Archbishop Henry OrombiThe Mad Priest has made a suggestion that I would love to see happen across Episcopal Churches, and throughout the Anglican Communion: given the deplorable actions of the "official" representative of the Anglican Church of Uganda at David Kato's funeral, the rest of us should celebrate the slain activist's life by reading for him a proper burial service. This would be a way of delivering us from an evil committed against a dead man, and his friends and family, by a church that has decided to place itself in the judgement seat of God.
The readings for this Sunday, too, speak to me about the abuses that have happened this week in Uganda, and elsewhere, against LGBT people. Our first lesson is from the prophet, Micah, which begins with God reminding Israel of all that has been done for the nation.
"With what shall I come before the LORD,
and bow myself before God on high?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
with calves a year old?
Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams,
with ten thousands of rivers of oil?
Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?"
He has told you, O mortal, what is good;
and what does the LORD require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?
--Micah 6: 6-8
Do justice, love kindness, walk humbly with your God. That is what is expected. I wonder if the head of the Church of Uganda, Archbishop Henry Orombi, has any clue or concept that he must read this passage from the prophet and see the error of his ways? He has encouraged and fostered hatred of homosexuals in his country and around the globe. Let's face it: St. Peter's Anglican Church, the renegade crew that left St. John's in Tallahassee with accusations of 'unorthodoxy' and such, is affiliated with the Anglican Church in Uganda. And one need only do a YouTube search to find that the faux priest Eric Dudley is STILL foaming at the mouth about TEC's acceptance of LGBT Christians. I would ask Eric Dudley, Henry Orombi, Nicholas Okoh, Martin Ssempa, Scott Lively, "The Family" on C Street and all the others: where was the justice and the kindness in the offense committed at David Kato's funeral? How was launching into an anti-gay rant at a gay man's funeral a humble walk with your God?
"Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us..."
I am admittedly finding it extremely difficult to forgive what is happening on the ground in Uganda. Ultimately, I know that God is watching what is unfolding there, and my hope rests in the belief that Kato's death may stir some otherwise complacent people to see that the time for silence and wishy-washy liberal excuses about not wanting to appear "colonial" will come to a halt. This is a human rights issue, not a matter of trying to impose foreign rule. It is not OK to kill or to call for the hanging of peaceful people such as Bishop Christopher Senyonjo. People are being murdered for who they are. How is this different from any other holocaust or genocide in history?
The gospel lesson for today comes from Matthew's account of Jesus' sermon on the mount and reciting of the beatitudes:
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
"Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
"Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
"Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. --Matt 5: 3-12
To all people, and especially my LGBT brothers and sisters in Uganda and Honduras and all parts of the world where you face danger and persecution: the idea of 'rejoicing and being glad' for what is happening may sound idiotic at times. It certainly has to me! But I believe in a God who loves. I believe that those of us who are living as God has known us to be are the ones who are bringing us closer to the fulfillment of the prayer: "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." We remain grounded in our truth because we are blessed.
O Lord, make haste to help us.
The readings for this Sunday, too, speak to me about the abuses that have happened this week in Uganda, and elsewhere, against LGBT people. Our first lesson is from the prophet, Micah, which begins with God reminding Israel of all that has been done for the nation.
"With what shall I come before the LORD,
and bow myself before God on high?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
with calves a year old?
Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams,
with ten thousands of rivers of oil?
Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?"
He has told you, O mortal, what is good;
and what does the LORD require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?
--Micah 6: 6-8
Do justice, love kindness, walk humbly with your God. That is what is expected. I wonder if the head of the Church of Uganda, Archbishop Henry Orombi, has any clue or concept that he must read this passage from the prophet and see the error of his ways? He has encouraged and fostered hatred of homosexuals in his country and around the globe. Let's face it: St. Peter's Anglican Church, the renegade crew that left St. John's in Tallahassee with accusations of 'unorthodoxy' and such, is affiliated with the Anglican Church in Uganda. And one need only do a YouTube search to find that the faux priest Eric Dudley is STILL foaming at the mouth about TEC's acceptance of LGBT Christians. I would ask Eric Dudley, Henry Orombi, Nicholas Okoh, Martin Ssempa, Scott Lively, "The Family" on C Street and all the others: where was the justice and the kindness in the offense committed at David Kato's funeral? How was launching into an anti-gay rant at a gay man's funeral a humble walk with your God?
"Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us..."
I am admittedly finding it extremely difficult to forgive what is happening on the ground in Uganda. Ultimately, I know that God is watching what is unfolding there, and my hope rests in the belief that Kato's death may stir some otherwise complacent people to see that the time for silence and wishy-washy liberal excuses about not wanting to appear "colonial" will come to a halt. This is a human rights issue, not a matter of trying to impose foreign rule. It is not OK to kill or to call for the hanging of peaceful people such as Bishop Christopher Senyonjo. People are being murdered for who they are. How is this different from any other holocaust or genocide in history?
The gospel lesson for today comes from Matthew's account of Jesus' sermon on the mount and reciting of the beatitudes:
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
"Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
"Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
"Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. --Matt 5: 3-12
To all people, and especially my LGBT brothers and sisters in Uganda and Honduras and all parts of the world where you face danger and persecution: the idea of 'rejoicing and being glad' for what is happening may sound idiotic at times. It certainly has to me! But I believe in a God who loves. I believe that those of us who are living as God has known us to be are the ones who are bringing us closer to the fulfillment of the prayer: "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." We remain grounded in our truth because we are blessed.
O Lord, make haste to help us.
1 comment:
Fantastic little homily, my Susan. You do it over and over again. Keep writing.
Peggins
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