"MARCHING OFF THE MAP"

I speak to you in the name of God:
Creator, Redeemer and Giver of Life.

On Monday, a rainbow-colored sign went up in front of the church, and later today a rainbow flag will adorn our entrance. The sign and flag are intended to mark Gay Pride Day. They are intended to remind our community that we are an "open," welcoming, hospitable church - affirming of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered persons.

When I first saw the sign, a story came to mind that I had read once in a book. The book was written by Posterski and Barker, and entitled Where's a Good Church? I would like to paraphrase the story for you.

The story concerns an incident that took place in ancient times - a time when "much of the world was unexplored and unknown." (Posterski and Barker)

In those days, the science of map-making was in its infancy. When mapmakers created their maps, they would indicate areas beyond their knowledge, and understanding, with such things as dragons, or monsters, or great fish. "The message was clear: the uncharted and unknown territory was a fearsome place; it was a region touched with terror, a realm to be avoided." (Posterski and Barker)

The story recounts the experience of a Roman soldier, a battalion commander. The soldier had discovered that he had led his troops far beyond the territory indicated on his map. He was now in that unexplored world, marked by dragons and monsters. Immediately, he sent a messenger to Rome with this request: "Please send new orders, we have marched off the map."

"We have marched off the map." That is what I thought when I saw our rainbow-colored sign on Monday. St John's had marched right off the map. Of course, we have been "marching off the map" - stepping out of the box - for many years now. But the sign outside was a vivid reminder to me of who we are at St John's, and of the new territory we are charting in the life of the church.

We are, of course, not wholly alone in the world beyond the dragons and monsters. Bishop Ingham, for one, abides here with us. But I think it's fair to say that ours is a "strange new land" for many of our fellow believers and, indeed, for many of us. Our work then is far from complete.

Hospitality

For me, today's gospel highlights a central component of this "work" - this vocation to conquer what Peter Gomes, of Harvard, describes as "the last [great] prejudice" of the Christian church. The gospel that Garth chose for today concerns "hospitality."

It seems to me, that if we are to overcome prejudice, and to "do" justice, it is imperative that we extend hospitality one to the other, and, especially, to strangers. It is imperative that our doors remain "open," and that we remain a loving, tolerant, and inclusive community.

Henri Nouwen is one theologian who wrote extensively on the gift of hospitality. He noted in his book Reaching Out  that we live now in a world full of strangers, where many of us are estranged from our "deepest self, and [from our] God." In this context, people are searching for "a hospitable place where life can be lived without fear and where community can be found."

For Nouwen, it is our Christian vocation "to create [a] free and fearless space where brotherhood and sisterhood can be formed and fully experienced." In this space, both "guest and host can reveal their most precious gifts and bring new life to each other."

In our text from Matthew, it is written: "...whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple - truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward." Commentators point out that, in this passage, the expression, "little ones," is used to connote those who are vulnerable, oppressed, or dishonored. It is used to connote those for whom the dignity reserved for every person is consistently denied. It is used to connote those for whom most doors are closed, for whom most doors are slammed tightly shut.

Commenting on today's text, Dietrich Bonhoeffer writes: "[The one] who offers a cup of cold water to [those] who have no honourable name has ministered to Christ himself."

A Cup of Cold Lemonade...

Today, during the Gay Pride Parade, parishioners of St John's will offer a cup of cold lemonade to those passing our door. We will extend hospitality.

By doing so, we will follow the advice of the author of Hebrews, who wrote: "Do not neglect to offer hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unaware." (Hebrews 13:1-2)

Surely, we have "marched off the map" at St John's. But we have not encountered dragons, or monsters, or great scary fish.

• Rather, we have encountered our sons and our daughters, our brothers and sisters.



• We have encountered those whom we love, and to whom we extend our hospitality.



• We have encountered those who bestow gifts upon us, and who make us whole.



• And, perhaps - just perhaps - we have encountered the Christ. Or an angel, perhaps, seeking a cup of cold lemonade on a hot summer day.