Fifth Sunday of Lent - March 21, 2021
Deborah Laforet Jeremiah 31:31-34
March 21, 2021 Psalm 119:9-16
Written On Our Hearts
Did you hear this week that the Vatican on Monday put out a decree that it would not sanction the blessings of same sex marriages? They described same sex unions as a choice and as sinful and as a “way of life that cannot be recognized as objectively ordered to the revealed plans of God.” They also insisted that "the negative judgment on the blessing of unions of persons of the same sex does not imply a judgment on persons.” Pope Francis, who has frequently been praised for his welcoming tone towards LGBTQ people, both within and outside the Church, gave his stamp of approval.
Priests, ministers, pastors, and all kinds of clergy are known to bless lots of things. Homes are blessed, babies are blessed, ships are blessed. Nowadays, people bless pets, bicycles, phones and computers, and even guns, but the Catholic draws the line here. You can bless guns, killing machines, but blessings of loving relationships between people of the same gender are not acceptable.
I’m angry about this. I think there are many, especially in the Two Spirit and LGBTQIA+ community, who have been hopeful that this new pope would be more progressive. There have even been some hints along the way that Pope Francis is more accepting of same gender relationships, but this week, all those hopes were dashed. This week, they were told again that who they are and what they do is sinful. They were told again that the church does not accept for who they are and do not accept their loved ones and families if they are not straight or in relationship that consists of a man and woman.
There are many churches all over the world who won’t accept people unless they are straight or in a heterosexual relationship, and these churches will base their beliefs on what they read in the bible. There are passages in the bible that condemn homosexuality, that specifically say that man shall not lie with man or a woman with woman. Churches see these as God’s commandments, then and now, and have been teaching people for a long time that same gender relationships are sinful, as stated in these biblical passages.
The first five books of the bible are called the Torah and they are filled with commandments from God. In the book of Exodus, God gives Moses ten laws or commandments written on two tablets of stone. These laws are the beginning of God’s guidance to a new community, a community just starting out on their own, after having been enslaved by Egypt for generations. The Torah holds 613 commandments, from honouring God and the sabbath, refraining from stealing and killing, to not eating shell fish or wearing clothing made from two different sources. These laws assisted a brand new community in bringing order and security to a people who had none after leaving Egypt’s brand of order and security.
These laws were written thousands of years ago. How we view the bible today determines how we view these laws. Some see scripture as being directly from God. Sure, people wrote the words in the bible but they were directly inspired by God and their hands were guided by God’s Spirit. People who believe the bible in this way usually also read it literally. The bible as seen as a history book, filled with stories that historically happened.
Then there are others who see the bible as divinely inspired. People wrote the words inspired by their faith, but the people who wrote those words did so in their own context, with their own beliefs, and their own fallibilities. People who believe the bible in this way can usually challenge the words in the bible, they attempt to know the history and context of when it was written, and they can use words like symbolism and mythology while still believing the stories to contain truth.
If you’ve been coming to St. Paul’s for a while, you’ll know I fall in the second category. I love the bible, but I love it as a book of stories, poems, and letters, set in an historical context. I love grappling with the stories. Some stories I love and with some I struggle and even dislike. I’m always trying to see how the story is relevant to me, to my faith, and to my community.
I probably struggle the most with the commandments in the bible, probably because they are from stories written thousands of years ago and I don’t feel like they all apply in my life today.
Today’s scripture from the prophet Jeremiah that we heard from the O’Byrnes speaks of a new covenant. God says this new covenant is not like the one given to the people when they were brought out of Egypt, so not like the commandments written on stone or the 613 commandments written in Torah. This, God says, will be put in their minds and their hearts.
When we are small, we need the law laid down. That is the job of our parents and our community. When we are small, we need the rules to be straightforward and easy to understand. Eat dinner before dessert. Make your bed. Do not hit. Don’t steal. Easy.
But as we get older, those rules become more complex. Some rules become less important, like making your bed or eating your dinner before dessert. Some rules become more important, like do not hit, but more complex because someone may be autistic and hit someone out of frustration so we are asked to be understanding. Or someone hit your friend, so you hit them back and your parents tell it’s wrong but they understand why you did it. Someone stole your lunch, but you find out that that person hadn’t had a meal since the day before and were hungry. Rules begin to bend. Laws begin to be less straight forward.
People say that rules are made to be broken. I kind of get that. We make rules to create an orderly household or society, but all rules get broken, sometimes for good reasons and sometimes for bad ones. How do we know what to do? How do we know when to punish someone, how to punish them, and when to be lenient? We can write down as many rules and laws and commandments as possible, but they will never be enough and will never apply to every situation.
This is when we search our hearts. This is when we use our common sense. According to Jeremiah, God’s law is in our hearts and minds. It’s not always written down and it’s not always easy to determine. Saying that it’s all there, written in the bible, ordained by God, is too easy. Scripture can be our guide but we also have to be open to the current messages of the Spirit. Just as we heard last week, God does not create and then say, “All done!” God is continually creating, especially through us. God’s law is continuing to be written in our minds and on our hearts, if we are listening and paying attention.
Someone told me once that before we tear the fence down, we need to understand why it was built, and I completely agree, but sometimes the fence has to come down because its in the way.
There are many rules in the bible that we don’t follow anymore. We eat shellfish. we wear clothes made from multiple sources. We don’t stone people who commit adultery. We don’t condemn to death those who disobey their parents. Women speak in front of people and they teach men. We don’t have slaves. Men can love and marry other men. Women can love and marry other women. And they can have families. And what a wonderful thing because love is love.
The psalmist says, “With all my heart I seek you; let me not stray from your commands.” And, “I rejoice in the path you decree as much as I’d rejoice in all wealth.” and “I will meditate on your precepts, and ponder your ways.” Seeking, rejoicing, and meditating. Three words that can serve as guides as we discern the commandments give to you by our faith and offered to us by God. Seek wisdom, rejoice in that wisdom, meditate on that wisdom. Seek guidance, rejoice in that guidance, and meditate on that guidance. Seek God’s commandments, rejoice in those commandments, and meditate on those commandments. Seek. Rejoice. Meditate. Those might be the best three commandments I’ve heard in a long time.
May you seek the way in which God wants you to live. May you rejoice in what God has given us to live. May you meditate on what God is speaking to you today. May it be so. Amen.