Do You Remember?

On May 9, 2010, in Morning, Sermons, by Robert

Listen to Readings and Sermon Easter 6 The Good News Written Revelation 21.10-14 And in the spirit I was carried away to a great, high mountain and shown the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God. It has the glory of God and a radiance like a very rare jewel… It has [...]

Listen to Readings and Sermon

Easter 6

The Good News Written

Revelation 21.10-14

And in the spirit I was carried away to a great, high mountain and shown the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God.

It has the glory of God and a radiance like a very rare jewel…

It has a great, high wall with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates are inscribed the names of the twelve tribes of the Israelites; on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates.

And the wall of the city has twelve foundations, and on them are the twelve names of the twelve apostles.

John 14.26-27

The Advocate, the holy Spirit, whom the Eternal will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.

The Good News Proclaimed

Preached by the Reverend Michael A. Diaz at the Sunshine Cathedral on Sunday, May 9, 2010.

Do you remember the time when people wondered what happened to good old wholesome TV shows with only heterosexual characters involved? Apparently, they never happened. In any case, Happy Mother’s Day to you all.

How many of us loved Looney tunes when we were younger? Wasn’t Bugs Bunny just the greatest? Didn’t we love him when he put on a dress and makeup and looked so natural at it? Wasn’t it just fabulous to see him play the role of the gayest beautician on national TV in 1946?! Before queer duck there was Bugs Bunny, a great American tradition. Many of us remember Bugs Bunny, but many of us also have to be reminded of just how queer Bugs Bunny was and how this cartoon character challenged gender constructs in a society that to this day, still has unjust, differentiated roles for men and women.

How is it that we seem to have selective memory when it comes to how queer pop culture and TV icons have always been? How have we come to a place where we forget that gender queer figures whether real people or cutesy bunnies, have always been with us?

The fact of the matter is there are things, events, and images from our past that we either want to hold onto forevermore, or remember nevermore. There are those moments that we cherish: the birth of an angelic child, the day you met the love of your life, the day you began to love your life again, the time you saved up your money to buy your first house, that night you rebelled against your parents and you decided to get your first tattoo, and even the time in 5^th grade when you won the school spelling bee by spelling the word conscientious (That was me!).

Then, there are those haunting moments and images we want to forget, never to be reminded of again: the premature death of a loved one, the day you and your partner for life separated, the time you couldn’t see God in others and not even in yourself, the time a foreclosure took away the house in which you grew up, that night you should have listened to your parents, but instead got the most massive tattoo of your ex’s name in the most visible place on your body, and even the time in 5th grade when you lost the district spelling bee in the first round by misspelling the word canteen. Oh the shame!

Then there are times and events that are bittersweet. They encompass the good and bad, part of which you want to forget and part of which you want to cherish forever. A few weeks ago, I encountered such a moment. Rev. Robert Griffin and I, along with other clergy from MCC traveled to Jamaica for a historic “Walk for Tolerance” in Montego Bay. The walk was hosted by Jamaica Aids Support for Life (JASL) and there were numerous local Jamaican non-governmental organizations participating in the walk, along with MCC. The walk was aimed at raising awareness of the impact HIV/Aids have on all Jamaicans, especially on those who are most marginalized, including gays and lesbians and sex workers. As you might imagine, there was much trepidation not only among us clergy, but among all those walking. After the extensive onslaught of murder, violence, and intimidation against same gender loving people in Jamaica over the past few years, who wouldn’t have some fear? Now, people were walking and marching to demand tolerance in society. Right before the walk began I chatted with a few individuals and ask them what they were feeling, and they expressed that they were anxious and yet, hoping for the best. People didn’t know what to expect, and in their initial moments of fear, they pressed on with the walk, not exactly sure what lay ahead.

And as the walk commenced, a community marching band solely made up of youth, launched into a carnaval-infused cadence that no one could ignore. All of sudden a certain peace that passes all understanding filled us. It was as if Spirit was reminding us through the beat of a drum and the sound of a horn, that there could be peace and comfort even in midst of our apprehensiveness. With this reminder, the Spirit-filled music caused people to move freely instead of walking timidly. Instead of marching in fear, people responded by joining in joyful dance and singing out for sanguine expectations. It wasn’t officially a Pride celebration but those involved in that Walk for Tolerance were much more pride-filled than any other Pride celebration I’ve been a part of recently. I laid my head to rest that night proud of all those who weren’t afraid to participate in the walk. That was a sweet day I will cherish forever, but the bitter was still to come.

In the middle of the night, I was awakened by the ringing of my phone. I received a text message from my mother, telling me that my grandfather had just passed. My grandfather’s battle with liver cancer was a battle no more, and though he is now with everlasting peace, I, in that moment, was not left with any such peace. You see, my grandfather was an instrumental figure for me growing up. My mother was a single parent and relied heavily on my grandfather to care for me when I was young. He was a musician and worked at local bars in the evenings, so he had time during the day to take good care of me. I remember my mother would drop me off at his house in the mornings and after breakfast and a couple hours of watching Gunsmoke and Bonanza, we’d head out to the bars. He’d have a cold brew and chat with friends while I’d play with the cocktail waitresses in pajamas. The waitresses usually gave me free snacks and soda and they’d tell me how cute I was, but even then they knew they were barking up the wrong tree. They knew I couldn’t wait to get home to watch my afternoon cartoons and see Bugs Bunny in a dress. (Don’t you just love childhood memories?! Nothing says Happy Mother’s Day more than Bugs Bunny in a dress.) As I grew up, my grandfather was always my biggest advocate. As a boy in Taft, TX, he had to drop out of elementary school and pick cotton in order to help support the family financially. So, he admired and supported my efforts to acquire as much education as possible. Out of 40 something grandchildren, I, the one who liked to see Bugs Bunny in a dress, was his favorite. I cherish the many memories of being with my grandfather and I cherish that day in April when we walked for tolerance in Jamaica and yet, I do not so much cherish the news of my grandfather’s passing. Of course, I knew when I saw him two weeks before he passed, that he didn’t have much time left, but sometimes you just hope for one more day.

In our gospel reading for today, the followers of Jesus are doing just that – hoping for just one more day with him. Jesus had touched all of their lives in a special way. Many of his followers were some of the most marginalized in society. Many were considered less-than, but Jesus called them children of God. Many were called sinners, and Jesus called them his friends. So, it is a bittersweet affair in which Jesus, who senses the disciples’ fear of separation, does his best to comfort them just as any mother would comfort her children. Even though Jesus will soon be taken away and executed by the Roman Empire, he tells them the Spirit of God will be their biggest advocate in life. That whenever they find themselves feeling alone, hurt, weary, isolated, fearful, confused or conflicted, Spirit is there to remind them that God is still right there with God’s motherly love.

Jesus affirms with all his followers, including us today that peace is still available right we are, no matter the situation. When peace is nowhere to be found around us, we can still have an inner peace within us, even in the face of conflict. We can have an inner peace, a peace of motherly love, even in those bittersweet moments of life. People of God, do you remember the time when God loved you because of who you are, not in spite of who you are? People of good will, do you remember the time when Jesus showed us the way to inner peace, no matter our situation? People of motherly love, do you remember the time when Spirit was your biggest advocate in life, cheering you on and strengthening your faith journey? The good news is that time is now. Amen.

The Good News Affirmed

I affirm motherly Love all around me.

I affirm the Good that is me.

I affirm Peace within me.

Today, I am reminded the time is now.

I remember I am loved by God.