Guess Who's Coming To Dinner?
April 1, 2007 -Sunday at 4
In searching for truth, be ready for the unexpected.
~Heraclitus
In 1967, a movie opened in theatres about a customary ritual, a young
woman bringing her fiance home for dinner to meet her parents. It was
entitled, "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?". What made this movie
particularly interesting, and even socially groundbreaking, was that
the young woman in question was white, and the young man was African
American. The young woman's parents prided themselves on being
progressive, but suddenly they were about to have the very principals
they professed tested in the relationships of their own family. They
knew who was coming to dinner- their daughter's fiance -but he was not
who they expected.
All social issues aside, in 1967, interracial marriage was illegal in
16 states. And yes, Virginia was among them. But things were about
to change, and Virginia was about to play a significant role in the
striking down of the laws barring interracial marriage.
In 1958, Richard Loving, who was white, had married Mildred Jeter, who
was African American, in the District of Columbia (DC), where such a
marriage was legal. Not long after, they moved back to their home
state of Virginia. It did not take long for a grand jury to issue an
indictment charging the couple with violating Virginia's ban on
interracial marriage. They were arrested, they plead guilty, and they
were sentenced to one year in jail. The judge, however, suspended the
sentence on the condition that the Lovings leave the state of
Virginia, and not return for a period of 25 years. In his ruling he
stated that:
"Almighty God created the races white, black, yellow, malay and red,
and he placed them on separate continents. And but for the
interference with his arrangement there would be no cause for such
marriages. The fact that he separated the races shows that he did not
intend for the races to mix."
The Lovings moved back to DC. However, in 1963 they filed a motion in
Virginia, one which went, with much struggle and labor, all the way to
the United States Supreme Court. The case was finally heard by the
Supreme Court, and the ruling issued on June 12, 1967. It began the
process of striking down the laws prohibiting interracial marriage in
the entire nation. The name of the landmark case-- "Loving v. Virginia".
Sometimes history speaks to us louder than words.
Jesus was heading into Jerusalem for the feast of Passover- a festive
and ritual dinner celebrating the liberation of the Hebrews from
Egypt, and one meant to be shared with family, friends, and
occasionally, in acts of hospitality, complete strangers in need of a
table to celebrate the meal.
The entry of Jesus into Jerusalem was celebrated with welcome, palm branches, and shouts of "Hosanna!". They knew who Jesus was- they knew who was coming to dinner -but he was not who they expected.
So .... who is coming to dinner?
Who is welcome at the table?
Who shuffles the relationship place settings, challenges the laws,
and strains against the accepted (and expected) conventions?
Diversity.
And isn't "diversity" all about the unexpected?
Luke 19:28-38
http://bible.oremus.org/?ql=42653337
Second Reading
From Father Richard Rohr, in
Where The Gospel Leads Us: Christianity and Homosexuality
God is clearly more comfortable with diversity than we are, and God’s final goal and objectives are much simpler. God and the entire cosmos itself are about two things: differentiation and communion. Physicists seem to know this better than theologians and clergy.
If this were cheap liberalism, I would be merely arguing for personal rights, economic justice, or sexual freedom. If this were mere ideology, I would need to line up my credible arguments and proofs. I have very few. I, like many of you, am only a disciple of the poor man from Nazareth. He has made me content with mystery. He has made me less afraid of chaos. He has told me that control is not my task. He, like the cosmos itself, is about two things : diversity and communion. The whole creation cannot be lying.