*Now is the moment

It was a very nice Thanksgiving. It snowed early in the week. Not a lot, just enough to be pretty and to test the snow-removal systems (they worked). So we’re feeling a little bit better about being in a snow zone. It was a quiet Thanksgiving, and the meal went swimmingly. I’m used to watching old movies on Thanksgiving night waiting to get an appetite up for a sandwich, and absolutely nothing of interest was on. But then I got to have my deep turkey sleep. Friday was peaceful and we went to see Dallas Buyer’s Club. It was something Brad wanted to see. (We really wanted to see Harry Potter as Ginsberg but it had left already after only 6 days in theaters here?) The movie is critically acclaimed and I suppose that’s correct, although I found it thoroughly depressing. It reminded me too much of what those days were like. I lived through that era, I survived it, I worked as a chaplain in the trenches of those horrid hospitals where AIDS patients were warehoused to run down their insurance. It is behind me, I hope.

This morning the sun is shining and the snow has melted  … a harbinger of the week to come, I hope. (I’m having electrical outlets installed on the front of the house this week; guess why?)

There is a theme for the first Sunday in Advent that is hard to escape, Paul puts it best “You know what time it is, how it is now the moment.” The rest is clear from all the rest of the scripture, Isaiah promises peace, the psalmist praises unity and reminds us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, for quietness, for prosperity. That resonates with me. I prayed each day this weekend for quiet and progress, and that’s pretty much what I got. Jesus says to his disciples in Matthew’s Gospel that they must be ready at every moment. As Paul said, we all know this. Now is the time, this is the moment. Of course, every moment is now, and in every now is the moment, which is the time, to turn to God. Ahhh … you see, it isn’t about scary things coming at you from outside. Rather, it is about whether you can turn to God and stop being apart from God, which is the definition of sin. Can you turn to love? Can you turn to justice? Can you turn away from selfish things? Those are the questions, and now is the time for them.

In the US I sometimes wonder whether there is any point for gay people staying. My friends know I am an expatriate waiting to happen. I already spend more time in Amsterdam and Toronto that I do in the US. This is because, in those places, now is now, and not some future make-believe time. Gay people have equality in those places, and freedom to love, and access to full citizenship and the rights that go with it—not true in the US. So, I’m not going to tell you not to go. I guess I should remind you, however, that it is easier said than done to emigrate.

On the other hand, it is way past time for gay people to come out. It is way past time for gay people to coddle their relatives who “just aren’t ready.” It is way past time for everyone to understand that hetero-hegemony is a sin, that cuts heterosexual people off from God, because by choosing to live in that way they are playing God. We need to remind our hetero-brethren that now is the time, now is the moment. For love and justice,for everyone.

Have a happy and peaceful Advent. I wish you bounteous snowfall, because it brings peace and introspection. I wish you joy in the cuddling and peace in the sleep of winter. And I hope you will remind yourself that now is the time, now is the moment. (Oh, and don’t be putting up Christmas lights or trees yet. It is only the first Sunday in Advent!)

*First Sunday of Advent (Isaiah 2:1-5; Psalm 122; Romans 13:11-14; Matthew 24:36-44)

©2013 The Rev. Dr. Richard P. Smiraglia. All rights reserved.