Acts 11:1-18

God’s love is greater than we can imagine.

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A few weeks ago, I attended my first ever protest.

I wouldn’t describe myself as an activist, but there I was, 

on Weber Street, 

waving a sign and chanting along with the crowd.

End of April, the Trustees of the Waterloo Catholic School Board 

were voting to ban the Pride flag, 

and I had been asked by a colleague to sign a petition against the motion, but I also felt called to show up in person.

I believe the Pride flag is a sign of God’s love for all, 

and so the sign I made quoted the Gospel of Luke, 

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where Jesus invited the children to come to him…

and I marked “no exceptions”

…Jesus didn’t say that only some children were invited, 

and not others.

Why did I come out of my comfortable shell 

to show up at a divisive protest?

It’s because this is a topic I’m somewhat passionate about, 

and willing to risk something for: 

to remind others that there are Christians 

who envision an expansive view of God’s love, 

and that want to draw the circle wide for all God’s children.

A key moment in church history where the question 

also was about drawing the circle wide, 

was the story we heard in our First Reading this morning. 

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Up until that time in the early church, 

the followers of Jesus were mainly just Jews. 

But the apostles came to realize that God loved both Gentiles and Jews, and both groups were able to follow Jesus in their own way.

One hot afternoon, Peter had a vision of a large tablecloth 

coming down from heaven with a lot of non-Kosher animals on it, 

animals no observant Jew would eat, and God told him: 

Kill and eat!

But Peter protested:

I’ve never eaten unclean things.

I’ve always followed the law with respect to Kosher food.

But God replied:

What God has called clean you must not call profane.

Now this was not really about food, but it was an allegory, an illustration,

because Peter would be asked to appear 

before an officer of the Roman army, 

a God-fearing centurion named Cornelius. 

Now it would be improper for a Jew to visit with a Gentile, 

a foreigner, 

but because of this vision, Peter agreed.

During his visit, Peter preached a sermon, 

and shared his new understanding that 

(10.34)

God shows no partiality!

God does not discriminate…

But in every people, anyone who fears God 

and practices righteousness is acceptable.

It’s not about what your ethnic background is that matters. 

All that matters is whether you fear God and do what is right.

Jesus Christ is the Lord of all, 

and that includes all nations and backgrounds.

(44)

And at the end of Peter’s speech, 

the Holy Spirit fell on all those assembled. 

Even the Gentiles started speaking in tongues, 

and received the same gifts of the Spirit 

as those Jewish followers of Jesus at the very first Pentecost.

And Peter said:

Look at this:

If God gave them the same gift that he gave us, 

who am I that I could hinder God?

God has ushered in this change.

If the Holy Spirit has come upon them, 

how can anyone withhold baptism?

To become a Christian and get baptized, 

Gentiles don’t have to become Jews first.

And even the critics praised God and understood 

that God had welcomed the Gentiles, the foreigners, 

the non-Jews into the new covenant with Jesus.

Now while this was a very contentious debate around 40 AD 

between Jewish and Gentile Christians, 

it would remain just a quaint old story 

that has no bearing on our current life, 

because it’s been obvious now for almost 2000 years 

that you don’t have to become a Jew in order to call yourself a Christian. 

While originally Christianity was a Jewish denomination, 

within decades it became basically its own religion.

But I think the underlying message of increased inclusion

 into Christ’s family is one we are still wrestling with today.

And I’d like to tell you a personal story:

20-25 years ago, I used to think that it was impossible 

for gays and lesbians to be Christians. 

Much like how Peter originally thought that Gentiles were such sinners 

that they couldn’t be accepted into God’s family, 

I thought that gays and lesbians were incompatible with the Christian faith. 

However, I met some very sincere gay Christians 

who obviously took their faith seriously, and this changed my mind. 

Besides reading about the topic, 

my experience with these people led me to understand 

that Jesus was working through them, 

and in fact they exhibited more Christ-like attitudes and actions 

than some other so-called Christians I knew. 

And I gradually turned my attitude into acceptance 

and even advocating for inclusion in the ELCIC.

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Why have Christians traditionally excluded queer folk?

Jerome Neyrey argues that this is due to a remnant 

of the old Jewish purity system.

This orderly system indicates what fits and is in place, 

and what doesn’t fit,

It draws lines to classify the world:

What is in and what is out.

Deuteronomy Chapter 14 for example outlines 

what is permissible to eat, and what isn’t.

Animals that have cleft hooves, like cattle and sheep are OK, 

but pigs are not.

Fish with fins and scales are fine to consume, 

but seafood like lobster should not be eaten.

For the sake of order of Creation, 

there is a normative category of what is clean and officially edible, 

and what it quote unclean, and abhorrent to eat.

Neyrey continues by saying that there is a new purity map 

for Christian fundamentalists.

The map contains powerful moral fences 

that prevent boundary crossing;

Straight marriage is pure and clean, 

and all other forms are abhorrent and sinful.

Christian fundamentalists satanize queer folk 

and project their own fears on them as a group, 

generating revulsion against LGBT+ communities.

Unfortunately the purity map, 

which could theoretically be helpful, 

becomes a blindness preventing them from discerning

 the presence of the Holy Spirit in queer Christians,

And they fail to listen to others’ experiences 

which might widen their understanding of how the Holy Spirit 

works in the world today.

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For Peter and the early Jewish followers of Christ, the concept of “Gentile” meant the same

thing as sinner: 

by definition they were unclean and idolatrous,

They didn’t have the law.

To become a Christian,

they would need to repent of being a Gentile

Adopt purifying practices, such as circumcision, 

and all the laws of Moses.

But Paul and Peter came to realize that even as a Gentile 

one could come to know God.

To be a Gentile did not by definition mean to be a sinner!

(Jeffery Sike)

Many fundamentalist Christians deny that gays, lesbians or trans people could be Christians.

Similar to how the early Christians 

denied that non-Jews could follow Christ.

The disgust felt by those early Jewish Christians is

Parallel to the moral revulsion of fundamentalist Christians to queer folk.

But Queer Christians have received God’s spirit too!

Just like how those early Gentiles did. 

The reception of the Holy Spirit has nothing to do 

with sexual orientation or gender identity.

So like those early Gentile Christians,

How can anyone withhold their blessing from Queer Christians?

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The key realization 

Is that this new inclusion is not an invention of the church: 

But it is the responsibility of God.

It was within God’s plan to include Gentiles.

The inclusion of non-Jews was a scandal, 

but it was God’s scandal!

God had cleansed the Gentiles.

What God had called clean, one could not call profane.

Peter didn’t want to hinder God

And he trusted this new step initiated by God,

That before God all nations were acceptable,

God’s love was open to all.

“Peter and Paul called Jewish Christians from their moral revulsion at eating and associating with Gentiles and led them to embrace Gentile Christians as brothers and sisters”.

The past decades have seen a movement towards inclusion in the ELCIC to discern the Spirit of God in Queer Christians. This culminated in the so-called local option 14 years ago, which St. Matthew adopted in 2014.

There is now a renewed effort in the ELCIC to continue towards full inclusion, that is,full recognition of God’s Spirit in queer Christians in the church.

Because as many can see, there are forces that would want to push us backwards in this path.

The Catholic School Board motion is one example, as well 

The expulsion of trans American soldiers from the military and 

Proposals to eliminate funding for American LGBT+ phone help and suicide services.

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The declaration that Gentiles were welcome in Christ’s family 

was a scandal at first, and

Contentious just like other revelations, 

Such as the very first one:

That Jesus is Lord.

Most Jews at the time could not comprehend that a carpenter teacher could be the Messiah, and yet some recognized God's workings through Jesus were such that he was declared Son of God.

Another contentious break with tradition was the realization in the 19th century that slaves were full humans in the sight of God, 

and thus slavery was abhorrent to God and needed to be abolished.

A further more recent scandal is full inclusion of women in church leadership, recognizing that God does speak through women and they can be empowered to preach the Word and administer the Sacraments.

So it is of course with queer inclusion,

And why I think it’s important to show up to a Pride protest,

To host the Anima evening celebrating the 20th anniversary of same-gendered marriage in Canada, and to schedule an annual Pride Sunday in June.

Jesus call us to “See everyone in a new light; through the lens of love”

God’s love is greater than we can imagine.

So let us sing “draw the circle wide” on page 6 of your Guides.

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Sources:

Oxford Commentary on the Bible (Acts)

Queer Commentary on the Bible (Robert Goss: Acts)

Westminster Study Bible (Acts)