Week 7

Written By Victoria Law Bell

Thoughts from Class

The assigned reading for this week was Becoming a White Antiracist by Mary Hess and Stephen Brookfield. However, this week was also the week that I presented in a small group with some colleagues on “Expressions of Care for LGBTQIA+ People: Important opportunities for how Christians can show love to their LGBTQIA+ neighbors.” Each of us in the group, there were five of us, included information about our specific topics for the term. These included: post-Christian & queer communities; Sex Positivity; Fostering LGBTQIA+ Inclusion in a Non-Affirming Ministry Setting; Reconciliation work; and Expansive Language for God, the Divine, and Higher Powers.

What I loved about this project was getting to see how so many topics are interconnected and learning about the work colleagues are doing in the same space. For that reason, I want to share the information I included in the presentation.

We opened with The Prayers of the People from enfleshed’s resources on LGBTQ related liturgy.

Getting Proximate

  • “Traditional” language for God can result in disconnection or bring up painful memories or trauma. We don’t want language to prevent someone from coming into relationship with the Divine.

  • People want to see the language used for God during services to reflect what they read or hear in the Bible

    • Instead, we are often presented with male-centered language instead of the abundance of names and imagery contained within biblical texts

    • Midwife (Psalm 22:9-10), Hen (Ruth 2:12), Mother bear (Hosea 13:8), Fire (Acts 2:3), Potter (Job 10:8-9)

  • Encouraging people to use language they are familiar with invites them to be a part of their theology

    • Davis Roberts writes, “Being able to see oneself in God or the character of Christ is a very powerful element of theology and being able to feel welcome in a church.”

Changing the Narrative

Finding Hope

Embracing Discomfort

  • The tension between inclusive and expansive

  • Working with community/congregation members who are resistant

  • Having your own idea of the “right way” and being open to diverse perspectives.

Response to Scripture

The scriptures for this week were: Malachi 4:1-2; Psalm 98; 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13; Luke 21:5-19

“See, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble; the day that comes shall burn them up, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. “But for you who revere my name the sun of righteousness shall rise, with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall.”
— Malachi 4:1-2

Resources

(1) A song or hymn connected (2) a media piece - art, film, music, cartoon, meme, blog post, etc. (3) an action someone could take - prayer, legislative action, meditation, petition to sign etc. Each resource is related or connected either the lectionary text or the focus area of expansive language.

Song/Hymn

Pop Culture Reference or Media Piece

Reading the closing words from today’s scripture in Malachi reminded me of these videos that come out each spring when cows are released to pasture. While this has nothing to do with the scripture or my focus, I do love the joy it brings.

Action - Read

I want you to check out this blog post from Deconstructing Mamas where Daneen writes about the first time she heard “she” used for God during a service. After reading the post, you’ll notice that the song I chose for this week is the song that Daneen heard that day. Unfortunately, try as I might, I could not find a version that doesn’t use “he” for God. And I wasn’t up to making y’all listen to me sing.

Victoria Law Bell
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