As a progressive Christian, I believe there are many names for God and many ways to a loving God; this article reflects one of those ways. Take from here what works for you. Celebrate life with joy and peace!
I’m so happy that our refusal to compromise on the affirmation of the dignity and sacred value of all people has helped contribute to a new generation of families where children are loved and supported unconditionally.
When the Supremes sang our song on marriage equality and the thunderbolt of justice was heard throughout our country and the world – of course, I was thrilled and celebrating like you. My Facebook lit up! Now, I have probably close to 100 conservative relatives and friends as Facebook friends, aunts and uncles, brothers, cousins, nieces and nephews, and how many of them made any comments of congratulations or “I’m happy for you?” None!
As I went to The Center with the 1,000 other people rejoicing at this wonderful step toward equality and dignity, this was in the back of my mind. And as I looked out over that diverse crowd, I thought to myself – this is my family. This is my tribe! And I’m sure I wasn’t the only one in that room with that experience.
Jesus affirms life. Jesus affirms that life is meant to be a blessing, and we each are meant to experience life abundantly. Today, in our scripture reading, we see Jesus affirming the dignity of one whose dignity had not been recognized by the larger society.
The Pharisee calls the unnamed woman a sinner. We don’t know why the legalistic Pharisee has labeled this woman a sinner other than he feels qualified to judge her and dismiss her as less than he is. Jesus, by contrast, doesn’t seem to notice anything wicked about her. Rather, he is impressed with her expression of gratitude and generosity. He sees and affirms the good in her.
The power and privilege seeking Pharisee wants to shame Jesus while assuming superiority over the so-called sinner. And yet, in Luke’s telling, it isn’t the self-important Pharisee, but the so-called sinner who demonstrates that in God’s kingdom, all people have sacred value. The one the Pharisee has tried to humiliate is the heroine of this story.
The woman in the story must have saved up a lot of money to buy this really expensive ointment, and then she shared her valuable resource with Jesus.
The Pharisee hosting a dinner for Jesus is a protector of the status quo, but that doesn’t impress Jesus. This woman’s generosity and commitment to service is what Jesus calls good.
In the kingdom of God that Jesus preached, the first and the last are on equal footing, the new person is valuable just like the person who’s been around forever, the person who works for an hourly wage is valuable just like someone who has inherited a fortune, a person studying to earn a GED is valuable just like someone with a PhD.
Following Jesus isn’t about achieving privilege or protecting the status quo … following Jesus is about building a different kind of community where the outsider, the newcomer, the different, the other, the queer, the person with no family support, the person in recovery, the disadvantaged, the person struggling to regain health, the interreligious couple, the spiritual but not religious, the agnostic, the person who doesn’t yet believe that they are God’s miracle and not God’s mistake, can be the hero of a sacred story; where you and I can learn to believe in ourselves, where every person can hear that they are a child of God, where dignity is restored and dignity is affirmed.
May God give us the will, the strength and the tenacity to build this kind of community.
