6/18/17
Lesson: Genesis 18:1-15
Gospel: Matthew 9:35-10:8
Grace and Peace to you from God our Loving Parent, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ, Amen
Janet Mock is an author of two books, with one of them published very recently. She was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, and grew up in multiple places - sometimes with her father, sometimes with her mother, sometimes with her grandmother. She had a rough upbringing of living with impoverished parents, moving frequently, her father was a drug addict, her mother was not a frequent presence in her life. In high school, she was a sex worker, working to pay for her medical bills. After graduating high school and landing a nice job in television after attending college, she wrote a New York Times bestseller. Her story of rags to riches, from an impoverished family to a national figure writing such a book may seem old hat, but maybe some of you don’t know that Janet Mock is a transwoman of color. Janet Mock is a transgender activist, who wrote her first book, Redefining Realness about her younger years growing up, and beginning her understanding of her gender and transition. Her newest book Surpassing Certainty, details her later years until now, and was published last week.
Janet is the child of a black father and a native Hawaiian mother, and as I said before, had a rough upbringing. Her struggles through life, understanding her gender differently than how the outside world saw her, sometimes not knowing where her next meal was coming from or where she’d move next, experiencing racism from all angles, but remaining confident of her goal of becoming the woman she wanted to be - faith - it took tremendous faith for her to get where she is now. Even if she is a bestselling author, an inspiring advocate and activist for so many people, her identity as a transwoman of color - is to this day - a hill too steep to climb for some people.
Faith is not knowing where or how you’re going, but going anyway. In Janet Mock’s case, faith was not knowing how she would achieve her dream of being the woman she dreamed of - but doing everything she could to make it happen.
Faith is sitting in church, in community, hearing the story of Sarah and Abraham as they awaited bearing a child. An old couple with no heir to carry on their livelihood, their traditions, their stuff. They were well past the child-bearing age. Three visitors came to Abraham and Sarah, three messengers of God came to them to form community and told them they’d have a child after all.
Being so old, Sarah laughed at the idea of ever having a child. Why would she ever be able to bear a child at this age? God hadn’t blessed her with a child before this, why now? But, sure enough, Isaac was born to a very old couple. It was faith from God, and in God - that produced Isaac.
It was faith that allowed the disciples of Jesus to follow him. It was faith in Jesus that led them away from their goods, families, and homes. They had faith that all of this would work out. They had responsibilities that they just dropped, and followed Jesus. Faith held the disciples together in community, and faith led them to and beyond the cross.
They had no reason to believe him. They questioned what they were doing throughout all four Gospels, but faith compelled them to carry on. Many times throughout the gospels, they sit and wonder what they’re doing. Many times they wonder what is really going on. There’s no way this person could be healed. No way could Jesus feed so many people with a couple loaves of bread and some fish. No way that he would die and rise again. And yet, they kept going.
Two thousand years later, here we are, in church, worshipping in fellowship and community with other people that share our faith. Worshipping a Triune God, who is the progenitor of faith, the creator of all, and the savior of all. We are here today, because of faith.
Three visitors came to see Abraham and Sarah. Some scholars agree that the three visitors were the Holy Trinity. Others believe them to simply be God’s messengers. A famous icon depicted the visitors as three men. This one that appeared on my facebook news feed the other day - depicts three women of color. Whether the original is three messengers of God or the Holy Trinity - this picture of the three women of color representing the three figures - is just another way of interpreting scripture - another way of producing art, based on our faith. Whoever the three visitors were, I hope this painting adds another perspective in understanding that the world we live in is not the same for you as it is for me, but that we each look at community, at life, at faith - differently.
It is faith that keeps us going, faith from God, in God, about God, through God, and for God. Faith that moves mountains, that permeates our world, and propels our lives to interact and be there for others, when they understand life differently, and when they need us the most.
In the waters of baptism, we are called and named beloved children of God. We are washed in the same water that washes over all of us. Our faith starts there, with our parents, sponsors, friends, ministers of the sacrament… From the moment we are baptized, we are baptized in water and into community with each other. One cannot baptize themselves, there is a community aspect to baptism. Like community with other people, water connects every living thing, every human being on this planet. Each of us are created in the image of God, and in the waters of baptism, called and named beloved children of God. Your life is beautiful to God. Your life matters to God.
Whether you are black or white or any shade of skin in between. Whether you are female or male or any gender identity outside of or in between. Whether you are asexual, bisexual, homosexual, heterosexual, pansexual, polysexual or whatever sexual reality you identify with. Whether you express your gender in one way or many ways. Whether you’re attracted to one gender, many genders, or nobody at all.
God. Loves. You. Your life matters to God.
Steve Scalise, a white congressman from Louisiana, along with four of his staff, was shot by a white man, while they were practicing for a congressional baseball game on Wednesday morning. Representative Scalise is still in the hospital, but has been upgraded to serious condition.
A year ago last Monday, this country experienced its worst mass shooting in modern times at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida. A club populated by mostly latino LGBT or lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, was attacked, and fifty people were killed that night.
Two years ago yesterday, nine black parishioners of the Emmanuel African Methodist Episcopal church were murdered by a young white supremacist - a member of an ELCA congregation, our larger Lutheran community.
Philando Castile was a young black cafeteria worker riding in his car, with a young woman next to him and a child in the backseat, when he was pulled over by a latino police officer last July. Philando Castile was murdered that night, two blocks from Luther Seminary, with the woman next to him filming it, and the child behind him watching it. The Saint Paul area police officer who shot and killed him was acquitted of all charges on Friday.
When people cry out in anguish, that Black Lives Matter - they do so in faith. Faith that one day - people will listen to those three simple words, and not disagree, but understand. Faith that our justice system will return to what it was meant to be - justice for all. Faith that black lives in this country will begin to matter in the face of a broken justice system that penalizes, imprisons, and murders more people of color at a higher rate than it does white folks.
Faith is not knowing where or how you’re going, but going anyway. Faith is not knowing when people will begin to listen - when the justice system will turn around - but marching anyway, in faith.
Faith is not knowing when the death and pain and anguish will stop - but knowing that there is a Savior that has bled and died for us all - a Savior that sees the death and pain and anguish - and weeps.
Faith is knowing that there is no life without death, but also no death without life. Faith is knowing that life will rise out of the ashes. Faith is seeing the beauty in life, through the pain of death. Faith is knowing that through it all - all are saved by Grace through Faith. That one day - black lives matter will be a fact accepted by all, that Janet Mock living her life as a transwoman of color will be a more common reality, that seeing the image of God in one another, with the waters of baptism still streaming from our brows - will be our truth as human beings. Human beings - living together in community, in love, in faith. Amen.
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