One of the suggested texts for Sunday morning was Genesis 32:22-31, the story of Jacob wrestling with an angel:
“… 24 But Jacob stayed apart by himself, and a man wrestled with him until dawn broke. 25 When the man saw that he couldn’t defeat Jacob, he grabbed Jacob’s thigh and tore a muscle in Jacob’s thigh as he wrestled with him. 26 The man said, “Let me go because the dawn is breaking.”
But Jacob said, “I won’t let you go until you bless me.”
27 He said to Jacob, “What’s your name?” and he said, “Jacob.” 28 Then he said, “Your name won’t be Jacob any longer, but Israel, because you struggled with God and with men and won.”
29 Jacob also asked and said, “Tell me your name.”
But he said, “Why do you ask for my name?” and he blessed Jacob there. 30 Jacob named the place Peniel, “because I’ve seen God face-to-face, and my life has been saved.” 31 The sun rose as Jacob passed Penuel, limping because of his thigh.”
Over the years I’ve heard scholars ponder if Jacob/Israel carried that limp with him for the rest of his life as a reminder of his wrestling with God in the midst of his fears. Of course, the way that he moved in the world would also be a reminder of the blessing from God for which he had struggled. The story sits in a moment of transition on Jacob’s journey – he is passing through the shallow waters from one challenge to the next. He is journeying from a longing for justice into a place filled with fear and also with the possibility of reconciliation. Scripture invites us into many journeys; and most of them are far from simple. If I tried to think of a unifying theme for all of scripture’s journeys it would be that no matter where we are on life’s journey, God is there with us.
At our annual meeting, we gathered for a momentous step as a congregation, we took a vote to approve and live into a statement about being an inclusive church. Most of the proclamation simply sounds like an affirmation of what we have understood “being church” to mean for a long time, or forever. But the statement clarifies that welcome, and in this moment in time that clarification is particularly important for the LGBTQ+ communities. This has been a controversy that has divided churches just as other social justice issues have throughout history whether addressing slavery, the role of women, civil rights, etc. The hope is that our statement speaks broadly enough to affirm all of God's children, period. The prayer is that every child of God is able to claim that God has made them beautiful and a reflection of the image of God. Living true to ourselves and to God becomes the call – but that’s not rooted in our changing who we are, it’s rooted in our growing in our relationship with God and God’s blessing. There will undoubtedly be another group in the future who needs to be affirmed in a particular way, and I hope that we will make that proclamation in that time. The church has struggled from its beginnings to accept the journey of each person drawing close to God and becoming the best person that they can be. The church grew into understanding that gentiles didn’t need to become Jews before becoming Christians any more than we should hope that homosexuals should become heterosexual before being fully a part of the Body of Christ, or that women should become like men before assuming positions of leadership. God’s story has always been unfolding. We celebrate our relationship with a StillSpeaking God.
Our journey, as servants of the love of God, made known to us in the example of Jesus won’t always be easy. And in times of change, passing through the waters, we need to remember that we are always to be journeying together, maybe even limping, with the blessing of God. My prayer is that those who voted to affirm, and those who opposed, and those who abstained (81 yes, 2 no, 5 abstain) all remember that we are called to learn and grow from one another, that we are invited to deepen our sense of love and faith together.
There was a quote that was recently shared with me that spoke the love that I see woven into the story of scripture. It is from one of my favorite preachers, Rev. Barbara Brown Taylor and seems like words to live by:
“The only clear line I draw these days is this: when my religion tries to come between me and my neighbor, I will choose my neighbor… Jesus never commanded me to love my religion.”