Micro Practices for Justice | Being a Trans Ally

Neither Jew nor Greek, Slave nor Free, Male and Female. Galatians seems like the obvious text for Sunday worship in this time. I mean, its kinda the whole point of our faith, right? Maybe I'm just tired, but I ended up with Elijah instead.

-Liz

Elijah Takes A Nap

It's a hard time for prophets. Or maybe prophets always have a hard time. Elijah is desolate from the little change he sees when he is calling on his nation to do better. In biblical times, the government didn't want to hear what the prophets are saying. While we imagined, or at least I imagined, that it would be different in a democracy, today seems that is not the case.

And so this week we have Elijah exhausted and ready to give up. I imagine that he wanted God to just come down here and fix it all, but instead God offers a nap, something to eat, and a hike.

Don't you just wish that God would make themself more clearly present right now? We could use a new set of clay tablets that insist we care for our neighbors. In English would be handy. Or a loud, clear, voice coming down from the clouds. We could use some negative consequences for some of our leaders, and fewer consequences on immigrants that show up for their required check-ins with the court.

I want to hear God, and I want to hear God now.

And so this image of Elijah making the trek to the "mount of God" sounds perfectly reasonable to me.

What does it mean that God was not in the wind, not in the earthquake, not in the fire. What does it mean when there is a sound of sheer silence?

Maybe what we have here is the voice of God is the voice of the world. It is not some separate loud and disastrous clanging. Perhaps the voice of nature. Or perhaps text reminds us we can hear best God in silence. Or the voice of God is not out there, but inside of me, part of the dialogue in my head. Or perhaps God is in our neighbors and our community and so God's voice is something we discern out of the mess of people around us speaking.

Many people find that they can be guided by God when they engage in regular bible reading. Others swear by silent meditation. I feel tingly on my skin when we pray together as church, and when we share in communion. Is that God in the air around me?

In the UCC we say that God is Still Speaking, and I believe that is true. But often I wonder if I am listening.

What keeps me from listening? Mostly the fact that I want very specific answers about the world. I'm not always open to what God wants, often when I say I want to hear God I mean I want God to say this script I have planned. If I could let go of the possibility that I should be running the world, perhaps I could hear what God is saying.

In the end I think that the way God cared for Elijah -- with a nap and some food -- is the key to listening.

What is your church doing, or thinking about doing these days? How are you being here in your particular place? Just reply to this email to let me know what's happening. ​
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Perhaps when we are exhausted we need little ideas rather than big ideas? Tex Sample has come out with Micro Practices for Justice Ministry: Doing Little Things for the Common Good with Upper Room Books.

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Here is a video (10 minutes) from Christian Century on being a Trans Ally.

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