Category Archives: IGRC for Unity

April 15, 2024 · 4:59 pm

The path of righteousness leads right into the valley of the shadow of death

Reading for April 21, fourth Sunday of Easter

Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd.
    I lack nothing.
2 He lets me rest in grassy meadows;
    he leads me to restful waters;
3         he keeps me alive.
He guides me in proper paths
    for the sake of his good name.

4 Even when I walk through the darkest valley,
    I fear no danger because you are with me.
Your rod and your staff—
    they protect me.

5 You set a table for me
    right in front of my enemies.
You bathe my head in oil;
    my cup is so full it spills over!
6 Yes, goodness and faithful love
    will pursue me all the days of my life,
    and I will live in the Lord’s house
    as long as I live.

Reflection

The Good Shepherd leads us on paths of righteousness, and that path leads right into the valley of the shadow of death. This is the truth of Psalm 23 that is seldom stated. The path of righteousness is the path of right relationship. The Hebrew word tsedek occurs in the Hebrew Bible 118 times, and many times it is translated “justice.” The Palmist reminds us that the paths of righteousness lead into the darkest valleys.

Once, the path of righteousness crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge. On March 7, 1965, civil rights leaders marched from Selma to Montgomery to protest unfair voting practices, about 600 unarmed marchers were met with violence from state troopers and their racist posse. Known as “Bloody Sunday,” many were beaten with batons and sprayed with tear gas.

Once, the path of righteousness ran down Christopher Street in Greenwich Village, New York. When, on June 26, 1969, the queer community of Greenwich Village had enough of the harassment, threats, and violence. They resisted the torment from NYPD and in the ensuing Stonewall uprising lasted two nights.

Jesus’ path of righteousness went from Gethsemane to Calvary. His path didn’t just go into the shadow, it plunged deep into the heart of the darkness. Yet on the other side of the Cross was a glorious Resurrection that proved the path of righteousness was the right one. The Way that leads to glory, life abundant, and life eternal goes right through the valley of the shadow of death. Christ’s rod and staff comfort us. We know we can walk this path of righteousness because Jesus prepares a table for us.

In a few days, the path of righteousness will lead down College Street to the Charlotte Convention Center. Paths of righteousness often lead into the darkest valleys. When we advocate for the oppressed, when we stand up for what is right and moral, when we have the courage to affect change, the shadow may get dark. The spiritual forces of evil rise out of the shadows with misinformation, meddling, threats, and self-righteous pandering. It is a fearful and anxious time for many of us as we walk these final steps toward General Conference.

On March 15, 1959, eight days after Bloody Sunday, President Johnson sent the Voting Rights Act to Congress. On Sunday, March 21, two weeks after 600 protestors were brutalized for daring to challenge the idol of Jim Crow, the people marched again. This time over 8,000 people began their march from Brown Chapel AME in Selma. On March 25, 25,000 reached the capitol steps in Montgomery.

One year after the uprising, on June 28, 1970, there was a parade down Christopher Street. Two years later, there were similar marches in Chicago, LA, Minneapolis, Boston, Dallas, London, Paris, West Berlin, Stockholm, San Francisco, Atlanta, Buffalo, Detroit, Washington DC, Miami, and Philadelphia. Originally known as Christopher Street Liberation Day marches, they became known as Gay Pride events to reflect that LGBTQ people no longer had to remain hidden in shadows of shame and fear but could celebrate who God created them to be.

I do not know what will come after May 3, 2024. I do not know what kind of church the UMC will be. I’m anxious because death may cast a shadow that is longer than I thought. Regardless of the outcome, I know that there will be pain and anguish from people who will feel abandoned or betrayed. I worry about the harm that may be done to people I love who hunger and thirst for righteousness, but I fear no evil. I know what comes on the other side of the valley of the shadow of death. There is table of grace already prepared for us. There is a cup of goodness that is overflowing with love. And justice, goodness, and mercy will continue to pursue us all the days of our lives.

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August 17, 2023 · 2:08 pm

Joseph, Queen of the Desert

Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28

Andrew Lloyd Weber is not a Hebrew scholar, so when he names his show “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” no one is going to mind. The NRSV says it is a “long robe with sleeves.” The Common English Bible just calls it a “long robe.” The NIV says it is an “ornate robe.” The King James is the traditional “coat of many colors.”

Most don’t think about the difference between these translations. They are all getting at the same thing – it was a fancy article of clothing that made Joseph stand out. Most, including Sir Andrew Lloyd Weber, focus on the idea that the coat showed Jacob’s favoritism toward Joseph. The Bible points explicitly to this favoritism coming because Joseph’s mother was Rachel, who was Jacob’s favorite wife.

What if, however, that favoritism was due to something else? There is a subtext here that is worth exploring and is easily missed when you read simply “long robe.” Why would his brothers hate him so much for simply having a long robe? I understand sibling rivalry, but the hatred they feel toward Joseph seems to far outpace anything Joseph deserves, even if he has a couple of arrogant dreams.

Jacob had experience being a “favorite son.” His brother Esau was hairy, an outdoorsman, a hunter, a real “man’s man” and was the favorite of their father Isaac. Jacob however, was the one who liked to cook, stayed indoors, and was the favorite of his mother.

I wonder if there is something else going on here with Joseph and his father. Jacob is the one who defied gender roles and won the blessing over his “man’s man” of a brother. Now Joseph is the one who stays home while his brothers go out in the field. Jacob gets him a special article of clothing. As the Hebrew text says, a kethoneth passim.

As evidenced by the different translations, this is a tricky phrase. Yet it is only used verbatim one other place in Scripture: in the story of Tamar in 2 Samuel 13. Tamar is the royal princess and daughter of King David. ”She was wearing a long sleeved robe because that was what the virgin princesses wore as garments.” Like Joseph, she is a victim of terrible violence, and her kethoneth passim is torn. She is raped by her half-brother. In response she “puts ashes on her head and tore the long-sleeved robe she was wearing.”

There are other times Scripture when ornate clothing is described. A Bible lexicon program pointed to Psalm 45, Ezekiel 16, and Judges 5:30 as similar phrases. Each time, it is used in reference to a royal virgin girl. Is it possible that Jacob gave Joseph a princess dress, and this is partly why his brothers hated him so much?

Joseph, like his father Jacob before him, defied gender roles. The subtext of the story is that his brothers resented him not only for being favored, but for being gender queer. This explains their hatred of him so much better.

Given the amount of cultural hatred, fear, and vitriol that still surrounds those who defy gender roles, the hatred of the brothers makes more sense with this reading. As drag story hours are shut down at local libraries, and harmful laws targeting transgender children are passed, and vital churches in our own conference are targeted, the violence done to Joseph and his “long robe” seem to make more sense. It doesn’t justify it. It doesn’t make their hatred any less evil. It isn’t excused then, and it shouldn’t be excused now.

Yet Joseph triumphs. Joseph (who I might add resists the sexual temptations of Potiphar’s wife) makes his way out of the violence that is done to him. His princess dress is stained with blood, but Joseph survives. God is with him through it all, and eventually he offers forgiveness to his brothers who meant evil against him.

It is quite a story. It is a redemption story. It’s an underdog story. It is a story of struggle and triumph. It is a familiar story complete with song, dance, and costume. Perhaps though, it is ready for a re-make. This time, maybe Sir Andrew can call it “The Adventures of Joseph, Queen of the Desert.”

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July 2, 2023 · 11:53 am

The binding of Isaac

IGRC for Unity devotional

Genesis 22:1-14

July 2, 2023

As Isaac laid on the altar table, bound up while his father held a sharp knife, I wonder what was going through his mind? Abraham’s understanding of God was clear. His interpretation of God’s will led him to sacrifice his son. He was convinced of this path and knew it was right. What was Isaac thinking as he lay on the table?

I wonder how many fathers since Abraham have been willing to sacrifice their sons and daughters over their interpretation of God’s will? How many parents were convinced that binding their children was the way forward? How many heard their version of the will of God, but ignored their own struggling child on the table?

Isaac’s name meant “laughter” or “one who rejoices” As Abraham sharpened his knife, who was laughing? Who still rejoices at the sacrifice of children who are bound by their parents’ understanding of God’s will?

A year ago on Pentecost my church, Two Rivers United Methodist Church in Rock Island, has a meeting after worship. The launch of the Global Methodist Church had caused headlines and questions and we talked about what we would do as a congregation. Three options were considered: 1) Begin discussions around disaffiliation and explore the opportunities with the newly formed GMC, 2) Do nothing and wait until General Conference 2024 when things might get “sorted out.” 3) Initiate talks about LGBTQ inclusion, gather information, do research, and pray about a welcome statement that could be made to the public.

During that meeting, with people nearly filling up our fellowship hall, there arose a general consensus that 1) disaffiliation wasn’t really on the table, 2) Doing nothing could continue to harm people we love in our community, 3) we would do the work of crafting a welcome statement.

One year later, that work led us to create our own statement and join the Reconciling Ministries Network. Last Sunday, on June 25, we celebrated Reconciling Sunday. We had more guests in worship and more guests between the ages of 16-25 than we have had in a very long time. One of our guests was a man named Adam Peters. He is the program director at Clock, Inc., a social service agency that serves LGBTQ+ people with counseling services, health screenings, social and support groups, and many other services.

Adam is a lifelong Methodist, and he shared with our congregation. He has granted me permission to share with you some of his reflections from Sunday. Three Sundays previous to our celebration, Adam decided on a whim to go back to the little country church in Iowa where he grew up. He had not been there in 17 years. He wrote in a reflection on Facebook

“Folks were warm.

‘Is that… is that Adam Peters I see?’

‘I wasn’t sure if it was you until you smiled, I’d never forget that smile.’

They hugged me. They seemed genuinely glad that I was there. Almost all, old and gray. A few didn’t remember me at first, because time is cruel. Memories fade.”

The day he visited his old church they were celebrating. They were rejoicing. They were excited to “return to their roots,” which were leading them to disaffiliation. They were rejoicing that they had raised the “$100K to leave it all behind.”

Wondering what Isaac was thinking while he was bound on the altar is speculation, but Adam shared on Facebook about his experience:

“Am I hurt that this church would welcome me back warmly, but not support who I actually am?

No.

Because that’s an old story.

Of an old chapter.

Of an old book.

And my life is magical.

Like the blackbird.

FULL of magic and wonder.

Misunderstood by many.

But also, made in the creation.

In the image of God.

And the blackbird whispered to the closeted boy in the pew,

‘You were only waiting for this moment to arise.’”

Adam, who had that experience just three weeks ago, walked into a different church last Sunday. He walked into a church that was rejoicing too. We were celebrating our public statement to embrace all people. We were celebrating the Biblical truth that loving another person is never a sin. We were celebrating the reconciling love of God and the truth of the first Christian Creed that “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave or free; nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28).

When he came forward, he told us a little bit about Clock, Inc. Then he thanked us for the warm welcome. He testified to the incredible love he felt. He closed by saying, “You are saving lives. I wish I had a church like this when I was a kid in a pew. All I know is that what you are doing is saving lives.”

After the service he stayed, shared some cake, talked with a queer teenager who shared their poetry during the service. He shared a lot of hugs with a lot of people who thanked him for his words and his work. He got back on Facebook and shared a picture we took together, and wrote:

“What a difference three weeks makes… This church is one that isn’t breaking off and that has decided that the closeted queer kid in the pews should not only feel safe to be their authentic self, but should be welcome with complete love, joy, and compassion. My mind was blown from the total wash of love that this congregation had for me, a stranger walking in… and the beautiful spirit that unfolded throughout a service that was truly welcoming of all. This church is taking steps that will not only undoubtedly shape lives for the better but also save lives.”

As Isaac lay on the altar, God stopped the hand of Abraham.

God does not require the sacrifice of children for the sake of following doctrine. Abraham thought he was doing God’s will when he bound Isaac. He thought he was acting out of love when he was willing to sacrifice his son. He was wrong.

God does not want the sacrifice of the first born. God does not require us to bind up our LGBTQ+ children in false clothes. We are not called to sacrifice our children on the altar of heterosexuality. We do not need to bind them in lies that go against who they were created to be. Deuteronomy 12:31 reminds us to not do things that the LORD hates, which includes harming our children. Jeremiah 7:30-32 declares that harming children “never crossed [God’s] mind.” And of course, Micah reminds us that God does not require extravagant sacrifices, and certainly not the oldest child. Instead, “He has told you, human one, what is good and what the LORD requires from you: to do justice, embrace faithful love, and walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8)

And so we walk. We walk with the good shepherd who leads on us pathways of justice (Psalm 23). We walk with steadfast love as we do the work of liberating all who are bound by harmful understanding of God’s will.

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May 28, 2023 · 11:48 am

Pentecost and hope yet unseen

IGRC for Unity Devotional: 5/28/2023

Scripture: Acts 2:1-4; Romans 8:18-31

On this Pentecost Sunday, the Narrative Lectionary gives us the regular Acts 2 story, but combines it with a part of Paul’s letter to the Romans. Romans 8:28 always brings me back in time – to circa 2002 and the very first sermon I preached. I was hired at age 24ish to be youth director at Mackinaw UMC by Rev. Dan Powers.

One Sunday early in my tenure there, I was given a chance to preach. Being 24ish, I picked “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (NIV) as my text.

I don’t remember much about that sermon, but two things stand out. The first are the words of encouragement Rev. Dan (he’ll always be Reverend Dan to me) gave me afterwards. “You really picked a tough one,” he told me without an ounce of sarcasm or incredulity at my hubris for trying to tackle the age-old problem of theodicy in my very first sermon. It was good enough that he asked me to preach again and again, and eventually guided me in my candidacy and helped lead me to seminary. I’ll be forever grateful to him for the patience and guiding care he gave me in my two years at Mackinaw UMC.

The second thing I remember is the face of my Mom after I was done. My Mom was the one who first planted the seed of my call into my heart when I was a teenager. I’ll never forget the look on her face when she saw me living into the role she had seen for me years before.

My relationship with this verse however, has evolved over the years. Twenty years later I do not think I could summarize my view of “all things happening for good” as succinctly or as confidently as I did that day in Mackinaw. I know a deeper sense of loss, of frustration, and grief than I did that day. I’m not saying I have felt great suffering, but I have questioned many times the goodness of all things. I am more acquainted with lament today than I was then.

15 years after that sermon in Mackinaw, I sat beside my mother as she was dying with cancer gripping her brain. At that bedside I experienced the verse that comes a few before v. 28, “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with groanings too deep for words.” (Romans 8:26, NRSV).

Paul reminds the Romans that suffering is a part of life. Indeed, for those who follow Christ, it should be an expected part of life. Not because God wills suffering on the faithful, but because the world will pour out suffering on those who follow Christ. And God will pour out grace to overcome it all. The way of Christ is a way of love, patience, generosity, forgiveness, and justice. This way is often met with fear and reprisal. In fact, Paul’s message of the Cross is that love will suffer these things. The Cross is a reminder that love will bear these things for the sake of love, even in the midst of suffering.

God doesn’t give us suffering, but the Cross is a reminder that Jesus endured suffering for the sake of love, and resurrection is a reminder that love wins. Christ crucified and Christ resurrected reveals God can transform the worst suffering the world can dole out.

It is the Holy Spirit that raised Christ from the dead. It is the Holy Spirit that blew through an upper room in Jerusalem and swept the disciples out in the public square to testify to the Risen One. It is the Holy Spirit the empowered those disciples with visions and dreams and words of prophecy and love. It was the Holy Spirit that gave Paul confidence to hope for what is to come despite all worldly evidence that said he should fear.

It was the Holy Spirit that swept over me this past Sunday as I laid my hands on my nephew being confirmed in a Lutheran Church near my hometown. I heard my Mother’s voice as we sang her favorite hymn. I saw my mother’s face look down upon Luke in the same way she looked upon me that day in Mackinaw. I felt the Holy Spirit which gives me hope for things yet unseen.

It is the Holy Spirit that is sweeping through churches still. When the world is swept up in anger and violence. When wayward teens looking for directions are greeted at porches with guns. When nations are invaded by despots. When rainbow stickers on Target trigger anger and threats, the Holy Spirit speaks prayers of groaning too deep for words. The world experiencing labor pains, but the joy of the Kingdom is coming. The suffering we endure will be transformed.

The Holy Spirit, which raised Christ from the dead, will raise this Church up too. When the wind of the Holy Spirit sweeps through our sanctuaries and pushes us out into the world in desperate need of love and grace. When the Holy Spirit reconciles the Church to the ones who have been harmed by dogma. When the Holy Spirit gives us the confidence we need to stand strong for justice and compassion. When we recognize the power of the Holy Spirit working in the lives of all people. When the Holy Spirit fills all people with the power of love instead of the love of power, we will know peace. We will know Resurrection. May the winds of the Holy Spirit blow.

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December 23, 2022 · 4:34 pm

The genealogy of Jesus

Matthew 1:1-17

Searching one’s genealogy has always been a popular hobby, but technology has helped create an explosion in the last decade or so. First, the ability to network on the internet made data collection more powerful as distant relatives could link up with each other without having any previous knowledge of the other’s existence. Finding one distant cousin could suddenly open enormous branches of your family tree that you didn’t even know about.

Then Commercial DNA testing kits offered people an even deeper and more precise view of their history. Marketing for these kinds of products include slogans like “Give yourself the gift of you.” Not only do these kits provide DNA evidence of your ethnic makeup, but they add you to vast databases that can link you to known genealogical studies.

The study of one’s genealogy can be enlightening. There are important medical and biological things one can find out about themselves. There are other deeper and more meaningful stories that genealogy can link you to. The popularity of the PBS show “Finding Your Roots” has revealed how powerful an in-depth story of genealogy can be.

Watching “Finding Your Roots” however, has revealed to me what a privilege it even is to have a genealogy. While everyone has people from whom they came, not everyone has the privilege of being able to study that list of ancestors. Genealogy is able to be studied by those who have the privilege of having ancestors who left a paper trail. Those held in bondage as property did not always leave a trail. Many people have had their genealogy erased by the institution of slavery. What’s more, there have been many people who have had their existence erased in the telling of family stories.

LGBTQIA+ people have often been erased from family histories. Either the person has been wiped from the family memory entirely or their “queerness” has been removed. They have become the “eccentric uncle” or the “confirmed bachelor.” Sometimes, if they weren’t willing to erase that essential part of who they were themselves, they have simply been scrubbed from the history. They were left out of the stories, cropped from the photo albums, and left uninvited to the reunions. Generations of queer people have been erased from families, exiled to be virtual orphans because their family of origin perceived their existence to be too shameful to bear.

The privilege of a family genealogy and history has been stolen from countless people because they are LGBTQIA+. The history of millions of people runs into a dead end when they get back to the auction blocks. Knowing your genealogy is a privilege that many take for granted.

Today we read Matthew’s version of Jesus’ genealogy. Often one’s first impression of this genealogy is that it is dry, boring, and easy to be skipped. It feels like a list of hard-to-pronounce names that no one remembers. While Matthew frames Jesus’ genealogy in an interesting way (14 generations from Abraham to David, etc.) it still feels like a pretty easy part of the story to skip.

Until you notice the mothers. When you consider the mothers of Jesus’ genealogy, a more interesting (one might even say sordid) story is told. The fact that these four women are lifted-up is a remarkable thing. Matthew refused to erase Jesus’ family history. In fact, he highlighted some of the more difficult parts. He took the stories that could have been stories of shame and pointed them out. He could have skipped these mothers of Jesus. It would have been easy to skip over the sordid story of Tamar and Judah. He could have left out the prostitute Rahab. He could have left out Ruth the Moabite who “uncovered the feet” of Boaz. He didn’t have to mention Uriah, who was killed by David so that he could hide his assault of Bathsheba.

These women, all victims of a patriarchal system that devalued them as humans, were all lifted-up as mothers of Christ. They were all victims, but none of them allowed themselves to remain as such. They persisted. They used their agency, their strategic minds, and their grit to achieve survival. All four women have an element of sexual scandal attached to them, and by putting their names in the genealogy of Jesus, Matthew puts those scandals right in Christ’s history too. Matthew shines a light on the stories that some may deem shameful. He makes sure to remind everyone that Jesus’ history is fraught with humanity – messy, sordid, triumphant, and persistent.

As we read the genealogy of Jesus, we can give thanks to the controversial mothers who refuse to be ignored. I hope that we take a moment to lament the stories that have been erased. I pray that we, like Matthew, have the courage to tell the stories of the messy, the triumphant, the sordid, and the persistent. For these are the stories that give us meaning and hope. These are the stories that invite us into Christ’s eternal story of redemption and love for all – even the ones that others want to erase.

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October 11, 2022 · 12:52 pm

Inspiration and Purpose

IGRC For Unity Devotional for October 16, 2022

2 Timothy 3:14-4:5

Thomas Edison famously said that “Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.” The writer of 2 Timothy claims that Scripture is 100% inspiration. Yet what is inspiration? The Greek word translated to “inspiration” is theopnuestos. In this word we can see the roots for “God” and “Breath.” So inspired seems to literally mean “God-Breathed.”

Is this the same however, as God-authored, or God-dictated? It seems to me that the leap from “inspired” to infallible or inerrant, as some make, stretches credulity. Scripture is inspired by God, but what does that mean?

Inspiration is often described as a moment. It is the moment a tune enters a song-writer’s head. Whistled out of nowhere as they walk through the park. The birthplace of the tune cannot be located or named. It seems to have breathed out of the artist from nothing. The painter sitting at the easel begins to create. Why does the brush move the way it does? How is each color chosen, mixed, and applied?

There are years of work, study, technique, and practice behind every stroke of a brush. The same is true behind every note of a trumpet of the jazz player. Yet in that moment when the air pushes through the instrument or when the brush touches the canvass, that is inspiration. Is that a God-moment? Some artists would certainly attest to being inspired by God. Few however, would say that God moved the brush. The inspiration moved the artist, and the artist created. God and humanity are co-creators of things inspired.

More important than the nature of inspiration however, is the purpose of that inspiration. Scripture has a purpose. It is “so that the person who belongs to God can be equipped to do everything that is good.”

Too many use Scripture for harm. They use it to perpetuate preconceived prejudices. They use it to strengthen their flimsy understanding of biology, history, and culture.

“They will collect teachers who say what they want to hear because they are self-centered. 4 They will turn their back on the truth.” They build echo-chambers of their opinions, ignore evidence and science and instead listen to rumors, click-bait YouTubers, or conspiracy theorists with an agenda. Scripture is meant to lead us to good and not harm.

If your use of Scripture is not doing good, then you’re using it wrong. Scripture is inspired by God and is meant to inspire good. God who is good created humanity who is good, and gave us Scripture to help us find the good and do good in the world.

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May 13, 2022 · 10:55 pm

Lectionary for Inclusion: Acts 11:1-18

May 15, 2022

Scripture: Acts 11:1-18

The Holy Spirit cannot be contained. This is the fundamental story of Acts. We know this book as the Acts of the Apostles, but I think of it as the Gospel of the Spirit. If Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are the Good News of Jesus Christ, then Acts should be thought of as the Good News of the Holy Spirit. Acts begins with pyrotechnics, rushing winds, ecstatic speech, and a truly wild experience that was a harbinger of what is to come in the rest of the story.

The rest of the story is the Spirit behaving in ways that no one could predict and in ways that not everyone likes. It’s not all lights and flash, but in these middle chapters of Acts the Holy Spirit is doing things no one expected. She sends Philip to Samaria, convicts a sorcerer named Simon. She picks up Philip and compels him to chase down an Ethiopian eunuch. She empowers Peter to speak to a Roman centurion named Cornelius and gives Peter a miraculous vision that changes the way he thinks about the world.

“Do not call anything impure that God has made clean,” a divine voice tells Peter, and in the end of chapter 10, “the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message… They were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on Gentiles.”

Now Peter has some explaining to do. Like a scolded child, Peter is brought back to the leaders of the Church who thought they had the Holy Spirit under control. They criticize Peter for eating with uncircumcised men. He had broken the rules. He had gone against the discipline. So he tells them about his holy vision. He tells them what the Holy Spirit had shown him. He tells them about what the Holy Spirit was doing.

Finally, he concludes, “If God gave them the same gift he gave us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could stand in God’s way?”

Who indeed? Who should stand in the way of what the Holy Spirit is doing? The Gospel of the Holy Spirit tells us that she doesn’t behave in ways we always like. The Holy Spirit doesn’t follow the discipline. The Holy Spirit goes to Centurions and sorcerers. She blinds murderous Pharisees and brings salvation to sexually unclean foreigners.

To me, this might be the single most compelling argument for LGBTQ inclusion in the Church. It wasn’t my idea. It wasn’t a gay agenda. It wasn’t a liberal plot. It was the Holy Spirit’s idea. She started it.

I have seen the Holy Spirit at work through gay pastors. I have seen the Holy Spirit move through churches led by lesbian clergy. I have seen marriages guided by the Holy Spirit between two men. I have witnessed the Holy Spirit at work in “practicing homosexuals.” And if God gave them the same gift he gave to us who are cis-gendered, who are we to stand in God’s way?”

The Holy Spirit is alive. The Holy Spirit is burning in hearts and blowing open doors and changing hearts and lives. The Church should not be the ones to stand in God’s way.

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February 11, 2022 · 3:08 pm

Blessings and Woes

The Sermon on the Mount in Mathew and the Sermon on the Plain in Luke are alike in many ways, and different in more ways then elevation.

Lectionary Text: Luke 6:17-26

The Sermon on the Plain is the less well-known cousin of the Sermon on the Mount. Many of the same themes are there, but they are just different enough to make us squirm. Jesus comes down from the mountain where he named the 12 apostles and “stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples.” This is a level place with a great number of people and a rich diversity. People have come from far and wide to touch him and claim a small part of the power that he held.

Then he shares four blessings and four woes. Blessed are the poor, hungry, those who weep, and those who are hated. Woe to you who are rich, full, laughing, and those of high status.

Some call this as a reversal, but I think it is more of a levelling. For those who have been elevated for their whole lives, a levelling feels like a reversal. Jesus is on a level place. He is the son of Mary, who said that the powerful would be brought down and the hungry would be filled with good things.

The crowds came for healing, but Jesus wants to make sure they know what they are getting into. They are not just being healed. To be a disciple of Jesus is to live into a new community. They are a part of a new Kingdom, a new Kin-dom. This new community, however, is going to be different from what they’re used to. The poor and hungry have experienced pain and isolation. Jesus will show them something else. Disciples of Jesus are fed. They are cared for, provided for, and consoled.

Being a disciple of Jesus should mean that we are creating a community of shared struggle. The Church is a place where the hurting and hungry should come and celebrate the riches that are found in Christian fellowship. Our bread is broken and shared. Our wine is poured out for many for forgiveness and grace. This is a disruption of how the world thinks we should operate. Cultures are built on competition, not community. Society values the victor, not the vulnerable. Being a disciple means that we meet on a level plain.

Being a disciple of Jesus means isolation is over. The old structure of honor and shame is over. The ones who were given shame are now embraced and lifted up. But if you are rich, if you have enough, if you feel comfortable with the system, following might hurt a little. The system has been good to you, but the system is changing.

Your riches are terrible if you’re not helping others. Your abundance is cursed if you are not sharing. Your laughing is mocking those who are forced to dance for your entertainment. Those who have lived in privileged places of white, hetero-normative supremacy have had their time of riches and laughter.

I believe that we are seeing the death throes of those who see that their time has come. When power structures of oppression are called out for what they truly are – white supremacy, homophobia, patriarchy – those that benefit don’t simply step down. The woes are coming. For Jesus, the response was crucifixion. Today, the response is insurrection. But, and how glorious is this but, there is something else coming. We end this passage on the woe, and so maybe its appropriate to dwell in the woe for a little while. The next word in Jesus’ sermon is “but,” and I once heard Bishop Gregory Palmer say that he could write a book called the “Holy Buts” of the Bible. The woes are coming, and perhaps we are witnessing them all around.

But love remains.

In a world of honor and shame, and blessings and woes, love remains. Love enough to speak the truth to those who have been blessed by the system. Love enough to speak good news to those who are beaten down by it. Love enough to welcome all into the Kin-dom where a level place is holy ground.

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October 15, 2021 · 12:32 pm

You will be. You will be

Inclusivity Devotional for October 17, 2021

This devotion was published first in the IGRC for Unity weekly email. IGRC for Unity is a group of Illinois United Methodists who have rejected the Traditional Plan for the United Methodist Church and are working to create a United Methodist Church that is truly open to all. These devotionals will be taken from a text from the Revised Common Lectionary, and will often have a theme of inclusion and welcome.

Revised Common Lectionary Reading: Mark 10:35-45

This passage always reminds me of the movie Empire Strikes Back. In a scene inside Yoda’s hut, he and Luke Skywalker are debating if he should train young Luke as a Jedi. Yoda sees Luke’s impetuousness and immaturity. He sees the anger in young Luke and decides not to train him as a Jedi. Luke is hot-headed and impatient. He wants to be a Jedi. He wants to fight like his father. He wants to be a hero and overthrow the Empire. Yoda wonders, “Will he finish what he starts?” Pleading with Yoda he says, “I won’t fail you. I’m not afraid.” Yoda looks at him ominously and says, “You will be,” and repeats, “You will be.”

John and James come to Jesus and ask, “Allow one of us to sit on your right and the other on your left when you enter your glory.” He asks them “Will you drink the cup I drink?” They respond, “We can.” Ominously, Jesus answers, “You will drink the cup.”

They ask to sit at Jesus’ right and left. These are places of honor. They are looking ahead to the victory. They are looking ahead to the time when Jesus will reign. They see themselves as riding shotgun and basking in Jesus’ glory. What they don’t understand is that at the height of Jesus’ glory, the ones at his right and his left will be hanging on crosses just like Jesus.

The Revised Common Lectionary suggests for us to start this reading at verse 35, but to get the full context we would be well-served to start where we left off last week – at verse 32. By going back to verse 32 we see that Jesus and a crowd were “going up to Jerusalem.” The response is a mix of awe and fear, so Jesus takes the Twelve aside and reminds them (for the third time in two chapters) that in Jerusalem he will die an ignominious death before being raised up.

When the other ten hear what James and John asked, they get angry. The funny thing is, I don’t they are angry that they asked the question. I think they are angry that James and John asked it first. None of them truly understand at this point what ambition looks like in the Kingdom. Christian ambition is a tricky thing. Aren’t we all supposed to be striving for greatness?

Jesus redefines greatness. The twelve are still operating in the system that judges greatness by how many people serve you. For Jesus, greatness is defined by who many people you serve. It is not measured by rank or status. Greatness is not marked on attendance pads, church budgets, charge conference forms, or plum appointments. Greatness is earned with kindness, generosity, and service. It is seldom rewarded in the ways we expect, or even desire.

Like John and James, we may be eager for the glory. Like Luke (Skywalker, not the apostle), we may be eager to be heroes and run off and fight the evil Empire. It is good to consider just what that means. “I’m not afraid,” you may be saying. “You will be,” comes the ominous response.

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October 7, 2021 · 10:28 am

Left behind (not that kind of left behind)

Inclusivity Devotional for October 10, 2021

This devotion was published first in the IGRC for Unity weekly email. IGRC for Unity is a group of Illinois United Methodists who have rejected the Traditional Plan for the United Methodist Church and are working to create a United Methodist Church that is truly open to all. These devotionals will be taken from a text from the Revised Common Lectionary, and will often have a theme of inclusion and welcome.

Revised Common Lectionary Reading: Mark 10:17-31

Jesus said, “I assure you that anyone who has left house, brothers, sisters, mother, father, children, or farms because of me and because of the good news will receive one hundred times as much now in this life—houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and farms (with harassment)—and in the coming age, eternal life.”

Today I wonder how many LGBTQ kids have walked away from their homes. How many were forced out? How many have “left house, brothers, sisters, mother, father, children, or farms” because they simply wanted to live their lives as truthfully as possible?

I want to ponder that for a moment before we go any farther with this passage. How many young people were forced out of their homes because of their parents’ misunderstanding of Scripture? How many young people are forced to live a lie and dwell in anxiety and darkness because of how they were created by God. How much good news has been quieted by those who think they are following Jesus?

Before we get caught up in figuring out how to get a camel through the eye of the needle (spoiler alert: there was no such gate in Jerusalem called “the eye of the needle.” That story was a total fabrication to make people more comfortable with Jesus’ harsh message in this passage), before we wrestle over the nature of “obtaining eternal life,” before we wonder if Jesus was talking to just one rich man or to all of us, I want us pause and think of those who have “left house, brothers, sisters, mother, father, children, or farms because of me and because of the good news.”

There are thousands of brave, courageous, faithful gay, lesbian, and transgendered people who refused to lie about themselves and who have remained with Jesus. Their faith is an inspiration. They have been shamed, beaten, called names, and outcast by people who claim to love them. Yet they remain faithful to Jesus because of the good news.

This morning I stand in awe of my brave siblings in Christ who, as Peter said, “left everything and followed you.” No pastor, no institution, no Book of Discipline, no misunderstanding of a few verses of the Bible, and no reprimanding parent can keep them from the love of God in Christ Jesus.

I pray that you receive one hundred times as much as you have left behind. I pray that you receive truth, grace, affirmation, mission, and community. The eternal life of Christ is one of depth, meaning, joy, and peace that surpasses all understanding, and I hope you receive it all. I am thankful for the places and communities who have welcomed you. I pray for your search if you have not yet found a such a place. I believe Jesus’ promise that you will receive it. I am inspired by your faith. I will keep working for you, preaching for you, and praying for you.

Even as I search myself for the same eternal life, I remember that for humans, entering the Kingdom of God is as easy as a camel passing through the eye of the needle, but with God all things are possible. Thanks be to God.

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