Part Two: Reacceptance

The Meeting

If this is your first time reading my blog, you might wish to read the previous blog that dealt with what had happened with me personally. In it, you will read that I was denied membership at the Branson, Missouri Salvation Army because of my stance on marriage quality for the LGBT community.

This meeting turned out to leave me a bit confused. I have drawn my own conclusions and I will allow you to draw your own. I understand that this is my own perspective. How I viewed the meeting will be different that the other two participants in the meeting.

I was apprehensive about the meeting to begin with. A good friend of mine had offered to come with me to the meeting, but at the last minute he had to cancel. I then asked another friend to the meeting, who is the pastor of a local church I had been attending in the interim. He apologized, but he had to be out of town for that time.

So I was nervous. I didn't know what to expect. I hadn't attended The Salvation Army since that first meeting. I actually couldn't even if I wanted to on Sundays because my work schedule (to this day) doesn't allow me to attend Church on Sundays. It has been OK, though. I have been attending a wonderful Bible Study which challenges me as much as it stimulates me.

During the meeting, we read over the Soldier's Covenant, our Articles of War. During the meeting, I discovered from my divisional commander that he was concerned that I would use the topic of marriage equality to derail the work of The Salvation Army in Branson, Missouri. He wanted assurances from me that I would abide by my covenant. I had already done so before in my previous correspondences. So I reiterated the same to him that day and he accepted me as a soldier in the Branson Corps.

We briefly touched on the differences between abiding by Position Statements versus our Covenant. I brought up the fact that our Position Statements have changed over the years.

However, what was most interesting to me was to discuss the whole issue of #BlackLivesMatter as it relates to the events of Ferguson. My divisional commander is African-American. He has been in charge of The Salvation Army based in St. Louis, MO (of which Ferguson is a suburb) since before the tragic events there. I actually appreciated his spirit and his candor as he expressed how difficult it was to be both a voice for the oppressed as it was to support those in Law Enforcement. It was something I greatly enjoyed listening to and would have loved the opportunity to discuss it further with him.

What now?

I am not certain. Shortly after I left, I received a text message from my corps officer, saying that he supported the outcome of the meeting. I told some of my friends about the outcome of the meeting on Facebook. Their responses were from incredulous to happy.

This has been one of the most difficult experiences I have faced. I have no doubt that my corps officer, my divisional commander, and our headquarters were trying to delicately find a balanced situation here that would appease everyone.

What do you do when a relationship has been broken and trust is now an issue? Do you work through the issues, or do you bid a fond farewell?

This is the question I will struggle with. This is the question I will confront.

I love The Salvation Army. I love how we serve humanity and go where others refuse to go. I have been saddened by the Army's marginalization of those in the LGBT Community, including myself, and I wonder whether it is now worth the struggle.

I have not come up with an answer; however, I am grateful for the outcome of this session and the fact that I am still a soldier of The Salvation Army.

Rejection

"May the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ be blessed! He is the compassionate Father and God of all comfort. He's the one who comforts us in all our trouble so that we can comfort other people who are in every kind of trouble. We offer the same comfort that we ourselves received from God. That is because we receive so much comfort through Christ in the same way that we share so many of Christ's sufferings. So if we have trouble, it is to bring you comfort and salvation. If we are comforted, it is to bring you comfort from the experience of endurance while you go through the same sufferings that we also suffer. Our home for you is certain, because we know that as you are partners in suffering, so also you are partners in comfort." - 2 Corinthians 1:3-7 (CEB)

I know something about rejection. This past year could have been my "Year of Rejection." I lost nearly everything that was dear to me.

However, things began to look up. I became a Dispatcher for the City of Branson. I was being welcomed very much in the corps (church) where I lived. I had some excellent talks with the corps officer about what had led to my no longer being an officer. We agreed that although we were of a difference of opinions, we were still brothers in Christ. I was participating again in the meetings. The only thing I really regretted was that this corps has no Bible Study for the members.

So I did what I thought was natural, I asked to have my membership transferred to the Branson Corps. The corps officers even took my orders for my soldier's uniform. Then on the 11th of February, my corps officer asked to have a coffee with me. This was not unusual. I had done it before with him. We talked over an hour and a half. Then I had to get to work. That's when he delivered the bad news:

The divisional commander (like a bishop) and my corps officer had decided to deny my transfer as a soldier to the Branson Corps. The reason:  They did not believe that I would uphold "the sanctity of marriage," as is expressed in our "Articles of War," which is the covenant all soldiers sign when we become members of The Salvation Army. The relevant portion states, "I will uphold the sanctity of marriage and of family life."

What was the reasoning behind this? I support marriage equality. I believe everyone can marry whomever he/she desires to marry. If it is someone of the same gender, I do not have a problem with this. Unfortunately, The Salvation Army has been wrestling with this problem, sometimes successfully, sometimes unsuccessfully.

The topic of LGBT inclusion has become a polarizing issue in The Salvation Army. Because of my stance on it, I was told that I was not allowed to be a member of the corps. This infuriated, saddened, and upset me. I asked our headquarters in Chicago if I was still a soldier in The Salvation Army since my transfer was being refused. They wrote back to reply that I was indeed. So it seemed that my problems only are local.

I shared my concern with some friends of mine in a group on Facebook, called "Salvos for a More Inclusive Church." Unbeknownst to me, an officer from the Territorial Headquarters in Chicago took screenshots of what I had said in this private group and spread them around, including to my corps officer. This was against the rules of the group, but that officer did it anyway. My father confronted him about it and he admitted to it.

Things seemed to be getting worse.

Rejection Letter

I had written to my corps officer, asking for clarification about why he was rejecting my transfer. He wrote the following:

At this time, your soldiership roll will not be transferred to the Branson, MO Corps. There is absolutely no restriction on your attending, participating in, or being active in the Branson Corps. I would hope we could review the transfer together at a later time. I would enjoy the opportunity to discuss with you in person, and in more depth, our reasoning behind not accepting the roll and the things I'd like to see happen before reconsidering an additional request. . . .

As a Corps Officer I am responsible for the membership and the involvement of soldiers within my appointment. As a Salvation Army Officer I feel a great sense of sacred trust for which I am accountable for to both the institution of the Army and most importantly, to God Himself. As much as this choice to not accept your Soldier's roll seemingly erects a wall around the Army for you - making the movement who's been your own avenue of sacred service a vehicle of hurt - be assured that God's grace is greater. God wills to use you just as much as He did the day you were commissioned. His love is steadfast towards you and I believe that the same Holy Spirit who began in you with a ministry of wooing you to Him still works amongst you.

On a larger scale, know that there is no intention, nor do I hold the authority, to pursue the removal of your Soldiership from The Salvation Army. Territorial Headquarters has confirmed that your soldiership is active with the territory, but you just won't be a soldier of the Branson Corps.

Reading this, I was crushed.

This is what I felt he was saying to me:

You cannot be a member. You can attend, but we don't really accept you. We accept you, but you need to sit at the back of the bus.

When I told my friends, many of them quickly came to my side.

What was even more heartening: several officers from around the world offered to take me on as their soldier, even though I wouldn't be able to attend regularly. Some as far away as Australia and New Zealand said they would take me as a soldier in their corps.

So on one hand I had rejection, on the other hand I had acceptance.

Then one of my best friends, who is an officer in Iowa, told me to transfer my soldiership to his corps. I am in the process of that right now. I look forward to being a soldier of the Newton, Iowa corps. His divisional commander did not have any problems with me being a soldier in his division, either.

I decided to write to our Chief Secretary (like an archbishop) about my situation. I felt it would be best to explain to him what had been going on with me. I know him to be a prudent, kind, and caring man, with whom I closely worked in Albania. This is what I wrote to him:

My response:

First of all, it implies that they view my personal beliefs as a form of adultery. However, I have always been faithful to my wife.

Secondly, it implies that I have somehow broken my covenant when I signed my Articles of War.

Thirdly, I understand in my conversation that day with [the corps officer] that this whole controversy stems from my belief that The Salvation Army needs to be more inclusive in its membership, especially towards those in the LGBT Community. [They] have used a tenuous logical thought to state that since I believe that The Salvation Army needs to be an affirming Church (i.e.: welcoming to the LGBT Community), that this in some way means that I do not uphold the sanctity of marriage.

Fourthly, I find it duplicitous that [they] would deny me the right to be a soldier at the corps when my soldiership is in good standing and I do not have any restrictions placed on me in regards to uniform wearing. I have even participated in Sunday Worship meetings, being asked by the lieutenants to do so and with their full knowledge of my personal beliefs.

So, although in his letter, [it] states that I can still come to the meetings and worship there, he denies me membership. It is very much a "separate but equal" situation. Can one wonder why The Salvation Army has such a negative image with the LGBT Community when people in their own ranks are discriminated against and not allowed to be soldiers? How can one feel welcome at all in a corps, but at the same time be told that you can't be a member because of a point in theology? Also, it is in my opinion that it is an insignificant point. When Christ himself said that marriage would not be an issue at all in Heaven (Matthew 22:30), I do not see how it should be so divisive for us. I still hold to all 11 Doctrines of The Salvation Army. I still hold to my Soldier's Covenant in the Articles of War. I still hold myself faithful to my Officer's Covenant, even though I am no longer an officer.

In speaking with Major Dick Justvig, he told me that this was unprecedented and that he had never heard of someone being denied a transfer because of his/her personal beliefs. Since I am not allowed to be a soldier of the Branson Corps, I will not be attending until such time as I can be accepted.

I am extremely grateful to Majors Jeff and Mikey Carter and Major Greg Thompson for looking past this and allowing me to be a soldier of the Newton, Iowa Corps. However, I believe this issue should be addressed.

I am very concerned that this issue will tear The Salvation Army up when it doesn't need to. We have marginalized the LGBT Community far too long. Being bisexual myself, I can only emphasize just how unwelcome this whole action makes me feel at the Branson Corps.

What I would ask of you is that you would countermand [the] decision to deny my transfer to the Branson Corps and allow me to be a soldier there. If, however, you deem this to be unnecessary, I am content to be a soldier of the Newton, Iowa Corps.

With kind regards,
Timothy McPherson

New information!

And so, with this last bit of information, you, the reader, have found out something about myself that I have been reluctant at times to broadcast to the public world: I am bisexual. I did not come to terms with this until this past year in 2015. It had always been a part of my identity, but one that I had been trying unsuccessfully to repress, but that is perhaps a point for another blog.

Do we stand up for an ideology? Do we stand on principle, or do we stand up for people?

In the midst of all this rejection, I have found acceptance and comfort. I have found friends who have come to my side and stood with me, loving me for who I am and for whose I am: a child of God.

I will always love The Salvation Army. I believe in many ways we encapsulate what is best of serving those in need. I think we have lost our way and have decided to marginalize people once again. I, too, have been guilty of that, even as an officer. However, we need to stop being like the learned scholars of Jesus' day.

Love God. Love others. If anything we do goes against that, we are doing something wrong.

My letter seems to have had some effect. I received a text message from the corps officer, stating that the divisional commander wants to meet with me to discuss everything that has been going on.

I am hopeful that something will happen, but also am extremely nervous, given how I have been recently treated.

To be continued . . . 

Um, I felt the Bern.

I'm entering new territory here:  telling you about my experience at a political rally. It's new for me because when I was an officer in The Salvation Army (clergy), I was not allowed to express my views politically through social media. So as a disclaimer, these views here are my own and should in no way reflect those of my family or my denomination. Also, this is mostly talking about my experience at the rally, not necessarily about why you should vote for Bernie Sanders.

This morning I got an email from the Bernie Sanders campaign, stating that he was going to be at a rally on the Missouri State Campus in Springfield, Missouri, which is only about 1 hour north of me. I have never gone on purpose to a political rally before. One was held at my college at Asbury for George H. W. Bush. I remember that being a surreal place where strategically placed people were in the audience, chanting "four more years" at weird moments.

However, this year was different. The email said the doors would open up at 4:00 PM. So I showed up at 3:00 PM. I didn't have a Bernie Sanders pin or shirt, so I wore my shirt from the Christian Left. More than one person asked me if I had started the Christian Left. (I felt that was a very nice compliment, by the way!) The shirt is awesome, too, and has a great message.

Waiting in line, I certainly felt my age. I was one of the oldest people there. Most of them were from the college, but I did meet a retired coast guard sailor. Still, everyone was extremely nice and well-mannered. There were no counter-protests, nobody from the Trump or Cruz campaigns to disrupt the meeting, either. Still, people chatted with me as if they had known me for years. I enjoyed that very much.

I was up in the "mosh pit," in the standing room area, which was closest to the podium. Then we waited. We waited a good, long time. Finally, the event began. Tulsi Gabbard, congresswoman from Hawaii and a veteran of the Iraq War, gave the first introduction, followed by several others.

OK. Yes, this is cheesy. I'll admit it.

Then Bernie Sanders spoke and the crowd went wild. Those of you who know me, know that I normally am not a crowd-follower. When there is corporate worship and people are told to raise their hands, I refuse. So I listened and took notes, applauding when I agreed with what was said.

What did I learn? Bernie Sanders is substantive in his speeches. He covered so many different areas of American life and didn't leave anything out.

This is what he covered:

• Oligarchy - 1/10% of 1% of our nation has the same amount of wealth as the bottom 90%.
• Economy
• Our broken criminal justice system
• The failed Wall Street Bailout
• Hillary Clinton's speeches, where she earned $225,000 per speech
• NAFTA, TPP Trade Agreeements
• Free College Education/Student Loan Crisis
• Equal Pay for Women
• Drug Addiction being a mental health problem, not a criminal problem
• Mental Health and having better access to mental health medication
• Taking marijuana off of the controlled substance list
• Improving Immigration Standards and protecting the undocumented who are being used as virtual slave labor here
• Improving the lives of Native Americans
• Addressing Climate Change and emphasizing that we humans are the cause of the more devastating effects
• Our nation's infrastructure is terrible, as evidenced by the Flint Water Crisis
• Healthcare in the United States is still problematic and needs to be moved to a single-payer system.

I won't go through all of those points, but needless to say, he was quite detailed in how he would approach each issue. (Also, as a side note, there was a wonderful woman, translating American Sign Language for the Hearing Impaired. What was remarkable was this woman only had the use of one hand.)

ASL Translator

However, what impressed me the most about Bernie Sanders, were the things I found out about him that night. Many people are aware of the 4 young girls who were murdered in a church through a bomb in Birmingham, Alabama. This act galvanized the Civil Rights Movement, which Bernie Sanders was a part of then. Bernie said that what was not commonly known, was that this bombing was the 14th bombing that happened in Birmingham. It took that many bombings to happen before people cried "Enough!"

Some of my favorite quotes from the evening:

"Think outside of the box. Think outside of the status quo." - In response to those who say we cannot make such big changes in healthcare, the environment, infrastructure, etc. What is commonplace now (integrated schools and same-sex marriage), was unthinkable several years ago.

"A great nation is judged by how we treat the weakest and most vulnerable."

I was tweeting some of these things during the rally. To that last quote, I knew people who were pro-life would raise objections. Bernie Sanders advocates for a woman's right to choose.

My caveat:  I am also pro-life. I do not believe that abortion solves problems; however, in all of the years we have been electing so-called "pro-life" candidates to office, abortion is still legal and is still happening. We need to address why women are resorting to abortions and not make it illegal. In all honesty, are we willing to pay young women's medical costs, education, and other bills while she carries and unwanted pregnancy? More often than not, the poor cannot afford any more children. Once we address that terrible inequality, only then will abortions decrease.

It is to Christian Evangelicals' detriment that they have become a one-issue voting bloc. Just because someone is pro-life, doesn't make them a good politician. I could also say, just because someone is a neurosurgeon or a business mogul, does not make him/her fit to be president, no matter how "pro-life" s/he is.

After the rally was over (and listening to Disco Inferno ad infinitum), we got to meet and greet Bernie and that is where I felt the Bern. (I shook his hand!)

Does God Need Us?

I had an interesting Twitter conversation with David Henson. He's a blogger, Episcopalian priest, and contributor on one of my favorite podcasts:  The Moonshine Jesus Show. David's main point is that Jesus rejected independence, focusing instead on being Immanuel, God with Us.

If Jesus rejected independence, what does that mean?

One of my favorite titles given to Jesus is Immanuel, which is Hebrew for "God with us." It has been a comforting thought for me, reassuring me that we are not alone, that God is with us no matter what. (Yes, I realize that the prophecy from Isaiah 7 did not specifically refer to Jesus and that the writer of Matthew used this prophecy to describe Jesus.)

However, could there be a reciprocation with this? Why would God want to be with us? Is there any need for God to be with us?

For some people, the answer is an immediate, "No." God doesn't need us. God created us, loves us, cares for us, but that is the extent of the matter.

What if it weren't? What if God did need us?

To me that would clarify many questions. Why did God create us? Why was Jesus here on Earth, sent by God? Why does God love us?

Could it be that not only we need God, but that God needs us?

We focus so much on being independent. We want to do things on our own. We celebrate Independence. We celebrate that imagined freedom. However, it has been my observation that independence is very lonely. Instead, we need each other. God also fills in part of that equation. God needs us just as much as we need God.

I view it very much as a parent with a child. I am a parent. I love my children. This love for them is a drive that cannot be quenched. I need to love my children. In many respects, could it also be that God needs us just as a parent needs his/her child?

There are so many images in the Bible for God showing love like a mother for her nursing infant. (Hosea 11:1-4 is a beautiful image that conveys this idea.)

I do not have a definitive answer on this topic, but it is an idea worth pursuing for me. I would be very interested in hearing your thoughts on the subject.

The Body of Christ

So, brothers and sisters, because of God's mercies, I encourage you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice that is holy and pleasing to God. This is your appropriate priestly service. Don't be conformed to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds so that you can figure out what God's will is - what is good and pleasing and mature. Because of the grace that God gave me, I can say to each one of you:  don't think of yourself more highly than you ought to think. Instead, be reasonable since God has measured out a portion of faith to each one of you. We have many parts in one body, but the parts don't all have the same function. In the same way, though there are many of us, we are one body in Christ, and individually we belong to each other. We have different gifts that are consistent with God's grace that has been given to us. If your gift is prophecy, you should prophesy in proportion to your faith. If your gift is service, devote yourself to serving. If your gift is teaching, devote yourself to teaching. If your gift is encouragement, devote yourself to encouraging. The one giving should do it with no strings attached. The leader should lead with passion. The one showing mercy should be cheerful. - Romans 12:1-8 (Common English Bible)

I lived in Germany from 2000-2010. I had a wonderful time there, but there was one aspect of German life that I was not allowed to participate in:  Politics. I was not a citizen of Germany, even though I was a permanent resident. I did consider obtaining German citizenship so that it would make it easier for me to stay there, but in the end I was recalled by The Salvation Army to the United States in 2010.

Germany has a parliamentarian system. Whichever party (or coalition of parties) controls the legislative branch, that party also controls the executive branch. Traditionally in the past there were 2 main parties in Germany:  the CDU/CSU (Christian Democrats/Christian Socialists), which is the politically conservative party and the SPD (Social Democrats), which is the politically liberal party. There are also several other smaller parties, including the Green Party, the FDP (similar to Libertarians), and several more smaller ones. In the past, the SPD would form a coalition with the Greens and the CDU would form a coalition with the FDP. Whichever parties won the most votes would form a coalition government. The coalition parties had to have enough seats to form a majority. That coalition government would then elect the chancellor.

Something strange happened in 2005. There were not enough votes for any of the major parties to form a clear majority. No one could form a coalition government on the basis of their ideology. It was a stalemate. So something very unusual happened:  Both major parties (the CDU and the SPD) got together and decided to form a Grand Coalition. Angela Merkel from the CDU was elected the first woman chancellor and Franz Münterfering of the SPD was her Vice Chancellor. Both parties were forced to work together to make a successful government.

And it worked! It was quite astounding. It wasn't without its problems. Gerhard Schröder, who had been the last chancellor, refused to work with the new government and resigned. It also had an unusual side effect. When the next elections came along, neither party could accuse the other party of doing a bad job with the government since both of them worked together. As a foreigner observing from the outside, it was quite amusing for me.

In his letter to the Romans, Paul was encouraging his readers to work together. First, he reminded them that their whole body should be a living sacrifice for God. This terminology might seem strange to us. Paul wasn't saying that there should be human sacrifices. For the ancients, when something was sacrificed, it was dedicated to the gods (or in this case, to God). It was set apart only for God and to be used by God. This is what Paul was suggesting. Our lives should be dedicated to God, belonging to him.

However, this shouldn't make our head big.

One of my biggest concerns lately is the division I have been seeing within the Church and especially my own denomination, The Salvation Army. There are those of us in our denomination who are quite conservative, both theologically as well as politically. This tends to be the norm in the United States, but is not so in other countries.

You might be aware that I was recently terminated as an officer in The Salvation Army. One of the reasons given for my termination (and a reason why I may never be an officer in The Salvation Army again) was that our Officer Review Board felt that my personal theology was no longer compatible with Salvation Army doctrine. I was not told this prior to their deliberations or that this was even a factor in discussing my termination. Nor was I told how my theology differed from Salvation Army doctrine (which it doesn't, at least in my own personal estimation).

One of my biggest concerns as a Salvation Army officer was that I was not permitted the latitude to discuss new theologies or to even question strongly held beliefs. Since I did question them (and there was no forum to do so in any other way), I was terminated. My worst fears had come true.

It was as if the Body of Christ were saying to itself, "I don't need this part of my body anymore. I'm going to cut it off." (Don't worry. I'm not going to insert a graphic of that type of image!)

We tend to do that all too readily in the Church. When we disagree, we'd rather part ways than try to live with each other as siblings in Christ. We have not learned the discipline of living together in the Body of Christ. When we see the differences in the way we worship, the way we talk, the way we act, we tend to throw accusations at each other. In fact, I'd be willing to bet that when we do see these differences, we don't see the other person as part of the Body of Christ. We see others in the Body of Christ as cancer that needs to be surgically removed before it metastasizes.

I realize that I am just as guilty as my more conservative friends in wishing to part ways. It is more difficult to stay and work out the differences. I am willing to step up to that challenge. I was pleasantly surprised by many conservative friends who took it upon themselves to show me love when I was hurting. That not only comforted me; it also challenged my preconceived notions. I loved that.

One day I do envision a Salvation Army that is opening and welcome to all. I see a Salvation Army that doesn't categorize different theologies as disloyalty. I envision a Salvation Army that allows for differences of opinion, which realizes that we are all a part of the Body of Christ, needing each other to serve God as we serve humanity.

I found this beautiful statement from Saint Teresa of Avila:

May it be so with us.

I've Had an Epiphany

You've heard, of course, about the responsibility to distribute God's grace, which God gave to me for you, right? God showed me his secret plan in a revelation, as I mentioned briefly before (when you read this, you'll understand my insight into the secret plan about Christ). Earlier generations didn't know this hidden plan that God has now revealed to his holy apostles and prophets through the Spirit. This plan is that the Gentiles would be coheirs and parts of the same body, and that they would share with the Jews in the promises of God in Christ Jesus through the gospel. - Ephesians 3:2-6 (CEB)

This Wednesday (6 January) is Epiphany. With that, Christmas has come to an end, as my good friend, Jeff Carter, is wont to remind us all in his blog. Unfortunately, it has been my experience that not too may people know what Epiphany is. I am under the impression that some people think an epiphany is what Smee thought it was in the movie, Hook.

Instead of it being an Apostrophe, what is Epiphany?

It is the Feast during the Christian calendar, which commemorates that God has become human in the person of Jesus. The word, "Epiphany" means "striking appearance" or "manifestation."

When I lived in Germany, this was also called "Three Kings Day," which is the traditional day celebrated when the Magi visited Christ, according to the account in Matthew 2. This is as close to Halloween that German Christians like to get. (German Christians actually despise Halloween, which falls on the same day as Reformation Day, when Martin Luther published his 95 Theses.) Children will go around, dressed as 3 kings, sing songs, and people would give them treats as they did this.

Of course, the "kings" were not really kings at all. They were astrologers, people who thought the stars controlled our destiny. I find it ironic that there are several instances in the Bible where God uses methods that we normally would consider repugnant:  A seance to tell King Saul that he was going to die; casting lots (like rolling dice) to decide who should be king, who was guilty, or who should be an apostle.

God often uses things to confound us and the scripture given to us for Epiphany is no different.

In this passage of Ephesians, Paul was talking about something quite revolutionary:  It was possible for people to become followers of Jesus without becoming Jewish first. For Christians today, this goes without saying. However, this was controversial at the time. Jesus was a Jew. Jesus was circumcised. Jesus worshiped in the Temple. Why shouldn't all Christians be Jews as well?

This was not an easy thing to ask of people, especially grown men. To be circumcised as adults and then to obey the dietary and ceremonially restrictions was asking so much of someone who simply wanted to follow Jesus. So Paul made a huge announcement:  Gentiles (non-Jews) were coheirs and would share in the same promises. They would be partakers of the Gospel:  the Good News. They had every right to have fellowship with God.

Following Christ is not a restrictive club:  It is open to all. We all have claim to fellowship with God.

With each successive generation we see that God's love is open to all, regardless of their situation in life. In Paul's generation, it was the Gentiles. Non-Jews were also able to partake in the love of God. As a missionary, I learned quickly that I was not supposed to force the culture I was in to worship God in the way I thought they should. In others words, I was not supposed to force Germans to worship God in an American style. (In reality, sometimes I had to force my German Christian brothers and sisters to sing songs in German, rather than English.) Hudson Taylor realized that one could look like a Chinese person and still worship God. Bruce Olson realized that one could change the Bible to suit the culture of the Motilone Indians. (In their Bible translation, the wise man built his house upon the sand because the Motilone built their houses on poles in swampy, sandy soil. To build such houses on rock would be foolish indeed!)

In our present day generation, I believe God is telling us that one does not need to change his/her orientation to worship God. One could even be in committed relationships with people of the same gender and worship God. God's love is not exclusive to anyone. God's love is for all, especially for those we have marginalized. In our generation, the people who have been the most marginalized are people in the LGBT Community. Thankfully, there are several organizations which have sprung up to speak for LGBT Christians and to affirm that we all belong to the same family. (Some good examples are the Gay Christian Network and the Reformation Project.) We all are Christians. We may disagree with each other, but God's love is for all and we cannot disagree with that.

And, if I may be so bold, Paul might even say today:  "Earlier generations didn't know this hidden plan that God has now revealed to this present generation through the Spirit. This plan is that the LGBT Community would be coheirs and parts of the same body, and that they would share with heterosexual Christians in the promises of God in Christ Jesus through the gospel."

Christ Has Come. Christ Will Come.

The grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people. It educates us so that we can live sensible, ethical, and godly lives right now by rejecting ungodly lives and the desires of this world. At the same time we wait for the blessed hope and the glorious appearance of our great God and savior, Jesus Christ. He gave himself for us in order to rescue us from every kind of lawless behavior, and cleanse a special people for himself who are eager to do good actions. - Titus 2:11-14 (CEB)

Today is Christmas Eve. When I lived in Germany, this was the holiday that was more sacred that Christmas Day itself. This is the day that families would gather together to eat with each other, open presents, go to Church, and sing Silent Night (Stille Nacht). Today is the main family holiday for Germans. Because of this, it is also one of the loneliest holidays if one is separated from one's family.

Silent Night has a sacredness to it so that if one sang it too early, one would be scolded. An interesting fact that I learned is that Germans believe that Christ was born on Christmas Eve. This is why this day is called "Heiligabend," or "Holy Evening." "Christmas" is "Weihnachten," which means "Dedicated Night."

I miss Christmas in Germany:  the Christmas Markets, the smell of roasted candied almonds, the candles, the decorations of pine branches everywhere, the dark nights. I loved how German Churches place a very special emphasis on Advent, even more so than my own traditional American Christmas. There was a distinction placed even between Advent Songs and Christmas Songs. (Those who attend Lutheran Churches will know what I'm talking about.)

Which brings me to the Scripture passage. Advent is over, but there is still an expectation. Christ came into this world, but we expect him to come again. For some, this could lend many people to think, "Oh, well. Christ is coming again. Why should we care about what is happening in this world?" I once had to reprimand a friend of mine who decided to throw something in the regular garbage when he could have easily recycled it. His response was that the world was going to be destroyed by fire anyway. That puzzled me and disturbed me a lot.

Jesus didn't come into this world so that we could wait for a better world after we died. Jesus came to give us life in abundance now, not just in the future, but for now. Christ "educates us so that we can live sensible, ethical, and godly lives right now by rejecting ungodly lives and the desires of this world." This is for now, not sometime off in the distant.

Yet at the same time we have the hope of Christ returning to us. In many ways this expectation of Christ returning to us only reemphasizes for me the constancy of God's character.

What does that mean for me? The everlasting life is something we experience now, not just after death. Live your life to the fullest with Christ as your guide.