It’s God’s Prerogative

Scripture: Romans 2: 1-11 (The Message)

POEM

“Alone” by Maya Angelou

Lying, thinking

Last night

How to find my soul a home

Where water is not thirsty

And bread loaf is not stone

I came up with one thing

And I don't believe I'm wrong

That nobody,

But nobody

Can make it out here alone.

Alone, all alone

Nobody, but nobody

Can make it out here alone.

There are some millionaires

With money they can't use

Their wives run round like banshees

Their children sing the blues

They've got expensive doctors

To cure their hearts of stone.

But nobody

No, nobody

Can make it out here alone.

Alone, all alone

Nobody, but nobody

Can make it out here alone.

Now if you listen closely

I'll tell you what I know

Storm clouds are gathering

The wind is gonna blow

The race of man is suffering

And I can hear the moan,

'Cause nobody,

But nobody

Can make it out here alone.

Alone, all alone

Nobody, but nobody

Can make it out here alone.

SONG

“Human Touch” by Nina Simone

“We Got This” by Rayna Christian (age 15)

MY REFLECTION

I am particularly burdened with the church’s, particularly the Black church’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” relationship with the LGBTQ community. It’s akin to the “outside child”- you love the child, you visit when you can but you dare not acknowledge the child in public. In an attempt to stay true to a version of Christianty that we’ve inherited, we turn our backs on the very sense of kinship and community that sustained us for generations. We become more concerned with the perceived sins of others than our own moral alignment. The irony is that the “concerns” sound uncomfortably close to those raised by racists protesting integration and interracial marriage: “It just ain’t right”; “They ain’t like us”; “They’re going to hell;” “The Bible says……”.

However, the Bible ALSO clearly says, “LOVE!” There are no conditions or exclusions. It would seem, given our journey as Black people and people of color, we would be inclined to embrace others who are struggling to prove their humanity, assert their equality, and live their lives with dignity and respect. But somewhere in our history, we succumbed to the indoctrination of the oppressor and have deemed cis-gendered heterosexuals “holier” and “more worthy” than our LGBTQ siblings. Too often the church has replicated oppression out of our need to be in control.

I love the way The Message translation ends, “God pays no attention to what others say (or what you think) about you. He makes up his own mind.” And by extension, God pays no attention to what you have to say about our LGBTQ siblings. God has made up God’s own mind about our queer kinfolk: that they (like all of us) are God’s beloved and there’s nothing that our queer kin (or any of us) need to do or can fail to do to earn God’s unconditional love! God has already decided the condition of worthiness: that we are made in God’s image and likeness. It’s not for you and me to judge. Let’s focus on our assignment which is LOVE! Love all those who are downtrodden. Love all those who are hurting. Love all those who are suffering. Love all those who are lonely. Love all of God’s children and all means all of humanity. Have we really lost that human touch?

Maya Angelou had it right - nobody BUT nobody does it alone. We need each other. Our queer kin, especially Black and POC queer and trans persons who are the most vulnerable, our siblings, friends, children, grandparents, cousins, colleagues, our people! We are strongest when bonded by love and compassion and united by a common goal to end oppression of all marginalized people, based simply on the dignity of their humanity. WE GOT THIS!!! Not “I got this and I’ll come back for you later.” I GOT YOU AND WE GOT THIS!

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO PONDER

• What can you personally do to be more inclusive in your daily life?

• Are there habits/practices in your spiritual traditions that communicate a lack of inclusion, directly or inadvertently?

• Take time to reflect on the differences between tolerance, inclusion, acceptance, and justice. Where are you now and what can you do to move toward inclusion and justice?

CALL TO ACTION

• Watch a realistic and positive representation of LGBTQ people’s life like the Netflix series “Pose” and look for points of connection. Look for points of empathy and understanding. And, most importantly, identify points of your own ignorance and then purposefully educate yourself and commit to do better.

About the Author

Rev. Dr. Tiffany Christian (she/her) is creative ministry and outreach coordinator for The Rock Church in Boone, NC, and she is a wife, mother and thesbian who strives to equip and encourage people to honor and release their creative gifts in honor of the Creator.

Stay connected to Tiffany:

FB: Tiffany Yvette Christian

These Black Lent devotionals were originally curated by IG: goodneighbormovement.