Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever. Your royal scepter is a scepter of equity.”
NL Daily Devotion for Monday, March 13, 2023
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
Yesterday I did some online research. It wasn’t related to anything Clergy Stuff, but any time I want to quote a biblical scholar I find online, I spend some time digging into their credentials. In this particular case, while the scholarly blog article was right on (the copious use of male pronouns for God notwithstanding) I went down the rabbit hole of the writer’s faith background and found myself on the web page for an accredited seminary that shall remain nameless. It took some digging but I finally reached a page outlining the school’s diversity statement and read with curiosity. And by the end of the page, I was rageful. I’m so sorry if you do not hold with my particular theology—know that Clergy Stuff, by definition, is by and for Christians who profess a far more liberal, even progressive theology, so hopefully you can forgive me for what I’m about to say.
Any claim that the only valid marriage is between a man and a woman and that every other expression of sexuality is against God is absolute horse puckeys. God’s royal scepter is a scepter of equity. Equity=justice; freedom from bias or favoritism. I’m not going to start throwing out biblical arguments to support my position. That’s hardly fruitful for someone who is just looking for a brief reflection on scripture to help them connect with God and prepare for their day. I’ll just leave you with this:
Think of the people in your lives who are powerful examples to you of deep, abiding love for one another, love that is clearly a reflection of God’s love for all God’s creatures. Are they all cisgender, heterosexual, married couples? For me, the answer is a resounding “no.” And God works through their examples to me every day to inform my understanding of the nature of God’s love and the sexual love between God’s human creations.
What informs my understanding of acceptable sexual relationships?
