This is the last Sunday in the Church’s liturgical year.  This week is the feast of Saint Andrew which begins the year and next Sunday we begin the season of Advent, when we look with hope, peace, love and joy to the coming of the Christ.  This twenty eighth or last Sunday after Pentecost and is the Sunday when the lectionary celebrates the feast of Christ the King.  It is a time for us to reflect on who is really in charge of the universe.

In the United States the news media is filled with information about the transition of power from President George Bush to President-elect Barack Obama.  The world seems to have great expectations of the Obama administration.  He has promised change.  He has inspired hope in millions pf people, not only in the United States, but also in the world.  The foreign press seems to be even more enamored with Mr. Obama than the American press.  I don’t know if all the excitement is coming from great hope about what the next administration can accomplish, or if it is coming from a since of sheer exasperation with the way the United States has been governed in the Bush Administration.

President-elect Obama enters the presidency at a time when our nation, if not the world, is far more challenged than at any other change of administrations in recent history.  We would have to go back to the inauguration of Abraham Lincoln to find a time when America was as troubled as it is today.  At that time the issues were slavery and the building civil war.  The new President will be faced with the result of devastating ongoing wars, internal struggles with equality for all Americans, financial and credit crises, the devaluing of homes, an ever-increasing unemployment rate, and global economic recession.  While there is much hope for the new administration, there is also greater responsibility than we can possibly imagine.

With all of this going on around us, the lectionary asks us today to remember that Christ is King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  God is still in charge, one way or another.  Psalm 95 reminds us:

The SOVEREIGN is a great God, and a great King above all gods…In God’s hand are the caverns of the earth, and the heights of the hills are God’s also. The sea is God’s, for God made it, and God’s hands have molded the dry land. Come, let us bow down, and bend the knee, and kneel before the SOVEREIGN our Maker; for the SOVEREIGN is our God, and we are the people of God’s pasture and the sheep of God’s hand.

The ancient psalmist reminded the people of Israel that they belonged to a God who was powerful enough to be the creator of the universe and yet at the same time be intimate enough to be the personal leader of those God has created.

Our lesson from Ephesians reminds us of the power of our great God; that our hope is in one who can and will do more than we can imagine; one who will be there to help us when we struggle. We are the saints of God who are promised a glorious inheritance in Christ.  We are all made saints by the work of Christ.  Not because we have done great and noble things, as honorable as that may be, but because God loves us and sent Christ to us. Christ is enough to keep us in God’s care. Therefore, the Bible raises the name of Christ to a name that is above every other name.  It is a name that is to be revered more than any other leader, whether King or President.

Our Gospel lesson from Matthew 25:41-36 reminds us of the nature of Christ’s leadership as judge.  Human beings do not give out eternal judgment.  Institutions that claim to speak in the name of Jesus are not allowed to decide who is included or excluded from God’s domain and love.  Christ is the judge.  The same God who knows every intent of our heart; the one who has been tempted in every way like we have been tempted, the one who knows what it means to do the best you can with what you have and what you know, is the one who we answer to.  Trust me; Christ is more compassionate and understanding than human beings can possibly be.  For God is love.

Even Pope Benedict XVI has remarked that Christ's Kingship is not based on "human power" but on loving and serving others.”  The judgments of Christ are based on mercy and hope rather than fear and damnation.  We are challenged to put love into action by doing what we can to meet the needs of others, as we become aware of those needs.  Christ reigns through us as we act in a loving way toward those who may be the most outcast of society.

The most challenging lesson we may have from the lessons for the feast of Christ the King is the Old Testament lesson from Ezekiel.  It isn’t often that we study the prophets of the Old Testament.  Ezekiel proclaimed God’s word about 600 years before Jesus.  He said, “This is what the SOVEREIGN God says, ‘I myself will search for my sheep, and will seek them out. As shepherds seek out their flocks when they are among their scattered sheep, so I will seek out my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places to which they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness.”

Ezekiel wrote these words at a time of great distress.  His people had been conquered by an enemy army and were scattered to many other countries.  Many had been taken as slaves by the conquering emperor. He lived about the same time as Isaiah, but Isaiah stayed in Judah, the portion of Israel that had not been conquered, and Ezekiel went with those who had been taken captive.  His message was one that compared God to a great shepherd who actively sought out his sheep where they were.

God wants to meet us where we are.  God isn’t waiting to catch us in some sin so he can zap us with lightening or punish us with some disease or other problem.  That isn’t the true God of Christianity.  The God we know is one who is powerful and loving.  Our God is one who is a kind judge who understands all of the struggles we face and accepts us lovingly into God’s domain.  Our God is one who seeks us out, where ever we may wander.  There have been many times in life when I have questioned my faith in God.  Questioning doesn’t make one evil, it only makes one human. 

The exciting thing to remember is that every time we doubt or question God, God never stops loving and caring for us.  In spite of the struggles we face and the downturns of economic progress, or progress in the struggle for quality. The Spirit is still seeking us out.  God wants to be with us, right where we are.  God says, “I will rescue you.”

Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24
Psalm 95:1-7a

Ephesians 1:15-23
Matthew 25:31-46

I attended a concert last week by the singing duo “Jason and deMarco.”  The two young men have a special message of hope.  They proclaim that it is OK to be gay and Christian.  They have struggled with the Christian music industry because so many people and organizations are biased against gay Christians that they could not support them.  Christian retail outlets have refused to distribute their music and Christian radio stations have refused to play their songs.  Showtime has aired a documentary of their story and it will air on the Movie Network later this month.   They have broadened the scope of their music to do more than Christian music these days, and have risen on the Billboard pop charts.

Jason and deMarco shared the story of how they struggled with the idea of being married.  The thing that made the decision final for them was that the Supreme Court of California ruled that the state cannot deny marriage to same sex couples last year.   The couple decided that since their state would recognize the union, they would go ahead and tie the knot.   During their concert last Saturday, deMarco commented that his emotions were “raw” since proposition 8 passed in California on November 4^th.  The proposition, if it isn’t overturned in court, will amend the state’s constitution to deny marriage to same sex couples, thus becoming the only state to have given a minority group rights, and then taking them away again.  Between 18,000 and 20,000 same sex couples were married in California while it was legal.  Two other states also passed constitutional amendments defining marriage as only between a man and a woman, and another state made it illegal for gay couples to adopt children.  California Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger has said that the amendment does not change the status of those same sex couples who were already married, like Jason and deMarco.

The struggle for equality for minorities has always been a difficult task.  Justice does not come easily.  It is a difficult task that takes perseverance and time.  Most people would not have thought, even ten years ago, that same sex marriage would even be up for discussion in the united States, let alone the fact that two states Massachusetts and Connecticut currently recognize same sex marriage and three or four other state legislatures may make them legal following the recent election.

While we have many things to be discouraged about, we also have much reason to hope.  Our epistle lesson from 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 reminds us to encourage one another and build up each other.  As people of the light, we are to constantly put on the garments of faith, love, and hope.  We would truly be lost except for the hope that we have in Christ that God loves us, and that justice will prevail.

Our Gospel lesson is the parable of the talents from Matthew 25:14-30. It is the story of a man who was going on a long journey so he entrusted his wealth to servants.  One he gave five talents, another two, and a third only one talent.  A talent was a measure of money.   One talent was approximately equal to the weight of a person in gold.  These were not small investments. 

You may have heard this story before, it is about how when the owner came back he found that the first two servants had invested the talent s of gold that had been entrusted to them and made even more money for their master.  They were rewarded as good and faithful servants because of their investments.  The third servant, who had only been given one talent, was afraid of losing the master’s money, so he dug a hole and buried the money in the field.  When the master returned, he could give him his gold back, but it had not been invested in order to grow.  That servant was thrown out of the household because he had not been faithful with his master’s money.

I think I can relate to the third servant.  If this story is really about investing money, it is hard not to become afraid and bury our wealth in light of the economic times in which we live.

I think this story is about more than investing money.  It is about being good and faithful servants with what God has entrusted to us.  All that we have and all that we are belong to God.  All we can do is the best we can with what we know.  Fortunately, God has promised to not throw anyone out of his household.  We may be able to disappoint our human masters, but nothing can separate us from the love of God.

I wonder sometimes if I haven’t been like that third frightened servant at various points in my life.  For many years I kept my true nature secret and buried from others.   While I was doing the best I could, I wasn’t putting on faith, hope and love.  Instead, I was denying my true identity to myself.  I didn’t let anyone know that I was different for fear of being rejected.  I thought no one would accept me if they knew the truth.  I later found that yes, some people rejected me, but overwhelmingly, the people who mattered the most fully accept me as I am.

Is marriage equality possible in the United States?  I think so.  I hope it happens in my lifetime.  One thing I know for sure.  The more people see that gay and lesbian people are not a threat or danger to anyone; the more likely it is that they will support equality.  It is hard to take away rights from people you know personally.  It is much easier to vote against an abstract group, if you don’t think you know anyone in the group. 

Not everyone is willing to pay the price that it takes to come out of the closet and let others know they are gay.  There is a cost and it should not be taken lightly.  There are still places in this world, not too far from me, where being out as a gay person could mean harassment, verbal abuse, and even violence.  The question is whether equality is worth it.  I don’t believe in trying to flaunt one’s sexuality in front of others in order to be sensational.  I do believe that the only way attitudes toward sexual minorities will change is by letting others know we are present and not being so afraid that we bury our identities where no one can find them.

We should be very careful how we do it, but through faith, love and hope we should do our best to make sure that those around us know that when they vote against equality for gay people they are voting against some child’s mom or dad.  When they vote against equality they vote against their neighbors, relatives, friends, and co-workers.   Contrary to what some preachers will tell you, the gay rights movement isn’t about recruiting other people to be homosexual.  It is about letting other people know we are here, so they know who they are voting against.

The Gospels are full of stories about weddings.  Apparently weddings are very important events.  Weddings are an opportunity for a community to celebrate the love a couple shares. One of the fun things about being human is that we tend to look for every opportunity to party that we can get.  One of the sad things about being human is that some people want to keep other people from sharing in the same joys in which they participate.

Our Gospel lesson for this twenty-sixth Sunday after Pentecost is Matthew 25:1-13.  It is the parable of the five wise and five foolish maidens.  They all wanted to be bride maids at the party.  The groom was late, and you can’t start a wedding without both people who want to get married, so they had to wait.  He was very late and it got dark.  Not having modern flashlights, they used small lamps with wicks of burning olive oil in order to have light after dark.

When the groom arrived, five of them had enough oil to light their way through the procession to the party, and five of them did not.  The five who had enough would not share what they had, since they were afraid they would run out of oil themselves.  The other five had to go buy more olive oil. This took so long that the door was locked and they couldn’t get into the party.  The groom would not allow them to come in, in spite of all the effort they had gone through to get there.

Many people like to think that this is a message about getting to heaven.  It isn’t.  It is a story about going to a wedding party.  It is a story about life.  Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven is within you.”  The reign of God is something we live and experience now.  It isn’t something we earn our way into after death.

I have heard multiple interpretations about what this story means.  Many say that the coming of the bridegroom is the second coming of Christ.  Well, I don’t think the same Christ who said “Come to me all who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest” would be casting young maidens out into the darkness because they were late for a party.  Sorry the groom wasn’t Jesus, it was a guy getting married, who didn’t want to be bothered by more guests.

Another interpretation I have heard is that the oil represents the Holy Spirit and you can’t get into heaven without being full of the Spirit.  That’s a rather challenging idea, since the Holy Spirit isn’t something you can burn up and exhaust.  The Spirit is immeasurable and Omni-present.  It would also be a problem if one could go to the store and buy the Holy Spirit.  Contrary to what some religious people like to claim, the gifts of God are given freely and without cost.  We can’t buy or earn our way into God’s party.

This story isn’t about some people getting into heaven and others not getting into heaven.  It doesn’t work that way.  Jesus said that the good news of salvation is for all of creation.  The whole world is brought the message of salvation through Christ. 

Instead, this story is one about life, the reign of God that we live in right now.  It is a story about the fact that just because we are believers we should not assume that everything will be wonderful and cheerful all of the time.   Life has its disappointments.  I know Christians who think that the rules that apply to others don’t apply to them because they are following God, and God comes first.  Needless to say, that is the kind of thinking that leads to things like the sexual abuse scandals of the Roman Church.  There is a certain kind of arrogance about saying we do not have to answer to anyone but God.  In fact we are very much accountable to one another all of the time.  We are our brother’s keeper.

We should not assume that everything will always work out the way we expect it to.  Of course, we have hope that “all things work together for the good of those that love God”, yet we also must acknowledge that the ultimate goodness of life may not be the way we plan it to be. 

Most of my life I was convinced that I could not possibly be happy in a relationship with another man.  Although I knew that my romantic and sexual attractions were with men, I believed the lie that it could never possibly work out.  I had many voices telling me there was no hope.  I was told that two guys could never be happy together and that gay people lead truly miserable lives.  Most of these comments, of course, came from the church. 

I could not have possibly imagined that I could live in a stable relationship with a guy that loves me, and I him.   I thought God’s plan for “my good” was something else entirely, but ultimately God worked it all out.  That doesn’t mean that everything is rosy and there are no disappointments along the way.  It is the challenges that make us stronger.

This week I have some reasons to be disappointed. Among other things, two states, Florida and Arizona passed amendments to their constitution against marriage equality for all citizens.  Gays and lesbians are prevented by their constitutions from marrying one another.  Another state, California, has an amendment on the ballot to take away the right of marriage to sexual minorities in spite of eighteen thousand marriages already being performed.  As of this recording, the absentee ballots and provisional ballots will need to be counted because the count is too close to know what the decision is.  

One of the reasons I find this issue very difficult is because most of the opposition to equality comes from the church.  The very people who should be supportive of treating everyone equally and fairly are taking positions against it due to their fears.  The millions of dollars spent on fighting marriage equality by religious groups this year could have fed a huge number of widows and orphans.  The priorities of some Christians amaze me.   

Of course this isn’t the first time.  Many in the church have taken stands for such evils as slavery, interracial marriage and other issues in the past.  Yet, there is a remnant, a small group of Christians who go against the institutional church and have taken stands for equality.  They need to be applauded.

Life is full of both joys and disappointments.  Sometimes we will be invited to the party, at other times we will not.   There will be progress toward equality, and there will be bumps in the road.  We need to remember that the reign of God on earth is filled with fallible human beings who make mistakes, can be stubborn and more often than not fear the unknown and change more than anything else.  Our task is to keep the faith, hold on to hope, and live our lives before others in such a way that will see there is nothing for others to be afraid of.