It is cool and raining in Oregon, although today is dry and sunny. There has been enough rain now to give us the chance to relax a bit about wildfire danger. We’re even allowed to use our fireplaces again, which is nice now that cool evenings are more commonplace. Relief has always been my favorite form of mercy. Relief—just the knowledge that I can relax a little bit—is a reflection of the synergy of creation, which of course is the synergy of the love that is God. Mercy, after all, is that quality of forgiveness that makes life possible because it allows us to keep going.
Still, life comes and goes. God is not a puppeteer. Rather we are gifted with the opportunity to walk in love in harmony with creation. When we manage that even our mistakes are greeted with mercy. When we fail to walk in love in harmony with creation then we encounter challenging times. In those times it does no good to decry love. Rather, we must love even more in those times. We must always remember that love builds up.
We can build love in simple ways, by singing with joy, by worshipping love by whipping up love. These are the ways we can encounter glory—the sustained abundance of the present manifestation of love. We must always at least try to live a life of love. As long as we try, we are grounded in the presence of God.
We do not see love subjectively. Rather we see love embodied in Jesus who taught us the ways of walking in love, simple ways: washing each other’s feet, eating together, feeding the oppressed, healing the outcast by welcoming them in. These are the ways of building up the love of God in synergy with community and creation. These are the ways of grounding the presence of God. These are the ways of seeking glory, which is the armor of love.
Hardness of heart is imperviousness to love. If you cannot walk in love it is easy enough to give one’s self over to rules: no chocolate, no dessert. Then, it is easy enough to make other rules: no outsiders, no one who is different. Hardness of heart builds up too. No love remains then, only obeisance.
The antidote always is love, always is the realization that these are the “last days” in our hearts. In every moment we have the opportunity to build love to energize the community to synergize creation. All we have to do is start. All we have to do is try.
The echoes of life for LGBTQ people are like trajectories all through this midrash. Relief comes when we can relax into our daily lives, when we can think about dinner and the garden instead of worrying about survival. We have our ups and downs. We have many opportunities to sing and share the joy in our hearts. We are called to share food and drink, to welcome each other, to build community. We are called forth from our love as children created by God in God’s own image of love. We are called forth to shine like a beacon in the synergy of these last days of building up love. We are called to embrace and nurture glory.
Proper 22 Year B 2012 RCL (Job 1:1; 2:1-10; Psalm 26; Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:5-12; Mark 10:2-16)
©The Rev. Dr. Richard P. Smiraglia. All rights reserved.
Dimensions of Reality: glbt Christian spirituality 