Manna, Justice, Amen*

The fourth Sunday in Lent and the theme in scripture and lectionary is “the true bread,” which, of course, is a metaphor for the Holy Spirit, which feeds us. In fact, feeding is a major metaphor for Christianity … Jesus, as he departs this world, reminds his disciples to “feed my sheep.” Because, of course, without food, there cannot be life, and without life there cannot be a kingdom of God, because God’s spirit is manifest in that which lives, in those who live.

It has been a curious week I suppose, but a week in which gay people have seen God feed all of society with justice. From the Diocese of San Joaquin, where not so long ago women could not be ordained and gay people could not receive communion, comes news of the ordination of Carolyn Louise Woodall as Deacon. Carolyn is transgendered, and now is serving at the altar in the Episcopal Church of St. Anne’s in Stockton, California. Much more information can be found here: http://walkingwithintegrity.blogspot.com/2012/03/making-all-mean-all-in-diocese-of-san.html.

Then, Friday, I was surprised by my own reaction when Dharun Ravi was convicted. I was surprised, because I stood up alone at my desk and applauded. Thank God, I said out loud. It is about time someone, somewhere, understands the horrid bullying that gay people experience. I remember it because I still experience it, even at my advanced age. Although at my advanced age (I’m sorry, today’s my birthday so I’m feeling old), I am much more likely to punch back and not put up with any guff.

But if you are gay you know how this goes. The “straight” roommate, who is “gayfriendly” tells you he’s okay with your perversity as long as he doesn’t have to see it. But then, night and day, he’s there kissing and feeling up girls on the other bed in your dorm room. YOU HAVE TO WATCH him, but he calls YOU perverse. And, then, the moment you go down the hall, you hear him cackling to the other straight guys about his “FAG” roommate … he makes sure you hear it.

This is exactly the scenario the defense pictured for us. All of those nice boys, his straight friends, testifying for his excellent character, and that he even had gay friends! But not one of them admitting to the behind the scenes quiet harassment they all as a group engaged in. No wonder that lovely violinist jumped off the bridge.

Well, if you are a young gay person being oppressed in this way, I want to say several things to you. First, look at how closely I reflect the facts, and I wasn’t even there. This is how we all grew up decades ago. Things are better now, maybe you don’t have it quite so bad as we did in the 1970s. Second, please please please look into Dan Savage’s “It gets Better” campaign, because it does. And therein lies God’s redemption.

The Psalm this week says “they cried to the LORD in their trouble and he delivered them from their distress, he sent forth his word and healed them, he saved them from the grave.” What more do you need my brothers and sisters? You have God, who has created you in God’s own image.

And, you have God’s own food, which is the love of Christ. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.”

That’s you and me my friends. When it hurts, cry out, to God and to me, to my colleagues—tell somebody. And we will help you understand that it gets better.

And by the way, there is justice, flowing down like manna from heaven.

4 Lent (Numbers 21:4-9; Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22; Ephesians 2:1-10; John 3:14-21)
©2012 The Rev. Dr. Richard P. Smiraglia. All rights reserved.

Diversity in your midst*

Sometimes I wonder what it would be like if gay people truly were integrated. In my own mind I would want it to be something like the atmosphere at the Gay Games. There, almost everybody is lgbt. I first experienced that in New York in 1994, and then again in Amsterdam in 1998. It was wonderful, if fleeting, to be able to walk around in an exclusively lgbt environment. But I don’t think that is what integration is going to look like. I think integration is going to look a lot like, well, Amsterdam today, or maybe San Francisco or New York or Los Angeles. There, lgbt culture sort of disappears into the background. I was in Los Angeles earlier this summer, and the main thing I remember was hearing Lady Gaga everywhere I went. I think that’s what integration will look like.
Which sort of goes to show you that God has God’s own plan for things. This is a close relative of that old saw “be careful what you wish for (or we could say, pray for)” because you might get it. But, it might turn out to be not at all what you had in mind.
This week’s scripture has that lesson from Exodus about “manna from heaven.” The people complain that by following God they’ve wound up out in the wilderness starving. So God promises them plenty of bread. Only when they get it, it comes in the form of a dust-like substance in the morning dew. No leavened loaves for them. It goes well with the Gospel parable about the laborers hired last in the day who have got the same wage as those who worked all day in the hot sun. These go well together because they both speak to the issue of the power of God to make the experience of creation equivalent, regardless of the many kinds of divergence humans try to introduce. In God’s intension, all is equal, all parts of creation are equal, all persons in creation are equal, and each person’s share in creation is equal.
That’s a good thing, because it means there truly is no discrimination, no bar to salvation, no room for injustice in God’s kingdom. If people suddenly stopped discriminating, what would the world look like? It would look about the same, except there would be more diversity in each person’s immediate presence. And the cultural things that arise to keep us apart would begin to disappear.
It is a situation much to be desired. Do you want a glimpse? Have a look at the chancel at the Church of the Holy Trinity any Sunday, then, when you come to communion look along the rail, and as you head back to your seat look around the church. There you have it. God’s kingdom in diversity, in equality, in your midst.

*Proper 20 (Exodus 16:2-15, Psalm 105:1-6, 37-45 Confitemini Domino, Philippians 1:21-30, Matthew 20:1-16)
©2011 The Rev. Dr. Richard P. Smiraglia. All rights reserved.