Ruffle some feathers

 

Luke 13: 31-35
New Ark United Church of Christ, Newark, DE
March 13, 2022

Photo of a mother hen with light brown chest feathers and brown, gray, and white feathers on back of her neck, wings and tail, followed by three chicks.

Earlier this week, when I read the gospel lesson, this is what I heard:



At that very hour, when he was teaching about who would be first and who would be last, some members of Congress, some allies and others who thought of themselves as progressive came and said to this teenage transgender Jesus, “Get away from here, for Gov. Abbott, Gov. DeSantis, and the legislatures of 34 states who have introduced anti-trans laws including Delaware and Maryland, want to kill you.” He/she/they said to them, “Go and tell those foxes (or another f-word), ‘Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work. Yet today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on my way, because it is entirely possible for a prophet to be killed in or outside of Washington, D.C., or any of the halls of power.’ Empire that calls itself Democracy and the cities and towns and churches that kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to them! How often have I desired to gather your trans children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you. And I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.’”



You may think I’m exaggerating, that I’m being overly sensitive about these anti-trans bills because my oldest is transgender. Just this past week in the state of Idaho, the House voted 55-13 to make it a felony to provide gender-affirming healthcare to trans teens. The bill also includes felony charges if you move to another state with your trans teen to provide them with gender-affirming healthcare. This is the third year in a row that the Idaho legislature has sought to criminalize gender-affirming healthcare for children under the age of 18. These are the same tactics used to harass, persecute, and criminalize those who seek an abortion. So, yes indeed, get away from here because Herod wants to kill you.



Meanwhile, in the state of Texas, as Child Protection Service agents are investigating the parents of trans children for medical care as child abuse, employees of a Texas-contracted faith-based facility intended to care for children who are victims of sex-trafficking were discovered sex-trafficking the same children, ages 11-17. In Florida, if Gov. DeSantis has his way, it will be illegal for teachers to provide a safe, inclusive classroom environment for all students and this “Don’t Say Gay or Trans” bill will also undermine existing protections for LGBTQ+ students.

Send a postcard to Gov. Ron DeSantis with the words 'gay' and 'trans' in bright rainbow colors!
Office of Gov. Ron DeSantis, State of Florida, The Capitol,
400 S. Monroe St.  Tallahassee, FL 32399-0001

We who are cisgender, that is, we who identify our gender with the sex assigned to us at birth, have always had access to gender-affirming healthcare. We who are cisgender do not question our right to safely exist in public space. Gender-affirming healthcare saves lives. Gender-affirming care is any treatment that helps transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming people to explore and be comfortable with their gender identity. Gender-affirming care greatly reduces rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide. Gender-affirming care should be available to anyone regardless of their zip code.

Photo of a White man holding and pointing to a whiteboard with these words on it: "Prioritize the safety of queer kids (queer in all caps and rainbow colors) over the discomfort of adults!!" 

It's hard work learning how to embrace one’s gender identity, trying to live openly in our society, and also educate others about one’s lived experience as a trans or non-binary person. As I was writing this sermon and looking for more information, I went to the Trevor Project online, and the website gave a quick way to exit the site, if someone needed to keep their inquiry private. The quick exit also eliminates all data specific to the Trevor Project from the browser history because there are parents who police their child’s search history. I don’t think we realize the immense burden that is carried each day by those who are trans or non-binary in a world that is dominated by cisgender culture and expectations. If we’re going to be allies as an Open and Affirming church, it’s important that we continue to educate ourselves about what it means to be not only inclusive but affirming, welcoming, and supportive.



This is why gender-affirming community is so very important. I am so thankful that we have all gender bathrooms now. Some of you are normalizing the practice of putting your pronouns next to your name on Zoom. In our next church directory, we will also list people’s pronouns who wish to do so. Birthday cards will no longer be addressed with an honorific—just first name and surname.

Pie chart in many different colors depicting what non-binary issues actually are: "pronouns and constantly being misgendered, gender neutral bathrooms, lack of legal recognition for non-binary genders, being discriminated at work, mainstream media mocking non-binary identities, having to crowdfund for life-saving healthcare, being referred to as 'third gender', not feeling 'trans enough', homelessness, trans healthcare that excludes non-binary folk."

But if we’re really going to be a church that is like a mother hen who gathers all her children under her wings, we’re going to have to ruffle some feathers, including our own. A word that is used often in Lent is the word ‘repent’. Now before you bring all the baggage that often comes with that word, let me offer a gentle reminder that its actual meaning is ‘change your whole way of thinking’. Change your whole way of thinking about gender. Change your whole way of thinking about grammar. Not only that but change your whole way of perceiving. Change your whole way of perceiving a person and who they are. Forget what you thought you knew about them. Learn and get to know them as they are now.



Pastor Stan Mitchell of Nashville, TN says “If you say that you are an ally or an advocate for a group of people and are not getting hit by the same things that are thrown at them, then you are not close enough.”

Photo of a person with dark skin holding a yellow baby chick in their hands with this caption: "Questioner: How are we to treat others?  Ramana Maharshi: There are no others."

If a trans or non-binary person is angry, why are they angry? Maybe they’re scared more than anything else—scared that their place in this world is not assured, scared that the future does not have their name on it, scared that if church feels tenuous, then what’s the point of it. If they’re angry, maybe we need to get angry too. And if we’re not, why aren’t we? After all these are our children.



One of my dear friends is trans and is transitioning from male to female. When I go for a hike in the woods by myself or when I’m driving or those rare times I have the house to myself, I practice. I practice saying her chosen name, I practice her pronouns, as I remember the last time we talked or took a walk together or when I think about how she’s doing and the tremendous difficulties she’s navigating right now.



We have trans and non-binary young people in our church, some of whom you have known since they were little. If you’re still looking for a spiritual practice or commitment for Lent, an act of repentance, that is, changing the whole way you think and perceive, every day you can practice their pronouns and their names and think about how you perceive them.

Screenshot of a tweet by Thomas Peach: "There are some school kids on the table next to us in McDonald's practicing their friend's new 'they/them' pronouns. 'If we practice now then think how happy they'll be on Monday at school'.  My heart."

A couple years ago on Twitter, someone tweeted about being at McDonald’s and overhearing some kids practicing their friend’s new ‘they/them’ pronouns. One of the kids said, “If we practice now, then think how happy they’ll be on Monday at school.”



Austrian Jewish and Israeli philosopher Martin Buber in his classic existential work I and Thou wrote, “Through the Thou a person becomes I.” When we perceive the whole person before us, we become whole. When we become part of the healing of another, we are healed as well. When someone else becomes more alive, we become more alive. When we ruffle our feathers, gather all of God’s children under our wings, we are mother hen as God is mother hen. We are empathy as God is empathy. We are Love as God is Love.

Benediction – enfleshed.com


Go forth remembering:
Your righteous anger is blessed,
for it shows us what sacred boundaries have been crossed.
Your soulful weeping is blessed,
for it connects us with our broken and still-beating hearts.
Your wise actions are blessed
because they build the world of which we dream.