George of Sylvania

Tag: theology

  • Prayer Meeting Reflection

    Trinity Chapel

    The following is my reflection from the prayer meeting held at Trinity’s 12 Noon service on 3/25.

    Matthew 5:17–19 (NRSV)

    Jesus said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”

    The sermon on the mount is a teaching I have been spending a lot of time with as of late. I cannot speak for everyone, but this part of the sermon always gave me pause. As a young Christian I was taught that the Old Testament no longer applied to my life because Jesus came and liberated us not just from sin, but from all that “legalism.” Whenever this passage came up in church or wherever, this part always tugged at me, and the best explanation I could get from anyone was that it no longer applied. Paul had written about the law and how it did not apply to us, so we were free from it because of grace.

    As I have grown older, I have personally come to realize that I cannot take that view because of how short sighted it is. To determine that something in the text no longer applies to you gives you permission not to take it seriously. It gives permission to be permissive about it, and when we become permissive, we are no longer curious. I find for myself, when curiosity is gone, what was fresh and vibrant become stale. I do not want to personally live in a world where the Sermon on the Mount becomes stale. So, what does it mean for this part of Matthew to continue to breathe new life?

    Taking place on a mountain side, Jesus sits down and teaches his twelve disciples while others crowd around him and listen in. This image of Jesus is, I would argue, is what we would recognize today as Jesus at his most rabbinic. Rabbi and scholar Jacob Neusner in his book, A Rabbi talks with Jesus, writes: 

    …the sage sets for himself a worthy challenge, one that every sage in every generation does well to meet: receive a tradition whole and perfect, hand it on never intact but always unimpaired, so taking a rightful place in the chain of tradition from Sinai.

    What Rabbi Neusner writes about, is how traditionally new teachers of the law would be raised up. Those who were picked and went through the training to become a teacher of Torah would be taught the commandments by heart. Then, their teacher would put their spin on it by providing some new perspective. This is what it means when a teacher passes on the law, not intact but always unimpaired. What Jesus is building on in his Sermon on the Mount, is the Torah, the law given at Siani to Moses and the ancient Israelites.

    When we talk about no longer being subject to the law of the Old Testament and say that we must follow teachings like the sermon on the mount, something important is left out. What Jesus does with the Sermon on the Mount is what rabbis would call, “building a hedge around Torah.” Imagine that this law is so precious to you, not because of sin or persecution, but because you believe it is the best and you want to live it, that you put a buffer between yourself and it. Like a house with a hedge surrounding, it for protection, is what Jesus is doing in this sermon. The hedge, as Rabbi Neusner puts it, the hedge is important because it allows us to, “…conduct yourself in such a way you will avoid even the things that cause you to sin, not only the sin itself.”

    There is a famous teaching associated with the Hillel the Elder where a gentile comes up to him and asks to be taught the Torah while standing on one foot. Hillel responds with something like, “that which is bad for you, do not to your neighbor, that is the Torah, the rest is commentary.” 

    For Jesus to give this teaching, encouraging us that not murdering is not enough, and we must not even have hate in our hearts. It is not just about not cheating on your spouse, but to not even to look at someone lustfully, and if you do, cut your eye out (because it is not the person’s fault you are looking at them like that). When I sit with this part of Matthew, as I have for the past year, I am reminded that for me, if all of Torah is about caring for my neighbor, and as Rabbi Neusner confirms, Torah is all about teaching us how to show mercy, then I am proud to teach others to show it. 

    I am excited to invite others along the path to teach and show mercy and love in ways that may not be new but are still worth doing. Especially in the climate we find ourselves in, this yoke, this teaching, must be passed on. When you hear it, it may not be intact, but it will at least be unimpaired.

    Grace and peace.

  • Black History Month

    On Sunday, Black History Month kicked off, and things are a little bit different this year. While the current president made a proclamation on 1/31 of the celebrating of Black history, federal agencies are baring the celebration/observation of it and other things. In this post, I just want to share a few things about it’s official founding, a bit of importance of it, the way my denomination has been impacted by Black history, and some books to read.

    In 1976 Republican President Gerald Ford designated the month of February as Black History Month. This came after years of work from scholar Carter G. Woodson, who established the original, “Negro History Week” which took place the second week of February (make no mistake, Woodson never confined Black history education and celebration to just one week). The reason for this, was it held both Abraham Lincoln and Fredrick Douglas’s birthdays. The Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASAALH) continues Woodson’s work and continues to be a great resource for learning about Black history. For a reading of Black history and the Episcopal Church, Joyce Crittenden has an incredible article titled, Condensed History of the Black Episcopalian, published on the website for Episcopal Church of All Saints and Ascension’s website that can be reached here.

    The importance of learning Black history can never be understated. Black history is the history of America, and we are tied to it in ways that will never be undone, no matter how may people try. It is a history that must be celebrated even if it is embarrassing or hard for white people to read. With that, I’d like to recommend a few books that changed my life for this month that will open your eyes and break your heart for the better (in no particular order):

    • The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin
    • Black AF History: The Un-Whitewashed Story of America by Michael Harriot
    • The Color of Compromise: The Truth about the American Church’s Complicity in Racism by Jemar Tisby
    • The Assassination of Fred Hampton: How the FBI and Chicago Police Murdered a Black Panther by Jeffery Haas
    • Reading While Black: African American Biblical Interpretation as an Exercise in Hope by Esau McCauley
    • On Juneteenth by Annette Gordon-Reed
    • Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
    • Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experiments on Black Americans from Colonial Times to the Present by Harriet A. Washington
    • Black Birds in the Sky: The Story and Legacy of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre by Brandy Colbert
    • The Sword and the Shield: The Revolutionary Lives of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. by Peniel E. Joseph 
    • The Cross and the Lynching Tree by James H. Cone
    • Black Against Empire: The History and Politics of the Black Panther Party by Joshua Bloom and Waldo E. Martin Jr.
    • The Autobiography of Malcolm X as told to Alex Haley
    • Tears We Cannot Stop by Michael Eric Dyson

    As I close out this first short post on Black History Month, I would like to share the following prayer by Canon Carla Robinson. It was prayed at a Circles of Color meeting in 2023 and can be found here. This was shortly after the death of another young Black man, Tyre Nichols. Nichols was beaten by five police officers during a traffic stop, and died in the hospital three days later:

    May God bless the memory of Tyre Nichols. We pray for his family during this time of unspeakable loss and grief. His life mattered. Tragically we have been here time & time again. Lord, grants us the strength and courage to never accept injustice & cruelty as the price for public safety. And give us grace to truly strive for justice and peace and to honestly respect the dignity of every human being.

    Creator, we lift up and thank you for our Black siblings who have shaped history. We pray that the learning happening this month in schools, homes and workplaces will be meaningful and deep-rooted. We pray for open hearts and minds, and spirits willing to learn and be transformed by you. May this month be a time of curiosity and sharing, conversations and celebrations, challenge and encouragement. Loving God, help us to dig deeper, look closer, and think bigger.

    In Jesus name, amen.

    As we celebrate our beloved siblings and continue to work towards being beloved community, may we continue to learn what we do not know, and celebrate from the mountain top.

    Black Lives Matter.
    Black Trans Lives Matter.
    Black Queer Lives Matter.
    Black Women Lives Matter.
    Black Men Lives Matter.
    Black Children Lives Matter.
    Black Healthcare Matters.

    May we never stop saying it, may we never lose sight of it, and may we never forget it.

    Grace and peace friends.

  • Holocaust Remembrance Day

    Image by pikisuperstar on Freepik

    *This was written before the cease fire in Palestine*

    Today is Holocaust Remembrance Day.

    Every year, I spend quite a lot of my time in January studying the Holocaust. This comes about in different ways: reading books, watching documentaries, or listening to podcasts. With my love of Jewish roots in Christianity, and seeing how Christians have perpetuated anti-Semitic theology over the past two thousand years, I work very hard not to. Often, because I work in a church in the United States, there are a lot of assumptions I support what is happening currently in nation-state of Israel.

    I do not support ethnic cleansing or genocide in any form. Especially those that my tax dollars are helping to fund.

    This year, instead of focusing on the Shoah (usually what is refereed to as the Jewish peoples experienced during the Holocaust), I’ve branched out to wider accounts of murder and ethnic cleansing.

    One book I finished this month was, The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine, written by Ilan Pappé. Born in Haifa Israel to parents that fled n*zi persecution in the 1930’s, he is a historian and author. If I had not read a few books on what happened in the 1940’s to the Jewish peoples of Europe, personally, Pappé’s book would not have been as devastating. The tactics described in the book between the Israeli and British forces against the Palestinians will make you sick. There is a lot of similarity to what persecuted European Jews experienced in the mid 20th century.

    Something that really stood out toward the beginning of the book was when Pappé speaks about the history of occupation of Palestine. How, this was something Palestinians were used to. However, for the first time, Palestinians experienced being displaced from land and homes their families had worked and lived on for generations.

    What is happening right now to the Palestinians is unacceptable.

    What happened to European Jews in the 1930’s and 1940’s (as well as pogroms throughout history against them) is also unacceptable.

    What is happening to the Uyghurs in China right now is unacceptable.

    The persecution or mass deaths of any group of people because of their ethnicity or religious affiliation is unacceptable.

    May our prayers and actions remember that today of all days, and those that follow. Be sure to read the prayer by Rabbi David Katz at the end of this.

    If you are interested in learning more about the Shoah, or other instances of genocide, I highly recommend the following (in no particular order):

    The Holocaust: A New History by Laurence Rees

    Shoah: A Documentary by Claude Lanzmann

    Night by Elie Weisel

    Man in Search of Meaning by Viktor Frankl

    A Shortest History of Israel and Palestine by Michael Scott-Baumann

    The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine by Ilan Pappé

    Auschwitz: A Doctor’s Eyewitness Account by Dr. Richard Seaver

    On Palestine by Noam Chomsky and Ilan Pappé

    The War on Uyghurs: China’s Internal Campaign against a Muslim Minority by Sean Roberts

    The Uyghurs: Strangers in their Own Land by Gardner Bovingdon

    We Uyghurs Have No Voice: An Imprisoned Writer Speaks by Ilham Tohti

    A Prayer for Yom Hashoah / Holocaust Remembrance Day
    By Rabbi David Katz

    Ribbono shel Olam – Master of the Universe:

    On this most solemn of occasions, we open our hearts, minds, and souls to you.

    As we remember the six million, the eleven million, the indifference, and the evil;

    As we honor the heroes, the martyrs, the survivors, and the victims;

    We ask you to soothe our souls, to amplify our memories, to strengthen our resolve, and to hear our prayers.

    We ask for your presence in our midst; for healing, light, and love to soothe and ease our pain, as we commemorate the horrors that were committed not long ago. Please, oh Holy One, be gentle with our souls.

    We ask that you help us to forever remember the stories we hear. As tales of the atrocities are shared, as we re-encounter the unthinkable, we ask that these memories be strengthened and never fade, in the hope that those who remember the mistakes of the past will not repeat them. Please, oh Holy One, amplify our ability to remember.

    We ask that you strengthen our will, that you help us to ensure that the world does not again see such monstrosities. We say “never again” and we dedicate ourselves to this principle, to the idea that justice does not allow persecution, that genocide shall not be repeated, and that vigilance is the responsibility of freedom, at all costs. Please, oh Holy One, make manifest our resolve that these horrors remain but memories.

    We ask that you answer our prayers. We pray that the call of evil falls on deaf ears, that those who fight for freedom and justice always prevail, that those who need protection do not become victims. We pray that the lessons we learn from this darkest hour allow all humankind to better itself, and to truly and nobly embody the idea that we are each made in Your image. We pray for the souls of the millions and millions of victims of this brutality; we pray that we honor their lives and their memories by observing this day, and by doing everything in our power and beyond to make sure that no such shadow again darkens our world.

    Above all, we pray for shalom—for wholeness and peace—to be in our midst, now and forever. Please, oh Holy One, answer our prayers and bring us a world devoid of hatred, filled instead with peace.

    Ken yehi ratzon – may this be God’s will. And may we all say together, Amen.

  • MLK Day 2025

    Photo by Gotta Be Worth It on Pexels.com

    It is an irregular day for a post, but considering all that is happening, I thought I’d write a little something. An attempt to put a little good in the world.

    A few years ago, I was asked to preach on MLK observance Sunday, and it was my first time preaching at the new church I was on staff at. To say it was a little intimidating would be correct. But, a few good things came from it, and as far as sermons go, not the worst I’ve preached. This is a bit of an updated excerpt from it waking toward the idea of how we can move forward.

    How can we fight for a world that is aligned with our kin-dom ideals while making room for those who may not like or agree with us? We advocate. In his letter from Birmingham Jail, Dr. King lays out the four basic steps to nonviolent protesting, to paraphrase they are:

    1. Collect the facts and determine from those facts whether injustice is alive and well in the community you’re focusing on.
    2. Negotiation. Engage in conversation with the gate holders and see if there is a way to work within the law to change what is going on.
    3. Self-purification. The attempt to purge the injustice from oneself, so that their eyes can no longer be shut to them.
    4. Non-violent direct action. Showing up and protesting whether it is a sit in, letter writing, or some other form.

    When I was a student at the University of Toledo, I minored in Peace Studies and Education, and through those courses, these four markers came up in class almost every other week. It’s tempting, when preaching to draw upon the model that Dr. King left behind, at least, the perceived model he left. For a very long time, evangelicals and other white people have used the likeness and words of Dr. King in a way that has almost made him a caricature of who he was. 2018 marked the 50th anniversary of his cold-blooded murder, and Michael Harriot wrote an article for The Root labeled, From Most hated to American Hero: The Whitewashing of Martin Luther King Jr. Harriot does not beat around the bush when he states:

    Contrary to popular belief, when King Died, he was not an icon of freedom and equality. In fact, most of the country disliked him. Sadly, on April 4, 1968, a bullet splattered bits of Martin Luther king Jr.’s brains and blood across the balcony of Memphis, Tenn.’s Lorraine Motel. Then, and only then, was white America ready to make him a hero. [1]


    In part, it was Dr. King’s approach to injustice through non-violent direct action that led to his unpopularity. However, there is another way to put it, a way that I prefer, and it was said by one of his contemporaries, Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel. To quote Rabbi Laurie Green:

    Upon marching with Dr. King in Selma, Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel famously said: ‘I felt my legs were praying.’ Heschel was as passionate about social justice as he was about the Sabbath and prayer. He taught that prayer must be revolutionary…[2]

    Growing up, I was often taught that prayer was a direct communication from myself to God, and that was about it. When I was introduced to concept of praying with one’s feet by my former mentor Don, it kind of broke my brain open about the possibilities of prayer.

    • So, when I say something like, advocate for the world we want, not the one we live in, that to me is an act of prayer.
    • Going after systems of oppression through non-violent direct action is a type of prayer.
    • Realizing that our liberation isn’t just wrapped up in Christ, but the breaking of chains of oppression for all peoples is an act of prayer.
    • Working hard for justice in an unjust is an act of prayer.

    So, on this Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, 57 years since his assassination, may we remember that the work Dr. King stood for is still on going, and that in the work, we are called to be merciful, just as our God is merciful. We have a lot of work to do, and a ton of dirt to get under our nails.

    Grace and peace.

  • Welp… it isn’t much

    I took that picture on my way into work Monday. What a nice view.

    This week, I do not have much to say. The writers block has been very present these past few weeks, and it is what it is. It doesn’t help we said so long to the interim priest we have been working with for over a year, and everyone’s favorite staff member is on tour for the North American production of Dirty Dancing.

    So what is blocking the ideas from flowing? Well, we are less than a week away from another nightmare of a presidential term, and I am nervous for friends and loved ones. And if the confirmation hearing of Hegseth that occurred yesterday is a taste of what is to come…

    Speaking of cabinet picks, I will never forget when my wife and I lived in West Michigan, and the first Tr*mp administration had been going for a little while. The church we had attended the majority of the time we lived there was Mars Hill Bible Church, founded by Rob Bell. Bell had been long gone by the time we had gotten there, and the place was changing under the newly called pastor. Things started off well, but the moment Betsy DeVos, who had been the Secretary of Education for a few months, came over to me during the passing of the peace. She gave me the most uncomfortable hug I have ever had in my life, and while she was trying to make small talk, I just kept reminding myself that the person standing in front of me was a child of God. We left the church pretty soon after.

    The look on my wife’s face though, seared into my memory. One of shock, horror, and concern about what was going to come out of my mouth. I was in such shock at what was unfolding before me that I was pretty much frozen.

    Scraping the barrel but still showing up is strength in its self, and that is what I wanted to remind everyone of today. So, to close today, I want to offer up the closing prayer I lead every other week during the Wednesday intercessory prayer services. It was introduced to me by a dear friend who passed away almost a year ago called, The Coventry Litany of Reconciliation. Because it is me however, I tweaked a few things to make it more inclusive.

    The Lord be with you my friends, never forget you all are loved, and not alone during this dark time to come.

    An updated version of the Coventry Litany of Reconciliation:

    All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

    The hatred which divides nation from nation, race from race, class from class,
    Lord, forgive.

    The covetous desires of people and nations to poses what is not their own,
    Lord, forgive.

    The greed which exploits the work of human hands and lays waste the earth,
    Lord, forgive.

    Our envy of the welfare and happiness of others,
    Lord, forgive.

    Our indifference to the plight of the imprisoned, the unhoused, the refugee,
    Lord, forgive.

    The lust which dishonors the bodies of men, women, non-binary, and children,
    Lord, forgive.

    The pride which leads us to trust ourselves and not in God,
    Lord, forgive.

    Be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving one another as God in Christ forgave you.

    In peace, we pray to you, Lord God.

  • Top books/series: 2020-2024

    Photo by Element5 Digital on Pexels.com

    I love books.

    Reading them, listening to them, or even collecting, it doesn’t matter. My office is filled with them, and so is our house. It has become a joke among some of the staff, and I have even been at bottom of a few jokes because of it. And you know what? I do not care. By nature, I am dyslexic, and I learned to read via comic books. In fact, I can tell you the first time I remember reading a word by myself.

    For Christmas in 1993 my parents bought me a box of comic books, and my life changed forever. I was already a fan of Batman thanks to the 1966 TV show reruns, but I did not know he was from another media. In that box was Batman 493, aka Red Slash, where serial killer Victor Zsasz take a few hostages and Batman has to rescue them. Well, one of the Gotham Police Officers that Zsasz… does… away… with… had my last name. That week before in kindergarten I was working with someone on spelling it out, and BAM! Right before my eyes, I see the name, I recognize what it is, and it was all downhill from there (except for reading, it took a long time for me to become comfortable with that).

    Over the years, I have spent many hours pouring over books of varying genres, mainly theological and non-fiction. However, in 2021 my wife urged me to pick up some fiction books, and I started to consume more of them. And since I’m one of the people that believes a decade starts in the year that ends in zero, we’re half way through the 20’s. With the over 300 books I’ve read so far this decade, here are my top ten books/series in no particular order:

    1. Operation Hail Mary by Mark Weir
      – Just read it. Incredible science based fiction. 10/10 no notes.
    2. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
      – There is a reason why people love this book. I thought it was going to be overrated, but it just really hit with me.
    3. Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a faith and Fracture a Nation by Kristin Kobes Du Mez
      – If like me you have some evangelicalism in your background, have gone through deconstruction/reconstruction and want to know some history pick it up. Also highly recommend The Making of Biblical Womanhood by Beth Alison Barr
    4. Black Against Empire: The History and Politics of the Black Panther Party by Joshua Bloom and Waldo E. Martin Jr.
      – I grew up conservative and heard about the Black Panthers. Nothing about them I learned about was true unsurprisingly! This book will learning you something you need.
    5. The Inspector Gamaché series by Louise Penny
      – Look, no one should trust the police… unless they’re fictional and written by Louise Penny.
    6. River of the Gods: Genius, Courage, and Betrayal in the Search for the Source of the Nile by Candice Millard
      – Do you like Indiana Jones and want a true story? This one floats to the top of all those style books I’ve read recently.
    7. Entitled: How Male Privilege Hurts Women by Kate Manne
      – Required reading if you identify as male. Don’t argue, just read the damn book.
    8. The Holocaust: A New History by Laurence Rees
      – I was going to put The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine by Israeli author Ilan Pappé but I read it this year. This is neck and neck with that book. Dives into the prehistory of n*zi Germany and is as impactful, plus a nice precursor to Pappé’s book.
    9. We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer
      – Incredible horror/mind melt of a book. I read this twice last year, and am still decoding the hidden messages in the book. Highly recommend if that’s your bag.
    10. Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty AND Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe
      – Patrick Radden Keefe is an incredible writer/journalist. These two subject couldn’t be more different, and he makes them attainable in such engaging ways.

    Bonus book series: The Exorcist House/Anathema by Nick Roberts; if you like The Exorcist, you’ll enjoy these. Roberts is quickly becoming my Stephen King.

  • Darts

    You can watch the scene here

    There are few scenes from television that I can re-watch like the dart scene from Ted Lasso. I’m sure most of those reading will have seen it but if not, let me set the scene. Two men are playing darts in a crowded English pub, and there is a bet on the line. The bet is that if the former owner of the team Ted works for wins, he can pick the lineup for the rest of the season. If Ted wins, the former owner can’t come near the owners box while Rebecca (his ex-wife) owns the team.

    Ted is down in points, and needs to triple twenties and a bullseye to win the game. Before he takes his turn, he begins to speak to his opponent about how he has been underestimated by guys like him his entire life. Ted points out how those people aren’t curious, and their assumptions of him, had nothing to do with who he actually is. Ted comes to this because, curious people ask questions, they don’t make assumptions.

    It is a such a simple observation by Ted, but personally, it really packs a blow at the same time.

    The ability to be curious in a world we know is such a rare thing found in adulthood. This is why I think Ted Lasso stands out compared to other positive characters written for TV. It is also something I think tends to be lost in the Church, an observation pointed out to me by a former mentor. One of the things I had found most helpful during the major deconstruction phase of my faith were good questions. It took a little while for me to want to be curious about reconstructing my faith, but curiosity is what helped it grow.

    Reading rabbinic materials did a great job in re-cultivating the curiosity that evangelicalism killed. Knowing that there is space in faith traditions to play with the text, imagine what it was like, and disagree was such a foreign concept. Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Weinreb in his article, Korack: Two Jews, Three Opinions, writes:

    It is noteworthy in this regard that every single chapter of the work known as the Mishnah, which is the core around which the Talmud developed, contains a dispute between the rabbis on one point or another.

    With the heaviness of the world to come, and the rhetoric that will continue to ramp up (we saw last week at the capitol over bathrooms), it is good to remember that curiosity and questions belong. Not only do they belong, but it curiosity is how we grow and become humans deeper in the image of God. Only those who are afraid (toxic people, christian nationalists, homophobes, transphobes, etc.) will tell you otherwise. The way the writers of Ted Lasso nail this point home in such a disarming way lends to the longevity of the show.

    Stay curious my friends, it will only strengthen our resolve as we march forward. I needed a somewhat uplifting post because I have been stressed, worried, and even a little scared. I hope this gives you room to jump into something new to help balance the way things are going. You can’t fight fascism without remembering the beauty that exists and is worth maintaining. Try Ted Lasso if you haven’t seen it, or Gardner’s World with Monty Don, two sources that allow you to unplug and be filled for an hour.

    Barbecue sauce.

  • Transgender Day of Remembrance

    Image sourced here.

    Two weeks ago today the election results were announced, and things continue to look dire. Today, as the title gives away, is Transgender Day of Remembrance; while I am not a member of the trans community, I am a staunch ally. Now, I know there are going to be a few people who read this, that do not recognize trans people’s right to exist. There will also be those who read, that also think supporting queer people, and, specifically trans people is heresy. Nothing I say to you will change your mind. To borrow a phrase from someone I respect, I do not make nice with oppressors, and I hope you hear God. For those of you who are here that none of this applies to, welcome.

    Our LGBTQIA+ siblings have been here from the very beginning and to not recognize that, to me, is the same as ignoring Christ on the cross. Those who know their church history, they should be aware of this, and also know they have always had a place in the family of God. If this is news to you, I highly recommend these two books to get started:

    Transforming by Austin Hartke
    Sex Difference in Christian Theology by Megan K. DeFranza

    For Christians, to believe that we are made in the image of God, is to (hopefully) accept one of the Jewish concepts in the Talmud that says:

    Rabbi Yirmeya ben Elazar: In the hour when the Holy One created the first human, He created him as an androgynos (one having both male and female sexual characteristics), as it is said, “male and female He created them.1

    Dr. Rachel Scheinerman wrote an incredible article, The Eight Genders of the Talmud, that you can read right here. The reason why I am posting about this article, is because the Talmud is a compendium of rabbinic commentary, laws, and other writings that has been around for over a millennia. Outside of the Torah, it is the most impactful pieces of Jewish writing. To know that Christianity was a religion born out of ancient Judaism, reading ancient Jewish writings can be very helpful. Of these eight genders, four of them are applicable to our trans siblings.

    Less than 1.5% of trans people make up the total population in the United States according to a June 2022 article by the UCLA school of law.2

    350 trans siblings have been murdered globally so far in 2024.3

    321 trans siblings were murdered globally in 2023.4

    391 anti-trans bills have been proposed in the United States in 2024.5

    In 1933, one of the life centers of LGBT+ culture and community was in Germany; and when Hitler came to power, his government targeted our trans siblings.6

    The incoming presidential administration is terrifying for almost anyone who is not a straight, white, cis, republican male.

    Today is a somber day, and unfortunately there is a lot of ground still to cover for our siblings. But I believe it is possible to build a world where they are not only safe, but can be the person God made them to be. And that they will have the support to do so.

    May we remember our lost siblings not just today, but every day.

    May we remember that our trans siblings need us, not just today, but every day.

    May we see the image of God reflected in them, as we do ourselves.

    May we stand for them, even if our friends and family do not.

    And may we take a moment to recite these words from Rev. Marie A. Trato, the Canon for Community Justice Ministry in the Diocese of Long Island:

    Gracious and loving God, you made all of humankind in your image and redeemed us through Jesus your Son: On this International Transgender Day of Remembrance, we remember those who were killed because of their all-encompassing humanity; help us to overcome our anger and our fear of those whose lives move beyond our binary definitions; draw us closer to the mystery and complexity of your infinite creativity and creation; teach us to look upon all of God’s children with love and compassion, that we may all live in safety and in peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.7

    Sources:

    1. https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/the-eight-genders-in-the-talmud/ ↩︎
    2. https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/publications/trans-adults-united-states/
      ↩︎
    3. https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamiewareham/2024/11/16/350-transgender-people-murdered-in-2024-will-the-violence-ever-end/ ↩︎
    4. https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamiewareham/2024/11/16/350-transgender-people-murdered-in-2024-will-the-violence-ever-end/ ↩︎
    5. https://translegislation.com/
      ↩︎
    6. https://mjhnyc.org/events/transgender-experiences-in-weimar-and-nazi-germany/ ↩︎
    7. https://allsaints-pas.org/a-prayer-for-transgender-day-of-remembrance-november-20th/ ↩︎

  • Super Tuesday

    I just left the line to vote. This is the first time since moving here that I had seen a line that will last more than 5 minutes.

    The picture above is one I took while dropping something off to a friend back in August. The heart your neighbor sign came from a group trying to reach out to neighbors. Their mission is, “during a year where neighborly love and values are tested through voting, we strive to bring neighbors together in love and harmony.”

    On the surface, it’s a great idea. But I, for the life of me, cannot understand how someone can put a sign like that their yard and vote for hate. Maybe in 2016 I could have understood.

    Maybe.

    But we know better now, and I’m only speaking for myself.

    To love your neighbor is to do what is best for everyone with the privilege you hold. Former Presiding Bishop Michael Curry wrote during the 2016 election:

    Go and vote.  Vote your conscience.  Your conscience informed by what it means to love your neighbor.  To participate in the process of seeking the common good.  To participate in the process of making this a better world.  However you vote, go and vote.  And do that as a follower of Jesus. 

    I would amend that to say, if you are a follower of Jesus;

    If you are someone who seeks justice, cares about the poor, widow, and orphan;

    If you strive to till the soil of this world to usher in the kin-dom of heaven;

    Do not vote for him. Lives are on the line.

    Women’s lives are on the line.

    LGBTQIA+ lives are on the line.

    People of Color lives are in the line.

    Those who rely on social security lives are on the line.

    Those who live on the margins lives are on the line.

    I support Palestinians, and she took too long to talk about Gaza in any “meaningful” way. And I’m not sure I trust the outcome. But like uncle Bernie said, “he must be defeated.”

    I can go on, and on but I’ll end it with this:

    Christ have mercy,

    Lord have mercy,

    Christ have mercy.

  • “Awaking” from our “Dullness”

    “We shall awaken from our dullness and rise vigorously toward justice. If we fall in love with creation deeper and deeper, we will respond to its endangerment with passion.” – Hildegard of Bingen

    This morning in the Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals, I came across this quote. In one of the many iterations of a blog, I wrote a series on Hildegard. This included writing on her life and going through some of her works. As a recovering evangelical-received-Episcopal, I am still familiarizing myself with the saints and quite a bit of church history. Spiritual practices like reading the Daily Office, and others were okay to adapt to. But the idea of “awakening from our dullness” struck me this morning. And I think I know why.

    I have a two and a half year old who has been awake between, 3:30am and 5am, for two months. Some days he naps well, and others he does not. At times he’s fighting his two year molars. Other times, he just wants to get a jump start on the day. My wife and I take turns getting up with him. Depending on how the morning goes, it is a long day for everyone. At this time in our life, there is no awaking from our dullness.

    There is only dullness.

    Dullness, Ms. Rachel, Elmo, and the Toy Story saga.

    Without knowing it, in an attempt to break the dullness, I started decorating my yard for Halloween a month early. This year I decided that instead of spending one marathon day getting it all up, I’d take my time and enjoy it. This is something I look forward to every year. This has been a small way of awaking from the dullness for me. But it has done it in a different way that I awaken from the dullness with my kid. Right now, as we are in “second summer,” our kid’s favorite pastime is turning on the hose and watering our house and everything else he can. He will do this every day, and he will find joy in it. I, at times, find it monotonous.

    Dullness and monotony are synonyms, they are ways to describe mediocrity.

    I have one compact disk in my car, and it is the second half to the Mars Hill Bible Church worship album that came out in the early 2000s. Between songs, Aaron Niequist, former worship pastor (I think that’s the title), quoted a G.K. Chesterton book. In Orthodox, Chesterton writes:

    The thing I mean can be seen, for instance, in children, when they find some game or joke that they specially enjoy. A child kicks his legs rhythmically through excess, not absence, of life. Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say, “Do it again”; and the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead. For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony. It is possible that God says every morning, “Do it again” to the sun, and every evening, “Do it again” to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we.

    It is hard to awaken from the dullness of life without coffee and being sleep deprived. But this guy, God bless him, awakes every day saying, “do it again!” and I’ve been too old to hear him. Instead, I have been trying to re-enter practices, and trying to find different ways to awaken from the dullness, when one person right in front of me is showing me how to do it.

    Grace and peace.