A Word from Pastor Lisa: "Sorrow and Love Flowed Mingled Down"
Photo & Altar design by Sara Baysinger
See from his head, his hands, his feet,
Sorrow and love flowed mingled down.
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?
– “When I Survey The Wondrous Cross”
UMH #298, vs. 3 (Isaac Watts, 1707)
Jesus broke the rules of his day to love everyone. He ate with tax collectors and sinners, touched lepers, healed a blind man on the Sabbath, spoke to a Samaritan woman, and raised Lazarus from the dead. Of course he caused a stir as a miracle-working rabbi in the countryside. The religious authorities were very suspicious. But when Jesus rode the donkey into Jerusalem to confront the Roman Empire, that’s when he really got into trouble. He was proclaiming that Caesar’s death-dealing ways of militarism, exclusion, control, and oppression were contrary to the reign of God. Now both the religious and political leaders were afraid of him.
The opposite of love isn’t hate, it’s fear. One response to fear is to huddle in the corner. Another response is to lash out at what we don’t understand, often in ways that harm others. Still another way is to control the circumstances very tightly so that we retain whatever power we have, often in ways that oppress others. In our divided country, I see all three of these responses on a daily basis. In particular, I have seen these last two at play in our Hoosier state with the legislature and governor passing SB480, which outlaws gender transition procedures for minors.
Medical science and sociology continually remind us that gender is a complex socially constructed spectrum, not a binary that can be determined at birth. About 5% of young adults in our country identify as transgender, which means their gender is different from the one assigned to them at birth. In our recent congregational survey, some of you said you don’t understand gender identity. We will continue that learning journey as a church. The Reconciling Ministries Network has a library of resources, including this gender identity guide for parents.
As a pastor, I’m sometimes invited to walk with people in very sacred spaces. The decision to transition genders is one of these spaces. This step is never taken lightly because it involves the entirety of a person – body, hormones, sex organs, mind, spirit, identity, and often a name and pronoun change. It is a very personal decision, and for youth, a family decision involving parents or guardians. Oftentimes, it is a life-or-death decision to transition genders. Research shows that 82% of transgender individuals have considered killing themselves and 40% have attempted suicide, with the suicidality highest among trans youth. Allowing trans youth the freedom to be themselves not only gives them a new lease on life, but may also save their lives.
By passing SB480, our state legislature and governor are washing their hands of the lives of trans youth, some of the most vulnerable among us. In Matthew 25, Jesus tells us when we care for the least of these, we are caring for him. When we neglect to do so, we’ll be separated with the goats. This judgment isn’t based on what we believe, how we vote, which church we attend, or how much Scripture we can recite. This is based on how we care for the vulnerable, a responsibility that our state has abdicated.
What’s more, when the state controls the bodies of trans youth and the intimate decisions of families, they are acting out of fear, the same type of fear that nailed Jesus to the cross – a fear of change, loss of control, and complexities in the human body that we don’t understand. While fear nailed Jesus to the cross, love held him there, so that his sorrow and love flowed mingled down just as fully upon the Roman soldiers as upon his mother below.
His sorrow and love flow mingled down for hurting families of trans youth who are devastated, traumatized, and worried what the future holds for their children.
His sorrow and love flow mingled down for our broken government that cares more about regulating gender transitions, uteruses, and library shelves than semi-automatic weapons.
His sorrow and love flow mingled down for our fractured denomination that’s still deciding who’s in and who’s out of the reach of his love.
His sorrow and love flow mingled down for you, for me, and for all who need to remember on this holy day that his perfect love drives out fear (1 John 4:18).