Part two of four in this Advent series on the women of Jesus’ genealogy.
“Rahab the prostitute” is named twice in the New Testament as a model of faith in action. Both James 2:25 and Hebrews 11:31 praise her and cite her as an example of someone who should be honored. She is named in Matthew 1:5 as one of the mothers in Jesus’ genealogy.
Rahab’s inn seemed to serve as a part of the wall that surrounded Jericho (this was a common way to build ancient cities, with the “wall” being a combination of large buildings and walls forming the perimeter of the city). She received Israelite spies who were sent by Joshua to learn about the city’s defenses. This was the first stage of the Israelite’s occupation of the “Promised Land”
Rahab’s actions are incredible in this brief story. It can be argued that she manipulates three parties, all of whom are much more powerful than her. First, she manipulates the Jericho guard. When they confront her, she sends them on a wild goose chase to find the Israeli spies. Second, she manipulates the spies themselves, keeping them relatively safe but still in a precarious spot when she negotiates for the lives of her and her family. Last, she manipulates God’s plan.
The Exodus tradition is clear about how the Israelites should occupy the land. “I will hand over to you the inhabitants of the land, and you shall drive them out before you. You shall make no covenant with them and their gods.” (Exodus 23:32). Yet Rahab’s story continues in Joshua 6:25 “Joshua let Rahab live, her family, and everyone related to her. So her family still lives among Israel today.”
In other words, Joshua made an agreement with a Canaanite, in direct opposition to God’s decree in Exodus, and this agreement helped lead the Israelites to victory. From the very first battle in the occupation, there were Canaanites who were spared. The agreement between Rahab’s family and the Israelites allowed them both to prosper.
This reveals a deeper tension that is found throughout the Hebrew Bible. There are elements of Scripture that suggest that the Israelites must be pure. They must take total control of the Land and completely destroy all of their enemies. There are truly disturbing calls for genocide found in the stories of occupation. These flow from the promises made to Abraham that are eternal. The covenant of the Land is described as unwavering and pure. The Land belongs to Israel. Period.
But Deuteronomy provides the giant “If.” The ‘if’ is found many places, but is pronounced In the final speech of Deuteronomy. “Now if you really obey the Lord your God’s voice, by carefully keeping his commandments… then the Lord your God will set you high above all nations” (Deut. 28:1). “But if you don’t obey the Lord your God’s voice by carefully doing all his commandments and his regulations… all these curses will com upon you” (Deut. 28:15).
The promises made to Abraham were made for a purpose. Five times in Genesis it is repeated that Abraham is blessed for a reason: to be a blessing to all (Gen 12:3, 18:18, 22:18, 26:4, 28:14). Deuteronomy backs up this claim, if Abraham ceases to be a blessing to all, then the promises made will turn to curses.
This is an element of the Biblical story that many ignore. As people of God, our unwavering support should be on the side of justice and peace. Drawing direct lines from the Biblical story to modern national politics and wars is a always a fraught endeavor. Within the Bible is a strong tension between isolation from and care for “the other.”
There should be a tension in all of our convictions about what is happening right now in Gaza. Multiple things can be true. Israeli people should feel safe. We grieve the 1,200 deaths and reprehensible violence that occurred on October 7. Palestinian people and children should not be collateral damage, even in the pursuit of terrorists and militants. We grieve the 18,000 Palestinian deaths and the rising humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Hostages should be released. Aid should be given. A path to a just cease-fire must be found.
Antisemitic violence against Jewish people is evil and the rise of it is disturbing. Holocaust-denial is on the rise and needs to end. Islamophobic violence against Muslims is evil and the rise of it is disturbing. The rhetoric and actions of Hamas is deplorable and cannot be justified. The apartheid policies of Israel in Gaza should be challenged and criticized. The death of innocent Israeli and Palestinian people should end. The self-determination of Israeli and Palestinian people should be protected. These should not be seen as political, partisan, or even controversial statements.
I do not have the expertise to untangle the problems in Israel/Palestine, but our Biblical story doesn’t support sweeping generalizations or unwavering support for anything but peace and justice. Rahab the Canaanite saved the Israelites in a city in what is now known as the West Bank and her family lived with them in peace. There is an Advent hope that a Jewish boy born in a West Bank town called Bethlehem could be the Prince of Peace.
Opinion piece from The Forward, an independent Jewish news source that both calls out both Hamas for the terrorism it has inflicted and the government of Israel for mistakes it has made. An excerpt: “Tunnel warfare is dirty, complicated, costly and requires lengthy efforts and campaigns, not the short and swift operations upon which Israel’s military doctrine is built. Rather than weakening Hamas, which is underground, the current Israeli military operation in the strip is killing supporters and opponents of the group alike, inflaming the region, exacerbating anti-Israel sentiments worldwide, silencing political opposition to Hamas inside Gaza, complicating efforts at normalizing relations with Arab countries and achieving precisely what the group wanted in the first place: to reinvigorate the Palestinian cause and force Israel to act in a manner that in essence proves Hamas’ claims.”
We honor the women who gave birth to hope, who were lifted up by Matthew as the foremothers of the One who came at Christmas.
We honor the women who used their own agency in a world that tried to rob them of it, so that their families could survive and their stories could be told.
We believe in God the mother and father of us all, creator of heaven and earth, whose promise to renew the Earth was embodied in an infant and lives in a promise yet to be fulfilled.
We believe in Christ who was made flesh in an infant child and was born to Mary, whose humanity was proven in his tears, hunger, and blood; and whose divinity was revealed in his feeding, healing, and resurrection.
We believe in the Holy Spirit who indwells with us today, and gives strength to women and men who continue to give birth to hope.
Part one of four in this Advent series on the women of Jesus’ genealogy.
This Advent I will take four weeks to write about the grandmothers of Jesus. These are the women who were named in the genealogy of Jesus in the first chapter of Matthew. These four women were all either explicitly Gentile or connected intimately connected to Gentiles. Tamar’s father was from a Canaanite city. Rahab was a Canaanite living in Jericho. Ruth was called “Ruth the Moabite,” and Bathsheba was married to “Uriah the Hittite.”
They also all had sordid scandal connected to them. They were all victims of a patriarchal system that valued them more for their womb or sexuality than for their own agency, but they all survived. They all refused to be subjugated, and all four were called “righteous.” History, commentators, and “the religious,” have tried to defile their name. They have been called sinners, adulterers, and harlots, Scripture calls them righteous, and Matthew named them up for a reason.
We will remember the grandmothers of Jesus. We will remember their persistence, their cunning, their loyalty, and their courage. As we prepare for the coming of Jesus, we will remember those who prepared the way for him to come for us.
The Pharisees asked Jesus when God’s Kingdom would come. He told them a few parables, including one about a poor widow who was denied justice, but persisted in pestering the judge until he granted her justice. Perhaps Jesus was thinking of his Grandmother Tamar while he told the parable of the persistent widow (Luke 18:1-8).
He must have known her story, and that she was the mother of Perez, whose line continued to King David and of course, to Joseph (Matthew 1). Tamar’s story is not one that is told much these days. It comes in the middle of the more well-known story of Joseph and brothers. Wedged in between Judah and his brothers selling Joseph to traders on their way to Egypt, and Joseph gaining favor with Potiphar before getting entrapped by his wife, we get the story of Judah and Tamar.
It is a story with the cringe-factor turned up to 10. It is disturbing on many levels. For one, we are reminded that women’s agency was extremely limited. We are dealing with a patriarchal society where women were extremely vulnerable. Yet through the difficult circumstances, Tamar’s cunning and persistence brings her the justice she deserves.
Judah’s oldest son marries Tamar, but he dies. To fulfill the levirate law (Deuteronomy 25:5-10) she must marry Judah’s second son. This is so that Tamar may live within the clan and get the protection that is due her. It is also to ensure that she may bear a son to “carry on” her husbands line. Onan, her second husband, realizes that giving his brother an heir would mean that his inheritance would be reduced to a third of Judah’s estate instead of half. So he “spills his seed,” (thus giving rise to the “Sin of Onan”) so that his inheritance will not be further divided. As punishment of this evil deed, God strikes Onan down.
Now only one son remains, Shelah, but he is too young to marry. Judah then sends Tamar back to her home to wait until Shelah is of age. After some years pass, Shelah is old enough, and Tamar has not been recalled by Judah (he thinks she is cursed), so she plots her course. When Judah comes to her home town, she puts her plan into action.
She poses as a prostitute at the gate. He takes the bait and sleeps with her. As a deposit for payment she asks for his seal, cord, and staff (all of which would be unique to Judah. This is the ancient equivalent of leaving your ID for a bar tab).
Eventually Judah hears through the grapevine that his daughter-in-law Tamar is a prostitute, and she is pregnant. He cannot bear this shame upon his name, and decides to have her killed. Then she tells him, “I’m pregnant by the man who owns these things.” When he realizes what has happened, he declares “She is more righteous than I.”
It is a crazy story, to say the least. And lest you think, “well, it’s really old, it was a different time,” you should know, it was shocking then, too. And that is the point. Tamar is never judged for her action. In fact, she is deemed righteous. She was denied the justice that she deserved—that Torah demanded. In a patriarchal system that kept women in a perpetually vulnerable state, it was Judah’s duty to protect her. When he failed, she did what she had to do.
Scholars and commentators have not been kind to Tamar. She has been called a sinner, and her inclusion in Jesus’ genealogy a sign that he could redeem even a sinner such as her. Yet neither God nor anyone else in Scripture calls her a sinner. Perhaps our puritanical sexual ethic must be re-thought. Tamar – despite posing as a prostitute and having sex with her father-in-law, is called righteous. She is the original persistent widow who demands—and receives—justice.
That the Torah includes this interlude in the Joseph story suggests that she saved not only herself but helped the development of Judah. Here, he is able to see Tamar in a new light and grow from his mistake. This is a story of Judah’s growth and development. Remember he is the brother who sold Joseph into slavery, but later he is the one who puts his life on the line for Benjamin.
That Matthew includes Tamar in the genealogy of Jesus suggests that she is a part of Jesus’ life, ministry, and legacy. Jesus, the one who criticized the religious for “devouring widow’s homes,” who raised the widow’s son, and told a story of a persistent widow, probably remembered the story of Grandma Tamar.
We should remember her, too. Remember her predicament—the product of a patriarchal system. We should remember her persistence and her triumph. We should remember our grandmothers who overcame patriarchal systems that still exist. Tamar’s cunning and persistence is an important step in the line of Christ. We can honor her by remembering the women who continue to preach, pastor, prophecy, advocate, and work for justice.
This year I will be preaching from the The Women’s Lectionary: Preaching the Women of the Bible throughout the Yearby Ashley Wilcox. The year begins with Advent, and the four Advent readings include the stories of the four women included in the genealogy of Mary’s husband as told in the Gospel of Matthew. This year, the first Sunday of Advent is also the first Sunday of the month, which means it is a Communion Sunday. I have written this Communion liturgy for this Sunday to honor the grandmothers of Jesus.
Feel free to use it at any time. Just drop me a comment letting me know where you are using it in worship.
The Lord be with you
And also with you
Lift up your hearts
We lift them up to the Lord
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God
It is right to give our thanks and praise
It is a good and joyful thing, always and everywhere to give thank to you, Almighty God, creator of heaven and earth. You formed us in your image and breathed into us the breath of life. You who are father, mother, and parent of all gave us the gift of parenthood and told us to be fruitful and multiply. You set parents in a garden and called them to partner with you in caring for it. They outgrew the garden and the peace and balance – the Shalom – that you created was disrupted.
Still your love was passed down from generation to generation. You guided your chosen family of people so that they could be a blessing to all the families of the earth. When they fell into slavery, your power liberated them. When the family was threatened by external foes, your grace delivered them. When the family threatened to pull itself apart, your forgiveness saved them.
A family set apart to bless the world was itself saved many times by women who acted boldly and with righteousness. Threatened time and again by foes internal and external, four women emerged out of the messiness of life and were called righteous. Each of them saved their family and preserved the family line that stretched from Abraham to Christ.
And so with your people on earth and all the company of heaven we praise these women who saved the family of Christ. But first and foremost we praise your holy name and join the eternal hymn of the Saints of God:
Holy Holy Holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.
Holy are you, and blessed is your Son Jesus Christ, who was born of a woman and was adopted by Joseph, a Son of David, and a child of Abraham. We give thanks for Tamar the Canaanite, Rahab the Canaanite, Ruth the Moabite, and Bathsheba the wife of a Hittite. They proved that all the families of the earth are a part of your plan of Salvation. Through their agency, intelligence, courage, and loyalty, they were called righteous. They proved that those who persist for justice will be heard. Through them the line of Jesus was preserved.
Through slavery and liberation, exile and restoration, you have been our God. The Law and the Prophets declare describe your justice and your steadfast love that endures forever. After being visited by an angel, Mary went to her relative Elizabeth who was the first to declare that Jesus, still in utero, was “My Lord.”
Mary magnified you, and confessed that you show mercy to everyone, from one generation to the next. You scatter the arrogant and pull down the powerful from their thrones. You lift up the lowly. You fill the hungry with good things. You come to the aid of your servant. We remember your mercy and the promise you made to our ancestors, Abraham and Sarah, which was kept through the agency of these women until the Word became flesh.
Christ humbled himself in obedience to the Divine Will and freely accepted death on a cross. By the baptism of his life, ministry, suffering, death, and resurrection, you gave birth to your Church, delivered us from slavery to sin and death, and made with us a new covenant by water and by Spirit.
This post is long. At nearly 5000 words, it is the longest post I have ever written. It is an extended response to a letter I received. After the introduction, the words in bold are quotes from my previous sermons. The words in italics are direct quotes (exactly as they were printed) from the letter I received.
On June 25 my church, Two Rivers United Methodist Church, celebrated Reconciling Sunday. This was to celebrate that we joined the Reconciling Ministries Network, an organization of United Methodist churches, groups, and individuals who affirm the sacred worth of LGBTQ+ and are committed to working for a more inclusive church. It was the culmination of six months of work, discussion, prayer, discernment, and study.
The morning of the service, the sanctuary was decorated with rainbow streamers. A pride flag hung from the wall. I wore a newly purchased rainbow stole. We had spoken-word poets share their work. Two of the poets were LGBTQ+ teenagers who felt ostracized by the Church in the past, but were welcomed into our celebration with love. A speaker from Clock, Inc., a local LGBTQ+ social services agency gave a word of thanks. We had a video of congratulations from other Reconciling pastors and leaders in our conference. My daughter, who is 16 and a lesbian, gave the sermon about the love of Jesus she felt in this church, at camp that summer, and in that moment of worship.
There were tears of joy. There were hugs and love. It was our most well-attended service since Easter, and there were guests from the community – mostly young adults – who we had invited at a recent Pride event. Afterwards, people basked in God’s love and lingered with conversation and cake for quite some time. When it was almost over, an older woman of our church – a member for over 60 years – stopped me on the way out.
“Thank you, Pastor Robb, for leading us here,” she said. “It took some time for some of our conservative older people to get here, but you brought us here with the Bible and with Jesus. And that mattered.”
A few days later, I received a letter. I should say right up front that this was the only negative response I received after this announcement. It was thoughtful. It was well-written. It made me sad, but I decided not to dismiss it because if seemed to come from a place of genuine concern and not pure vitriol. The letter remained in my backpack for quite some time. This week, I was preparing for a sermon series on Paul’s letter to the Galatians and decided to take another look at it.
I unfortunately opened the envelope in a way that destroyed the return address, so I cannot make a direct reply. Instead, I will do so here, point by point.
Dear Pastor Rob, (misspelled name, but that happens all the time)
My name is Dee (changed for the purpose of this blog post). A friend of mine has been regularly watching your services on-line for about 9 months. My friend has always enjoyed your messages and your choir. My friend called me yesterday quite upset and asked me to go to your website and look at how your church was decorated for the June 25th Reconciling Service.
It is pretty amazing that someone I have never met can watch our services. I am glad that she enjoyed my preaching for 9 months. I can only assume that she heard me talk about this day coming for quite some time. I spoke often of the discussions that we were having. I invited people to call, text, or email me with questions. My cards have been on the table, so to speak, for quite some time about my belief about LGBTQ+ inclusion.
In April, I preached on Peter’s vision in Acts, and said “LGBTQ+ people have been a part of the Jesus movement from the beginning. They have followed the Way of Christ. They have received the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is, and always has been, inclusive of Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. It took time for Peter to understand that, but he learned. It is taking time for the Church to understand that, but I cannot help but wonder, “If God gave LGBTQ+ people the same gift he gave us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, then who are we? Should we stand in God’s way?” I wonder if Dee’s friend enjoyed that sermon.
I wonder if Dee’s friend was watching on Palm Sunday, when I said, “Over the last few months our congregation has been stirred. Our Reconciling Conversations have been a way to shake things up a bit. We are talking about ways we may shake up the way the Church has acted toward LGBTQ+ people. We are shaking up the way we think about invitation, inclusion, and the Kingdom. We have been praying for the last 28 days (or so), hoping that the Holy Spirit will stir something in our hearts, in our community, and in our church. Perhaps you have been stirred. Perhaps you have been shaken…”
I mean, we didn’t just wake up on June 25 and decide to decorate the sanctuary in rainbows. It all started on Pentecost 2022, over a year before, when we discussed as a congregation how we would respond to the launching of the Global Methodist Church. It began again in January with townhall meetings after worship. It continued in Lent with a period of prayer and discernment. It included two writing sessions and a straw poll. In the end, the vote to become a Reconciling Church was overwhelming. I wonder if Dee’s friend saw any of this. If not, I can consider a failure of communication on my part. I thought I went out of my way to make sure everyone was invited to speak, listen, and be heard. I feel bad that Dee’s friend was shocked by the rainbow streamers, but I can’t help but wonder if they were really paying attention at all.
I’ll be honest, I didn’t watch the service. I felt after just seeing the sanctuary and the statements of your church and the RMN [Reconciling Ministries Network] that the service would not be in line with what Jesus would want us to focus on during a worship service.
Well, that explains a lot. The streamers were all you needed to see. You missed two young people pour out their heart about the pain they have experienced. These were two young people who had been coming to our church for an after school program for months and felt loved and accepted in ways that one literally described as “life saving.” You missed Adam, a lifelong Methodist who a few weeks earlier watched his church celebrate their disaffiliation. I guess you would probably feel welcome in that congregation. Adam didn’t. He saw the streamers and his heart leapt.
You missed my daughter share her story as a Queer Christian who has felt loved by this congregation. She told a story about going to camp and finding a girl who didn’t “agree with her lifestyle.” But they spent the week worshiping together, sharing together, eating together, and praying together. They became friends who have a deeper understanding and appreciation for each other, and know that they share the love of Christ.
I am a former Certified Lay Speaker of the United Methodist Church and have lead Disciple Bible multiple times. I am also a former, life-long Methodist. I only tell you this so you have an idea of my background. I am currently attending a Bible Church and love the focus on the Bible and Looking Like Jesus.
I too am a lifelong Methodist. One of my first roles in a church was to lead a Disciple Bible study. It was an incredible and humbling honor. I learned to love the Bible and wanted to learn more and dig deeper into the Scriptures. When I went to seminary, I considered other theological paths, but fell deeper in love with Wesleyan Theology. The United Methodist Church has always believed that Scriptures are sufficient for salvation, but the Bible is not the end-all and be-all of knowledge about the world. I have long appreciated the value of Scripture as our primary source of revelation, but reason, tradition, and experience should also inform our thoughts and theology.
I preach from the Bible. Every week. I study the Bible deeply. I read from a wide variety of scholars from different backgrounds. I do my best to learn about the historical, linguistic, and literary contexts. I love the Bible far too much to believe that it is infallible or inerrant. I believe that the Bible is our best way of knowing the heart of God and Christ, and I believe that the overarching story of the Bible is that God so loves the world that God will do anything to bring us all into salvation and love. We are called to live into the Kingdom of God, and the story of Scripture is a powerful way to guide us there.
Pastor, I am all for welcoming the least, the last and the lost into God’s house of prayer.Every single one of us is a sinner and Jesus wants us all to feel welcome and come to worship Him.
See, we agree. I fear a ‘but’ is coming though. I’ve long said that someday I want to write a book called “The Holy But of God.” My best friend preached “I like big buts.” I fear however, that your ‘but’ might not be the kind I like. ‘Buts’ have an incredible power to erase all that came before. I have a feeling that your ‘but’ is going to erase that invitation.
But to worship Him with a contrite and repentant heart. To come and learn about Him and His precepts and worhip (sic.) Him.
Well, it’s interesting. I don’t actually disagree with any of this either. I think we may have a different idea of what repentance means. To me, it is about turning. When we worship, we are hoping to turn toward God. All through life, we get distracted. We lose our way. We miss the mark of God’s love. So, in worship we come and help each other re-aim. That is what repentance means to me.
So I have to ask you, are you preaching repentance (asking for forgiveness and ceasing the sin) to the LGBTQ+ community?
Well, there you go. I would say yes, I am preaching about repentance to the LGBTQ+ community, but not because they are LGBTQ+. Loving another person is never a sin. This is the foundation of my stance on inclusion in the church. I do not believe that a man falling in love with another man and having a sexual relationship with him is a sin. Sexual sin, as described in the Bible, is about idolatry, exploitation, or going against one’s nature. It has been proven that same-sex attraction is, in fact, natural. I do not think that two consenting adults falling in love, getting married, and raising a family is an abomination. Paul’s world was very different than our own. His understanding of sexuality is very different than our own. So yes, I do preach repentance, but I don’t think a loving, mutually consenting same-sex relationship is anything anyone has to repent of.
Do you know what the triangle colors at the flag-pole end of their flag represents?
Well, I assume you mean the part of the Pride Progress flag that is pointing forward, as in ‘forward thinking,’ and then also has colors that represent racial justice, and justice for trans people? The designer of the flag put it this way, “the light blue, pink and white stripes represent trans and non-binary individuals, and the brown and black ones represent marginalized People of Colour (POC) communities. The black stripe has a double meaning as it is also intended for “those living with AIDS and the stigma and prejudice surrounding them, and those who have been lost to the disease.” (https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/the-progress-pride-flag)
Black-Black People
Brown=Brown People
Ok, I would put it more nuanced than that, but I guess that’s kind of right.
Baby blue = the people attracted to infant boys
Baby pink=the people attracted to minor girls
White triangle=the people who are attracted to virgin children.
Well, that escalated quickly. At this point, I’m at a loss for words. This is so wrong. I can only assume this is some Q-Anon theory you read on The Blaze. I realize that symbols are open to interpretation but choosing to interpret this flag in such an ugly way reveals more about you than it does about those who choose to fly it. There might be some fringe groups who claim this, but every reputable LGBTQ+ rights group has repudiated this. I guarantee you that every person in my congregation would reject this contrived explanation you just gave. Gay people are not all pedophiles. The sad irony is in Paul’s letters, the word that gets translated to “homosexual” in most modern Bible probably actually referred to the cultural practice of pederasty, and there was a time when Bible translations reflected that, much more specific practice that was more common in Paul’s time.
Sexual abuse of children is a vile crime. It is a problem that must be taken seriously, but filling people minds with false information and misguided stigma does not help prevent abuse. One researcher, who has been working on children sexual abuse for over 25 years wrote in an article, “”…[M]ost men who molest little boys are not gay. Only 21 percent of the child molesters we studied who assault little boys were exclusively homosexual. Nearly 80 percent of the men who molested little boys were heterosexual or bisexual and most of these men were married and had children of their own.” (https://www.zeroabuseproject.org/victim-assistance/jwrc/keep-kids-safe/sexuality-of-offenders/)
Pointing to the Progress Pride Flag as an emblem of child sexual abuse does not protect children. It just distracts people from seeing the real problem, but I have a bad feeling you’re not done.
The triangle is pointed at the rainbow which they have adopted as the flag representing the LGBTQ+ community. They took the rainbow, the symbol of peace God set in the clouds to remind HIMSELF never to destroy the earth again, which He did to remove sin from the earth. to represent their sinful lifestyles. In my mind, that is an offense to our Heavenly Father and the promise He made to us that day.
The rainbow has not been co-opted. It is still a reminder of God’s love and God’s promise. I should add however, that if God intended to wipe sin from the earth with the flood, God failed. Do you really worship a failure of a God? I won’t pull that thread any farther. Secondly, I don’t know a ton of queer folks, although I probably know more than you. As far as I can tell, their lifestyle includes coaching their daughter in soccer, performing in community theater, singing in our church choir, playing high school volleyball, and having coffee with friends. The only Gay Agenda I know of is the one that says, “please don’t take away my right to exist as an American citizen and beloved child of God.”
The LGBTQ+ community represents sexual immorality. There’s just no getting around that.
Remember your Shakespeare? There’s a line from Hamlet that I like in these situations (I admit I had to look up which play it was from). “‘The lady doth protest too much, methinks.’”
In 1 Corinthians 6:18-20, Paul says, ‘Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body. Do you know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, who you have received from God? You are not your own, you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your bodies.'” If my information is correct about the colors in the triangle
It’s not. Your information is very wrong.
This promotes pedophilia.
It doesn’t.
The sin against and inside our children’s bodies. The worst sin ever. And it’s hanging in your sanctuary.
Ok, there is a lot to unpack with Paul’s letters. There is a cultural and historical context you need to consider. Paul abhorred sexual exploitation. And so does any other right-thinking LGBTQ+ person I know. We all agree that sexually abusing minors is wrong. Consent matters. Respect and mutuality matter. These things can be as present in a same-sex relationship as it is in my relationship with my wife. Marriage is about two people coming together to make the world a better place. The purpose of a modern Christian marriage (we won’t get into the history of marriage and why so much of our language comes from the world of raising animals) is for two people to grow together, grow in their devotion to God, and make the Kingdom of God a reality in their home and the world. I cannot understand why two men or two women cannot make that happen as much as a man and woman can. Love is eternal. It is not gendered.
Also, you are quick to quote Paul. I am sure you have highlighted some of the other parts of his letters. There are also the words of Jesus, who tells us to worry about the log in your own eye before worrying about the splinter in your gay neighbor’s eye. There is also the part about Jesus talking about those who were “born eunuchs” entering the Kingdom of Heaven. Yes, there are verses in the Bible that people draw on to condemn homosexuality. Some of it appears very cut and dry, but a deeper look into the context of these verses, and an honest assessment of what we know about human sexuality reveals a much more complicated picture. Instead of pointing to a handful of verses that alienate a group of people, I see the story of inclusion for all people that runs throughout the Scriptures. I’m sorry that your friend didn’t hear more of it in her nine months of listening to me.
I am sorry Pastor Rob, but it looks to me that the RMN has just found a neat little way, “In the name of Jesus,” to do what the Roman Catholic priests did in private, publicly you are welcoming this sin into your church. Into God’s Huse of Prayer, (Mark 11:17)
Do you honestly think that it is only Catholic priests who have had this issue? Yes, it seems to be rampant there, and the cover up has been terrible. Perhaps repressing people’s sexual life in unhealthy ways manifested itself in ugly ways. Perhaps molesters were drawn to an institution the protected its own and valued secrecy. Yes, the Roman Catholic Church has done great evil, but do you think that “Bible-Believing” churches like yours have been exempt? The Southern Baptist Church is the largest self-professing “Bible believing” denomination in the USA. There has been widespread sexual abuse and cover ups there, too (see what I did there, I provided evidence for a claim I am making).
I don’t want you to mistake my belief that, yes, Jesus would want us all welcomed, loved and forgiven. But without contrite hearts and a repentive spirit, all you’re doing is condoning the worst sin there is and welcoming it into God’s house of prayer.
I’m not sure where you’re getting this “worst sin” thing. Yes, sexual abuse is horrible. I agree. Jesus however, talked a lot more about economic sin than sexual sin. He seemed to be a lot more concerned with healing the sick, feeding the hungry, and turning over a social order that exploited many for the profit of a few. The stories Jesus told about the Kingdom of God were about grace, forgiveness, restoring community, and calling people to live their fullest, most honest lives. I do not want to force LGBTQ+ to live a false life. Jesus delighted in the truth, and the truth for some people is that they feel wholly loved in a same-sex relationship.
A place that should be a sanctuary for all looking for safety, forgiveness and guidance without the fear of being judged themselves or watching a specific group being held up and favored.
Yes, I agree again. The church should be a place of safety. Especially for our young people. Studies have shown that being a part of a religious community is a factor in protecting young people from suicide. Churches can provide safety, guidance, and a source of hope for young people struggling with ideas of suicide. This, however, is not true for LGBTQ+ youth growing up in churches.
“A strong correlation, however, also exists between level of religiosity and negative attitudes toward homosexuality (Rowatt, LaBouff, Johnson, Froese, & Tsang, 2009). Additionally, the majority of Americans (57%) identify religious belief (belief in God) as a requisite for moral judgment (Kohut, Wike, & Horowitz, 2007). Due to these factors, LGBT persons who mature in a religious community context report experiencing increased discrimination and internalized homophobia” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4706071/
So yes, a church should be a sanctuary for people. It should be a place where they can be their true selves, not some false-self that a simplistic reading of the Bible imposes on them. For many LGBTQ+ young people, the church is a dangerous place. It is a place where they must hide themselves. It is a place where they have been called an “abomination” for the natural feelings that arise in them. For you, those streamers you saw meant “this church isn’t following Christ.” To the LGBTQ Christians in our congregation, those streamers meant, “I have found a home with people who will love me for who I am.” And in that love, we will provide guidance. We will provide discipline. We will confess our sins, seek forgiveness, and ask the Holy Spirit to guide us.
The bible also speaks against favoritism. (James 2:9) Is the RMN not favoring the LGBTQ+ community? Where is the church that favors murderers? Thieves? Pedophiles? Adulterers?
So first of all, Are you honestly equating a man falling in love with another man and trying to live in a monogamous relationship with murder? This sounds like a “slippery slope” argument, which is a logical fallacy that appeals to the weak-minded. Do you know any gay people? Have you ever met a queer Christian person? Have you talked with them and gotten to know them? I’m not sure you could do that and still ask this question faithfully. I get that you think homosexuality is a sin, but do you honestly feel that a church including gay people is the same as championing murder?
Secondly, Christ said that the first shall be last and the last shall be first. In our society, LGBTQ+ people have been treated as the last for centuries. They have been subjected to unjust laws, discriminatory practices, and violence. Decorating the church with rainbows does not make them favored, it just signals to them that this is a place where that violence will not occur. It’s not about privileging one group over another; it is about celebrating with a group of people who have long been subject to persecution. This does not mean that we are discriminating against “straight” people, but unfortunately when you have spent your entire life in a place of racial and heteronormative privilege, equality feels like oppression.
I believe the Holy Spirit laid it on my heart to tell you these things Pastor. If you fail to warn your congregation of God’s Wrath
The words you choose to capitalize are puzzling to me, but I think it is also revelatory. You go to God’s Wrath, I choose to dwell in God’s Grace. Jesus came because God so loved the world. He didn’t come to condemn it. Yet somehow, you feel the need to do that for God. The Holy Spirit is working in me, too. You may not believe it, but the Holy Spirit was present with us on June 25 as we celebrated becoming a Reconciling Church. The Holy Spirit told me to put this letter in my backpack and wait for a few months, and as I started to study Galatians, the Spirit called on me to take it out and respond.
And tell them of the gospel which can save them, you will have a reckoning with the Lord Himself. I would do some serious soul-searching, bible reading and praying on how you are shepherding your flock.
Believe me, I do. I study the Bible many times over the course of the week, and have been for years. I’m going to put this bluntly, your attitude toward LGBTQ+ is dangerous. You may think it is grounded in the Bible. I know you can find your verses to support your claim, but you can also find verses to support slavery and the subjugation of women. You are choosing to interpret the Bible in a way that is contributing to harming countless gay kids. You can repent. You can read your Bible again, but through the lens of Christ’s love and not through the lens of finding flaws in others. You can pray to God to soften your heart. You can change. I have seen it. I have led people in that change. There is still hope for you to stop doing harm. You love God, I believe that. And I believe that you love other people. Lean into that love. You don’t have to use the Bible as a weapon that harms people any more.
There are resources you can find. Good, scholarly, Biblical arguments that explain these things. I have only scratched the surface, and I hope that somehow this has placed in you a seed. Perhaps you may question some of the things you profess. That’s okay. Follow those questions. I encourage you to seek pastors, teachers, and scholars that are willing to ask tough questions and not just quote random Bible verses at you to prove they are correct. I believe the Bible to be much more rich, layered, and insightful than you can even imagine. I hope you find it someday.
You will be held accountable on Judgment Day my friend. And for what it’s worth, I do hope that on that day, you will hear the Lord say, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant.’
In the Lord’s Service and Love,
Dee
The story of Scripture ends with a beautiful picture of God’s grace and a New City. The city’s gates are open. There is abundance for all people. There is peace. In the center of the city is the Lamb, and Christ’s final word is “Come.” I believe that grace has the final word. I hope you find that peace. In the meantime, I will continue to work out my salvation in fear and trembling, not fearful of a God waiting to punish me if I do it wrong, but fearful for a world of people like you who are waiting to punish me if I do it right.
P.S. Your “Welcoming Statement” also seems to deny God and his plan right off because it says there’s no male and female. Genesis 1:27 says: So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
I doubt that you’ve made it this far in my response. After all, you couldn’t bring yourself to even watch an online service because of some streamers, but I find it quite ironic that you have based your entire system of condemning LGBTQ people based on Paul’s letters, yet you ignore this allusion from Paul’s letter to the Galatians. In fact, many believe that Galatians 3:28 is from earlier than Paul. In fact, he is probably quoting a baptismal creed, something that all the first followers of Christ would have said and known, “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Being one in Christ means that we are breaking down these divisions of race, class, and gender. Being one in Christ means there is a new creation, one that doesn’t have these divisions, hierarchies, and judgment-laiden systems that you seem to cling to. Listen to Paul – more than just a few verses taken out of context – and know that you can be set free from these sinful systems.
Finally, you close with a quote from Genesis 1. It is a beautiful poem, one of my favorites. It shows how God creates order out of chaos. It reveals the beauty and wonder of God who simply speaks, and it is. It points to the goodness of creation, indeed the very-goodness of humankind. In this beautiful poem, God creates day and night. God creates sea and land. God creates male and female.
The glory of this poem however, is that the greatest beauty of creation does not lie in the binary system of day and night, but in the incredible explosion of diversity found in the dawn and the sunset. There is indeed sea and land, but who has not stood on a beach and been awed by the glory of God. The biodiversity of the marsh and shorelines reveal God’s greatest work. The sun and the moon are wondrous, but there are places in the sky in between these two great lights – nebulae, galaxies, etc – that have revealed incredible wonder.
You see, it is in the in-between, the spectrum of diversity that God’s hand is most clearly revealed. Why would it be different with humans? You want to cling to an outdated system of binary gender expression – but this has never been the reality of God’s creation. There has always been a spectrum. There has always been an in-between. God’s greatest work has always been reveled in the diversity of humanity – not in the clear and simple categories you want to impose.
So again, I encourage you to notice the next sunset which is neither night nor day. Stand in awe of the ocean waves re-creating the shorelines. There is more to God’s Kingdom than you seem to be able to see right now. Embrace the dawn, for it is there that a risen Christ meets us on our journey and reveals to us the new and abundant life that is possible.
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.”
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.
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.
They say this is the golden age of television. The streaming services, hungry for content, have empowered new story tellers to tell incredible stories. The stories being told are incredibly entertaining. They wrestle with true emotion, blend lines between comedy and drama, create fantastic new worlds, and reveal truths about society, masculinity, racism, inclusion, and emotional intelligence. There are so many new, incredible stories being told and so many ways to watch them it can be overwhelming.
Thank God for the “Previously On…” feature. We can jump from show to show and get caught up real quick on what’s going on. The “previously on” segment usually gives clues about what is coming in the show at hand. There are often so many story lines and threads running through a show, the “previously on” can give us a reminder, “oh yeah, I remember that guy” or “oh, so they did meet at that one party.”
On Easter, we might need a “previously on.” Especially if we left off at the Triumphal Entry. The fact is, a lot happened during the week. We may need a summary reminder of all that is happening, because Good Friday was a heck of a cliff-hanger. The season ended with Jesus dead and sealed in a tomb. But Matthew gives us one little detail that we could easily miss (and is unique to Matthew).
Matthew 27:62-66 would be easy to miss, but consider this your “previously on” reminder. The powerful men that had Jesus killed were scared. They were afraid that they had just made a martyr, and that his violent and shameful death wouldn’t be enough to erase him like they wanted. So they went to Pilate and asked for a guard. They asked for a guard because they had been listening. “He told his followers that he would rise, so let’s make sure we have guards there.”
They put armed guards at the tomb to make sure Jesus’ disciples didn’t come, steal the body, and spread crazy rumors about resurrection (and just in case he did actually rise, they would be there to kill him again).
Then, very early on the first day of the week something happened. The women showed up. It is commonly understood that the women came to anoint the body. This is the story in Mark and Luke. In Matthew however, they did not bring in oils or spices. Jesus had already been anointed – back in 26:6-13 (and perhaps it was one of these women who did it). Maybe, instead of showing up to anoint a dead body, they were showing up because they believed what he had told them so many times. Perhaps the women were there for the same reason the guards were – because they remembered that Jesus said he would be raised. And then…
The earth quaked. Lightning flashed. And angel of the LORD appeared, and the guards were paralyzed with fear. The women however, were faithful. They heard the words of the angel and believed. They knew that Jesus was risen and they went to tell. Then on the way back to the disciples, they knew completely. Christ had risen. He was risen indeed, and the greatest story ever told had reached its series finale.
The stories we well entertain us, but the stories we believe shape us. When we believe stories of justice, we make be inspired to work for justice. When we believe stories of hope, we may hold onto hope when it seems to be gone. When we believe stories of new life, we may know new life. When we believe in the Kingdom of Heaven, we may live in the Kingdom of Heaven.
Matthew tells us that Jesus rose, and he also told us that two stories emerged that day. Two stories were born on Easter morning. One story was the one the guards told. Paralyzed by fear, paid off by the powerful who wanted to end the Christ story, they told a story of death. They told a story of grave robbers and lies.
The women told another story.
And both stories remain to this day. The story of Empire is still told. It is a story of exploitation disguised as liberty, prejudice disguised as holiness, destructive conspiracy disguised as truth telling, and money buying power disguised as care for the poor. The story of Empire is thriving. Its aim is to paralyze with fear and incite mobs to release Barabas. Its aim is to mock those who wish to stay awake in the garden of Gethsemane. Its aim is convincing people that everyone who disagrees is an enemy, and that opposition is demonic. Its aim is to keep peace at all costs, but their peace is not a peace of Christ. It is not a peace won by justice or love. It is a peace won by the sword. It is a peace won by dominance and fear. The Roman guards told a story of lies that Matthew says persists to this very day. They told a story that said “Jesus is dead.”
But the story of the women persists as well. The women told a story of a different kind of Kingdom. The women told the story of the Peace of Christ that ends not at the Cross but at an empty tomb. The women told the story of an earth-shattering new reality. They told the story of worship and adoration. They told the story that the Kingdom of Heaven was at hand. They told the story that “Jesus is risen!”
The stories we tell may entertain us, but the stories we believe shape us.
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.
5K 36:00 (Race for the Cure, Jun. '12)
35:15 (Firecracker Run, Jul. '12)
33:47 (Crimestoppers, Aug. '12)
31:40 (Lagomarcino's, Oct. '12)
26:52 (CASI St. Patrick's Day, Mar. '13)
26:28 (Railroad Days, Jun. '13)* *2nd place in age division
26:40 (Casa Guanajuato, Nov. '13)
30:30 (Modern Woodmen Knockout Hunger, Sep '14)** **3rd place in age division
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