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Listening for God
Psalm 139:1-18; Colossians 3:1-17:AugsburgCollege: March 5, 2007
David L. Tiede: Bernhard M. Christensen Professor
Grace to you, and peace from God in Christ Jesus.
The national task force on human sexuality of the EvangelicalLutheranChurch in America is seeking the wisdom of itscongregations, ministries, and institutions. Before rushing to policy decisions, how will wediscernGod’s wisdom, not just announce our opinions? Communities all over the land are been called to dwell in the scriptures for a year, specifically in Paul’s letter to the Galatians, and to discern God’s will and ways for us.
Three weeks ago, congregations from the Minneapolis and St. Paul ELCA Synods came to Augsburg for a workshopon the study of sexuality. Dr. Mary Lowe exercised leadership in making it happen. With the counsel of the bishops and the synod committees on inclusivity, people with sharply different views on sexuality met on the common ground of the scriptures. Led by the religion department and our campus pastors, we spent the evening dwelling together in Galatians.
We didn’t resolve our disagreements,but we listened to one another as human, mortal creatures, beloved by God. Each one of us a sexual being, all the time! Those who have it all figured out don’t need to listen.
Now we at Augsburgare beginning a series of eight sermons on Paul’s letter to the Galatians. We think this is also a first in the church. These meditations by members of our religion department will be posted on Augsburg’s web page and will be available immediately and everywhere. Each reading from Paul will be linked with a reading from one of the eight sessions of the ELCA study on sexuality. That study, entitled “Free in Christ to Serve the Neighbor,” can also be downloaded from the ELCA website.
I hope you can come to all of the sessions. Not only will you hear fine preaching from the department, but in the series you will also hear the whole of Galatians read aloud. Augsburgwill be a cathedral within the church! We will dwell in the scriptures and listen for God as Paul speaks boldly about Christian freedom and our vocations. We will not know who is out there, looking in, listening with us. But our worship has a new virtual location, gathered in the presence of God and surrounded by the cloud of witnesses.
Is this a great college or what?
And what kind of freedom do followers of Jesus have? In Christ, even our sexual powers are committed to benefit the world and our neighbors!How can our human sexuality bless those close to us and the world itself?
The passage wejust read from Colossians shelters us in the promise. “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.” We don’t control the word, and we don’t “own the dwelling.”“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.”
“And whatever you do,” the apostle concludes, “whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”How in heaven’s name does this relate to the earthy, gritty, passionate, complicated realities of sex?
Hey, it’s difficult out there … and in here.
The psalmist knew that and wondered aloud in the presence of God. “For it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”
“Wonderful,” yes and “fearful” too! Remember when you were first aware of your sexual identity and those amazing complexities of body and soul? Then you discovered others were different from you and like you.
What a mystery, exciting, intriguing, and scary!
When our three year old granddaughter observed her infant brother’s anatomy, she commented, “He has a nice one of those.” Who knows what else she was thinking?
It doesn’t get easier. We dwell in a thoroughly commodified world, where everything from Barbie Dolls to beer is marketed on sex appeal. How many stories every day in the papers are about sexual abuse, and how often each evening will the programs portray scenes of sexual violence?
To “let the word of Christ dwell in you richly” means a faith that is not controlled by fear. One action Christian communities take is to refuse to let tyrants intimidate anyone, especially our vulnerable neighbors. Our faith in the presence of Christ Jesus is in a force for good that is greater than fear. This is what is happening in Augsburg’s “Safe Space” initiative. Last week, President Pribbenow’s update announced, “Safe Space at Augsburg is a program to assist the entire Augsburg Community in understanding issues relating to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, intersex, and asexual individuals and providing support to them.”
Some of us may be vague on what each of those categories may mean, but we stand together with those who fear attacks for their sexual identities. It is what happens when the word of Christ dwells among us richly.
Another thing that happens is we begin to hope for faithful intimacy. This is the safe space where our deep commitments protect our sexuality.
A friend who is a young campus pastor told me about her elderly aunt. Anna is about 90 and has been widowed three times, but she is full of life. My friend was taking Anna back to the care facility on the evening of Christmas Day. “That was a blessed day,” declared Anna. “I just wish I could top it off by crawling into bed and making love with my last husband.”
How sweet is that? Talk about doing everything in the name of the Lord Jesus! Old Anna is not a prude. She knows the joy of faithful intimacy. So as you listen to the sermons from Galatians on Christian freedom, let it be a true freedom, not all cramped up in self-concern. This is not simply about my freedom to do whatever I sweet well please. It is not about abusing or being used, not just romping in the sack with someone who drank too much.
Listen for a deeper vision of freedom, a freedom that is fulfilled in the blessing of the neighbor and the world. May this be a renewed beginning for Safe Space at Augsburg! And may it be the dawning of a renewed hope in your life that your sexual freedom may be fulfilled in trustworthy intimacy.
And may the love of God dwell with you in everything you do, in the name of Christ Jesus.
AMEN