Once upon a time I knew who was in and who was out. I was sure. Oh, I had the answers. We Baptists of course were in. Methodists and Presbyterians were mostly out—they sprinkled. I won’t get into most of the others. Except the Catholics. I was told they had guns in the basement and would soon take over the country. Not to speak of all those statues they worshipped. Muslims did not believe in Jesus and well,I just knew we wouldn’t even consider the atheists. I did not know a single Jew until later. And all those other pagan religions, I just hoped we would send missionaries pronto.
We would sing: “Safe and secure from all alarms…”. And how good it felt to be in and not out. But it was I think my first year in High School Shirleyand I worked on the newspaper together. Sharp, funny and pretty. And guess what? She was a Catholic and slowly the door cracked open and I realized there were a few others out there who might be in. I loved my Home Room teacher and she was a Methodist. My Journalism teacher was a none and I loved her.
I’m still working on my list. It is far from settled. But as the world opened in college I guess some of the blinders in my bubble slipped off. And slowly the “Jesus loved all the children of the world…even red and yellow black and white” took on a whole new meaning.
Carson McCullers wrote once: “Everybody needs somebody to look down on.” But I don’t believe that’s in the Bible. But she is right. We love being in. But the older I get the circle just widens. Jesus did say: “Come unto me all you who are weary and troubled and I will give you rest.” Took me a long time before I unpacked the enormity of that little word all. Even John 3.16 looked different.
Since then I remember when my best friend finally came out. He was great, funny and brilliant. And years later my son would tell us he was gay. He and his partner have been together over 30 years. The black woman that worked for us was my first counselor and when my Mama died dear Nancy was sitting on the front row with the rest of our family. And Richard my neighbor was one of my favorite people. We would sit on my porch in the evening, drink a little wine and argue about just about everything. He said he didn’t. believe in God but we really were brothers. And one day I wrote him a note and told him that when I thought of him I remembered the words of Carlyle Marney who included this Dedication in one of his books: “To Victor who agreed with me in nothing but was my friend in everything.”
Jesus said Judge not and he was talking about whores and Gentiles and crooked tax collectors and women and little children and even Judas and Peter the betrayers and those thieves beside him on the cross.
Jesus and God are so much bigger than anything I ever thought. So…Republicans, Democrats, church folk, those who wouldn’t dare enter a church or synagogue—whole motley crew.
I am about as far from sainthood as you can get. And I’m still working on the Fudamentalists and the Racists and the Q-anons—whatever they mean, and the Kkkers and all the cruel ones of which they are many. I know, I know Jesus did say Judge not…but couldn’t he cut us all some slack. The judging really is his business.
So I am still having a hard time answering this Lenten question. But the other day I saw this sign on a church bulletin board that read: “We are all in this together.” I guess that is about as close as I can get to answering this question.
--Roger Lovette / rogerlovette.blogspot.com
Amen, Roger!
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