The Inclusive Church and the Good News of Jesus' Proclamation

 In this video I argue that a Christian church and a Christian pastor can be faithful Christians and authorize or perform same sex weddings, and include LGBTQ+ Christians in membership with out discrimination.  Furthermore this is the Biblical position of scriptures.  While many Christians today are probably fairly familiar as to why many churches reject this position, it is much less known why this is really a Biblical position and stands in the best tradition of both Jesus, and the early Church.  Looking at both the inclusiveness of Jesus' ministry and both the teaching of Paul and Peter in Acts 10 and 15, I present the rationale for welcoming LGBTQ+ Christians into the church without discrimination just as the early Christians debated the inclusion of gentiles into their faith circles.  Around the world, Q+ Christians have already been ministering, leading, working, teaching, officiating over worship, and shepherding the church, and its time that everyone in the church recognize their gifts, leadership, and contribution to the church.  If you are a pastor and have not considered being an affirming pastor, a congregation that hasn't made a commitment to full inclusion, let me encourage you to prayerfully consider making that decision today. 

Death is never the last word

On Good Friday, the reality of death hit home to the disciples. Jesus was dead, and all their hopes and dreams had died also. 

Death comes as a shock, it robs us of the people we love.  Even for those of us that know life and death are related to each other, that it is intricately tied to the web of life, death still comes as a shock, the reality and sting of death doesn't take away the surprise and grief over the loss of the people in our lives. 

The same is true of Jesus and those that loved Jesus.  On Good Friday, and Easter morning, the reality of Jesus death began to dawn on them. 

Dead were the hands that held and healed the lepers,

Dead were the fingers that touched the eyes of the blind,

Dead was the lips that prayed thanksgiving over the fish and the loaves,

Dead was the heart that beat with compassion for the outcast, the immigrant, and the foreigner,

Dead was the mouth that had called so courageously for all to be poor in spirit, to be meek, brokenhearted, peacemakers, thirsting after justice, to be pure in heart, to show mercy to others, to welcome the reign of God even in the face of suffering. 

Dead was the Jesus that went out to eat with tax collectors and sinners, 

Dead was the Jesus that reached out to the woman with six husbands who was getting water by herself because no one else would have anything to do with her, 

Dead was the Jesus that forgave sins, and told people to love their enemies, 

Dead.

The Roman empire and the religious elite thought they had won, they had put down another insurrectionist, another radical rabbi threatening the status quo, when Jesus' body was taken down from the cross, they thought, ah good, we put an end to this nonsense. 

Until Easter...

On Easter morning, God had the last word. Death will never have the last word again. 

On Easter morning, God declared in the words of the Danish theologian, Karl Barth, the divine "Yes" of God. 

Humanity at its worst cannot put down the eternal unstoppable word of God; Jesus 

God's word demonstrated in power, God's word demonstrated in glory, God's word demonstrated in victory, God's word demonstrated in love, God's word demonstrated in the empty tomb. 

When Jesus loved ones arrived that day, Jesus wasn't in the tomb, 

Jesus had risen again from the dead. 

He wasn't finished. 

Jesus wasn't finished holding the hand of the leper, Jesus wasn't finished bringing healing to the heart sick, Jesus wasn't finished being a friend to the friendless, Jesus wasn't finished standing up to the powers of the world that would oppress and deny our humanity, Jesus wasn't finished modeling an inclusive community of faith, one based on equality, equity and the diversity of the human family. 

Jesus wasn't done breaking the chains of those held in bondage, Jesus wasn't finished clothing the naked, feeding the hungry, finding people that are at their ropes and and saying to them, here at the end of all things, 

“I love you, I will never leave you, I died to let the world know that you are my child.  You might be rejected by society, you might be rejected by people in your family, 

but you will never be rejected by me, I know because I made you who you are, and I love you just as you are, and I will not leave you alone, in fact, I am going ahead of you to the Galilee. I'm waiting for you there.”

Galilee, where Jesus turned water into wine, where Jesus proclaimed the reign of God, where Jesus healed the sick, and preached the good news to the poor, where Jesus calmed the raging sea. 

It is there, in the Galilee, that Jesus is waiting for us.  To welcome us into God's realm, and journey with us into the new world of God's new creation. 

This Easter, remember that the women were terrified and afraid, that they initially didn't say anything to anyone.  The ending of Mark is v8, and it is with this honest ending that we often find ourselves on Easter, along with the women.  But that is ok.  Jesus meets us where we are.  The important question, is whether we are willing to follow to Galilee.  

To continue Jesus mission.  There will be opposition.  There was for the early followers of Jesus, and there is today, often among others that claim the name of Christ.  This Easter, respond to Jesus call to follow, even though we may be quite fearful of where the journey make take us. 

We All Have Our Courtyards

 Poem: “We All Have Our Courtyards” by Ann Weems

We all have our courtyards, 
those times and places we face 
like Peter 
when we must decide 
to stand up and say 
whether we know him or not. 

Those crossroads in our lives, 
when we go along with things as they are, 
or we say, as Luther did, 
Here I stand, I can do no other. 
We all have our courtyards … 

Lent is a time to prepare for our courtyards, 
the time to listen to who he says he is. 
And he did, you know, 
He did tell us who he is.

He is that one who brings good news to the poor, 
freedom to the oppressed, 
sight to the blind … 
that Holy One who said, 
Follow me. 
Feed my sheep.

Books by Ann Weems John Knox Press

Sticks and Stones by Nina Wilson Jones

Sticks and Stones...and Comforting Hypocrisy
by Nina Wilson Jones, Washington Shores Presbyterian and CFP Anti-Racism Committee Member

“What’s in a name?” 
“It’s not what they call you, it’s what you answer to.” 
and “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.”  
​These phrases often soothe our feelings when called out of our names, described harshly, or facing threats. Your familiarity with each indicates that you may have affirmed yourself with one of them during hurtful moments in arguments or life overall.
 
But today, words are used to misinform, manipulate, scrutinize, and abuse others with such frequency that most believers are unaware of how far this pulls us away from our daily walk with Christ. We have been conditioned to accept some phrases as acceptable, and if someone uses other phrases in a manner that disturbs our usual language, we are defensive. We like to believe we are unsusceptible to this, but we are.
 
Try listening to how you speak from the perspective of another gender, ethnicity, faith, or age. “Kiss me, I’m Irish!” is harmless, right? If so, why is “Black power!” scary? “Kung flu” or “old fool” is just kidding, OK? “The only good Indian is…” is an outdated movie line! Except they continue to cause certain people harm, even violence. Do you carefully choose your words before speaking or don’t ever give any consideration to the origin, audience, or impact of your words? Do these words – immigrant, queer, Muslim, Jewish, or feminist – cause you to feel threatened? If you are even slightly disturbed by these words in conversation, consider what you’ve been conditioned to believe about the term and learn more to be better informed. Because different audiences may hear what you say differently. (Look up the origins of terms like picnic, cakewalk, paddy wagon, and peanut gallery to really begin to understand the corrosive impact of common language.)
 
Believers should be genuinely concerned about personal hypocrisy, especially worldly language that we internalize in our hearts. God’s Word warns us against it (1 Peter2:2) and society sorely needs us to set a positive example for resolving differences and building His Kingdom in the earth, in our congregation, and our families. Because what we say shows what we honestly think and believe about others.

A Testament of Hope by Dr Martin Luther King Jr.

“Bethlehem and A Testament of Hope”

A Testament of Hope is an essay by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, published after his death. It is a stunning look at the race issues of his day and a forward minded strategy for addressing social problems that remains relevant in 2023. Dr. King recognized that racism was at the root of many of the social problems faced in the United States. He write that “justice for black people will not flow into society merely from court decisions nor from fountains of political oratory. White America must recognize that justice for black people cannot be achieved without radical change in the structure of our society”(Hope, P314). He acknowledges that racism is like a poison that taints the environment, that it is “as native to our soil as pine trees, sagebrush and buffalo grass”(Hope p316). 

Dr King lists out many of the inequalities facing African Americans and the need for institutional and cultural change. He cites education, clean water, transportation, employment, and a fair judicial system among the needs. He cites the importance of sharing political power. He mentions that the 1965 Voting Rights Act was often ignored and simply not enforced. He cites federal election observers who were dispersed in such a way to give the appearance of compliance, while in essence not giving African American's the constitutional rights to self representation in their states. Today, in 2023, we hear of a federal appeals court that ruled against a key part of the Voting Rights Act, a ruling that would block private citizens and civil rights group for suing under a key provision of the law. We see laws being passed to suppress, water down, or silence the teaching of United States African American history. 

One standard for Middle School's AA.3.6 states “describe the emergence, growth, destruction, and rebuilding of black communities during reconstruction and beyond. With the clarification: Instruction includes acts of violence perpetuated against and by African Americans but is not limited to 1906 Atlanta Riot, 1919 Washing D.C Race Riot, 1920 Ocoee Massacre, 1921 Tulsa Massacre and the 1923 Rosewood Massacre” notice the word by African Americans. The ambiguity of this standard leaves the door open to a “both sides” approach that ignores what the 1968 Kerner Commission found, that it was white racism, not black anger that resulted in civil unrest. “Bad policing practices, a flawed justice system, unscrupulous consumer credit practices, poor and inadequate housing, high unemployment, voter suppression and other culturally embedded forms of racial discrimination all converge to propel violent upheaval (Alice George, The 1968 Kerner Commission Got it Right).

Every thoughtful Christian has to ask themselves the question, what can we do as the church of Jesus Christ, to address issues of unfairness and inequality in our society? The church must work to end racism in our civic, religious and social institutions. The U.S Conference of Catholic bishops have publicly stated that “racism can only end if we contend with the policies and institutional barriers that perpetuate and preserve the inequality­-economic and social­-that we see around us (USCCB Anti-Racism). The Presbyterian Church (USA) likewise acknowledges that racism is the opposite of what God intends for humanity, that it “is a lie about our fellow human beings”, and that it is a system of racial prejudice exerted by those in power that benefits white people in the dominate culture while disadvantaging and oppressing people of color” (Anti-Racism Statement of PCUSA). As Christians, we should understand better than most, the necessity of confession, absolution and transformation. Dr King closes his essay by turning our eyes to the manger of Bethlehem where we find our hope for peace and justice––in Jesus Christ, God's eternal word, who changed the course of human history with only the poor and the despised. 

Citations and Links:

Works Cited:

Martin Luther King Jr. "A Testament of Hope: The essential Writings and Speeches of Martin Luther King Jr. ed James M Washington. New York; HarperOne. 1986.

Education Week

Kerner Commission Smithsonian article

USCCB Anti-Racism

Orlando Town Hall Meeting

PC(USA) Anti Racism Statement

Justice, Peace and Matthew 25:31-46 the Parable of the Sheep and Goats

 

Abilio Peña Buendía, in his study on Biblical Studies on the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace, notes that Jesus always required proclamation of our faith, liturgy and prayer and the practice of justice be kept consistent. Matthew 25:31-46 is a passage that confronts us as followers of Jesus and holds up a mirror to us asking if we are indeed so. It asks a most basic question about how we are treating our poorer fellow humans including those that are hungry, thirsty, unhoused, oppressed or imprisoned.  This harkens to the sermon on the mount where we are told that it is the merciful will receive mercy. While this passage is foundational for the church's actions of mercy and benevolence, it is also the foundation of the church's work in fighting racism. 

Buendía also makes an important observation. At the heart of conflict is often an imbalance in society and a need for justice. When people are denied basic human rights, and find themselves in an untenable state, they often will turn to visible demonstrations to bring to light their plight. Often at the heart of disagreements in society is a group that is at a point of great human need. When we seek to broker peace, do we recognize that often it is helping those in desperate circumstances meet basic needs. This is also a stunning parable of Jesus that flips the question of who is in need of salvation. The actions of meeting the needs of those presented in Matthew 25:31-46, ends up with the results of not just saving those that are suffering and in want, but in saving those that provided the assistance. In fact, it is the spiritual salvation of those with material goods that is actually in view. 

Another aspect of this parable is the teaching of the presence of God. The presence of God is a common theme in scripture as it should be, in Israel's ancient history it was often associated with the tabernacle, the ark of the covenant or the temple. It was God's very presence that led the people out of the Egypt the land of bondage into the wilderness to the promised land. This powerful image cannot be missed, that it was out of the suffering, oppression and bondage of Egypt that God spoke to Moses and revealed God's self to Moses when God promised to deliver the people to freedom. 

Now, we see this same presence of God abiding with those in need, with the suffering the hungry, the destitute, the desperate, the oppressed. The questions asked are about the very place where God dwells. Is it the temple? In worship? No,God happens in the person in need. Buendía suggests that his is a model for international conflict resolution.  This is also a model for the task of the church in eradicating poverty, confronting structural racism, and fulfilling our mission given to us in Christ Jesus and empowered by the work of God's Spirit. The foundation for the Matthew 25 initiative.  If your church has not yet explored the Matthew 25 initiative take some time to examine and ask if God is perhaps not calling your church to take that step. 

The link provided below is to the article by Abilio Buendía, I recommend it as an important perspective when studying Matthew 25.

 Abilio Peña Buendía is a Columbian theologian and member of the Franciscan Congregation of our Lady of Lourdes.  

Original Article "Bible Studies on the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace

Water stressed countries

Richter-Reimer "Economy of God and Diakonia: Strategies of Hope for the World Matthew 25

Matthew 25 Movement (PCUSA)

Matthew 25 Summit

Nov 20 is Transgender Day of Remembrance

 

Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) is an annual observance on November 20 that honors the memory of the transgender people whose lives were lost in acts of anti-transgender violence.

What is Transgender Day of Remembrance?

Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) was started in 1999 by transgender advocate Gwendolyn Ann Smith as a vigil to honor the memory of Rita Hester, a transgender woman who was killed in 1998. The vigil commemorated all the transgender people lost to violence since Rita Hester’s death, and began an important tradition that has become the annual Transgender Day of Remembrance.  

Prayer of Remembrance: 

(From Augsburg Campus Ministry Webpage by Jenn Luong)

God of all creation, your wisdom, your love and your mystery are boundless. You have many names, which are beyond all gender expression. We give you thanks for the gift of diverse gender identity, expression, and sexuality. We acknowledge the times we deny that gift by holding too tightly to expectations of conformity and norms. We have created these divisions and use them against one another. We know this is not your will or your way. Help us to act mercifully and show grace to all of your people, as you have done for us.

O Mysterious Maker of womxn, men, all that is in between, outside, and none at all. We come before you today with sorrow in our hearts. We remember those who have lost their lives because they did not conform to the gender roles society expects. We lament at the continued suffering, oppression, rejection and struggle of our siblings of all gender identities. Grant them strength, support, and love to accept and be accepted who they are. 

We acknowledge the harm prejudice and ignorance has knowingly and unknowingly caused. Help soften hearts and give wisdom and understanding that in the sight of God, all are equally Beloved simply because of our existence. Open hearts and minds to embrace and support one another so that all may let their light shine before others by living out their Truth. 

In the name of the One who is beyond all norm, amen.

Jenn Luong

Pastoral Intern

GLAAD click to learn more

Augsburg Campus Ministry Prayer Link