15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Proper 10), Year A

July 13, 2008

    Queer Belonging

The desire to belong is so foundational to us. Yet at what cost? For what benefits? How would this "belonging" function in one's life? Boundary-drawing or boundary-transgressing?

This week's lectionary Bible passages:

Genesis 25:19-34& Psalm 119:105-12 or Isaiah 55:10-13 & Psalm 65 (1-8) 9-13; Romans 8:1-11; Matthew 13:3-9, 18-23

“ Believing in God for me is to cherish the down-to-earth affirmation of the dignity of the human being, regardless of who or what one is."

Namsoon Kang

“Loving the Queer God is about being unafraid to be exactly who we are.  It is about learning to trust the worth of our own experiences of the divine.”

Steve Sprinkle

“Participating in God’s good and gracious and life-giving purposes for all people involves belonging to and living out of a welcoming and inclusive community.”

Warren Carter

	No permanent enemies?  Is this true in your own situation?  What does it mean to “love our enemies”?

Isaiah 55:10-13 engages the experience of Israel’s exile under Babylonian imperial power. Like Jacob’s situation, issues of belonging, identity and struggle pervade the scene. God, previously seen as oppressive in allowing the exile, is now presented as the one who liberates from it. Here God’s purposes expressed through God’s word center on life and hope. The exiles are challenged to hold on. They are promised return to their land and the abundant, extravagant, flourishing of all creation. There are no boundaries to God’s goodness, including LGBT communities.  No matter what, all belong in God’s life-giving purposes. The affirmation of God’s faithfulness emerges from their lived experience.

	Is the Bible a source of hope and help for you? If so, how so?

Romans 8:1-11 contains some potentially misleading vocabulary, notably Paul’s language of “spirit” and “flesh.” Paul does not use the language of “spirit” to refer to disembodied existence where human “souls” are separated from bodies. Nor does the language of “flesh” refer to “bodies” and condemn physicality. Rather, “spirit” refers to the Spirit of God and of Christ who indwells communities of believers and the bodies of believers – affirming the significance of relationships and daily life (8:4-11).  “Flesh,” as Paul defines it in verses 7-8, is not physicality but refers to a way of life hostile to God. Life in God’s Spirit means belonging to God who frees people from all condemnations, and affirms the significance of embodied life. Life in the Spirit means belonging to God’s purposes and people. Such belonging mandates that others not be excluded from that life.   

Matthew 13:3-9, 18-23 urges readers to have “understanding” or discerning “ears.” Crucial to the parable is hearing or discerning what God is like and how God acts. The parable describes God’s indiscriminate sowing or reaching out to all people, as well as the abundant, extravagant, fruitful life that follows for those who continue in relationship with God. Often distorted hearing or “closed ears” hatefully try to restrict God’s sowing by declaring exclusions from God’s work. But the parable’s reference to “hundredfold” yield offers a much bigger and more beautiful vision.

For LGBT communities, the parable points not just to “coming out” but to an abundant and fruitful life marked by, among other things, a radical inclusivity that transcends all boundaries, as well as by joy and celebration. Seeds need to be resilient to grow. But they have to move beyond survival to fruitfulness or flourishing. Discerning ears participate with wonder and awe in the goodness of God’s abundant ways.    

	How might LGBT communities live in the midst of often difficult circumstances seekang not just to survive, but to flourish and to celebrate God’s goodness with wonder and awe?

Home >>July 20, 2008	Print entire season   |  Print this unit only (new window opens)
16th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Proper 11)	July 20, 2008

Divine Lover How do you encounter God – in fear and flight, or in faithfulness and freedom? This week's lectionary Bible passages: Genesis 28:10-19a; Psalm 139:1-12, 23-24; Psalm 86:11-17; Romans 8:12-25; Matt 13:24-30, 36-43.

Who's Out in the Conversation What's Out in the Conversation Prayerfully Out in Scripture

Who's in the Conversation     A conversation among the following scholars and pastors
“For lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender folk, trust is often hard to come by.  Yet the struggle is worth it, because trusting in God’s love heals us and sets us free to love in return.” Steve Sprinkle	“The ground of our hope is not the guarantee of victory but the struggle itself for a more just world – where every living being is regarded as the image of God. We may encounter the Divine in our takang risk on a lonesome journey of exile." Namsoon Kang	“All sorts of people in all sorts of circumstances participate in God’s ways, knowing God’s presence and responding with courage, faithfulness, and hopeful anticipation.” Warren Carter

What's Out in the Conversation     A conversation about this week's lectionary Bible passages Genesis 28:10-19a locates Jacob in an unfamiliar place because of continuing strife in Isaac and Rebekah’s divided household. Their son Esau, having renounced his birthright as the first-born, plans now to kill Jacob. But Rebekah intervenes to protect her favorite son Jacob, advising him to flee. His self-imposed exile, though, will mean not only his survival, but also the extension of God’s purposes, as well as Jacob’s encounter with God.               Having abandoned his household and especially his mother to flee, Jacob lies down at night to sleep. In the midst of alienation, danger, self-exile, isolation  and unfamiliar location, he encounters God. His flight and self-exile are reframed as places of new possibilities. He dreams of a ladder and God’s presence. God graciously appears to him and surprisingly God renews to the fugitive Jacob the promises made previously to Abraham to provide land and ancestors.   God’s love is always surprisingly personal. How has God’s surprising love touched your life? Your situation? Psalm 139:1-12, 23-24 continues the theme of flight into the arms of God. The psalmist recognizes that God is everywhere, knowing the psalmist’s thoughts and actions. There is nowhere to flee, no circumstances of despair, stress, depression or conflict from which God is absent. Yet the psalmist does not lament this encounter or seek to hide from it or feel hounded by God.  The psalmist welcomes it and embraces the ever-present embrace of God. Basic to the psalm is the love of God that loves the psalmist into loving God, self, and the psalmist’s community. Psalm 86:11-17 celebrates similar trust and security. How would you tell someone else the story of your encounters with God?  What seemingly unlikely people and events would be part of it?  What does that communicate about how God works in human life? Romans 8:12-25 continues to contrast two ways of life under the rubric of “flesh” and “spirit.”  (See last week’s conversation.) The former term refers to a way of life hostile to God’s life-giving purposes; the latter refers to a way of life that participates in God’s loving ways. It is the latter way that dominates this passage. Life in the Spirit offers welcome qualities for LGBT communities. It means belonging to or the special identity of being children of God (verse 14). It means freedom from fear (verse 15). It does not mean escape from the suffering and brokenness of the present (verse 18). But it does mean not only experience of salvation now but also a hopeful longing for participation in the final establishment of God’s good purposes (8:19-20). It means being set free from bondage and recognition of solidarity with all God’s creation (8:22-23).  Life in the Spirit is a life of hope, not of failed nerve or lack of courage, but of actively participating in God’s ways and anticipating their completion. Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 describes weeds and wheat growing together until the final judgment when the weeds are destroyed. This parable has often been used as a “text of terror,” a weapon that threatens people with condemnation to hell. Some groups have used it to declare God’s inevitable judgment on those whom they oppose for whatever reason (as LGBT people). Such readings are utterly out of line in part because they usurp God’s role. But they also ignore another emphasis running through the parable. The “good seed” planted by the master produces wheat in abundance. Such fruitful wheat can never be confused with weeds. In terms of the Romans 8 reading, a life marked by actively pleasing God, the divine lover, disqualifies the fruitless attempts of those who hatefully declare wheat to be weeds. Like the Jewish people, GLBT folk can learn to argue creatively with Bible texts.  How might you wrestle with this text until it yields “good seed” for you, your community, and even your adversaries?     Prayerfully Out in Scripture     O Love that will not let us go:           Teach us to love ourselves and others      as you love us!           Where you find fear in us,           replace it with trust and hope;           and lead us to show mercy to all,           for your name’s sake.      Amen. Bible passages are selected based on the Revised Common Lectionary, copyright © 1992 by Consultation on Common Text (CCT). All rights reserved. Used by permission. Home >>July 27, 2008 Print entire season   |  Print this unit only (new window opens)   17th Sunday of Ordinary Time (Proper 12), Year A July 27, 2008     All Things Working Together for Good Today’s Bible passages invite us to embrace the ways God is working in us for the good of all people as we challenge attitudes and theology, even definitions of marriage, that can separate us from loving one another. This week's lectionary Bible passages: Genesis 29:15-28 & Psalm 128; Romans 8:26-39; Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52 (1 Kings 3:5-12 & Psalm 119:129-136; Psalm 105:1-11,45b commentary not included) Who's Out in the Conversation What's Out in the Conversation Prayerfully Out in Scripture     Who's in the Conversation     A conversation among the following scholars and pastors  “Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus – that includes attitudes and theological positions as well as angels and principalities.” Mona West “Regardless of the rhetoric, no one who takes the Bible seriously wants a biblical marriage – for such a marriage would encourage polygamy, marrying girls once they reached puberty and making war booty into sex slaves." Miguel De La Torre “Today’s Bible passages celebrate the intimacy that is possible in God – intimacy built on love, trusting each other and being present to one another even when times get tough.” Deborah Appler     What's Out in the Conversation     A conversation about this week's lectionary Bible passages Romans 8:26-39 is part of  a larger passage in Paul’s letter to the Romans in which Paul names the reality of suffering in human lives and in creation.  Paul also names the reality of hope in the midst of suffering that is grounded in our future in God and in the Spirit’s presence with us, “groaning” with us, interceding for us and helping us in our weakness. Verse 28 is often quoted out of context, “We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to God’s purpose.”  For some this verse has come to mean that if people suffer then they are not called by God or loved by God.  For others the approach has been to trivialize suffering by claiming God will eventually salvage our suffering and turn it into something good.  In its context, however, the force of this verse suggests that God is present to us and at work for good in us in all things — even suffering. Verses 31-39 sound more like a hymn, a song of God’s love for creation in all its myriad forms,  rather than a doctrine or theological proposition.  Miguel De La Torre reflects, “When I converted to Christianity, the church community I belonged to taught me what being a Christian meant.  Unfortunately, they fused and confused their social and political views with biblical interpretations.  Some of those views – as those which were homophobic – when uncritically accepted as biblical – caused separation between God and the object of God’s love.  Honestly, this is a contradiction to the promise of verses 38 & 39.  These early views which I adopted, although believing they were in-line with God’s will, actually caused obstacles for relationship between God and those for whom Christ suffered.  But the good news is that regardless of death, angels, princes, powers or even my misunderstanding of Christianity, none of this can separate the LGBT community from the love of God." In your personal journey of faith are there beliefs and views that you once held that are different now?  What are they? For Mona West, this has been a very powerful passage from the apostle Paul for LGBT people: “’If God is for us, who is against us?’ (verse 31) ‘Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus’ (verse 39).  I can remember the palpable feeling of hope in the room when these verses were read at a funeral for a young man who had died of AIDS in the early years of the pandemic.  Even though there were those in his own family who had been ‘against’ him as a gay man and there were others who believed that certainly AIDS had ‘separated’ him from God and those who could not bring themselves to physically touch him in life or in death, this promise from Romans 8 resounded throughout the church of his childhood.  Nothing in life or in death could separate him from the love of God in Christ Jesus.” Genesis 29:15-28 is part of a larger narrative cycle concerning the patriarch Isaac’s sons, Jacob and Esau.  The tables are turned on Jacob who earlier ‘tricked’ Esau out of his birthright (Genesis 25-28).  Now it is Jacob who is ‘tricked’ by his father-in-law Laban who gives him his daughter Leah instead of his daughter Rachel on the wedding night.  This story in Genesis 29 sets up a fierce competition between Leah and Rachel to see who can produce more sons for Jacob.  A woman’s worth was measured in this patriarchal society by the men she belonged to (husband or father) or the male offspring she produced.  Today oppressive systems and structures often pit LGBT people against other marginalized groups.  In our efforts to “fight over the same piece of the pie” the dominant culture has chosen to give us, we fail to work together to make sure the “whole pie” is shared. Deborah Appler points out that although the lectionary cuts off the rest of Leah and Rachel’s story, these two women do form an alliance at times within the restrictions of their patriarchal marriage. Some Jewish interpretations, midrashim, suggest that, maybe out of respect for tradition or out of love for her sister, Rachel shares information with Leah to help her deceive Jacob so that she will be cared for. Another suggests that Rachel might have talked to Jacob under the bed when Jacob and Leah consummated the marriage. Although Rachel and Leah’s ultimate goal  was to have sex with Jacob in order to produce children, Leah and Rachel shared mandrakes (Genesis 30), an ancient plant believed to be both an aphrodisiac and to increase fertility. Both of these women are revered in the Jewish tradition as mothers of Israel. Again, even when they work together, they seek to fit in with the system as it stands and there is a competition. This reading of the marriage between Jacob, Rachel and Leah complicates the picture of marriage found in Psalm 128 and today. One hears much rhetoric from the radical right about the need to return to a biblical definition of marriage, but as the Genesis text illustrates, imposing a biblical definition of marriage upon modern society is oppressive, especially for women.  These biblical values are based on the assumption that women’s bodies are chattel that can be sold or traded in return for seven years of labor. Men could acquire these women as possession once they reached puberty and could produce children. A literal acceptance of the biblical marriage would allow for polygamy. Fortunately the definition of marriage evolved to what it is today for most Westerners – a relationship based on love, not on obtaining female bodies, or creating financial security or insuring reproduction.  Just as the definition of marriage has evolved toward a love-based relationship, maybe in the next stage we will care less about the gender of those adults entering into marriage and more about marriage as a mutual and self-giving relationship. How might the definition of marriage continue to evolve in your community of faith? The parables in Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52 are part of a larger chapter in Matthew in which Jesus talks with his disciples about his use of parables.  The parables of the mustard seed and the yeast proclaim that although seemingly imperceptible, God’s action is still at work in the world and in us (in Paul’s words from Romans 8—with utterances too deep for words). While the parables of the treasure in the field and the pearl of great value emphasize not the finding, but the overwhelming response made to the discovery.  God’s work, no matter how big or how small, always calls for human response. Those within the LGBT community who are declaring their Christian beliefs are this mustard seed.  They are little when compared to the more established organizations that would prefer this seed not be planted in the fields of faith at all.  But like the mustard seed, the contributions that the LGBT community can make to the broader faith community could be so big that straight and LGBT biblical scholars, theologians and ethicists would be able to find rest upon its branches.      Prayerfully Out in Scripture Pray Romans 8:38-39 as a breath prayer.     On the ‘in breath,’ pray “nothing can separate us.”     On the ‘out breath,’ pray “from the love of God.”     On the ‘in breath,’ pray “in Christ Jesus.”     On the ‘out breath,’ pray “in Christ Jesus.”           After praying this prayer several times, write in a journal or share your experience aloud with a group. Bible passages are selected based on the Revised Common Lectionary, copyright © 1992 by Co Home >>August 3, 2008 Print entire season   |  Print this unit only (new window opens)   18th Sunday of Ordinary Time (Proper 13), Year A August 3, 2008     Bread — and Struggle — for the Journey     Our spiritual journey to authenticity often involves struggle,     even withour preconceived notions of God.  The scars we may     take away fromthe struggle can be signs of hope and our hard     won newness. This week's lectionary Bible passages: Genesis 32:22-31 & Psalm 17:1-7, 15 or Isaiah 55:1-5 & Psalm 145:8-9,14-21; Romans 9:1-5; Matthew 14:13-21 Who's Out in the Conversation What's Out in the Conversation Prayerfully Out in Scripture     Who's in the Conversation     A conversation among the following scholars and pastors “This story of transformation indicates that the journey to ‘a new name’ is often marked by struggle.  As transgender folk will testify, like Jacob we often bear the marks of that struggle in our physical bodies.” Mona West “All are welcome to God’s banquet table.  Only by breaking the bread that sustains our physical and spiritual lives can we become companions in Christ.  To deny any believer a place at the table is an abomination.” Miguel De La Torre “At times the struggle for justice can leave scars.  However, doing this work is the right thing to do.  It is our call from God and where our hope rests.” Deborah Appler     What's Out in the Conversation     A conversation about this week's lectionary Bible passages Life giving images of bread are found in Isaiah 55:1-5 and Matthew 14:13-21.  Chapters 55-56 of Isaiah use imagery and language to describe new possibilities in a future that God will provide for all of creation. All who hunger and thirst will be filled without need for money to buy bread (verses 1-2).  God’s everlasting covenant will include the sexual outcast and the foreigner who will be given “names better than sons and daughters” (Isaiah 55:3, 56:3-5).    This same imagery can be found in Matthew’s account of Jesus’ feeding of the 5,000. The bread that Jesus provides for the diverse crowd of men, women and children parallels the messianic banquet that is the symbol of fullness of the realm of God. Jesus’ action of taking, blessing, breaking and giving the loaves and fish to the multitudes is reminiscent of the action he will repeat with his disciples which institutes the Eucharistic meal or Holy Communion of the church.  The “banquet” that occurs in the wilderness in the feeding of the 5000 with five loaves and two fish is juxtaposed with Herod’s banquet (Matthew 14:1-11) in which John the Baptist was beheaded — which is the larger context for this miracle in Jesus’ ministry.  The promise of a banquet that is offered to all, and the invitation to participate in a life-giving  covenant that honors those who have been marginalized in religion and society because of their sexuality and otherness is indeed life giving bread “without money and without price” for LGBT people.  This is a powerful image of Eucharist or Holy Communion for LGBT people who have been denied access to the table either as participants or celebrants — “Ho, everyone who thirsts…come!” What are the Eucharistic or Holy Communion practices of your faith community?  In addition to an inclusive banquet, what are other images from Scripture or the liturgy of the church that are life giving for marginalized people? The word “companion” is derived from the Latin, con pan, “with bread.”  Only companions (comrades) share bread.  When I share bread with you, then that substance that enters my body to nourish my physical life is the same substance that enters your body to nourish your physical life.  This holds true with Holy Communion or the Eucharist which spiritually nourishes both our lives when we partake together as companions.  Breaking and partaking of bread testifies to our mutual need for physical and spiritual life.  Becoming companions in eating bread occurs regardless of our gender, race, ethnicity, economic class or sexual orientation.  We all need physical and spiritual life.  It is through sharing meals together that true intimacy and caring can take place. The unrecognized Jesus is only made fully known when a meal is shared together – through the breaking of the bread (Luke 24:35). How does this understanding of Eucharist or Holy Communion — the need that all people have for physical and spiritual life — apply in a global context. Genesis 32:22-31 records the famous story of Jacob’s wrestling match with God right before he is to meet his estranged brother Esau.  In the struggle, Jacob’s name is changed to Israel and he will forever walk with a limp.  Discovering our true identity in God often involves struggle — a life long struggle to peel back the layers of a false self in order to expose who we are authentically in the image of God.  That image of God, however, is contained in our ordinary human lives, signified in this story by Jacob’s limp.  This story of transformation, like the promise from Isaiah 56:3-5, indicates that the journey to “a new name” is often marked by struggle.  As transgender folk will testify, like Jacob we often bear the marks of that struggle in our physical bodies. It is so easy to have religion – to be part of a community that tells you what the truth is – and then blindly follow it.  But all too often, this truth is nothing more than the cultural beliefs of a people having little, if no connection, with the Word of God.  To wrestle with God so that one can see God face-to-face requires the risk of losing the certainties of life.  The mystery of God leaves much room for complexity.  An encounter with God may mean we walk away limping – an injury caused when one abandons the false crutches we called truth, or an injury awaiting us from the community of faith we come from when we challenge preconceived truths about God.    Sometimes, however, those injuries and scars are proud marks of making it through the struggle — of demanding the blessing at all costs. In Indigenous African religions and Native American tribal cultures, initiation marks are displayed proudly as signs of being part of the community. There are those in the LGBT community who have struggled, risked, and won inroads into co-creating a just community. Their scars, though a constant reminder of the struggle, are also signs of hope to others that there is hope in wrestling, even with God! How do you identify with Jacob’s struggle and limp? Genesis 32:22-31, like Isaiah 55:1-5, looks toward community restoration — Jacob with his estranged family and the exiles of Judah with those with whom they will rejoin in Jerusalem. Restoration and feasting go hand in hand — restoration and feasting for all people, not just a few chosen.  Paul’s words in Romans 9:1-5 (and the verses that follow) indicate that God continues to extend the promise of transformation first attested to in the story of Israel’s ancestors to all people.  Many Christians teach that all that matters is getting saved.  Our culture’s hyper-individualism has reduced salvation to a personal act.  But here we have Paul willing to forfeit individual salvation for the sake of his community.  Psalm 17:17 and Psalm 145:8-9, 14-21 lift up the themes of God’s steadfast love and compassion to all people and God’s willingness to hear those who call out in times of distress.  This basic affirmation is at the core of the notion of liberation theology’s understanding of God’s preferential option, commitment, to the poor. What does communal salvation look like?  How does a community get saved?  What does it mean and what will it look like for the LGBT community to find their salvation, that is liberation from the forces of sin imposed upon them due to heterosexism?  Who, like Paul, is willing to pay the ultimate price – even losing his or her assurance of heaven -- for the sake of their community?      Prayerfully Out in Scripture          Read aloud the story of Jacob’s struggle in Genesis 32:22-31.     As you hear this story, imagine yourself to be Jacob.     Prayerfully ask yourself these questions:           • What is my struggle?           • What certainties am I being asked to let go of so God can bring a             new name forth in me?     Write your prayerful answers to these questions in a journal. Bible passages are selected based on the Revised Common Lectionary, copyright © 1992 by Consultation on Common Text (CCT). All rights reserved. Used by permission. Home >>August 10, 2008 Print entire season   |  Print this unit only (new window opens)   19th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Proper 14), Year A August 10, 2008     A Community of Many Colors     All of us – people of color, people who have disabilities, as     well as those of us in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and     transgender community – are confronted with     obstacles placed by those who cannot or will not accept     the wondrous variety of God’s creation. Collectively, today’s     Bible readings convey the message that faith in God will     sustain us in the face of those obstacles This week's lectionary Bible passages: Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28 & Psalm 105:1-6, 16-22, 45b or I Kings 19:9-18 & Psalm 85:8-13; Romans 10:5-15; Matthew 14:22-23 Who's Out in the Conversation What's Out in the Conversation Prayerfully Out in Scripture     Who's in the Conversation     A conversation among the following scholars and pastors “Resisting the desire to hibernate, we are called to remember that we struggle for justice along with countless people, many whom we don’t even know both in and outside the LGBT community." Deborah Appler “Speaking out as a member of the transgender com- munity, I have been scorned and ridiculed by those who would prefer to act on their own feelings about transsexuality – rather than having to accept it.  This is God’s test for me.” Sarah Carpenter-Vascik “It is important to recognize the way ‘preference envy’ works in our lives. Are not LGBT people vulnerable to envying the ‘normality’ of non-LGBT people?” Ron Hopson  “Envy and mis- understanding each other’s dreams can divide us as brothers and sisters in God’s human family." Mona West     What's Out in the Conversation     A conversation about this week's lectionary Bible passages In Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28, Joseph was the 11th of 12 sons of Jacob and Leah, Zilpah and Rachel, and the firstborn son of Rachel.  This made Joseph a favorite of Jacob who was 90 years old at the time.  This favoritism was demonstrated when Jacob presented Joseph with the “coat of many colors” (verse 3).  Jacob’s willingness to display his preference for Joseph sets Joseph up for the envy of his brothers. Joseph’s apparent naiveté suggests a willingness on his part to revel in his preferred status. While it might be easy for marginalized people to identify with Joseph, it is important to recognize the way “preference envy” works in our lives.  For example, Ron Hopson ponders, “Are not LGBT people vulnerable to envying the ‘normality’ of non-LGBT people? Sometimes I find myself envying the ease with which straight people can move through the world so unselfconsciously regarding their affectional orientation.”  The lectionary omits verses 5-11 which also indicate another source for the envy of Joseph’s brothers: he is a dreamer.  Granted the dreams do not seem to be favorable for the brothers, but – as the end of the Joseph story indicates – the fulfillment of Joseph’s dream means life for the brothers, not subservience. Martin Luther King Jr. was a dreamer and while his “I Have a Dream” speech continues to inspire many in the work of justice today, it is a dream that has been threatening to others. Envy and misunderstanding each other’s dreams can divide us as brothers and sisters in God’s human family.  Joseph’s brothers are so envious they want to “kill this dreamer” (verses 19-20). What are some misunderstood dreams in the life of your community and what can you do to promote understanding? What are the ways you “revel in your preferred status?”  Name some ways ‘preference envy’ works in your life, the life of your community. Psalm 105:1-6, 16-22, 45b requires us to give thanks and to tell of God’s works and promise.  This thanksgiving recalls the covenant made with Abraham, a covenant not only for Abraham, but also with all his decedents.  In these selected verses we meet up again with Joseph (verse 17), who is being tested by God and is now a slave in Egypt.  Joseph’s faith in God is unwavering and indeed, God re-emphasizes the covenant by setting Joseph free.  Joseph goes on to become a prominent member of Pharaoh’s household.  Sarah Carpenter-Vascik reflects, “Speaking out as a member of the transgender community, I have, like other transgender advocates, been scorned and ridiculed by those who would prefer to act on their own feelings about transsexuality – rather than accepting it.  I have occasionally faced threats of physical violence.  This is God’s test for me.” However, when this psalm is read in its entirety it exemplifies the best and worst of Exile literature. At once celebrating the goodness of God in the face of catastrophe, while also looking toward the vengeance of God disguised as promise to be restored (verses 11 and following),  it cannot be acceptable to see ourselves as “falling heir to what others had toiled for”  (verse 44). We must hold the tension of honoring our own reality without diminishing the reality or fate of the “other” even if the other is perceived to be our perpetrator. Only as we hold the humanity of even those who are homophobic and wish to deny us the full rights of personhood, do we insure that we will not become the oppressor to an “other” of our own choosing once we are in the privileged position. In 1 Kings 19:9-18, Elijah believes he is the only prophet left and we find him hiding in a cave – deep in the Judean desert throwing a pity party. Elijah’s role in creating a just and God-centered world in Israel is undeniable, but he mistakenly suggests that he alone is responsible for this justice ministry: "I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away" (verse10). Elijah seems unable or unwilling to recognize that others still remain who are working for justice alongside him. He is not alone, nor was he ever alone. God called Ahab’s official, Obadiah, who is feeding 100 other of God’s prophets in a cave (1 Kings 18:4). God called the widow of Zarephath and a host of angels and ravens to care for Elijah so he could fulfill his call. Now that Elijah appears tired and burned out, there are still others God can turn to — Elisha, Hazael and Jehu. Throughout his ordeal, God never leaves him. There are times when we may feel like Elijah and want to retreat. The magnitude of homophobia and other forms of injustice overwhelm us to a point where it appears that we are working alone — that nobody cares or understands the struggle. When have you felt alone, abandoned in your struggling for justice for the LGBT communities? How do we sense the presence of God? By listening for the sound of God as wind and fire or by keeping ourselves open to God’s presence  So that we resist the desire to hibernate, we are called to remember that we struggle for justice along with countless people, many whom we don’t even know both in and outside of the LGBT communities. To act as if all depends on us alone is an act of pride and rejection of God and the community. It will also immobilize us. The psalmist in Psalm 85:8-13 reminds us that God still speaks a word of peace to God’s faithful servants as God did to Elijah when he was feeling abandoned and overwhelmed in mission. This is good news! We who give ourselves for the work of justice may be heartened by the level of intimacy and power of the words in this psalm. Indeed, the very words that define the hope of the messianic reign appear: God’s salvation is near and glory will dwell with us on earth. God’s loyal love (Hesed) and truth will come to fruition in this world. Further, righteousness and peace will be so much a part of this co-created world that they will kiss each other. While reading Romans 10:5-15, be careful not to fall into an exclusivist or anti-Semitic reading of this text from Paul’s letter.  What can be lifted up here is Paul’s effort to level the playing field?  No one can say who’s who in God’s economy. This is particularly applicable to LGBT persons who are often scapegoated and stigmatized. In Matthew 14:22-33, the disciple Peter has the audacity to think that he can be as powerful as Jesus and asks him to have him walk on the water. The real miracle is when Peter is truly focused on Jesus and is able to remain above water. When we focus fully on our call to work for justice, especially for the LGBT communities, we have the resources to remain afloat in shared community. However, when we forget that Jesus and others in the larger community are also working for justice, we risk feeling abandoned and self-righteous like Peter. When Peter refocuses his gaze from Jesus to the raging sea storm, he becomes frightened and vulnerable and starts to sink. The good news is that Jesus saves him and brings him back to safety – as Jesus does for all of us.

	When do we draw upon our faith in God? When we are faced with adversity or confronted with something we can’t handle?  Do we keep our faith in God with us all the time?

In the tradition of first century miracle workers, Jesus had to be able to do extraordinary things in order for the ordinary to grant him credibility. Perhaps, similarly, we who follow Jesus should aspire to doing extraordinary things (such as loving and embracing our enemies, absorbing the anger and fear of homophobic persons without responding in kind, and living openly, courageously and faithfully,  in order to provide inspiration and hope for others).  

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20th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Proper 15), Year A	August 17, 2008

A Vision of an Inclusive Community These Bible passages invite us to push the envelope on what we mean when we say that “all are welcome” in our families, churches and synagogues. This week's lectionary Bible passages: Genesis 45:1-15 & Psalm 133 or Isaiah 56:1, 6-8 & Psalm 67; Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32; Matthew 15:2-28

Who's Out in the Conversation What's Out in the Conversation Prayerfully Out in Scripture

Who's in the Conversation     A conversation among the following scholars and pastors
“The Gospel – how dare we exclude, how daring we include!" Ron Hopson	“In order to be inclusive, we are called to enter into dialogue even with those with whom we disagree. It is difficult work, but more authentic." Deborah Appler	“Isaiah’s vision makes room for you and me alike.  Those of us among sexual minorities find God’s favor.” Sarah Carpenter-Vascik	“In a society that valued men and women based on procreative status and inheritance rights and even excluded foreigners and sexual minorities, Isaiah’s vision of community not only includes sexual minorities, but gives them a name better than sons and daughters.” Mona West

What's Out in the Conversation     A conversation about this week's lectionary Bible passages Genesis 45:1-15 can be read as an allegory about coming out. Joseph's family ostracizes him (in effect killing him).  No doubt – they do this because he was favored and perhaps because he was not rough and ruddy. In any case, the family wanted him dead as many families may want LGBT people out of the family picture.  As with many LGBT people, Joseph once thrust out of the family, finds a way to survive and flourish as he realizes his talents and potential. Eventually the family comes to him for help and he, generously and appropriately, embraces those very persons who once wanted him dead. How terribly important it is not to become as the oppressor once we are free of oppression. Psalm 133 continues the theme of affection between siblings. What does it mean that God bestows blessing, even life forevermore (verse 3) when “kindred live together in unity!” (verse 10)?  First we need to understand life evermore in some kind of metaphorical sense.  As we strive to be in unity, can we say that we share in the blessing and happiness which continues to reverberate beyond the span of our days (life forevermore)? In the U.S. context, could it be that we are living now with the benefits from the decision of those early settlers who decided to live in unity with one another?  In the same way, we are living now with the curse from the decision of those first settlers not to consider some (for example, American Indians and Africans) as brothers and sisters. If we choose to live in unity, succeeding generations will experience blessing.  If we choose to live in disunity, succeeding generations will experience curse. Are there family ‘coming out’ stories in your community of faith that have caused some to experience a blessing and some to experience a curse? In considering Isaiah 56:1, 6-8, it is interesting that the creators of the Revised Common Lectionary left out one of the most meaningful set of verses in all of Scripture for LGBT people.  The omitted verses from the Isaiah reading for this Sunday are a profound promise for sexual outcasts: “For thus says the Lord: To the eunuchs who keep my sabbaths, who choose the things that please me and hold fast my covenant, I will give, in my house and within my walls, a monument and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off” (verses 4-5).  In a society that valued men and women based on procreative status and inheritance rights and even excluded foreigners and sexual minorities (eunuchs) from the worshipping community (Deuteronomy 23:1-8), Isaiah’s vision of community after the Exile not only includes sexual minorities, but gives them a name better than sons and daughters—an honored place beyond procreative privilege. Having said that, it is important to notice about this passage that the inclusion (bringing the foreigners to the holy mountain) is premised upon obeying the rules of the insiders (keep the sabbath, hold fast the covenants). What if I don't observe the sabbath? What if I don't do burnt offerings and sacrifices? What if what brings me joy, is desecration to you? Am I still welcome at the table? True inclusivity means accepting the ultimate concerns of the "other" even if they are not my ultimate concerns. True inclusivity means figuring out a way to live with and welcome people who don't worship my god or keep my holy days.

	Who are people we exclude from our table because we do not think we can learn from them?

Psalm 67 describes a worshiping community giving thanks to God for abundance and blessing.  In verse 3, the psalmist declares “let all the people praise you.”  How might we read this psalm in light of the thoughts on blessing and inclusive worship above?

In Matthew 15:2-28, the theme of inclusive community continues in the gospel lesson as a Gentile woman challenges Jesus to practice what he preaches.  In the beginning of this chapter,  Jesus has been calling people to go beyond purity laws (washing the hands before eating) to true holiness — what comes from the heart.  He claims, “It is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles” (verse 10). 

How interesting that right after this teaching, we have the story of a Gentile, non-Jewish, woman, whose first words to Jesus out of her mouth are cries of mercy for her sick daughter.  Just as Jesus  invited the Pharisees to go beyond their tradition with regard to purity laws, the Gentile woman challenges Jesus to go beyond his traditional understanding of his mission: “I was sent only the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (verse 24).

Jesus was himself too narrowly focused. He perhaps had gotten caught up in his own particulars so much so, that he couldn’t see the enactment of his program (God's realm) being offered to him through this Gentile Canaanite woman. Thus, Jesus himself needed to be challenged to open up. Perhaps this is a lesson for well-meaning and well trained clergy persons who have a clear view and deep attachment to God's program – who themselves (ourselves) may sometimes be vulnerable to missing that opportunity to enact the realm of God by ministering to a real outsider (whomever that may be). No one is beyond correction, not even Jesus!

When have we made false assumptions about people based on incomplete information and pre-judgments?  Who have been some people or incidents who have caused us to think outside of our box?

21st Sunday in Ordinary Time (Proper 16), Year A

August 24, 2008

    Saving Waters

Water and salvation hold all these Bible passages together. Discover here powerful waters that cleanse, challenge, destroy harmful powers of death and create new life.

This week's lectionary Bible passages:

Exodus 1:8-2:10 & Psalm 124 (Isaiah 51:1-6 & Psalm 138 are not included in this conversation); Romans 12:1-8; Matthew 16:13-20

"We are born having passed through water and we encounter troubled waters throughout our lives. The good news is God's promise to provide flowing and flourishing waters that offer new life and healing in our liberator Jesus Christ!"

Linda Thomas

“Within this week’s readings, so many people risked their lives to bring about salvation — Shiphrah, Puah, Jochebed, Miriam, Pharaoh’s daughter, Paul, the Disciples, and Jesus. We are called to reflect on how much we are “willing to bleed.”

Deborah Appler

“Bodies matter in the transforming work that Paul is speaking about in these verses from Romans.  Bodies co-operate with God’s work of grace in each of us and these are the bodies that are joined to each other as Christ’s body.”

Mona West

	How much are we willing to risk to participate in each other's liberation? There are examples of clergy who have risked their credentials to perform Holy Unions against the church's official stances. Some have effectively joined together as a large group to officiate such ceremonies in order to create a hardship should they all be dismissed. Where are we willing to jump in and risk? Or, when have we risked in order to do what is right?

In Psalm 124, water again plays a role in national deliverance and recalls the chaotic water that exists before creation as well as the chaos that results from being pursued by enemies. Without God there would be no creation or human beings. God watches over all of us and grants all of people protection. God even keeps us from dangers that attempt to take away our life. There are times as members in the LGBT communities that we feel as if we are drowning in the water of homophobia and hate directed at us. Yet the psalmist promises us that God will take these chaotic waters and create a world that includes us in our fullness. God will deliver us.

In Romans 12:1-8, Paul is affectionately calling the Christians in Rome to offer their full bodies to God. Bodies matter in the transforming work that Paul is speaking about in these verses. Often society values one particular kind of body -- white, male, able, thin, heterosexual. But God has made our bodies in all their shapes, colors, sizes, genders and sexualities. These are the bodies that co-operate with God's work of grace in each of us and these are the bodies that are joined to each other as Christ's body.

In verse 3, Paul asks the Roman Christians to sincerely and humbly be honest about who they are -- their strengths and growing edges. For us today this honesty means that we praise God for our abilities, and talents and confess to God our weaknesses and shortcomings. When we make these assessments of ourselves, we will have a grateful attitude toward God and a more loving attitude toward other people no matter their attitude, race, gender and sexual orientation.

Once again, water is an important theme in these admonitions from Paul. This transformation and renewal that Paul is claiming for all Christians is possible because of the waters of baptism (Romans 6:4).

In Matthew 16:13-20, Jesus asks the disciples "Who do people say that I am?" They give a variety of responses: "John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets." Then Jesus changes the question and asks the disciples directly, "Who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter immediately responds, "You are the Christ, the Messiah, and the Son of the living God." Jesus says to Peter, the one who will deny Jesus three times, "God has blessed you for God has revealed this to you -- this is not from any human source." Jesus continues saying to Peter, "You are Peter, a stone, and upon this rock I shall build my church."

The place where Peter makes this statement of faith is at Caesarea Philippi also known as Banias -- the place where the Romans worshipped Pan, the God of everything. This site is located at the bottom of Mt. Hermon and contains a hill with a huge cave where water once in its history gushed out to start the northern flow of the Jordan River. In a land often deprived of water, Banias was an oasis and a symbol of new life and fertility. It is significant that Jesus is proclaimed the Messiah/Christ and Child of the Living God in a place so full of life and living water. Peter also makes this radical faith statement at risk to his own life.

Jesus asks all disciples today, "Who do you say that I am?" Marginalized communities usually have special names for the spiritual entities that center if not save their lives. This question is a liberating query because each of us gets to answer. Some may answer, "Abiding Friend, Loyal Lover, Co-sufferer, Liberator."

	Who is Jesus for you? And what do you understand the role of the Church that he established through Peter to be?