Today’s Lectionary Readings: Psalm 89:1-52; Isaiah 40:25-31; John 2:23-3:15; Acts 18:5-10
There was a portion of today’s passage from John that resonated strongly with a personal experience I had. In talking of the crowd’s response to Jesus’ signs, the author of John noted: “But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all [humanity]. He did not need [humanity's] testimony about man, for he knew what was in a [person]” (John 2:24-25 – NIV). The wisdom of Jesus’ desire to both elicit the best in a person yet never lose sight of what that person is capable of was brought home to me seven years ago through an experience I had of my own home church. I had had a long history with my home church at the time. I was born into the church, baptized in the church, raised in the church, encouraged to perform dozens of roles in the church, and ultimately been sent to seminary by the church. In fact, I had had so many positive experiences with the members of the church that over time I began to see them exclusively through rose colored lenses. Then something happened. When I asked my home church to support me in my quest for ordination, they turned me down. Why? Their reason: I was a gay man. I had naively thought that the years of mutual ministry and all of the love, laughter, joy and pain that we had shared would help them overcome a deeply ingrained cultural homophobia. I was wrong. Thankfully, I found another community that could recognize my call to ministry so that I could be ordained. Nevertheless, through the experience with my home church I learned in a very personal way why Jesus would not entrust himself to the hoards. Despite their praise and affirmation, he knew of what they were capable. Since that time, I have moved along in my acceptance of Jesus’ way: hoping for – and working passionately to elicit – the very best in people, and yet preparing myself for those moments when I encounter the other side. Are there places and/or relationships in your life where you could benefit from a more balanced perspective on human nature? May God bless us all as we take turns celebrating and at times mourning what our sisters and brothers are capable. Then take heart knowing that we can rest easy in the arms of the One – and only One –to whom we can safely entrust ourselves. Til next time…
There was a portion of today’s passage from John that resonated strongly with a personal experience I had. In talking of the crowd’s response to Jesus’ signs, the author of John noted: “But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all [humanity]. He did not need [humanity's] testimony about man, for he knew what was in a [person]” (John 2:24-25 – NIV). The wisdom of Jesus’ desire to both elicit the best in a person yet never lose sight of what that person is capable of was brought home to me seven years ago through an experience I had of my own home church. I had had a long history with my home church at the time. I was born into the church, baptized in the church, raised in the church, encouraged to perform dozens of roles in the church, and ultimately been sent to seminary by the church. In fact, I had had so many positive experiences with the members of the church that over time I began to see them exclusively through rose colored lenses. Then something happened. When I asked my home church to support me in my quest for ordination, they turned me down. Why? Their reason: I was a gay man. I had naively thought that the years of mutual ministry and all of the love, laughter, joy and pain that we had shared would help them overcome a deeply ingrained cultural homophobia. I was wrong. Thankfully, I found another community that could recognize my call to ministry so that I could be ordained. Nevertheless, through the experience with my home church I learned in a very personal way why Jesus would not entrust himself to the hoards. Despite their praise and affirmation, he knew of what they were capable. Since that time, I have moved along in my acceptance of Jesus’ way: hoping for – and working passionately to elicit – the very best in people, and yet preparing myself for those moments when I encounter the other side. Are there places and/or relationships in your life where you could benefit from a more balanced perspective on human nature? May God bless us all as we take turns celebrating and at times mourning what our sisters and brothers are capable. Then take heart knowing that we can rest easy in the arms of the One – and only One –to whom we can safely entrust ourselves. Til next time…
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