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Created in God's Image

 Genesis 1:26-31

1st Sermon in an Open and Affirming Series (Identity)


As I approached this series, I realized that I needed to learn. I have always been a supporter and advocate in my church's for full inclusion of LGBTQA2+ persons, though some of it was out of ignorance. I did have a gay roommate in seminary and learned a lot being a young man from North Dakota and have had friends, family, and people come through my life. But never being in an Open and Affirming church and knowing that to preach anything besides a gentle call to love everyone would probably show me the door, I safely cheered (in certain places) from the sideline. So coming into this church, I am excited to be part of an Open and Affirming church, however, this means I have to up my game and learn and grow and help this church and our community learn and grow as well. So I went on our church's publisher website and ordered every book they had (about 8) and started subscribing to an online group website called "Queer Theology" that has podcasts, chatrooms, and modules to learn about Christianity from another view, about what is happening and important in lives and faith. I am learning, and I am learning there is much to learn.

Even though this church voted roughly 5 years ago, the plagues on the wall, this sermon series is probably causing some discomfort amongst you and myself. I may be wrong, but besides the plaques, the banners, and helping organize the Pride March, this body of faith has probably had not a lot of discussions, studies, or further opportunities for growth. If I am wrong, then let's discuss it. I will probably get more than one thing wrong over the next month as I am learning and trying to share what I am learning. But you have started this journey, I am joining it and I hope that we can continue to fully embrace our welcome, "No matter who you are, you are welcome here."

A long time ago, the word 'queer' meant something odd or off or just not quite right. This word then started being a slur for those who weren't heterosexual or cis-gendered or practice sex in ways we find abhorrent. (By the way cis-gendered means that the genitalia that you were born with matches who you are). This using of the word queer was meant to harm, belittle, separate, and criminalize those who weren't like the 'rest' of us. Today, the word 'queer' is being redefined to say, "Yes, we aren't normal, we aren't like the rest of you, but we are still human, still have value, and who we are and the way we find and share love is just as equally valid as yours." So our second hymn saying, "The Kingdom of God is the Queerest of Nations" is proclaiming that the kingdom is not American, not capitalistic, not hetero-normative, and not based upon cultural or societal values, but the values of God as seen through Jesus and the stories of love and compassion in the Bible.  

Let us begin at the very beginning, it's a very good place to start: the first creation story of the Bible, Genesis chapter 1, the poem of the 7 day creation story. When I am doing a study with a group or with confirmation, even the parents and adults are surprised to find it started with God saying: Let us (not me) make humankind in our (not my) image, according to our (again not my) likeness! So Adam (who is named as the first human in the second creation story of the Bible) is not just created in the image of a white man sitting on a throne in heaven, but is formed from the earth hummus. We are created in the image of God, formed from the soil of the earth, we are already divine and of the earth. Males and females were created in the image of God, not just males. So that already bunks Paul who said males were created in the image of God and females in the image of man. Every single human being is a creation of God And when God finishes all creation, it is proclaimed exceedingly good, including each and every human. Each and every human.

Now we cut to Matthew that has Jesus speaking about divorce, Matthew's version of what we tackled in Mark's Gospel a couple weeks ago. In Matthew, Jesus speaks of eunuchs, those who aren't born male or female. Jesus says some of them are born as eunuchs which he does not condemn or ridicule or put down, but even lifts them up that they are who they are for the sake of the kingdom of heaven (God's kingdom). He does not call them perverts, Jesus does not condemn to hell, Jesus says not everyone will accept them, but they are here and they are queer. (Yes, that is a paraphrase)

Let's jump to Paul who has written things that can be used as clobber verses. A clobber verse is something that is often taken out of context and used to condemn and vilify a certain person or group. Paul writes in both Romans and in Galatians, "In Christ, there is no Jew or Christ, male or female, slave or free." Once we are Jesus disciples, siblings, that is not so much important. Even before that, as a creation and child of God, our worth, our identity, our salvation, our acceptance only falls upon God's love for us, which is all are loved with God's whole heart.

So some of us are probably thinking about the clobber verses and interpretations of Sodom and Gomorrah, Paul writing about homosexuality, or the Leviticus codes. What is the greatest commandment? To love ...  God...  with all our... heart... mind... soul... and strength... and to love our ... neighbor... as ourselves. As ourselves, not who society tells us to be, not who the church tells us to be, but as we know ourselves to be: a beloved child of God. If homosexuality and all the LGBTQA2+ was the worst abomination of the worst, why isn't is mentioned in the 10 commandments? Why is it only mentioned 7 times in the Bible where Jesus spent 50% of his time talking about money and this text in Matthew is the only time he gets close to this subject. 

I have a good friend who wants to know why God made her this way, a female with a male's body? I may be wrong, but I think, I don't know, but I think that God didn't just create humans in their image just male and female, to just be husband and wife. The creation of this world is full of diversity, wonder, and variety. God has done this with our bodies, our hair, eye, and skin color, our talents and skills, our body types as was explored in our children's message, so why then would God slam to door and say in this diversity, in this explosion of creation, we are going to limit who humans are into two roles, male and female, and there will only be one way that they can be a family. That to me, doesn't make sense. Just because humans for most of their history (not all cultures and religions) but Western Christianity leading the way, worked to restrict and restrain and punish any deviation of their own hubris and idol making, doesn't mean they are right.

 I am learning, too slowly, not good enough, but I want to get it right when someone introduces themselves as 'she' even though they may have 5'oclock shadow, 'he' even though he is wearing a bra, and 'they' and 'them' even though I am don't fully understand that there is a spectrum that some claim both genders and some claim they have no gender whatsoever. 

In the coming weeks, we will be talking about 'sin' next week, how it has changed over the centuries and cultural influences that have spun it away from loving God, loving our neighbor, and loving ourselves. We will talk about love and sex (because for some, it is the ish or bewilderment of how it works between so and so) that holds us back from loving others, and lastly we will talk about families. And I hope, I truly hope, that this will inspire more conversations, more book studies, more sermons, and a better grounding for us to say, "No matter who you are, you are welcome here." 

 The hymn "The Kingdom of God is the Queerest of Nations" was written by my "Grit and Grace" workshop leader Amanda Udis-Kessler. During that time we were asked to create something and this was what I started in preparation for this series. It's called "Kindom"


Kindom


1.       Do you know   how        loved  you are?        You are God’s own      shi – ing star.

                                All the parts that           make you whole.    Shine your light your   love your soul.

Chorus:

                  The    kindom of God starts with fa – mi – ly.       It includes you,    it in-cludes  me

                    With – out you we       can – not    be.          Fu-lly         Who-  lly          Christs’ bo -  dy. 

 (Each week another verse will be added)

@ 2021 Words and Music by Rev. Enno K. Limvere


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