Jesus’ Memo to the Haters: Worry About Yourselves

Let’s start with some quotes that I have been subjected to for the last 30 or 40 years:

“SODOMY IS AN ABOMINABLE SIN, WORTHY OF DEATH.”

“SODOMITES ARE PROUD OF THEIR SIN (“GAY PRIDE”), AND IN THAT PRIDEFUL STATE THEY CANNOT REPENT – YOU CANNOT REPENT OF SOMETHING YOU’RE PROUD OF.”

“THERE IS A HELL WHERE ALL IMPENITENT SINNERS WILL RESIDE FOR ALL ETERNITY. THAT INCLUDES SODOMITES (CALLED “DOGS”).”

“Matthew Sheppard has been in hell for 3209 days.”

“Homo sex is a sin”

“Men with men, and women with women; it is an abomination,” citing Leviticus 18:22 and Romans 1:18-32.

“God Hates the USA”

“God Hates Fag Enablers”

“Fags are worthy of Death”

“Your Pastor is Lying”

Finally a letter I got because of my previous blog:

“This story of yours mocks God, you need to look at Romans more carefully without your bias about what you want or what your needs are. It talks about persons thinking they are wise and being fooling and their hearts darkened. It also talks about dishonoring your bodies and changing the truth of God into a lie. I can honestly say there are so many Christians out there now who try to justify their behavior. If we don’t believe any of the bible and feel the need to justify or change it for our own needs why bother? God is not mocked. You are not a messenger of God, but a tool of the Devil and you will pay the price with the burning of your soul in hell!”

All I could do after reading this was shake my head in wonderment of how mean some so called Christians could be. How on earth could anyone think that what happen that early morning in the hospital was changing the truth of God into a lie? Here was the truth of God being played out in real life and this person denied it is real, denied the absolute unconditional love of God.

My first response in most of these cases is to mention the story of “Peter the coward”, you know the one who denied even knowing Jesus not once but three times, and after being forgiven by Jesus started whining about John. Then Jesus saying,

“If I want him to live until I come again, what’s that to you? You—follow me.” That is how the rumor got out among the brothers that this disciple wouldn’t die. But that is not what Jesus said. He simply said, “If I want him to live until I come again, what’s that to you?”

This would be a nice biblical way of telling some folks to stay out of the LGBT community’s bedrooms and other peoples faith walk and take care of their own relationship with God. Yet I guess it is not that easy. I mean why are these people so worked up over the prospect of God actually loving God’s LGBT creation and wanting to be relationship with them?

Then I re-read Luke 15:25-32 (The Message) and it hit me. These people are the older brother in the story. They have spent their lives staying the course, going to church every Wednesday and Sunday. They show up at all the church functions without fail.

They pray at every meal. They pray before every game. They pray before tests. They pray before, during and after church. They pray before going to sleep.

They serve on all the right church committees. They clean the church. They participate in church services by ushering, being greeters, readers, and singing in the choir.

They are the guardians of the money, the keepers of the church property and serve on the committee that calls the Pastor and proclaims the one called, is most assuredly of God.

They are the keepers of the law, seeing to it that anyone who does not keep the rules is properly punished and removed from the fellowship.

They are the keepers of the moral law even when they may fall short themselves-for after all no truer words have been spoken on their behalf then when the older brother in the story says,

“Look how many years I’ve stayed here serving you, never giving you one moment of grief, but have you ever thrown a party for me and my friends? Then this son of yours who has thrown away your money (blessings) on whores (gay life style) shows up and you go all out with a feast!”

If you don’t think that is true, you should have been at “Gay Pride” in Atlanta this year. They were lined up on the street corner with their signs that read much like the quotes at the beginning of this blog. For a group of people who were right with God…they were saddest, unhappiest and angry people I have ever seen.

They never hear God clearly say to them,

“you don’t understand. You’re with me all the time, and everything that is mine is yours—but this is a wonderful time, and we had to celebrate. This brother of yours was dead (out of relationship with God), and he’s alive (back in relationship with God)! He was lost, and he’s found!”

Yep that is it… and they have become the Peter spoken of at the end of the Gospel of John. Except now they are whining about LGBT folks having a place in God’s kingdom too. Maybe they ought to listen more closely to the response of the Messiah.

“They want to get married!” “What is that to you? You follow me.”

“They want to be ministers!” “What is that to you? You follow me.”

“They call themselves Christian but have sex outside of marriage!” “What is that to you? You follow me.”

I agree when one comes back into relationship with God and the Christ one becomes a new person and should attempt to live out a life which “does justice, acts mercifully, and walks humbly with God” [Micah 6:8]. Even more importantly following the command of the Christ: “That you love one another as I have loved you. Understanding from the depths of our souls this statement of Jesus; “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command.”

So, let me ask where is the justice in condemning LGBT people for something they do not choose? Where is the mercy in denying those same people job protection, health benefits and the ability to marry and be in covenant with one another? How is it walking humbly with God to insist in the world which God created, the definition of sexuality is only their definition of what is natural and when this definition gets troublesome they simple re-define it so that they continue in the good Christian lifestyle.

You see, I believe it was Jesus who said, “let the one without sin cast the first stone.”

Those who are the most worried about the LGBT community living in sin should not be casting stones our way to begin with. Why with adultery, fornication, divorce, lust, murder, theft, spousal abuse, child abuse, and idolatry they have plenty to be concerned about themselves and should leave us GLBT Christians alone.

Gee I wonder, given all that “heterosexual people” do that is horrible before God, could someone please explain how Christian heterosexuals can continue living a straight lifestyle?

Oh yea I almost forgot…“What is that to you? You follow me.”