Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10 and 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a
Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10
I often write about each individual being on a journey to wholeness, celebrating God's love for themselves and taking joy and pride in who God made us, made us to be. It is a lifelong journey. Even when you realize you are gay and come out, while it brings great joy and peace of mind, we are still not whole. No matter who you are, wholeness comes from loving. Wholeness comes from a relationship with our creator. Wholeness comes from exploring all of who we are, embracing it, loving who we are, cherishing who we are and sharing who we are. No small task.
But let me go to a broader topic. In the reading today from Nehemiah, there are some passages to gives us food for thought that directly relate to the reading from St. Paul's letter to the Corinthians .
In our first reading it speaks of those that have interest in hearing God's word, those who can understand it and those that have ears to hear. Appropriately, it says both men and women. Good for you Nehemiah! This passage speaks of reading the book with interpretation. Can you imagine the possible differences in the interpretation of what was read? What would their community be like if the reading was interpreted as only for men? What would it be like if the lens for interpretation was not unlike that of a radical Muslim Imam who twists the words to suit a fanatical agenda? What if the interpretation was that of a euro centric male dominated orthodoxy that had it's agenda based more in sustaining it's own power and agenda than that of God's love?
I have always said that scripture needs to be read very carefully. It can speak many messages to us throughout our lives, as it should, but translational errors, transcriptional errors, sociological, and historical concerns all need to be weighed in our reading. Scripture rarely can be taken literally.
In coming to the reading from Saint Paul, he speaks about different body parts. We cannot say to the foot, you are a hand. You cannot say we do not need the legs? One of the glories of God's creation is the many parts that make up the whole. Paul made no mistake by using this analogy, it works for us personally to appreciate the very essence of our physical being. It also works for the entire church. No one person is greater, no one group within the church s greater. Each has it's part, each has it's role, it's glory, it's gift. I would extend this to all creation, to all of God's revelations in all the world. Each religion has it's gift, it's image of God to be acknowledged and explored. Each holds it's part of the bigger truth. NO one religion holds the complete truth. That would be like saying the foot is the entire body or the brain is the most important.
There are many religious who woud interpret the bible to say that being Gay is wrong, that we are "objectively disordered". Their interpretation is that we are called to celibacy. Some would say we are called to die. This is so incredibly narrow minded and supremely disrespectful of our creator. It twists his holy words to suit a fearful, prejudiced and wrong minded agenda. It is not of God. This kind of evil interpretation does not recognize the beautiful diversity of God's creation. This kind of interpretation negates the gifts that the gay community offers to all of mankind. The gay community has been around as long as creation itself because it is an intended part of God's creation. It is a part of God's expression of love. Certainly not the only expression, but one expression; admittedly a minority expression but an expression none the less. And if you are gay, it is a beautiful expression of God's creation.
As the last lines of our reading from Nehemiah would have us do, go forth and celebrate 'eating the fat and drinking the wine'. Celebrate who you are, one and all. Party on !
all the people gathered together into the square before the Water Gate. They told the scribe Ezra to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the LORD had given to Israel.
Accordingly, the priest Ezra brought the law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could hear with understanding. This was on the first day of the seventh month.
He read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive to the book of the law.
And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was standing above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people stood up.
Then Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God, and all the people answered, "Amen, Amen," lifting up their hands. Then they bowed their heads and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground.
So they read from the book, from the law of God, with interpretation. They gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.
And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, "This day is holy to the LORD your God; do not mourn or weep." For all the people wept when they heard the words of the law.
Then he said to them, "Go your way, eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions of them to those for whom nothing is prepared, for this day is holy to our LORD; and do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength."
1 Corinthians 12:12-31a
For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.
For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body--Jews or Greeks, slaves or free--and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.
Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many.
If the foot would say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less a part of the body.
And if the ear would say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less a part of the body.
If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be?
But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose.
If all were a single member, where would the body be?
As it is, there are many members, yet one body.
The eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of you," nor again the head to the feet, "I have no need of you."
On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable,
and those members of the body that we think less honorable we clothe with greater honor, and our less respectable members are treated with greater respect;
whereas our more respectable members do not need this. But God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honor to the inferior member,
that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another.
If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it.
Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.
And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers; then deeds of power, then gifts of healing, forms of assistance, forms of leadership, various kinds of tongues.
Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles?
Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?
But strive for the greater gifts.
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