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Musings
Worthwhile Endeavor
Rev. Peter Faass | 10/30/2009
On Wednesday President Obama signed into law the Matthew Shepard/James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. This act expands the federal hates crimes law of 1969 to include crimes motivated by a person's actual or perceived gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability. Passing and signing into law the Shepard/Byrd act is a milestone in our nation's history.
Both Matthew Shepard and James Byrd were horrifically tortured and murdered within months of each other in 1998; Byrd in Texas and Shepard in Wyoming. The only "crimes" either man were guilty of were, in Byrd's case, being an African-American and in Shepard's case, being gay. The hatred wrought upon these two men by their murderers jolted a complacent nation; their deaths were a painful reminder to us that the phrase, "with justice and liberty for all" still had some ways to go before becoming the reality for all Americans.
In the Gospel of John Jesus tells the disciples that, "they hated me without a cause." This was true of Shepard and Byrd as well. When you cut through all the rhetoric and ignorance surrounding the issues of sexual orientation and race, hating someone for being gay or black is to hate without a cause.
Jesus also told the disciples that the world will often hate those who follow him, especially when they follow his commandment to "love one another." It seems to me that loving people as Jesus loves us is a cause for which some hatred is worth experiencing. Our country is a better place with the signing of the Shepard/Byrd law; lots of people who pushed for and supported this law were despised and vilified. Now that it is the law of the land we see a tangible sign of the fruition of the Kingdom unfolding before us. Amazing!
As Episcopalians we know that there are those – both within Anglicanism and without - who hate us because many of us strive to love as Jesus calls us to do. While that's not often an easy task, it is the right path for us to be on. I believe with all my heart, mind and soul that the embrace our Church gives to the diversity of all God's children is in fact the Church that Jesus envisioned. No, it's not always easy to do, but I can't think of any holier way for us to life out our faith and build the Kingdom; that is a worthwhile endeavor indeed!
Peter +
