According To Terese Hermann

12:1-2014

“You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden. Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works” (Matthew 5:14). Here, our Savior Jesus Christ, speaks to a community of people who often experience rejection and judgment; the transgender person. He asks that they no longer live apologetically in the shadows, but rather gleam proudly in the forefront. He conveys a message of inclusion to the many of whom feel alone, afraid, and ashamed as their gene pool swims in rarity. For you know your identity deep within your soul. The altered mind may attempt to deny your being, but the spirit will not. With Jesus by your side, you have permission to be true and live a lie no more as he accepts you without judgment. Jesus says, “It is your peers who judge by human standards; I judge no one” (John 8:15). You are loved by thee, the Son of Man. When there seems to be no one near, please realize that He is holding your hand and loving you for the good inside, not an error on the out. Jesus yearns for all transgender people to see they are not abandoned, but embraced instead. If it appears only enemies exist before you, understand this to be false as He is your friend forevermore. He graciously offers you love, hope, and acceptance. Jesus says to you, “And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).

A feeling of disparity of those around him also encompassed the core of Jesus as His mother is the beloved Virgin Mary, and his father is God. As this unique story is told, “In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord Godwill give to him the throne. Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” Gabriel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called the Son of God. Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her” (Luke 1:26-38). Once Jesus was born, angst overcame the many who were simply too narrow-minded to accept one as disparate as they, so He faced numerous threats including death. King Herod and others chose to shun Jesus for His greatness and healing powers rather than appreciate all He had to offer. He and His family fled Israel and found a safe haven in the town of Nazareth and would be referred to as a “Nazorean”. As you see, Jesus too, was not initially accepted by those who misunderstood His being. But you shall remember fear in others generates fortitude within. It may take years of wisdom to discover your inner strengths along with bravery to reveal, but when you finally do, oh how liberated you will feel.

As a way to conform to the expectations of his time, Christ as a young lad, kept his divinity hidden. Yes, He felt afraid to express His authentic self to most around Him as He desired approval as we all do. To anyone who encountered Him, except His mother who knew of His special gifts, Jesus appeared to fit the mold as created by society. It wasn’t until he was a young man that He began to feel stifled and found that He must live according to His purpose; healing the sick, feeding the hungry, befriending the outcast, forgiving the sinner, dying for all. Not another moment could He deprive Himself of His calling and inner peace. Thus, He asks of you to live by His two commandments and be true to yourself such as Him. Jesus says, “You shall love the Lord, your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And the second is similar: ‘You shall love yourneighbors, family, friends, and even enemies as yourself” (Matthew 22:37-39). Like Jesus, you mustn’t surrender to those who choose to not believe in your offerings for betterment of the world, but instead rise and prove their judgments false. And do not forget, you must pray for those that doubt and oppress you as well. Jesus says, “But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be the children of your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:44).

Witnesses to the various accounts of Jesus’ healings to those ill-stricken and decrepit have been shared and documented throughout history. When most turned their cheeks to their fellow humans deemed inferior, only One provided a miracle that they so deserved. As Christ came down from a mountain in Galilee with crowds following, there a desperate leper approached and knelt before Him, saying, “Lord, if you choose, you can make me clean.” He stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I do choose as you believe in me. Be made clean!” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.” Then when Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion came, appealing to him and saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, in terrible distress.” And Jesus said to him, “I will come and cure him as you hold faith in me.” And the servant was healed in that hour.” Soon after, Jesus entered the home of his best friend, Peter, and saw his mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever; he looked at Peter and said, ‘I will rid her of this fever as you have been loyal to me.’ And, He touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she rose up to serve the good Lord” (Matthew 8:1-15). It is with profound faith and conviction for Jesus, the Holy Spirit, that your many wishes for cures of your loved ones’ disease will be granted as conveyed in the Gospel of Matthew, “There once was a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his cloak, for she said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be made well.” Jesus turned, and seeing her He said, “Take heart, daughter; your faith in me has made you well.” And instantly the woman was made well. As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, crying loudly, “Have mercy on us, Son of God!” When he entered the house, the blind men came to him, and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord.” Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith in me let it be done to you.” And their eyes were opened only to see all the beauty on Earth (Matthew 9:20-23, 27-30). It behooves you to keep in mind that Jesus proves the unimaginable only to those who trust in His powers.

To you that have survived isolation and loneliness, it is Jesus that walks next to you even when no one else does. Forsaken you may be, but not in His eyes as his love for you is unconditional and everlasting. When you feel left out in the cold as the Samaritans once did, you must realize it is He who never abandoned thee. Jesus went about all the cities and villages, proclaiming the good news to all labeled “subordinate” by their peers, teaching His love for all, “When he saw the crowds of gender-variant persons, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matthew 9:35-36). Yes, Jesus was known to intermingle with the outcasts of his day and this not only shocked some, but upset many people as well. The Pharisees said, ‘He has a demon; The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!” And, while Jesus sat at a table for dinner with them as well, the Pharisees began to question such behavior to His disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” (Matthew 9:10-11). The Disciples ignored this inquiry and left for the villages as instructed by Christ to proclaim the good news to all that are worthy. Jesus had summoned his followers and gave them authority to befriend deserted spirits, to include the neglected, and to assist those searching for hope. Jesus advised, “Go to the lost sheep and let them know the Kingdom of heaven has come near for them” (Matthew 10:6). The Kingdom of heaven is open to you, for it is open to all.

You areas worthy of love as you are a child of Jesus. He does not turn his back on anyone that loves Him in return. You are not lesser in the eyes of the Lord, but rather a human being with equal needs and rights of any, for He has compassion for all that listen and follow His Word accordingly. Here, a story of Jesus connecting with an outcast of his day, a Samaritan woman, as He tiredly sits at a well is recounted. “A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” She said to Him, How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?” Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” Jesus said to her, “Go and get you husband as I will give you a spring of water that will gush up into eternal life and you will never be thirsty again.” She replied, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “I know you have no husband. You have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband.”Just then, His disciples came. They were astonished that he was speaking with a woman, but no one said a word.Since Jesus knew everything of this woman, she recognized Him as a prophet and she left her water jar at the well as she ran off to the city. She told everyone of her meeting with the Messiah, the Savior of the world “(John 4:7-39). This account proves that Jesus not only valued all people enough to speak to them, but he was also showing his human vulnerability by asking her for a drink. Also, He confided in this Samaritan woman, revealing his identity as well as offering salvation to her. Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father on this mountain. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” The woman said to him, “I know the Messiah is coming, and when he comes he will proclaim all things to us. “Jesus said to her, “I am he, the one who is speaking to you” (John 4:21-26).

Although today we admire and worship Jesus for His love and Protection, in his day not all possessed the same affection for Him. As the Roman ruled the Empire with their King, for anyone to declare they were the Messiah was considered blasphemy. This alone held a death sentence. Additionally, Jesus challenged certain aspects of the temple by offering the people an alternative for hope and eternal life. In the eyes of the leaders, His actions implied that the temple would no longer be the center of Israel’s political, religious, social, and economic life. As explained per Luke, “When day came, the assembly of the elders of the people, both chief priests, scribes, gathered together and they brought him to their council. The assembly rose as a body before a large crowd and began to accuse him, saying, “We found this man perverting our nation, forbidding us to pay taxes to the emperor, and saying that he himself is the Messiah, a king. He stirs up the people by teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee where he began even to this place. He heals lepers and divorced women, he helps those in need even on Sabbath, and he eats with the unclean and sinners!” All in the crowd kept urgently demanding with loud shouts that He should be crucified; and their voices prevailed. Pilate gave his verdict that their demand should be granted” (Luke 22:66 & 23:1-24).

Jesus knew His day of disloyal friends and execution was nearing as His premonitions so informed Him. However, with love remaining in His heart for His dear disciples, sharing one last meal together meant more than holding a grudge against them. Jesus desired to offer forgiveness to those He so cherished on this final night. “When the hour came, he took his place at the table, and the apostles with him. He said to them, “I have eagerly desired to this Passover with you before I suffer; for I tell you, I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he said, ‘Take this and divide it amongst yourselves. Drink from it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will never again drink of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.” Then He took a loaf of bread, and after giving thanks to all of them, he broke it and gave it to them saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me” (Matthew 26:26-29 & Luke 22:14-19). It is fair to say that Jesus was a selfless soul and only considered the well-being of his friends. Even with foreseeing Peter’s denial of Him and Judas’ betrayal for a measly thirty pieces of silver, ultimately leading to His arrest, Jesus appreciated them enough to forgive and eat with them. In order to free yourself of resentment and ire, you shall live by these words of Jesus, “Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses” (Mark 11:25).

“Crucified, but still giving life and hope to humanity” (Elizondo p. 112). Yes, Jesus was put to death as a result of living His life true to Himself, by never silencing His voice, but we shall not forget the lesson He has gifted us with: sacrifice, for change is power. “You have no power over me unless it had been given you from above; therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin” (John 19:11). Jesus spoke these words to Pontius Pilate shortly before his crucifixion. No one but God has power over you to choose your best life to live. You hold your destiny and happiness by believing in yourself as Jesus believes in you. You must love yourself as He loves you. You too have experienced societal crucifixion in your own life simply for being yourself. Christ was nailed to the cross and labeled as “Jesus of Nazareth, King of Jews” to mock Him. You are also labeled by your fellow persons within the community you live and breathe. In order to humiliate Him, Jesus was stripped of everything and left naked on the cross to tear away His dignity, “And they crucified him, and divided his clothes among them, casting lots to decide what each should take”(Mark 15:24). You also know humiliation while presenting yourself according to social norms. Being crucified by others who choose to condemn you rather than understand you is not where your life ends, just as Jesus’ life did not end with his crucifixion.

“A righteous man named Joseph went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then he took it down, wrapped it in a linen cloth, and laid it in a rock-hewn tomb where no one had ever been laid. It was the day of Preparation, and the Sabbath was beginning, so all rested. But on the first day of the week, a few women of Galilee came to Jesus’ grave to bring spices and ointments as tradition would have it. There they found the stone rolled away from His tomb and saw His body was missing. While they were perplexed about this, suddenly an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and asked,“Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, he has risen. Remember, he told you in Galilee, that the Son of Man would be handed over to sinners, be crucified, and on the third day rise again” Then they remembered His words, and all began walking back to their village, Emmaus. While speaking to each other of all that transcended, they saw an especially bright rising star. As it stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy, but as their Savior came near them, their eyes were kept from recognizing this Nazarene. As they stood in awe staring at the most colorful headdress ever seen, they could not speak, but only listen. In an ever so soft and feminine voice, She said, “Peace be with you. Truly I tell you, today and always you will be with me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43 & 24:36).