitation comes as it does at a time when it is becoming more apparent than ever that folk are folk; whether gay or straight, male or female, rich or poor, black or white and so on. How startling that something as obvious as this would be such a matter of controversy. Alas, this is not the first time when the church has been a safe refuge for bigotry. (sorry for the harsh language; but I cannot find another word for the behavior)

Even in Biblical material we are “one in Christ” as the blessed Apostle put; it without respect to classification by sex, gender, orientation, class, or ethnicity. In his very own words, he put it this way, “for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:26-28)

This is not at root a liberal/conservative issue it is a biblical one. It has its traditional dimensions as well. For instance, we figured out 600 years ago that it is a good idea to allow the clergy to marry. This is a splendid way to channel clerical libidinal energy. It is no assurance of rectitude, but the instances of clergy misconduct are far more likely to be held in check if there is a marriage within which to practice intimacy than if there is celibacy with no such outlet. Terrible things can happen to a church with celibacy as the only libidinal outlet as we well know, and the Anglican/Episcopal Church figured that out a long, long time ago.

The great question before us is this; are we a house of prayer for all people or not? Jesus made it clear by his courage in seeking out the lame, the halt, the blind, the prostitute, the tax collector, the leper and all the other outcasts that his church was to be a house of prayer for all people. This he did when he overturned the tables in the Temple in a radical revolution that continues to reverberate throughout the church.

There was a special place in his heart too for the “eunuchs” of his time. I wonder what he meant by the following startling saying; 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." (Matthew 19:11-12) You can define that term as you like, but they clearly were not a threat to folks of the opposite sex. There is considerable evidence that when the biblical material refers to “eunuchs” we were talking of folks whose interests lay with folks of the same sex. We now refer to this group as lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, and transgendered, LGBT for short. And isn't it interesting to note that even Jesus realized that there were those who would find this teaching a hard one to accept. The radical love of Jesus is often hard to take because it includes our enemies.

I believe that Jesus stood up for this crowd too as he stood up for us all, and I am convinced that is why they put him to death on the cross. Jesus was not a liberal. He merely loved everyone! That’s why God died. That’s why God is Risen. That’s why God will come again!

Therefore, I would like to extend an invitation to all you fine folks who have wondered all along why Rome won’t allow her priests to marry. You might find an Episcopal Church to your liking. We have bishops, priests and deacons, and the sacraments to boot, and the clergy can marry and all of us have to have background checks from an outside agency to be sure that we can comfortably call ourselves a “safe church” for children and others. We also figured out that women could take their place at the highest places of the church as bishops, priests, and deacons. Our Presiding Bishop is Katharine Jefferts Schori! Now we are more and more convinced that ordination and membership transcends sexual orientation as well. There are those who differ with us and cite passages in Leviticus and Paul that prescribe such a teaching.

I can cite passages in the Gospel, in Paul, in the Prophets that support a much more compassionate and loving interpretation on the faith tradition. Why anyone would use the bible to exclude people because of gender and orientation is puzzlement to me. But race, was used at another time to justify slavery and the bible has been used to thwart scientific advance as well. The same folks who want to exclude gays refused to look into Galileo’s telescope for about 600 years as well. Many still refuse Darwin's help in advancing us toward fuller understanding of the nature of human nature. They refuse to encourage scientific advancement in stem cell research that could help lead to important cures for so many diseases and ease human suffering. You can add to the list as your leisure.

So, by way of rejoinder to Rome, and some others who have parted company with us; allow me to invite you here; namely to the Episcopal Church; “A House of Prayer for All People”. We have lost quite a few members because of our love for the outcast. So there is plenty of room in most of our churches. More importantly there is plenty of room in God’s heart for you here too. The church has sent out too many chilly messages lately. The church has said terrible thing to gay folk and women. I thought you might like to hear one that proclaims the Good News of God in Christ...the news of a loving compassionate and inclusive church.

"A House of Prayer for All People" -a Biblical Base

And so the question may arise; "We call ourselves 'A House of Prayer for all people', how do you figure that means gay folks too?
The simple answer to that question is that I understand that "all" means "all". But if that does not satisfy you, lets dig a bit deeper. If we go to the 56th chapter of the book of the prophet Isaiah, we will read that proclamation in the following context.

Isaiah 56
1 Thus says the Lord: Maintain justice, and do what is right, for soon my salvation will come, and my deliverance be revealed.
2 Happy is the mortal who does this, the one who holds it fast, who keeps the sabbath, not profaning it, and refrains from
doing any evil.
3 Do not let the foreigner joined to the Lord say, "The Lord will surely separate me from his people"; and do not let the
eunuch say, "I am just a dry tree." 4 For thus says the Lord: To the eunuchs who keep my sabbaths, who choose the things
that please me and hold fast my covenant, 5 I will give, in my house and within my walls, a monument and a name better
than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off. 6 And the foreigners who join
themselves to the Lord, to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord, and to be his servants, all who keep the sabbath,
and do not profane it, and hold fast my covenant— 7 these I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my
house of prayer; their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house shall be called a house
of prayer for all peoples.

Please note first that the main concern here of the prophet is that the maintenance of justice be uppermost in the mind of the faith community.

Secondly the concern is for the foreigner (note verse 3) who is justifiably concerned about being "separated" from the faithful. Foreigners often were separated out in the Law Codes of Israel.

Thirdly, and this I find stunning, the eunuch is concerned about the fact that his (her) lack of offspring leaves him (her) without lineage. (see verse 3). But to both the foreigner and to the eunuch Isaiah, proclaims a compassionate theme. To the eunuch first the prophet proclaims that a memorial will be established within the holy wall of God's dwelling place an everlasting name that shall never be cut off. And to the foreigner God will gather them into the mountain of God and make them joyful in God's holy house of prayer!

What a stunning proclamation! This is especially so since in the Levitical Code we have clear prescriptions against both the foreigner and the eunuch about how closely they may enter the holy place.

Foreigners are pretty straight forward. We all know who they are. Each succeeding group of them have received a mixed if not chilly or even hostile welcome here and abroad, and not for just religious reasons.

But eunuchs; who are they? Are these folks just the ones who tend the sultan's harems in the Ancient Near Eastern world? Or are they perhaps more than that. When Jesus mentioned eunuchs, he mentioned those a) born that way, b) those made that way by man, and c) those who make themselves that way for the sake of the service of God.

You can read that for yourself in Matthew 19 verse 12 and following;

"12 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."

Note that Jesus talks about eunuchs who have "been so from birth". Isn't that interesting? How many folks are there who can make that claim? I suspect that we're talking about a classification of people who transcend mere physical deformity in the genitalia. I suspect that there have always been people who have just not been interested in folks of the opposite sex, and they were that way from the beginning. Note that Jesus presses the point by pointing out that not all may be able to accept this particular teaching, when he says "Let anyone accept this who can." In other words, if you cannot accept this level of compassion, so be it; but with God, there is room for love even here.

Note too that much of the Levitical Code enumerated all kinds of folks who are simply not able to get near to the Temple. Of course, maimed people could not offer gifts. Neither could sinners, prostitutes, lepers, the unclean, tax collectors and the like. In other words, the very people that Jesus sought out to include within the embrace of God's love were the ones held at arms distance by much of the Mosaic Law.

Thus we come to the Cleansing of the Temple! AND I find it interesting that it would come to be called that by the biblical scholars.

Catch the scene if you will; Jesus enters the holy city and approaches the Temple precincts with his band of outcasts; lepers, tax collectors, prostitutes, lame, halt, blind beggars, looking for the healing touch of God. And they are so excited by his approach to the holy place that they spread their garments and palm branches at his feet. They sing Hosanna in the Highest Heaven!

But when Jesus enters the Temple precincts, does he find there a place dedicated to the sanctification of those who look for justice, and the healing touch of God? No! He finds traders in pigeons and money changers. You can read for yourself what happens next;

Mt 21:12Then 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.

Mr 11:15 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;

John 2:14 In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables.

John 2:15 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.

And with that he proclaimed with all the authority of God; "My house shall be a house of prayer for all people, but you have made it a den of robbers".

You know what happened after that. The Temple Authorities and the Government got together (as they often do) and brought about a mock trial and had then Jesus was crucified.

I submit to you that Jesus crossed the line in many ways. He healed the lame and the blind, he consorted with sinners and prostitutes, tax collectors, lepers, and a whole bunch of other unsavory characters. We even have some evidence that he knew about and embraced the reality that there were foreigners and eunuchs abroad in the land and that there were those who would find it difficult to hear about that, and might prefer to stop their ears from such talk.

When I read that God's church should be a "House of Prayer for All People", I Honest to God feel as though that ought to be understood as ALL PEOPLE!!!"

In the Episcopal Church I believe that we are honestly trying to take this teaching of Jesus seriously. I realize that we are but one tiny corner of the Christian world that teaches this to include the LGBT community. We are in fact one tiny corner of the entire world of faith that teaches so.

The biblical literalists of his time had difficulty with the approach too, no doubt. For to say that you mean "ALL PEOPLE", means just all people.

To put ourselves under that degree of biblical authority may be difficult for many, but for me and my house, we embrace it with joy!

Fr. Paul