So, I want to start out by saying how happy I am to be home and to thank all of you who were saying your prayers for my brother, Brian. He's finished with his chemo and radiation for now, and we are just waiting to see what the results are. He is positive and doing pretty good.
But, y'all, here's the thing. Here's what I want to talk about today. While I was there, the Tennessee State Legislature lost it's collective mind. It started out by the old white dudes looking around and seeing that neighboring Arkansas was getting all the media attention with how they were treating trans people in their state.
Not to be outdone, the legislature quickly banned any treatments for trans youth, stealing all of Arkansas' thunder. Then flush off their victory, the legislature zoomed in on drag queens, banning them from, well, from practically everywhere.
And just to make sure the point was made, they introduced a bill creating a registry where any man who wants to sing in a dress and eyeliner has to be licensed and tracked, making it easier to round them up if any shenanigans should ensue.
This was not enough, of course, so they passed a bill taking advantage of a federal loophole. Not only can a church refuse to marry LGBTQ people, but...get this...any county employee can refuse to file the license of any couple – ANY COUPLE – that that employee deems a personal affront. This is not limited to gay marriage, but also includes interracial marriage AND interfaith marriage.
They were not done, yet. An amendment was offered right there in public in a session geared toward fixing the state's execution protocol. The amendment would require that alongside lethal injection, the state should allow lynching.
In case you're wondering, half of those on death row are African American. The legislator offering this amendment was really tickled with himself.
And then finally, just to circle back around to make sure that THOSE people were put in their place, another leader of the state wanted to introduce a bill ensuring that people wore the proper, traditional clothing that would be associated with the gender assigned to them at birth. No more slacks, ladies!
To be fair, the bill was quickly withdrawn when an African American legislator reminded this dude that a Klan robe would be considered a dress, and dude's extracurricular activities would be curtailed. Even the other bigoted white men got a kick out of that.
Given the legislative session ends soon, they have to hurry up to work their way through book banning and gender neutral bathrooms. Maybe next year they will take up the things they were elected to address like tax structure, potholes, inflation, Medicaid, and things like that.
A recent comment from the speaker of the state house was as follows: We want to make Tennessee a place where everyone will want to live.
I was reminded of all of this when I read the Gospel reading today. Jesus is in Samaria and comes upon a Samaritan woman at a well.
A little backstory is in order. The Samaritans descended from the Israelite tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, up in the northern part of Israel. What really set them apart more than anything is that did not believe that to be a follower of God, you had to worship at the Temple in Jerusalem.
They had an alternative site, and even then, they also thought, heck, I can just build my own shrine right here in my back yard. The folks of the Southern Kingdom of Judah were having none of this, and they were elated to see the Samaritans suffer at the hands of the Assyrians when that empire invaded.
But tables were soon turned, the Jews were exiled to Babylon, and only a remnant was left behind, dealing with a destroyed Temple of Solomon AND a larger population of Samaritans.
The Samaritans, while not exactly thriving, were getting by under the new order. So, when the Jews were allowed to return, they now not only saw the Samaritans and strange and different, but also as collaborators of the Babylonians.
In short they were hated by Jews because they were different and seen as threats.
And it is these people that Jesus visits. And not just visits but engages. And not just engages, but loves. This woman, a second class citizen due to her sexuality alone – this woman, Jesus treats as an equal. And then offers her salvation.
And when his followers show up on the scene, they are truly amazed at this. Their bigotry disappears...or at least gets subsumed by this act of love and grace.
And y'all, that's the difference right? That's the difference between the Tennessee State Legislature and Jesus.
Look, I know the world is not all black and white; it's so many shades of gray. I get it. Bad people do bad things and must be held accountable. And so often we disagree about how we should address problems.
Boarder walls versus amnesty. Ukraine versus East Palestine. Who should pay more and who should pay less? More police versus more mental health care? All of this, some of this, or none of this? We can find all sorts of things to debate. And sometimes win and sometimes lose the arguments.
But this recent, persistent default to hate, y'all, that's not Christian.
When our leaders, when the leaders of Tennessee, get so much joy out of hurting others, that's not Christian. What they are doing with these laws is not bettering anything, it is wanton joy from causing pain. They are defining their Christianity by how many OTHERS they think God wants them to hate.
This is not Christian. And more than that, this is wrong. And more than that, this is evil. Crediting Jesus for your hatred is evil.
Jesus goes to those who are marginalized and loves them. He goes to those who are reviled and stays with them. He goes to those who are different and offers them grace. Not pain, but love. Not retribution, but peace.
Y'all, maybe I'm beginning to get too old for this country. I don't get it anymore. It's just not how I was raised. And I don't understand how folks who claim allegiance to Jesus can brag about how many people they hurt.
I knew a priest in Chattanooga who was also a judge. He told me that, if, when he went home, he did not shed tears for those he sentenced to jail, he felt he needed to pray for forgiveness.
He understood punishment for crimes, but he also understood that the criminal, too, was created by God, and something in this life was wrong, and he couldn't fix it. “But Jesus can,” he said. “Jesus loves, Jesus loves.”
I dig it. I understand what this wise man said. He got Jesus more than any crazy state legislator. That's what being Christian is all about.
To follow Jesus is to go where Jesus goes with love. To meet those different from you with love. To meet those on different paths with love. To meet those simply trying to live into their true selves with love.
To meet those in need of grace and offering grace. To meet those in need of care and offering care. To meet those needing to be heard and listening.
To love those Jesus loves because Jesus loves them.
This I know.
Amen.