The Rt. Rev. Mark M. Beckwith

He had been labeled. And bullied. So the young man’s mother told me in an email after one of our confirmation services. She thanked me because I talked in my sermon how we all learn to label one another -- usually in junior high school, if not before. And that the labeling leads to discrimination, which can then lead to victimization – often followed by violence. Which is what happened to her son. She thanked me for raising the issue, and for making the claim that Jesus refused to limit people by labeling them. Instead he embraced people with love. Everybody. No exceptions. And I said that Jesus expects us to do the same.