Living in the Spirit
October 6, 2018
Scripture Reading: Mark 10:2-16
Some Pharisees came, and to test him they asked, ‘Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?’ He answered them, ‘What did Moses command you?’ They said, ‘Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her.’ But Jesus said to them, ‘Because of your hardness of heart he wrote this commandment for you. But from the beginning of creation, “God made them male and female.” “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.’ –Mark 10:2-9
We are in the movement of the evolution of gender and gender roles that has been progressing from the beginning of time. Male and female he created them, and he blessed them and named them ‘Humankind’ when they were created. (Genesis 5:2) There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:28)
I just saw on social media a listing of some of our presidents throughout history and their various affairs starting with George Washington. Most of those fell under the guise of boys will be boys and were only the source of titillating gossip until the evolution struck Bill Clinton directly in the 1990’s. Even then he was chastised not for his actions but for lying about it. The irony is his wife was roasted for forgiving him. Our culture has a funny way of selective reading regarding Biblical advice.
While it is uncomfortable for many as we ride out this sweeping change in cultural norms, the time has come for us
- to gain a loving perspective on the roles of women and men
- to understand the meaning of sex in a world where having children is for many a choice no longer an unpredictable outcome and
- to consider the effect when power and gender and violence intersect
I think God created male and female as a positive necessity in a balanced and loving world, something to be cherished and protected not maligned and misused. As we rewrite the norms of gender and sexuality we need to keep that in mind.
Prayer: God of Love in all its forms, guide us to a new vision of sharing the intimate forms of our love for your glory. Amen.