Oh say can you C
Today I learned that “pronouns” are not new and even in biblical times, St. Stephen used the desired pronouns “they, them” in order to forgive those who were stoning him, following the example of Jesus. Fortuitous?
I was thinking about Stephen, and how he was blessed, and of good faith. The sermon today talked about how Stephen was strong in the lord. When Stephen was faced with those who went against him, to physically hurt him, he asked God to forgive…acts 7 60 “Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.””
But the preacher was saying that when we are praying to God, we should name the person who has wronged us and say Lord, please don't hold the sin of _____ against the person ____.
If God were not able to see us, then it would make sense that we would need to say those words and name names, to make sure the Lord knew what person we were talking about that we were trying to forgive.
But I think that God C’s and knows our struggles and what is right and what is wrong.
So when we pray out loud, I think that the words we speak are for the people around us to hear.
Jesus said out loud “forgive THEM because THEY know not what they do”. When Jesus or anyone else does that, according to the preacher, and says forgiveness out loud, that act releases our inner negativity and bitterness to God, allowing him to handle it, and it won’t take up space in our mental real estate.
At that point we can rejoice. Rejoicing is what God wants us to be doing, not getting angry, bitter or retaliatory.
Jesus was the original one to forgive, and was way ahead of the times.
Forgiveness way back then, for things being done today, and even using the “right pronouns”, which were then repeated by Stephen is pretty inclusive and timeless, don’t you think. (sic) Jesus was not just talking to those back then, he was talking to us today.
I do not think that when someone was actually getting put to death on a cross, or getting stoned, that the one getting crucified was thinking about the gender of those doing these crimes. And yet Jesus’s words transcend time to include every person back then and through time until today, as well as acknowledge and defend all the innocents, like himself, who have died, many even before birth because of “cry baby bullies”.
If God has already forgiven, in a way that apparently can include or anticipate transgressions and groupings yet to be promoted in society, that have not even happened, so can we.
And the beauty of forgiveness is that it brings with it, the desire to not participate in any ongoing crucifixion, bullying or conformity to evil, for the sake of acceptance. Jesus reminds us that those who have been forgiven the most, love God the most. And so it was back them and so it is to they, once they can C.
I wonder if writing this helps people understand? Oh say can you see? But what if people feel like they are in too deep, or maybe they feel like they are under the sea and cannot see…are afraid to go against a promoted mindset, even when they know it is wrong.
That is when it is prudent to remember that Jesus “walked on water” on the sea, and did not move under the sea. Our talents should not be hidden, mutilated or destroyed (buried in the dirt, or under the sea) as we are reminded in that bible story of the different and many talents given to the workers, and the buried ones were offensive to the master. We also, for the same reason, cannot hide behind a lie, for fear of telling the truth. We all know what the truth is.
For those who are living life feeling like they are drowning in an “open sea” or open C, remember that man is God’s creation and God sees, and is forever encircling his creation …as in, we are copyrighted. ©
Compute?
Imagine a giant C or hook, pulling all that is submerged, back out into life, truth and happiness. It is happening right now! And just like Jesus rose from the dead, in spite of those against him doing the ultimate injustice, truth can also be resurrected.