Saturday, November 11

But immediately, Jesus spoke to them and said “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.” Peter answered him: “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord save me!” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, ‘You of little faith, why did you doubt?” When they got into the boat, the wind ceased.  Matthew 14:27-32

This puts me in mind of a Sufi story.

A conventionally minded Sufi dervish, or monk, from a very pious school, was walking one day along a river bank. Suddenly his thoughts were interrupted by a loud shout from an island in the river. Someone was repeating the dervish call. “There is no point in that,” he said to himself, “because the man is mispronouncing the syllables. Instead of intoning ho ya, he is saying ya ho.” Then he realized that he had a duty, as the more careful student, to correct this unfortunate person.

So the dervish hired a boat, and made his way to the island from where the sound came. There he found a man sitting in a reed hut, dressed in a dervish robe, moving in time to his own repetition of the call. “My friend,” said the first dervish, “you are mispronouncing the phrase. It is incumbent upon me to tell you this, because there is merit for him who gives AND for him who takes advice. This is the way you speak it: ho ya. “Thank you,” said the other dervish humbly.

The first dervish entered his boat again, full of satisfaction. After all, it was said that a man who could repeat the sacred formula correctly could even walk on the waves, something that he had never seen, but had always hoped to be able to achieve. Then he heard a faltering ya ho as the second dervish started to repeat the phrase in his old way.

The first dervish thought about this, reflecting on humanity’s persistence in error. Then he saw that from the island, the other dervish was coming toward him, walking on the surface of the water. Amazed, he stopped rowing. The second dervish walked up to him, and said, “Brother, I am sorry to trouble you, but I have come out to ask you again the correct method of making the repetition you were telling me, because I am having trouble remembering it.”

The faith Jesus speaks of is not faith in his power or a faith that can come through human will or effort. Rather it is a faith that you are able and worthy, simply for being a child of God, to receive the grace and blessings God gives and to offer yourself to God in service and love. Through this faith that comes by God’s grace, your whole self is lost and gained wholly in your offering and receiving – so that anything becomes possible. To receive and offer anything less than your whole self – including your self of sexual and gender identity – is to have little faith.

My prayer:
O Holy One, you whose mercy and love are endless. Receive the offering of my whole queer self and life to your service. Help me to love others and myself just as we are, just as you love us. Sustain me as I live into being the person your grace blesses me to be, that my life may be a blessing to all creatures. I ask this in your many Names, you who makes all things possible. Amen.

Cyndi Simpson