Walk and share*

Well, I suppose that isn’t the uplifting message you were looking for. I enjoyed very much the Presiding Bishop’s message about how, although in the US we associate Easter with spring and the coming of buds and flowers and green grass, we need to remember that in other parts of the world the climate is different at this time of year. She has that perspective, of course, because as our Primate she travels constantly around the world to be the visible face of our faith.

I wish we were doing a better job of saying to the world: a) we are the catholic church; b) we are the catholic church that has continued to receive wisdom; c) we are the catholic church in which the highest bishop—the vicar of Christ, the image of Christ—is a woman.

Well, it is Palm Sunday. Time to stop worrying about giving up treats; time to deal with resurrection. And, as the scripture reminds us, unless we walk in the way of the cross, we won’t find our own resurrection. Tough words.

Isaiah talks about his job conditions in this week’s lesson. He says he got beat up being a prophet of God, but he never turned back. He says he set his face like flint. And then he asks, “who will contend with me?” The psalmist is our physics expert—he says “my times are in your hand.” Meaning, God’s time is all time, and human time is irrelevant. And in the letter to the Philippians Paul says “let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus” who “emptied himself.” He means, God’s will, not our will.

It all adds up to walking in the way of the cross. Which we all do, every day. I think for gay people the question becomes how do we see ourselves in this role? Is being gay a kind of cross to bear? Well, it is, if we let it. But Isaiah would set his face like flint, the psalmist would say our time is in God’s hands, and Paul would say let your mind be emptied of human will, so God’s will can come in.

In the end, sexuality is irrelevant in the scheme of God’s kingdom, except as a characteristic of loving our neighbors as ourselves.

This day, this week, focus on Christ. Take up your cross, and follow him. For great is the reward in heaven. Amen.

*Palm Sunday (Isaiah 50:4-9a; Psalm 31:9-16; Philippians 2:5-11; Mark 14:1-15:47)

©2012 The Rev. Dr. Richard P. Smiraglia. All rights reserved.