Does God Play Fair?

So there I was just minding my own business, enjoying Maui, the worship service, the sermon, the fresh air, the prayers............just settling back into the pew after receiving the Eucharist this a.m., when, BAM!, a familiar face from our hometown was coming back from just having received the Eucharist also.  I nudged my seatmate and was that a gasp I heard?......well, almost.

There in the midst of the 10 Commandments and Jesus turning over the tables in the temple sermon was a person who used to be a fellow Episcopalian, who we used to socialize with in friends' homes, who used to, well......until....... the gay issue lit some kind of fire in his belly and he turned away from the Episcopal church, determined in so doing to take away as many Episcopalians as he could with him and then when that wasn't enough, he went back (?) and took more of his Episcopal friends to the true and holy Roman catholic church of his childhood, of his imagination, of whatever?

O.K. God, this is dirty pool but something I've seen You use before - a big fat in-my-face REMINDER of what those 10 commandments mean, of whom I am called to love, of whom I am to forgive, of whom I am to be as Christian whether, Episcopal, Baptist, Roman Catholic, or Presbyterian.  A REMINDER that just because I would argue vehemently, disagree totally, and have been really hurt by another's actions, I can't pretend to be Christian unless I forgive, unless I greet, unless I love, unless I repent (turn) in the direction you would have me go.  A REMINDER that I must offend you often, behave outrageously often, forget to love, to forgive, to repent and still you love and forgive me.........may I remember your love and with gratitude show it to those I might not choose, convincingly and with sincerity......it doesn't seem fair ALL of the time but then again, thanks for the REMINDER - I'm willing to give it a go again!