Dark, Yet Lovely?

So, I tried to teach my course at Gettysburg College. A group of students were willing to sponsor it - a voluntary gathering of people who were interested in learning about God's plan for relationships. The announcement sparked a lot of controversy. After lots of campus dialogue, rumors of protests and one tough article in the school newspaper, the course didn't happen. Most of the stir was in reference to homosexuality - on my web site I categorize this lifestyle under the heading "Immoral".

If I was gay and truly believed that I was born this way, I think I'd have a similar reaction. It's like saying, "God, you made me this way and then you made a rule that keeps me from being acceptable." I'm told most gay people really would like to be straight if they were given the choice. But, for some reason, the power to change evades them. Life must be a series of concessions. No wonder the moral message is another rejection slam. But the God of the Bible isn't asking for perfection.

Maybe you haven't read this verse:
"Dark am I, yet lovely" (Song of Solomon 1:5).

The amazing thing about God's love is that it doesn't ask for perfection. He doesn't even hold up a righteous requirement. God's love is free to us because it was purchased with a cost to him. None of us, gay or straight, have what it takes to approach God. Every one of us has messed up - there are no "really bad" sins. But God has this crazy love for people. I don't understand it really, but I know it reached out to me while I was a mess! And he still does. I'm not perfect and there are days when it's more noticeable than most. However, God says I'm "lovely" in the midst of my imperfection. That means I'm lovable. God finds me lovable even when I mess up. And he feels the same about you!

When someone puts a period after the phrase, "I am dark" there is no room for hope and there is no room for redemption. That's not the message of the gospel. Jesus Christ conquered sin and death making change possible. He gives us the power to change and that's the good news in a nutshell. List's of "do's and don'ts" raise the bar so high, no one can pass. Moral absolutes were never meant to communicate rejection and I'm so grieved when they do.

Morals are for Christians, people who recognize their need for a Savior - someone to save them from their mess. Out of gratitude for that sacrifice they have surrendered their hearts to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, no longer living for their own purpose. Morals were given to Christians to serve as boundary lines set up by a loving God to help us stay within the channel of blessings. They help us gauge danger zones that could bring harm. Morals offer wisdom but they are not requirements that determine acceptance and worth.

You are "dark, yet lovely", my friend. It's just that simple. And one tiny sentence can open the door to this reality. "I need you, God." That's where it all begins.