| p4. March 25-31 Passion: March 25. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are now justified by [divine] grace as gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his blood, effective through faith. (ROMANS 3:22-25). In the film Dominick and Eugene, the mentally disabled Dominick witnesses, in absolute horror, a boy being beaten by his father. In church, a tearful Dominick points to Jesus on the cross and cries to a priest, �I would never let that happen to my son!� The concept of an angry God demanding the death of God�s own Son troubles many of us. Jesus� followers sought a divine plan behind the human tragedy of the crucifixion. The legal atmosphere of the Roman Empire influenced the notion that Jesus had to be punished for our sins. Since the Jews offered animal sacrifices for sins, the Christians came to believe that Jesus served as the final sacrifice, dispensing with further shedding of blood. To them, this was an advance in theology. The Christian teacher Abelard of the twelfth century taught another view. The atonement or at-one-ment of God and humankind came through Christ�s suffering awakening human compassion, what differentiates us from other creatures and makes us one with God. A crucified God offers a new covenant with us by redeeming, or calling forth, our better nature. "As your suffering is redemptive for us, O Christ, may our suffering awaken the better natures of others." March 26. How could we sing the Lord�s song in a foreign land (Psalm 137:4)? The majority of us were not aware of another person whom we knew to be gay when we were growing up. Or, if we were, the person was often portrayed by adults or peers as strange or �queer�. How could we sing a gay song in a straight land? As we finally met others like us, many of us discovered difficulties talking of spirituality with people who had been abused by religion. And the places where we met may not have been conducive to such talk. How could we sing God�s song in the midst of spiritual alienation? Lord, how can we sing your song in the church and in the gay and lesbian community, lands alienated from one another? March 27. Those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint (Isaiah 40:31). Lesbians and gay men, who grew up essentially in exile from one another, now unite as a community. Those with shared interests find one another in a variety of local and national groups. Those who share faith exult that now they have a chorus with which to sing God�s song. Most denominations and traditions provide support, networks, and worship for them. We wait, oh God, exultant in our expectation of the return of souls we have yet to meet. March 28. �As long as my breath is in me and the spirit of God is in my nostrils�I hold fast my righteousness, and will not let it go (Job 15:4; 27:3, 6). If other religious people truly feared God they�d be less quick to judge. If other religious people truly held God in awe, they would not limit the divine capacity for sexual diversity. If other religious people truly knew God, they would not question that God�s grace covers every condition of people. If other religious people truly worshiped God, they�d leave their gifts at the altar and first be reconciled to their lesbian sister and gay brother. Lord, help us hold fast to our righteousness, and bear witness to your spirit within us. March 29. The servant was despised and rejected by everyone, was full of sorrows, and acquainted with grief, and as one from whom people hide their faces, was despised and not esteemed by us�But this servant was wounded for our transgressions, was bruised for our iniquities (Isaiah 53:3, 5). When you were a child did your peers decide that someone among you had �cooties,� and that, if you touched them, you could get �cooties,� too? It was a cruel children�s game intended to ostracize someone who was different. The suffering servant whom Isaiah describes bears a similar fate. Forgive us God, when we wound others for our own inadequacies. Heal us when we are bruised by another�s insecurity. March 30. �Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves (Genesis 11:4).� Human-and male-arrogance at its pinnacle! Whether it�s the Tower of Babel, a church tower, or a tall building like New York�s World Trade Center, it�s all about whose erection is bigger. Sacred Mystery, forgive our human arrogance. Reveal yourself as we build prayers rather than towers, and as we study your language, scripture. March 31. God said to Cain, �Why are you angry, and why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is lurking at the door, its desire is for you, but you must master it (Genesis 4:6-7).� Biblical stories were written to support and later used to reinforce the lifestyle of the �in crowd,� the majority culture. We must keep faith that, if we do well, we will be accepted, and our offerings welcomed. |
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