Love is Love 

Beltane is the ancient Feast that led to May Day. It is a celebration of Life and Love of every kind. 

Yesterday was Beltane, 

  one of the high holy days of the ancient faith 

    sometimes called paganism. 

It stands in a position 

  similar to Samhain (Halloween), 

    since it falls approximately halfway 

      between an Equinox and a Solstice. 

In our culture, 

  Beltane is probably better known as May Day, 

    an ancient celebration 

      of Spring and approaching Summer 

        in much the same way 

          that Samhain commemorates 

            Autumn and the approach of Winter. 

Among the earth based spiritualities, 

  the emphasis of Beltane is fertility. 

Agriculture, both plant and animal, 

  and human reproduction are ways 

    that fertility is sought and celebrated 

      in this holy time. 

Probably the best known symbol 

  of Beltane and May Day 

    is the May Pole, an obvious sign of fertility 

      with its phallic shape to represent the god 

        and its decorations of flowers 

          to represent the goddess. 

Numerous gods and goddesses represent 

  the meaning of Beltane. 

Two of them are primary, 

  Cordelia, the Celtic Goddess of Spring and flowers 

    and Bel, the Celtic god of the sun. 

The name, Bel, means shining, 

  and tane means fire, 

    so Beltane is the feast of shining fire. 

Hence bonfires are characteristic of Beltane. 

The warmth of the bonfires 

  represent the approaching warmth of Summer.

As we think of Beltane and the coming of summer, 

  we are also considering 

    our own place in the cosmos. 

As human beings, 

  we have a special resonsibility to the rest 

    of the natural world of which we are a part. 

We easily forget our place in nature, 

  and we do so at our own peril. 

The present pandemic 

  and the growing global emergency 

    of climate change 

      are only two examples of the danger. 

Thinking of ourselves as a part of nature 

  can help us find our way as stewards 

    who are called to share nature's gifts 

      rather than thinking of ourselves as 

        rulers of the natural world  

          whose will can control the events around us. 

Natural science was once considered a tool 

  of human advancement and domination. 

Now we can see better 

  that science is a tool of understanding, 

    a way of advancing stewardship and care 

      rather than a way of promoting 

        more selfish interests. 

Our care and stewardship of each other 

  and the world of nature 

    is a way of describing love, 

      since love at its heart is the care of the beloved. 

The most important statement we can make 

  about love as care of the beloved 

    is that Love is Love. 

As such, 

  Love is altruism, 

    and it is being understood more and more 

      in natural science 

        as an adaptive trait. 

It may not work well for the individual organism, 

  but altruism is self sacrifice for the greater good. 

As an individual works for the whole collective, 

  even at her or his own expense, 

    the altruism can benefit everyone else. 

We can try to understand together the meaning 

  and the extent of the collective. 

As I'm thinking of it, the concept of the collective 

  is not to advocate 

    collectivism as a social or political system.  

Our concern for all those who are in 

  the groups to which we belong 

    will enhance the hope of survival and thriving 

      for all of us, 

        and our concern for others 

          is what we are emphasisizing 

            in the use of the word, "collective". 

At this point I need to reiterate the statement 

  that I made above: "Love is love." 

I hope we can all agree to interpret the statement 

  as broadly as possible. 

In our time, of course, 

  saying, "Love is love," 

    represents an affirmation of relationships 

      among members of the LGBTQ+ community. 

It carries broader meanings, too, 

  especially considering altruism. 

Love is love whenever, wherever, and by whomever 

  the well being of the one who is loved 

    is given value at least as great 

      as the one who loves gives himself or herself. 

We consider each other's well being, 

  even when the consideration is costly. 

I have a story from my own experience 

  that tells how I went through 

    a profound conversion

      regarding my own feelings 

        about LGBTQ+ people and their relationships.

My feelings moved from homophobia to affirmation. 

To provide a little background, 

  most of you already know 

    that I have been widowed twice. 

My first late wife died of a heart attack 

  on December 5, 2005. 

(I have been happily married three times; 

  my first marriage, 

    to the mother of Kevin and Karen, 

      ended in divorce. 

The latter two marriages 

  ended with my spouses' deaths.) 

Many of you will remember the movie, 

  Brokeback Mountain. 

(You'll just have to take my word for it at this point 

  that my reference to the movie is relevant!) :-) 

If you remember the movie reviewers, 

  Siskel and Ebert, 

    you may also remember that they 

      and their reviews were very good. 

Ebert spoke of BBM as a classical tragedy. 

I love literature enough 

  that I was taken with the idea 

    of a contemporary movie as a classical tragedy. 

I knew I would want to see it. 

I did not see it in the theater at first, 

  and I later wondered why it had gone that way. 

The movie was released in theaters on December 9, 

  four days following the death of my late wife, Bina. 

I saw it the following Spring, on video. 

Seeing BBM was a life changing event for me, 

  a conversion experience as I mentioned earlier. 

Turning back the clock some nine years, 

  I had an experience in the Phoenix airport 

    that prepared the way for my conversion. 

I met two younger men, good friends, 

  who were traveling together. 

One of them was going through 

  some terrible family struggles. 

I prayed with them there in the airport waiting area, 

  and I anointed with oil 

    the one who was struggling with family issues. 

In those days I carried a small container of oil 

  almost everywhere I went 

    in case there would be a need. 

The experience was deeply meaningful 

  to all three of us. 

A little while later, on the airplane we were all riding, 

  I heard a voice from behind me calling, 

    "Hey, Pastor Fred!" 

I turned to see them both grinning, 

  explaining that they just wanted their seat mate 

    to see me. 

We stayed in touch after I got home, 

  and I even shared the story with the church Board 

    of the congregation I was serving. 

Not long afterward, 

  I learned from one of the young men 

    that the other one, 

      the one who had experienced family problems, 

        had been murdered. 

I also learned that the two young men 

  had been lovers. 

I told the survivor that it was a matter 

  between them and God, 

    and none of my business. 

He seemed to appreciate that. 

If you remember the story of BBM, 

  one of the gay lovers in that story 

    was killed, either accidentally or by murder. 

The story is not clear on that point. 

The important issue for me was and is 

  the grief so many people have experienced 

    simply because of who they are. 

Skin color or sexual orientation 

  have been treated as excuses for murder 

    far too long and by far too many people. 

I came to the realization 

  after seeing BBM, 

    and soon after recognizing 

      so much human suffering,

        I remembered the two young men 

          in the Phoenix airport. 

To this day, 

  I'm far more at peace with the idea 

    of LGBTQ+ people and their relationships 

      than I ever was before. 

The principle, "Love is Love" 

  is paramount for me. 

Beltane is a celebration of love and life, 

  and as such it is a festive reminder 

    that Love is Love 

      in all of creation. 

Whether we think in terms of altruism 

  or relationships between two people 

    whose love for each other may seem strange 

      to some of us, 

        we can remember and value the caring 

          among any and all of us. 

Beltane, as it affirms all kinds of life 

  and all kinds of love, 

    is serving us as a powerful reminder 

      of the most important principles: 

        for all of humanity. 

All life is precious, 

All love is powerful and good 

  in our caring for each other, 

And the turning of the Season 

  as Summer approaches 

    is a time to warm our hearts 

      in the shining light and heat 

        of this glorious time of year. 

Amen 

Let it be

Blessed Be