Queerying Baptism of Jesus B

River Needham, MA queeries the Tanakh reading.

Tanakh: Genesis 1:1-5

When God began to form the heavens and the earth.
The earth, unformed and empty, with darkness over the surface of the deep, felt wind from God's breath blowing over the water. 

God said: Let there be light!
And there was light.

God saw the light was good, so She pulled the light apart from the dark and separated them. 

God called the light Day, and the darkness, She called Night. And there was evening and morning, a first day.

Queeries for the text:
When does God begin to form?
What does unformed and empty mean?
How are breath and wind different?
How is light formed?
Where is Day celebrated? What about the (longest) Night?

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Rev. Emily E. Ewing queeries the Gospel reading.

 

Gospel: Mark 1:4-11

⁴John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. ⁵And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to John, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. ⁶Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. ⁷John proclaimed, “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of this one's sandals. ⁸I have baptized you with water; but the one to come will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

⁹In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. ¹⁰And just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. ¹¹And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Child, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”

Queeries for the text:

Where have I read some of this before?

What sins need to be confessed?

What happens after repentance?

What do we proclaim?

What do shoes have to do with anything?

What do heavens torn apart look like?

When else are divisions torn apart?

What has Jesus done to deserve divine pleasure?

 

What are your queeries?

 

 

Queerying 22nd after Pentecost C

Rev. Emily E. Ewing queeries the Gospel reading.

Gospel: Luke 20:27-38
²⁷Some Sadducees, those who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus ²⁸and asked him a question, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies, leaving a wife but no children, the man shall marry the widow and raise up children for his brother. ²⁹Now there were seven brothers; the first married, and died childless; ³⁰then the second ³¹and the third married her, and so in the same way all seven died childless. ³²Finally the woman also died. ³³In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had married her.”

³⁴Jesus said to them, “Those who belong to this age marry and are given in marriage; ³⁵but those who are considered worthy of a place in that age and in the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. ³⁶Indeed they cannot die anymore, because they are like angels and are children of God, being children of the resurrection. ³⁷And the fact that the dead are raised Moses himself showed, in the story about the bush, where he speaks of the Becoming One as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. ³⁸Now God is God not of the dead, but of the living; for to God all of them are alive.”

Queeries for the text:
What did we skip?
Why ask about what you don't believe?
Why ask theoretical questions?
What if she didn't want to marry any of the men?
Which ages are we talking about?
What does it mean to be alive?
What are angels like?

What are your queeries?

Queerying 5th after Pentecost C

Periodic queerier, River Needham, queeries the Tanakh reading.

Tanakh: 2 Kings 5:1-14
Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Aram, was important to his ruler and high in his favor, for through Naaman the Becoming One had granted victory to Aram. But the man, though a great warrior, was a leper. Once, when the Arameans were out raiding, they carried off a young girl from the land of Israel, and she became an attendant to Naaman’s wife. She said to her mistress, “I wish Master [Namaan] could come before the prophet in Samaria; he would cure Naaman of his leprosy.” Naaman went and told his ruler just what the girl from the land of Israel had said.

Then the king of Aram said, “Go to the king of Israel, and I will send along a letter.” Namaan set out, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten changes of clothing. He brought the letter to the king of Israel. It read: “Now, when this letter reaches you, know that I have sent my courtier Naaman to you, that you may cure him of his leprosy.” When the king of Israel read the letter, he rent his clothes and cried, “Am I God, to deal death or give life, that this fellow writes to me to cure a man of leprosy? Just see for yourselves that he is seeking a pretext against me!”

When Elisha, the man of God, heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, he sent a message to the king: “Why have you rent your clothes? Let him come to me, and he will learn that there is a prophet in Israel.” So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and halted at the door of Elisha’s house. Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, “Go and bathe seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh shall be restored and you shall be clean.” But Naaman was angered and walked away. “I thought,” he said, “he would surely come out to me, and would stand and invoke the Becoming One his God by name, and would wave his hand toward the spot, and cure the affected part. Are not the Amanah and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? I could bathe in them and be clean!” He stalked off in a rage. But his servants came forward and spoke to him. “Sir,” they said, “if the prophet told you to do something difficult, would you not do it? How much more when he has only said to you, ‘Bathe and be clean.’” So he went down and immersed himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had bidden; and his flesh became like a little boy’s, and he was clean.

Queeries for the text:
Where was Aram? When did this story take place?  Who were the ruling powers over these kings?  How does that change the power analysis in this story?
What is the significance of the prophet in Samaria?  What does it imply about when this took place or when it was written?
How do we expect healing and labor from people without recognizing the great cost that often comes with being a healer?
Why was the King of Israel so upset at the King of Aram's demand? What does this tell us about the power dynamics at play?  Who has the geo-political power?
Why does Elisha have a better relationship with the Monarchs than Elijah? What parts of the story have been omitted that helped that happen?
In which other traditions is water a gift from the divine(9-11)?  Does that giftedness change if God is not invoked in the cleansing bath?
If you were retelling this story in a modern setting, what details would you change, and how? Which ones would you keep the same, and why?

What does it mean for a child to be enslaved? What kinds of labor do u.s.ian's expect from children today?

-----

Rev. Emily E. Ewing queeries the Gospel reading.

Gospel: Luke 10:25-37
²⁵Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus.

“Teacher,” he said,

“what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

²⁶Jesus said to him,

“What is written in the law?
What do you read there?”

²⁷The lawyer answered,

“You shall love the Becoming One your God with all your heart,

and with all your soul,
and with all your strength,
and with all your mind;

and your neighbor as yourself.”

²⁸And Jesus said to him,

“You have given the right answer;

do this, and you will live.”

²⁹But wanting to justify himself,

the lawyer asked Jesus,

“And who is my neighbor?”

³⁰Jesus replied,

“A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho,

and fell into the hands of robbers,

who stripped him, beat him, and went away,

leaving him half dead.

³¹Now by chance a priest was going down that road;
and when he saw him,

he passed by on the other side.

³²So likewise a Levite,

when he came to the place and saw him,

passed by on the other side.

³³But a Samaritan while traveling came near him;

and when he saw the man,

he was moved with pity.

³⁴He went to him and bandaged his wounds,

having poured oil and wine on them.

Then he put him on his own animal,

brought him to an inn,
and took care of him.

³⁵The next day the Samaritan took out two denarii,

gave them to the innkeeper, and said,

‘Take care of him;
and when I come back,

I will repay you whatever more you spend.’

³⁶Which of these three, do you think,

was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?”

³⁷The lawyer said,

“The one who showed him mercy.”

Jesus said to him,

“Go and do likewise.”

Queeries for the text:
What is missing since last week? Was last week setting Jesus up for this parable?
Why do we test people?  How do you inherit life?
Why did the lawyer add mind?  How do we over-intellectualize faith?
Why doesn't the lawyer know who their neighbor is?
Who are the robbers today?
How do we pass by on the other side?
Where was the Samaritan supposed to be going?
Who are Samaritans in the dominate u.s. and white church culture today?  Who are Samaritans to me?  Why couldn't the lawyer say "Samaritan"?
Who is working to make the road to Jericho safer?

What are your queeries?

Queerying Easter 5C

Rev. Emily E. Ewing queeries the Acts reading.

Acts 11:1-18
Now the apostles and the believers who were in Judea heard

that the Gentiles had also accepted the word of God.

²So when Peter went up to Jerusalem,

the circumcised believers criticized him,

³saying, “Why did you go to uncircumcised men

and eat with them?”

⁴Then Peter began to explain it to them,

step by step, saying,

⁵“I was in the city of Joppa praying,

and in a trance I saw a vision.

There was something like a large sheet coming down from heaven,

being lowered by its four corners;

and it came close to me.

⁶As I looked at it closely I saw four-footed animals,

beasts of prey, reptiles, and birds of the air.

⁷I also heard a voice saying to me,

‘Get up, Peter;
kill and eat.’

⁸But I replied,

‘By no means, Holy One;

for nothing profane or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’

⁹But a second time the voice answered from heaven,

‘What God has made clean,

you must not call profane.’

¹⁰This happened three times;

then everything was pulled up again to heaven.

¹¹“At that very moment three men,

sent to me from Caesarea,

arrived at the house where we were.

¹²The Spirit told me to go with them

and not to make a distinction between them and us.

These six believers also accompanied me,
and we entered the man’s house.

¹³He told us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying,

‘Send to Joppa and bring Simon,

who is called Peter;

¹⁴he will give you a message

by which you and your entire household will be saved.’

¹⁵And as I began to speak,

the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as it had upon us at the beginning.

¹⁶And I remembered Jesus' words,

having said,

‘John baptized with water,

but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’

¹⁷If then God gave them the same gift

that God gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ,

who was I that I could hinder God?”

¹⁸When the apostles and believers who were in Judea heard this,

they were silenced.

And they praised God, saying,

“Then God has given

even to the Gentiles

the repentance that leads to life.”

Queeries for the text:
Why do they only care about the men in the story?  What about people of other genders?
Where and with whom does the story really begin?
What do the animals have in common?
Why is Peter so invested in binaries?
Why does it take Peter so long to get what God is trying to say?
Which six believers?
Did the Holy Spirit trip?  On what?
Who needs to be silenced today?  Who needs to stop being silent?  How does God surprise us into silence?
Why are Peter and the believers so surprised that God is with those who are different from them?

What are your queeries?

Queerying Holy Innocents

Periodic queerier, River Needham, queeried the reading from the Tanakh.

Tanakh: Jeremiah 31:15-17
Thus said the Becoming One: A cry is heard in Ramah—wailing, bitter weeping—Rachel weeping for her children. She refuses to be comforted for her children, who are gone.
Thus said the Becoming One: restrain your voice from weeping, your eyes from shedding tears;
for there is a reward for your labor—declares the Becoming One:
They shall return from the enemy's land. And there is hope for your future—declares the The Becoming One: your children shall return to their country.

Queeries for the text:
Who weeps today?
Who weeps today?
Who weeps today?
Who weeps today?
Where is Ramah? What is its importance?
Where are the children gone to?
How can God offer a reward for such a horrible deed?
Where are we waiting for people to return to their country?

-----

Rev. Emily E. Ewing queeried the reading from the Gospel.

Gospel: Matthew 2:13-18
¹³Now after the magi had left,

an angel of God appeared to Joseph in a dream

and said,

“Get up,

take the child and their mother,

and flee to Egypt,

and remain there until I tell you;

for Herod is about to search for the child,

to destroy them.”

¹⁴Then Joseph got up,

took the child and their mother by night,

and went to Egypt,

¹⁵and remained there until the death of Herod.

This was to fulfill what had been spoken by God

through the prophet,

“Out of Egypt I have called my child.”

¹⁶When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi,

he was infuriated,

and he sent

and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem

who were two years old or under,

according to the time that he had learned from the magi.

¹⁷Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah:

¹⁸“A voice was heard in Ramah,

wailing and loud lamentation,

Rachel weeping for her children;

she refused to be consoled,

because they are no more.”

Queeries for the text:
What are magi?
How are our dreams guiding us today?
Who provided refuge for those who were fleeing?
What happens when powerful people are tricked?
Who are slaughtered today?
Who are slaughtered today?
Who are slaughtered today?
Who are slaughtered today?
How are we carrying out Herod's orders?
How are we we weeping without consolation?

What are your queeries?

Queerying Christmas Eve

Periodic queerier, River Needham, queeried the reading from the Tanakh.

Tanakh: Isaiah 9:2-7
The people that walked in darkness have seen a brilliant light; on those who dwelt in a land of gloom, light has dawned. You have magnified that nation, have given it great joy; they have rejoiced before you as they rejoice at reaping time, as they exult when dividing spoil. For the yoke that they bore and the stick on their back—the rod of their taskmaster—you have broken as on the day of Midian. Truly, all the boots put on to stamp with and all the garments donned in infamy have been fed to the flames, devoured by fire. For a child has been born to us, a son has been given us. Authority has settled on his shoulders. He has been named "The Mighty God is planning grace; The Eternal Father, a peaceable ruler"—in token of abundant authority and of peace without limit upon David's throne and kingdom, that it may be firmly established in justice and in equity now and evermore.

Queeries for the text:
What is happening to the brilliant light right now?
How do you live on a land of gloom?
What spoils do specific groups of us [unfairly] divide today?
Which taskmasters do we serve today?
How do you plan grace?
What about eternal peace?
Who is this ruler?

-----

Rev. Emily E. Ewing queeried the reading from the Gospel.

Gospel: Luke 2:1-14[15-20]
In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus

that all the world should be registered.

²This was the first registration

and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria.

³All went to their own towns to be registered.

⁴Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee

to Judea,

to the city of David called Bethlehem,

because he was descended from the house and family of David.

⁵Joseph went to be registered with Mary,

to whom he was engaged

and who was expecting a child.

⁶While they were there,

the time came for her to deliver her child.

⁷And she gave birth to her firstborn

and wrapped him in bands of cloth,

and laid him in a manger,

because there was no place for them in the inn.

⁸In that region there were shepherds living in the fields,

keeping watch over their flock by night.

⁹Then an angel of God stood before them,

and the glory of God shone around them,

and they were terrified.

¹⁰But the angel said to them,

“Do not be afraid;

for see—

I am bringing you good news of great joy
    for all the people:

¹¹to you is born this day

in the city of David a Savior,

who is the Messiah, the Sovereign.

¹²This will be a sign for you:

you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth
and lying in a manger.”

¹³And suddenly there was with the angel

a multitude of the heavenly army,

praising God and saying,

¹⁴“Glory to God in the highest heaven,

and on earth peace among those whom God favors!”

[¹⁵When the angels had left them

and gone into heaven,

the shepherds said to one another,

“Let us go now to Bethlehem

and see this thing that has taken place,

which God has made known to us.”

¹⁶So they went with haste

and found Mary and Joseph,

and the child lying in the manger.

¹⁷When they saw this,

they made known what had been told them about this child;

¹⁸and all who heard it were amazed
    at what the shepherds told them.

      ¹⁹But Mary treasured all these words

     and pondered them in her heart.

²⁰The shepherds returned,

glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen,

as it had been told them.]

Queeries for the text:
Why do people get registered?
Who is Quirinius?
Why was Jesus born at that time?
What sort of place was Jesus born?
What do shepherds do with their time?
What happened to the sheep when the shepherds went to Bethlehem?
Who else did the shepherds find with Mary, Joseph, and the child?
How do we treasure and ponder words in our hearts?
How can we glorify and praise God?

What are your queeries?

Queerying Advent 3 Year C

Today's text from the Tanakh was queeried by periodic queerier River Needham.

Tanakh - Zephaniah 3:14-20
Shout for joy, fair Zion, cry aloud, O Israel! Rejoice and be glad with all your heart, fair Jerusalem!

The Becoming One has annulled the judgment against you, Xe has swept away your foes. Israel's Sovereign the Becoming One is within you; you need fear misfortune no more.

In that day, this shall be said to Jerusalem: Have no fear, O Zion; let not your hands droop!

Your God the Becoming One is in your midst, a warrior who brings triumph. Xe will rejoice over you and be glad, Xe will shout over you with jubilation. Xe will soothe with Xyr love those long disconsolate. I will take away from you the woe over which you endured mockery.

At that time I will make an end of all who afflicted you. And I will rescue the lame sheep and gather the strayed, and I will exchange their disgrace for fame and renown in all the earth.

At that time I will gather you, and at that time I will bring you home; for I will make you renowned and famous among all the peoples on earth when I restore your fortunes before their very eyes —said the Becoming One.

Queeries for the text:

What is the Judgment against Israel?
Who were Israel's Foes?
What does it mean for The Becoming One to be within us?
Where else is The Becoming One a warrior?
Why do the lame sheep need rescuing?
What is the exchange rate for fame?
What is God's home like? Why does God bring people home?

-----

Luke 3:7-18
⁷John said to the crowds

that came out to be baptized by him,

“You brood of vipers!

Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

⁸Bear fruits worthy of repentance.

Do not begin to say to yourselves,

‘We have Abraham as our ancestor’;

for I tell you,

God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham.

⁹Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees;

every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit

is cut down

and thrown into the fire.”

¹⁰And the crowds asked John,

“What then should we do?”

¹¹In reply John said to them,

“Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none;

and whoever has food must do likewise.”

¹²Even tax collectors came to be baptized,

and they asked John,

“Teacher, what should we do?”

¹³John said to them,

“Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.”

¹⁴Soldiers also asked John,

“And we,

what should we do?”

John said to them,

“Do not extort money from anyone

by threats or false accusation,

and be satisfied with your wages.”

¹⁵As the people were filled with expectation,

and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John,

whether he might be the Messiah,

¹⁶John answered all of them by saying,

“I baptize you with water;

but one who is more powerful than I is coming;

the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.

This one will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

¹⁷With a winnowing fork in hand,

this one will clear the threshing floor

and gather the wheat into the granary;

burning the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

¹⁸So, with many other exhortations,

John proclaimed the good news to the people.

Queeries for the text:
What fruits are worthy of repentance?
Does John like puns as much as I do?
How do we rely on our ancestors for justification or worth?
How is John advocating for good stewardship of fruit trees and wheat?
Is John a socialist?
How are we sharing coats and food?  How are we hoarding them?
How are John's words to soldiers, words for police today?  What does John think about collusion with Empire?
How do you untie the thong of a sandal?
If the chaff is to be burned, and baptism is with the Holy Spirit and fire, are we supposed to be chaff?
What exactly is the "good news" John is proclaiming?
Where is Joy?

What are your queeries?

We Are Church Confessing

On Sunday, an ecumenical group called We Are Church Confessing gathered at Cowles Commons in Des Moines to confess together the ways that we as the church, particularly the predominantly white churches, have not responded adequately to the injustices being perpetrated in the united states.  You can find the video of our gathering here.  This gathering occurs the first Sunday of the month at 1pm.
 

The Lutherans hosted this event and I wrote the liturgy with collaboration from Rev. Minna Bothwell and periodic contributor River Needham.  Below is the liturgy as it was written, designed for about a 20 minute service.  Each person received a large paper that was a bulletin on one side and had space to write a confession and a prayer on the other, so that is referenced during the liturgy.  Communal responses are in bold.

If you are interested in using or adapting this liturgy, please comment on the blog or contact me directly.

Gathering

If you haven’t done so already, please write out a confession specific to you around power or privilege and a prayer specific to you for the world as it could be.  Liturgy is the work of the people and the work in this liturgy is complicated, heavy, and important.  As we work through this liturgy, you may find yourself to be among those who are oppressed by what we are confessing.  When that is the case, use your discretion to participate or refrain as appropriate.  

For those who hold identities of privilege and power, especially as relates to different points of confession, even if you don’t think you have specifically done what we are confessing, I invite you to recall not only active ways you may have oppressed others, but also the ways that you may not be aware of, by which you have contributed to others’ oppression and in that sense, please join in on the responses to confess our sins as a whole church.

Confession

People of faith, we gather on land originally inhabited by the Báxoj'e, or Ioway Nation, and the Sauk and Meskwaki peoples. People who were systematically targeted by white settler colonialism for extermination.  In the 1800s, through treaties, some of which were fraudulent and all of which were made under duress, the united states government took all of the Ioway and Sauk and Meskwaki lands and forced the tribes onto reservations.

Colonizers selected Two Spirit people, who were oftentimes held in places of high esteem within their tribes, as the first targets for extermination.  White settler colonialism still celebrates “Columbus Day” and calls Turtle Island the “new world.”   The genocide perpetrated against Native Peoples and their forced removal to reservations, justified by the Church’s Doctrine of Discovery, was a model for Hitler in the Holocaust.  We continue to destroy this land out of greed for oil, money, and power.  We join in Indigenous struggles for sovereignty only after we recognize how eminent domain abuse harms us.  

We pretend to celebrate Native peoples through hypersexualized costumes of Pocahontas who was kidnapped, raped, and died in another land at the age of 21.  We do not teach the history of the lands we live and worship on.  We do not acknowledge, let alone honor, respect, or learn from, the original inhabitants of this land we now occupy, pollute, and exploit.

These are sins of the Church. 

So, dear people,

do you confess? 

We confess that we have supported settler colonialism and native erasure by what we have done and by what we have failed to do. We are sorry for the harm this has caused and we repent.

People of faith, many of us trace our faith traditions back to the Protestant Reformation and, especially for Lutherans, Martin Luther.  Antisemitism and anti-Judaism are a part of our histories we would prefer to deny or excuse.  Martin Luther was antisemitic.  Churches have participated in and actively supported pogroms and the Holocaust, and the Inquisition and Crusades before that.  In Christianity’s push for power, we allied ourselves with Empires and remain tethered to our places of power. 

When we read Jesus into the Hebrew Bible, our supersessionism harms and undermines the faith of Jewish people.  When we set Jesus against faithful Jewish people, maligning Pharisees and Jewish leaders, we hide and yet reinforce our anti-Judaism.  When we refuse to honor the holy days of other faiths, allowing Christian holidays to be the standard for elected officials, school systems, and government schedules, our Christian supremacy harms and marginalizes people of every other faith and no faith—all in exchange for power and privilege.

The attack on the Tree of Life congregation in Pittsburgh and the vandalism that has taken place at synagogues before and since are our responsibility to atone for as the Church. 

These are sins of the Church. 

So, dear people,

do you confess? 

We confess that we have supported antisemitism, anti-Judaism and Christian supremacy by what we have done and by what we have failed to do. We are sorry for the harm this has caused and we repent.

People of faith, the same doors to church buildings that welcomed and were built by our immigrant ancestors now close and lock themselves off from immigrants whose skin is darker, whose language is different, who haven’t met the recent, unrealistic standards for official u.s. documentation.  

We eat and drink from what immigrants grow and harvest, yet we will not share a Table together.  We take mission trips to places we say we love and then demonize people from those same countries when they come here seeking a better life, fleeing violence, often a result of military dictatorships propped up by our own government.  

We lift up Jesus and the Holy Family as refugees and immigrants in Egypt, pretending our churches have never turned away immigrants or looked down on those from different cultures than our own.  We refuse to acknowledge our connections to people of other cultures and faiths, and by our silence we allow the demonization and encourage harmful stereotypes of Muslims from this country and around the world as well as immigrants from throughout the colonized parts of this world.

These are sins of the Church. 

So, dear people,

do you confess? 

We confess that we have supported xenophobia and Islamophobia by what we have done and by what we have failed to do. We are sorry for the harm this has caused and we repent.

People of faith, the Church legitimized slavery, institutionalizing racism in this country.  The church abused sacred scriptures to keep people of color, particularly people of African descent, as well as Native peoples oppressed and enslaved.  The church has worshiped whiteness and power instead of the God of the Oppressed.  We have whispered #BlackLivesMatter, if we’ve said anything at all.   

We have not stopped racist policing.  We remain oblivious to the ways whiteness makes life easier.  We do not put forth the effort to pronounce Laquan or Juliana that we do Dvořák.  We assume people of color are not from here.  We allow classism and racism to divide all who need economic justice from each other.  We reproduce images of God and Jesus as white and lift up whiteness as purity and cleanliness while calling darkness dirty and scary.  We perpetuate racism.

These are sins of the Church. 

So, dear people,

do you confess? 

We confess that we have supported racism and white supremacy by what we have done and by what we have failed to do. We are sorry for the harm this has caused and we repent.

People of faith, Christianity has created and enforced transphobia and cisheteronormativity as standard and “faithful.”  The church has and continues to persecute queer people throughout the world, both actively with violence and through more subtle means.  Churches support conversion therapy, bathroom bills, and book burnings.

Our worship spaces and liturgies are not accessible.  Churches refuse to hire or call queer and trans people, especially women, femmes, and nonbinary folks, into leadership positions; support discriminatory organizations like Focus on the Family and Thrivent Financial; segregate bathrooms and groups according to the false gender binary; and make unclear statements of “all are welcome.”  These contribute to the erasure, oppression, and hatred queer people experience in the church.  

These are sins of the Church. 

So, dear people,

do you confess? 

We confess that we have supported transphobia and transmisogyny and cisgenderism by what we have done and by what we have failed to do. We are sorry for the harm this has caused and we repent.

As you gathered you took time to write your own individual confessions and prayers on the sheets of paper that you have. At this time I invite you to state your confession aloud and after each confession we will join together to respond with “we confess”.

Forgiveness

Dear people of God, we are all caught up in systems of oppression and violence. Our sins are both corporate and individual. Intentional and unintentional.  Yet God comes into the midst of it all with this good news: through the power of Christ, death, sin, violence, and oppression no longer have power over us. By the power of the Spirit, I now declare to you, the entire forgiveness of all your sins. 
Amen.

Song and Offering “There is More Love Somewhere” 

[Our offering went to Iowa's American Friends Service Committee, specifically to support DACA recipients as well as family reunification for families separated at the border] 

Renunciations

Drawing on the Lutheran baptismal tradition, we will now enter into a time of renunciation—naming that which opposes the God whom 1 John 4 calls Love and renouncing it, turning away from it and towards Love.  When asked, please respond: I renounce them. 

Evil manifests itself in many ways: implicit bias, harmful stereotypes, ignorant questions, comments, and expectations, fear and perceived scarcity, and active prejudice and violence against others.

Do you renounce these manifestations of evil and all the forces that defy the God who is Love?

I renounce them.

Evil is insidious and works within systems and institutions to oppress and marginalize.  Evil manifests itself in the ongoing legacy of colonialism, slavery, and queerphobia perpetrated by this country and the church.  These evils, along with xenophobia and Islamophobia have been encouraged through the current administration and strengthened in legislation, policies, and plans put forward in governments and churches throughout this country and world.

Do you renounce the powers of this world that rebel against the God who is Love?

I renounce them.

We understand sin as separation—from the Divine, from each other, and from Creation.  Sin keeps us focused inward on ourselves, ignoring or fearing any who we deem as “Other,” putting our wants before others’ needs, and isolating ourselves.

Do you renounce the ways of sin that draw you from the God who is Love?

I renounce them.

Prayers for Help

Creator God, your sacred nature is in all things.  Help us to honor, respect, and support the Native peoples of this land and protect the earth and all its inhabitants.

Help us, O God.  Your mercy is great.

Holy One, you are worthy of praise.  Help us to affirm, celebrate, and support people of all faiths, especially Jewish people and Muslims, challenging antisemitism and Islamophobia whenever we encounter it.

Help us, O God.  Your mercy is great.

Sojourning God, you come to us as the stranger and foreigner.  Help us to create sanctuary for immigrants, provide for those in need, and challenge the fears of ourselves and others.

Help us, O God.  Your mercy is great.

God of the Oppressed, you join with the oppressed in life and death.  Help us to recognize your image in Black and Brown bodies, confront racism, and destroy white supremacy.

Help us, O God.  Your mercy is great.

Transgressing God, you break binaries between human and Divine, sinner and saint.  Help us to celebrate queer and gender expansive understandings of scripture, protect the rights and existence of trans and gender expansive people, and challenge gender segregation in every space.

Help us, O God.  Your mercy is great.

Liberating God, we need you.  We need your help to live into your liberating power, into the vision you cast of a world free from oppression.  We now lift up our prayers, those we have written down and those on our hearts. At this time I invite you to state your prayers aloud, ending each prayer with “Help us, O God,” to which we will join together to respond with “Your mercy is great.”

[Leader will end the prayer time with the following] 
God of hope, may all you know is needed be done, we pray in your holy and precious name.  Amen.

Benediction (Blown byGod toward Newness by Walter Brueggemann)

The news is that God’s wind is blowing.

It may be a breeze that

cools and comforts.

It may be a gust that

summons you to notice.

It may be a storm that blows you where you have

never been before.

Whatever the wind is in your life,

pay attention to it…

…Go in peace.  Live into God’s liberation.

Thanks be to God.

23rd after pentecost year b - mark

Mark 10:46-52
⁴⁶As Jesus and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho,

Bartimaeus son of Timaeus,

a blind beggar,

was sitting by the roadside.

⁴⁷When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth,

Bartimaeus began to shout out and say,

“Jesus, Son of David,

have mercy on me!”

⁴⁸Many sternly ordered Bartimaeus to be quiet,

but he cried out even more loudly,

“Son of David, have mercy on me!”

⁴⁹Jesus stood still and said,

“Call him here.”

And they called the blind man,

saying to him,

“Take heart;

get up,

he is calling you.”

⁵⁰So throwing off his cloak,

he sprang up

and came to Jesus.

⁵¹Then Jesus said to him,

“What do you want me to do for you?”

The blind man said to him,

“My teacher, let me see again.”

⁵²Jesus said to him,

“Go;

your faith has made you well.”

Immediately he regained his sight

and followed Jesus on the way.

Queeries for the text:
Why do names matter?
What does mercy look like today?
Who is sternly ordering others to be quiet today?  Who is crying out today?
How do personhood and identity interact?
Does Bartimaeus have a flare for the dramatic?  Did he miss his calling to theater?
What would Jesus do if Bartimaeus had wanted others to create more accessible spaces instead?
Why does Bartimaeus get to keep following Jesus when others couldn't?
How much faith is needed to make our world well?

What are your queeries?

22nd after pentecost year b - mark

The sons of Thunder!!!  (or just the cause)

Mark 10:35-45
³⁵James and John,

the sons of Zebedee,

came forward to Jesus and said to him,

“Teacher,

we want you to do for us

whatever we ask of you.”

³⁶And Jesus said to them,

“What is it you want me to do for you?”

³⁷And they said to Jesus,

“Grant us to sit,

one at your right hand and one at your left,

in your glory.”

³⁸But Jesus said to them,

“You do not know what you are asking.

Are you able to drink the cup that I drink,

or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?”

³⁹They replied,

“We are able.”

Then Jesus said to them,

“The cup that I drink you will drink;

and with the baptism with which I am baptized,

you will be baptized;

⁴⁰but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant,

but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.”

⁴¹When the ten heard this,

they began to be angry with James and John.

⁴²So Jesus called them and said to them,

“You know that among the Gentiles

those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them,

and their great ones are tyrants over them.

⁴³But it is not so among you;

but whoever wishes to become great among you

must be your servant,

⁴⁴and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all.

⁴⁵For the Human One came not to be served but to serve,

and to give his life a ransom for many.”

Queeries for the text:
What have we skipped since last week?
What does thunder have to do with this?
Will the disciples *EVER* get it?
How much more entitled could the Sons of Thunder be?
Which baptism was Jesus baptized with?
For whom have those special seats been prepared?
How do rulers today lord their power over others?
Who are the servants among us?  Who are those legally enslaved in the u.s. today?
What does it mean to ransom others?
How is Jesus rejecting the false binaries of ruler/servant and powerful/powerless?

What are your queeries?



If you're interested in checking out the sermon that came out of this queery, you can find a brief description of the sermon and the image here!

7th after pentecost year b - 2 corinthians

2 Corinthians 12:2-10

2I know a person in Christ

    who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—

         whether in the body or out of the body I do not know;

              God knows.

    3And I know that such a person—

         whether in the body or out of the body I do not know;

              God knows—

                   4was caught up into Paradise

                   and heard things that are not to be told,

                        that no mortal is permitted to repeat.

    5On behalf of such a one I will boast,

         but on my own behalf I will not boast,

              except of my weaknesses.

         6But if I wish to boast,

              I will not be a fool,

                   for I will be speaking the truth.

              But I refrain from it,

                   so that no one may think better of me

                        than what is seen in me or heard from me,

                             7even considering 
                        the exceptional character of the revelations.

         Therefore, to keep me from being too elated,

              a thorn was given me in the flesh,

                   a messenger of Satan to torment me,

                        to keep me from being too elated.

                   8Three times I appealed to God about this,

                        that it would leave me,

                             9but God said to me,

                                  “My grace is sufficient for you,

                                       for power is made perfect in weakness.”

         So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses,

              so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.

         10Therefore I am content with weaknesses,

              insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities

                   for the sake of Christ;

                        for whenever I am weak,

                             then I am strong.

Queeries for the text:

Which heaven is the third one?
What doesn't God know?
Why does Paul do so much boasting?
Did Paul create the humblebrag?
What was Paul's thorn?
How many different, potentially problematic, interpretations exist of Paul's thorn?
Was it really a thorn or was Paul just caught in the cultural thinking of his day?
Was God telling Paul the thorn was not a bad thing?
What makes me weak?
What makes me strong?

What are your queeries?