Pastor’s Corner - April 27, 2023
Dear Beloved,
Do you have formation childhood or teen memories that acted as crystalizers of foundational themes or frameworks in your life? As a child of the 80s and 90s, banners were a big thing in the congregations who raised me. Each time there was a baptism, I watched my mom carefully cut out a red flower with a green stem from felt. Then she’d write the name of the person being baptized on the flower in bright yellow puff paint. As a child, I remember how important it was to be patient to let it dry before transporting it or the whole process began again. When completely dry it was hung on a banner that had part of a passage from Isaiah, “I have called you by name. You are mine.” When I was old enough, it became my job to take the flower down after the baptism and give it to the person or family of the person who had been baptized. As one who has always loved babies, this was a very special job if the person being baptized was a baby.
I did not know then, but looking back, I believe those experiences were placing in my heart a firm belief that God knows each of us by name and calls us. God loves each of us as unique beings created in the image of God’s all-loving and mightily-merciful self. The idea that any other human would know me intimately enough to know all the hairs on my head or all the unpleasant thoughts in my head would terrify me, but knowing that God knows each of us that well and accepts us anyways and patiently guides us to grow and be transformed by the indwelling of Jesus and power of the Holy Spirit gives me abundant hope and peace.
Recently I learned about deadnaming. Deadnaming is the act of referring to a transgender or non-binary person by a name they used prior to transitioning, such as their birth name. Deadnaming may be unintentional, or a deliberate attempt to deny, mock or invalidate a person's gender identity. Maybe the power of God calling us by name is why I find the act of deadnaming heart-breaking. I want to honor a person fully, and I am praying that God will keep helping me learn and understand how to be attentive and open to understanding what that means for each person. I am grateful for people who are willing to teach me and help me learn. We have an opportunity to learn a little more about honoring all people through a presentation/conversation with Emma from GenderNexus between worship services from 9:30 to 10:20 on Sunday, May 7th in the chapel. It is a special day with a bake sale in the narthex for Love Lucas and a film about hunger with Friedens Moving Outward in Hayden Hall after the 10:30 a.m. worship service. I hope you will be able to be part of these special opportunities for learning and growing together as disciples and followers of Jesus. I thank God for you and the blessings of serving with each of you!
With gratitude for you and hope and joy in our Creator in this season of Eastertide~
Sarah
But now thus says the Lord,
he who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel:
Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name; you are mine. Isaiah 43:1