All Mine, Get Your Own

A few weeks ago we heard about Samuel’s dedication. This week it’s Jesus’ turn. Sam was baptized because his folks brought him to the altar. Jesus went down to the river all on his own. I mean sure, there were witnesses, just like for Sam, but, Jesus declared his own belonging.

Baptism is a forever thing. Once dedicated to God, we are never removed from sacredness or subscription. Actually, we are sacred before subscription, but baptism is our way of making it public.

Our sacredness is not based on anything we do (or don’t do) and no one can strip another person of their belonging. You may be saddened to learn that for LGBTQ+ folks the story is sometimes very different. For some, faith-life has come under attack because of coming out as gay, lesbian, transgender or queer. Now, only God gives and takes away holy things. And the door  to The Club of God’s holy place only swings one way...IN.

ELCA Lutherans are a faith family who believe ALL God’s children have EQUAL value, worth and beauty. If it’s good enough for Jesus, it’s good enough for us. Maybe he was Lutheran, lol. Lord knows he razzled up more than one fight on God’s behalf (a wink and nod to the Protestant Reformation).

Here’s the thing, when we Christians choose to baptize our children, we acknowledge we have publicly given them back to God. The entire community of believers rallies around and publicly confesses to be an active part of their upbringing. It’s a done deal. God squeals in delight!

Imagine for a second how your life would be impacted by someone you don’t even know demanding that God no longer loves you and you can no longer worship together...and then imagine that person is part of your family.   Sit with that a moment…

It’s the middle of January and already some have been told they are now out in the cold. No one has that power or authority. YOUR BELOVEDNESS IS FROM GOD (not from another person). Our baptism into the mystery of Love is ours. No one can take it from us and we cannot take it from anyone else. Just like your thumbprint is your entrance to humanity, your baptism is your heartprint into the Mystery.

Learn more here about ELCA Lutheran views on human sexuality

Learn more here about becoming an Ally and friend to LGBTQ people

Mystery Revealed

For years I have had a love-hate relationship with the apostle Paul. You know, I hate to love him and love to hate him. Over the centuries his words have fallen on the ears of outraged people who live at the margins of society. That is to say non-white people and gay people. I’m coming out hard in the beginning here because as a minister of the Word, it is my duty to be open, honest and discerning.

The meditation response Paul kicks off in my mind and spirit has helped to form my preaching and teaching over the decades. The theme in this week’s reading from Ephesians 3:1-12, for me is one of waking vs. sleeping, neatly (or unknowingly) placed in divine time.

I too have become a servant according to the gift of God’s grace. I’m hoping it’s what affords me the opportunity to engage some hard truths as you read on.  My adrenaline spikes at the sound of Paul calling us “you Gentiles.” It ushers me to close the book and tell Paul where to get off. But reading a bit farther, I can extend Paul some grace when he levels the playing field and tells me he’s the very least of all the saints. (You got that right, buddy.)

We’ve all become fellow heirs, members of the same body and sharers in the promise. Since my primary advocacy-activist work in ministry is in reconciliation with LGBTQiA families, allow me the grace to expand your repository of information about this text.

Generations have passed since Paul’s writing but the words live on in our churches and communities. We have learned to embrace the challenge of being gay and Christian at the same time. It is not a popular opinion and only by a slim margin are we finding safe spaces to worship. The mystery of Christ is still largely hidden in the politics and denominational dogma of Christianity. (And we wonder why so many people flee religion? C’mon, let’s get honest about the damage we cause with our pick-and-choose privileged attitudes.)

Everyone, everywhere is included in the body of Christ. He gave his life in grace, love and mercy for all of us. We weren’t there, none of us can refute this. We can only base our understanding on his words. The mystery of his life and teachings was wrapped up pretty neatly: love God and love each other.  On the way out He even asked for forgiveness for his  own accusers.

It’s a tough go being gay and Christian, at least if you have a penchant to live your life publicly, honestly, and transparently. I’m glad to say mainline denominations are finally pushing back (some more than others). The mystery of God’s love has always poured through the doors of the church. And throughout the ages, times have been dark. For us, no more so than today. At times, a violent and abusive government Administration, the slaughter of friends and loved ones by mentally and emotionally unstable attackers, children overrun with technology so much that they are challenged to understand nature and simple pleasures.

Paul, O Paul, what say you?

We are all Gentiles at this point. And the good news is, we are all chosen and beloved, still. The mystery of God in Jesus has not been hidden so deeply that we cannot find it. But, it has been hidden so deeply that it has become a buried treasure. And that’s the point. Once we find it, we are to bury it...deep in our hearts. Non-white, LGBTQ+, poor, immigrant and any other label the Power tries to apply, know this: the kingdom of God is among us.

Perhaps in former generations the mystery was not made known. But the church is catching on, the Mystery of Equal Access has been revealed. The Eternal Purpose continues to shine brightly through us, believers and non. It’s the way it’s always been. The church is not shrinking, only the attendance in the pews is shrinking. The church is the people. We are outside the four walls wielding our power of the Promise given us. Thanks Paul, for your service. You’re a jackass sometimes, but it is by grace that I love you still.

Click here to read the ELCA Lutheran Social Statement on human sexuality

Click here to learn about affirming (ELCA) Lutheran churches

It's Mine You Can't Have It

Text 1 Sam 2: 18-20, 26

This week we read about an annual gift Samuel’s Mom and Dad brought to him when they visited the Temple. You might recall Samuel is Hannah’s son. Forever and a day she lamented that she couldn’t have a baby. She poured out her heart to God in a song. When the time was right his parents dedicated Samuel to God.

Today, we call this baptism. It’s a forever thing. Once dedicated to God, we are never removed from sacredness or subscription. (Note: we are sacred before subscription, but baptism is our way of making it public)

You may be saddened to learn that for LGBTQ+ folks the story is sometimes very different. For years I have worked with Christian parents who rush their children to the altar of God so that they can be joined in Love to the Body of Christ.

In more recent years, I have worked with youth and parents whose faith-life has come under attack because of coming out as gay, lesbian, transgender or queer. Now, we all know that only God can remove us from The Club of God’s holy love and since God is love….well let’s just agree we humans don’t have that kind of power or authority.

ELCA Lutherans are a faith family who believe ALL God’s children have EQUAL value, worth and beauty. Imagine for a second how your life would be impacted by someone you don’t even know demanding that God no longer loves you and you can no longer come to church...and then imagine that person is part of your family. Sit with that a moment…

As we ponder the start of a new year, a new opportunity and zest for life, let us remember that ONLY GOD gives and takes away. What belongs to God is God’s. And by God’s grace, the life we have is ours. Our baptism into the mystery of Love is ours. No one can take it from us and we cannot take it from anyone else.

Learn more here about ELCA Lutheran views on human sexuality

Learn more here about becoming an Ally and friend to LGBTQ people

Word Made Flesh

The Word became flesh
and stayed for a little while among us;
we saw the Word's glory --
the favor and position a parent gives an only child --
filled with grace,
filled with truth.*
John 1: 14

I recently read an article about a parent who writes a Christmas love letter to his spouse and to each of his children every year. A nice sentiment. A wonderful gift. The letter describes the love for them and how they contribute to the beauty of their family. Each letter, no doubt, makes for an unforgettable Christmas present.

We could say that Jesus was the love letter God wrote to the world. And what a wonderfully Word-ed letter it is! In the Greek, Word is translated as logos, meaning divine mind or order that unites reality. But John, ahhh, in John’s writing it’s so much more. More than a thought, Word becomes flesh, a person.

     In Jesus we find ourselves and our relationship with our Creator. This Word is the bridge that unites us in mind, body and spirit to our Loving Parent. Parents, human and divine, are placed in our lives for a particular reason. Human parents are our first teachers and our first love relationships. LGBTQiA+ children learn to love their parents the same as all other children. However, the sad truth is that when LGBTQiA+ children come out to their parents, sometimes they are not met with the love of Jesus, but rather rejection based on twisted words describing Jesus.

As we journey through the last days of Advent, pondering this mystical Love about to break into the world, please know that these days can be very heartbreaking for some in the queer community who have been told, by well meaning Christians (and yes, some even Lutheran…) that the Word tells them they stand apart from God’s love. Not as Beloved community but rather as Other community. Actually, what the Word says is  nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus (Rom 8:38-39).

LGBTQiA+ people would so love to be welcomed and included at a Candlelight Christmas Eve service. How do I know? Because I am one. We know the Word became flesh and dwells among us, ALL OF US. We also know that we, like all who believe the Word, are set apart by our baptism.

We are all set apart by our baptism into the love and mystery who is the Christ.

If you know of someone who would like a love letter for Christmas, invite them to a Candlelight Service.

_______________________

*The Inclusive Bible: The First Egalitarian Translation. Lanham: Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2007

**LGBTQiA+ is not complete. The acronym is used to indicate a non-cisgender-heterosexual person, but is by no means a complete description of a person, their beauty or their createdness. For more information visit PFLAG.

Up Here

Up here

Up here is a place where all God's children live.

Up here is a place where we may cause hurt or pain to our siblings.

But up here is also the place where it's not hard to say “I'm sorry please forgive me.”

Up here is where the first response is the only response -

which is, “I accept your apology and I forgive you.”

It's difficult being human and having to climb the ladder to live up here.

It seems like a hard place to get too.

It seems like it's a long way away.

And for some of us, it may feel like a long way from home.

But you know, we all have the opportunity to pick up and move anytime we please.

It is our God given right to search for love, embrace love, and give love.

Up here is the place where that happens.

It's the spiritual realm, or what some call the fourth dimension.

We all have a spirit-self -

but not all of us tap into the power that comes to us in our spirit-self.

Up here is where we have to rise to -

to access our power and shift gears to respond in love.

Up here is where we meet our Maker.

Up here is where we meet like-minded siblings.

Up here every child of God has a seat with their name on it.

Up here is a place where all God's children live.

"Thou Shalt Not Steal"

I read the most interesting perspective on stealing. It started with the declaration that whatever we have is not ours anyway, so that makes stealing doubly wrong. I believe it's accurate to say that when we think of stealing, and the fact that it's considered wrong, we naturally think of tangible objects. We can't steal stuff from our neighbors, we can't rob banks, we can't "sample" fruit from the produce section. Zilch. Zero. Nada.

As I began to travel down the dusty road of my thoughts, I began to think to myself, but what about the intangible things people own: our thoughts, our feelings, our identity. What about that? How do those things fit into the equation of stealing and God and all that stuff. Here's my thought:

If everything we have  and everything we own is indeed not necessarily ours but on loan, as in it was given to us (a big prim and proper religious term is bestowed upon us) then our identity also is a gift...and given. The ability to be a free thinker is given to us. The desire to love and be loved is a gift given to us. Stealing is not allowed. Who are are, what we stand for, how we see ourselves...it's all a gift given to us. We are not allowed to steal another person's identity. Let me be clear here, I'm not talking about their online identity (although clearly that's wrong too) I'm talking about their gender identity, sexual identity, how they see themselves in this world and how they expect to be seen.

There are lots of hate groups who have decided that to "be LGBTQ" is wrong and those of us who identify under that acronym need to  be"corrected". (For those who are unfamiliar LGBTQ stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer). Folks who align with L-G-B are talking about their sexuality (very different and not related to gender); those who align with T are referring to their gender (male, female, both, neither); those who align with Q could be referring to either their sexual or gender identity. Further information can be found at PFLAG.org or HRC.org because this is not the blog post to go into this in depth.

Back to the stealing thing. When God (however you align with God or what represents a divine authority in your world) says stealing is wrong it is an abomination (another big scary religious word) and God cries. ALL of everything in what we call this world is made from the abundance of a divine authority who far exceeds any human capacity or authority. 

When an organization or a person steals the hopes and dreams, the hard personal effort or blood-sweat-and-tears personal commitment from another person, a crime [against humanity] has been committed. We are what we are and have what we have as a gift. None of us owns any of this. We leave this "world" with the same as we came into it with - nothing. Zilch. Zero. Nada.

When a person decides someone else is wrong for living into their full authenticity (i.e. sexual or gender identity) and advances are made toward taking it away, i.e. stealing it, we are no longer living as we are instructed. When someone robs another of a life worth living, a dream and a hope of a better life, a gesture of giving and receiving love...God cries. We are not allowed to steal.

Thou Shalt Not Steal. Not property. Not grapes. Not a person's identity. Not a person's joy.

Mind your business. Mind your manners. Mind yourself.

Hollowed Out

Hollowed Out

It’s hard to go through life feeling like a carved pumpkin. Sometimes the faces can be scary. Sometimes they are funny, but never does it feel good to have your guts ripped out. 

What I have found to be helpful in these times is to write a gratitude list.

It may be hard to find things that I am grateful for, but that’s when the real digging begins.

Dust off the shovel and till the soil of your life.

Are you breathing? Have you been given a new day in which to make free choices? Do you have ONE friend in whom you can confide?

It’s a good day.

When your guts are lying on the ground and your seeds are scattered, that is the time to look for the remnant that remains. Life can be hard.

But, if there is breath in your body, you have found a shred of gratitude.

Most pumpkins wind up with a candle inside to light up the darkness. This is the time to take your hollowed out self and bring in some light. Sit. Rest. Glow.

It’s hard to go through life feeling like a carved pumpkin, hollowed out. 

But finding the little things in life to be grateful for: breath, free choice, the comfort of a friend…it’s a good day.