Daily Devotional for September 4

​

September 4                                                    Mark 14:53-65

   "Again, the high priest asked Jesus, 'Are you the Christ,
 the Child of the Blessed?' And Jesus said, 'I am.' And they
             all condemned Jesus as deserving death."

The chief priests and elders gathered in the temple to condemn
Jesus to death. However, there were a few obstacles: Jesus had
done nothing wrong, and Jesus wouldn't answer any of the
false charges. He didn't attempt to justify anything. Jesus didn't
try to counter the lies witnesses told. He didn't hit back when
struck by the guards. When the chief priests finally managed
to pronounce a death sentence, they condemned Jesus merely
for telling the truth. When asked if he were the Christ, the
Child of the Blessed, he said, "I am."

Many of us were raised to believe that a believer could not
be both homosexual and Christian. As gay and lesbian chris-
tians, some of us have been accepted in a faith community
only by staying silent about the deepest part of ourselves. Some
of us have been ostracized from a faith community for speaking
out about this important part of our identity. Even if we are
not gay or lesbian, we may still hide, afraid to be who we are
in our community. We may keep parts of ourselves secret,
fearful of what others may say or do.

Jesus' strength in today's Gospel seems to come from the fact
that he knew who he was and he was not afraid to stand in
the truth of his identity. We, too, can gather strength from
knowing who we are and being unafraid to stand in the truth
of our identity. Whether gay and lesbian or heterosexual, we
know we are children of the Blessed and that God will never
desert us. And in the face of oppression, we know that we
are free to be who we really are and to tell the truth about it.

"I am the light of the world," Jesus said. (John 8: 12) Seek out
the hidden parts of your life this day and warm them in the
light of Christ's care for you. Bring those hidden places to
Christ today and say, "I am."

​

From The Road to Emmaus - An inclusive devotional Edited by Joseph W. Houle

Emmaus House of Prayer - Washington D.C.1989