What would Jesus think?

This morning I came across this video clip, about a young woman in Texas who has Down Syndrome, and was crowned homecoming queen of her high school. It's very moving. When I was growing up, as I am sure was the case for some of you, the role of homecoming queen seemed like it was reserved for the coolest, most beautiful, most popular girl in the class (and the one most likely to be dating the cutest football star). In other words, the one girl who would represent all our ideals about 'fitting in'. That stereotype may have moved on since then, but seeing this just made me wonder about the changes in the upcoming generation. They chose a young woman of heart, and no small amount of spirit, to receive the crown. They looked for beauty of a different kind. Is it too much to say that, in addition to being moved by the young woman who received the crown, I am also moved by the recognition of those who grew out of societal stereotypes enough to recognize a different and, I would venture, truer beauty in front of their eyes?

I'm reminded of Greg Boyd's recent sermons on how Jesus always extended the invitation to the kingdom of Heaven to those on the margins--those who are overlooked and underestimated, diminished and rebuked for not fitting in with our ideals. Of course, the psychoanalyst in me says that in ostracizing or avoiding them, we are also projecting on to them the parts of ourselves that we cannot, or will not, deal with. From that perspective, seeing a community embody a spirit of inclusion of that which is different from the mainstream, still sadly lacking in far too many parts of the world, gives me great hope not only for those who have suffered with disabilities or conditions that have made them invisible, and the enormous pain of that invisiblity, but also for those whose eyes and hearts have become whole enough to move beyond such division into a community of equality.