God Mend Thy Every Flaw

My husband loves to watch the Sunday morning news shows while we get ready for church. Sometimes, I get drawn into the conversation. This morning the emphasis was on the Tea Party movement and other conservative groups. At one of the rallies they were singing "America."

I dream of a day when I will preach about Katherine Bates who wrote the lyrics to this favorite hymn. I especially like the verse which prays, "God mend thy every flaw." Katherine was a lesbian. Most conservatives, if they knew this, would fall off the podium.

Imagine a world with no homosexuals. Some of our favorite music, literature, films, and scientific discoveries would disappear. More to the point friends, doctors, sisters, cousins, brothers, nurses, CEOs, teachers, military, would be no more. I do not want to live in this world without my friends and family whom I love. I don't want to live in this world in which many of the brightest and best would cease to be. Like Katherine Bates, I pray for God to mend our flaws.

Blessings, Karen