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| Image by Felicito Rustique Jr. |
queer bodies
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A GREETING
My heart is ready, O God,
my heart is ready;
I will sing and play for you.
(Psalm 57:7)
A READING
Not all flesh is the same. Human beings have one kind, animals have another, birds another, and fish another. Then there are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies. Heavenly bodies have a beauty of their own, and earthly bodies have a beauty of their own. The sun has one kind of brightness, the moon another, and the stars another. And star differs from star in brightness.
(1 Corinthians 15:39-41)
MUSIC
A MEDITATIVE VERSE
For all these mysteries I thank you—
for the wonder of myself,
for the wonder of your works—
my soul knows it well.
(Psalm 139:14)
A SHORT REFLECTION
Your name
is a gift
You can return it
if it doesn’t fit.
- found in Lord of the Butterflies, by Andrea Gibson.
VERSE OF THE DAY
When I am anxious and worried,
you comfort me and bring me joy.
(Psalm 94:19)
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| "Resurgence of the People," by Kent Monkman (2019) In this work, Two-Spirt and Queer artist Monkman reframes traditional historical paintings that often have figured triumphal settler figures. Using his alter-ego figure "Miss Chief Eagle Testickle, Monkman figures people of all kinds in the boat that is heading toward a place of freedom and renewal, including migrants and refugees and other marginalized folks who are being pulled from the water. |
In today's short reading, we hear Paul talk about the beauty of all created bodies. He is writing in the context of understanding resurrection. In our world, there are people who dream of and pursue renewed bodies to express who they are, seeking a rebirth of identity. Today we reflect on what it is to have a gender identity that does not conform to the one assigned at birth, or which does not feel conformed to any binary gender. At the invitation of Lutherans Connect, Pastor Victoria A. Featherston (they/them) offers this for us from their lived experience:
Andrea Gibson’s words [see above] when reflecting on queerness, more specifically genderqueer bodies as sacred, feel to me like an oasis of both/and in the wilderness journeying toward the cross. How does the language we sometimes use limit the expansiveness of the body of Christ?
I serve on a committee that recommends spiritual care for those who are incarcerated. Two months ago, I visited a women’s correctional institution in British Columbia and was part of a team conducting a site review who interviewed persons on the inside and how to improve chaplaincy services in Canada’s prisons. One of those persons identified as transgender and, when sharing her concerns, talked of the importance of decentering herself and using her voice to advocate for her interfaith neighbours.
In a world where living outside the gender binary is dangerous, there is an encouragement to retreat into the closet of fear and silence dressed up as safety. A closet where one feels as though they must mask who they are for the comfort of the privileged, a closet where all may not always be welcome and their body may be policed. As a genderqueer pastor who presents mostly as “passing” or able to present as the gender I was assigned at birth, I have privilege and I feel called to use my voice alongside those in my community who do not “pass.”
How do these words challenge us within the comfort we may have always known in our own bodies? In the opening lines of today's video, the songwriter names the reasons that are sometimes given for not being open. We in the church can add to these with perhaps similar conversations we may have heard in our own faith communities: "our parish is not ready for this." "We don't have a problem with the issue or the individual, but just worry that the parish may not treat them well and they won't be safe." How do these concerns, however honestly felt, prevent opportunities for real learning and growth? We might ask ourselves instead, "how does God feel about the non-binary or trans person we are afraid of calling into our parish?" "How is God challenging us in this moment?"
Victoria adds:
In what ways have we experienced the need to mask or filter our identities? How can we reframe those experiences and bodies as sacred?
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| Image by Karen Seahorses and sea dragons (figured here) are often embraced as emblems by the queer and trans community. Male seahorse bodies are among the very few species in all Creation that are the gender who give birth. |
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Scripture passages are taken from The Inclusive Bible.
Andrea Gibson was an American non-binary poet, spoken word performer and activist. They documented their own journey living with cancer. "Maga hat in the chemo room," explores the politics of identity and clothing confronted while having chemotherapy. Listen to how their experience of illness broadened their experience of all human beings.
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LC† From Dust, Still Holy is a devotional series of Lutherans Connect, supported by the Eastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and the Centre for Spirituality and Media at Martin Luther University College. To receive the devotions by email, write to lutheransconnect@gmail.com. The devotional pages are written and curated by Deacon Sherry Coman, with support and input from Pastor Steve Hoffard, Catherine Evenden and Henriette Thompson. Join us on Facebook. Lutherans Connect invites you to make a donation to the Ministry by going to this link on the website of the ELCIC Eastern Synod and selecting "Lutherans Connect Devotionals" under "Fund". Devotions are always freely offered, however your donations help support the ongoing work.
Thank you and peace be with you!