Men created God in their own image.
Men created a God who seeks vengeance. A God who was slow to forgive. A God who made one feel guilty. A God who created difficult and conflicting rules to follow.
All of this created an environment where humanity felt isolated from God. Where humanity felt excluded from God. Where humanity believed that they needed repeatedly to seek forgiveness.
Men focused on the negative and the result was a guilt-ridden theology. It masked the profoundly good news found in both testaments of the Judeo-Christian scriptures.
Yet, the Hebrew Scriptures is resplendent with quotes of the Divine’s love.
Psalm 23:6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of Yahweh forever.
Psalm 136:1-26
Give thanks to Yahweh, for Yahweh is good, for Yahweh’s steadfast love endures forever. Give thanks to the God of gods, for Yahweh’s steadfast love endures forever. Give thanks to Yahweh, for Yahweh’s steadfast love endures forever; to Yahweh who alone does great wonders, for Yahweh’s steadfast love endures forever; to Yahweh who by understanding made the heavens, for Yahweh’s steadfast love endures forever; …
Isaiah 66:13
As one who is comforted as by a mother, so I will comfort you;
Jeremiah 31:3 – Yahweh appeared to the one from far away. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore, I have continued my faithfulness to you.
Zephaniah 3:17
Yahweh your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; Yahweh will rejoice over you with gladness; Yahweh will quiet you by Yahweh’s love; Yahweh will exult over you with loud singing.
Micah 6:8
This is what is good; and what does Yahweh require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
Of course, in the life of Jesus we have examples of love by his interaction with women, the sick and the marginalized. All either forbidden or looked down upon during his time.
We have his famous parables; the Forgiving Parent/Prodigal Child, The Good Samaritan, the lost coin, and the seed sown and forgotten about which produces a rich harvest.
We have Jesus interacting with the woman who was about to be stoned to death and the Woman at the Well.
In each of these we are either told stories of love, compassion and mercy or witness Jesus’ modelling love, compassion, and mercy.
Jesus recognized the innate goodness in each and every individual. Jesus appreciated the worth and dignity of each person no matter what station they were in life. He could be friends with tax collectors and fishermen. He could be friends with Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. He was especially drawn to the marginalized; those caste out by society.
Why did Jesus recognize the innate goodness in each and every individual? Why did Jesus appreciate the worth and dignity of each person no matter what station they were in life?
First, Jesus recognized his own innate goodness and appreciated his own worth and dignity. Perhaps it was the way he was raised by his parents, or the community in which he grew up.
But secondly, Jesus passionately believed that the Divine was present in each person. Because of this, Jesus trusted that people could be better than they were to one another. That is why he said that they could act as neighbor to one another.
When Jesus referred to God’s Kindom, he was basically saying that the Divine was working effectively in our lives. It all starts small, seemingly insignificant, and then like a large tree bursts forth with cool shade on a sweltering day. Jesus was saying to those around him both his followers and those who would be his followers that in each of them was a kernel of goodness just waiting to be nurtured and brought forth. Jesus believed that humanity was for good.
That is why Jesus railed against those in power who exploited the marginalized for their own gain by making the marginalized feel guilty and seek redemption by jumping through man-made hoops.
Back to the richness of a large tree. Trees in the fall display a rich diversity of color. This display of color is at once soothing and yet invigorating. All these colors transition from the rich greens of summer to the resplendent oranges, reds, and yellows of fall. Whether the leaves are the green of summer which supply the shade from the searing heat or the leaves are the oranges, reds, and yellows of the fall, they are all the same.
So too are our friends and sisters and brothers in the LGBTQIA community. Their richness and diversity is at once soothing and invigorating to all of us. Surely the Divine works effectively in their lives! We absolutely can recognize the innate goodness in each and every member of this community. We can certainly appreciate the worth and dignity of each person in this community.
This is why we rail against those who think of LGBTQIA people as less than equal. This is why we stand up and challenge all those who say LGBTQIA individuals are “Other.” This is why we stand united with our sisters, brothers, and friends in the LGBTQIA community who are denied equal rights, equal access, and an equal voice.
For when we do all of this, we are more like Jesus than we will ever know.
And when we do all of this, hopefully we will awaken the kernel of goodness in those who need awakening.
These are my thoughts, what are yours?
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