Thursday Thoughts
A Rainbow Promise
by Rev. Dr. Amy Chilton on 10/19/23
The Hebrew scripture book of Genesis includes a story of a cataclysmic event, human loss and trauma, and a universal covenant God makes with the whole earth in the story we often refer to as “Noah’s Ark.” It is a troubling story, but it ends with the first of the Genesis covenants, when God speaks and says,
“I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth” (Gen. 9:13-17).
The beautiful rainbow that graces us after a rainstorm is a powerful reminder that after a flood that destroyed and killed, there was God’s grace and the promise of God’s ongoing grace for all future generations. This is an inclusive covenant, meant for the soil beneath our feet; the critters that burrow in the earth, flit along on the breezes, and scamper across the trees; and every person who has ever lived.
There is a lot of discussion around rainbows these days - even polemics from conservative Christians who want to “reclaim” the rainbow promise from the Pride movement. The rainbow flag has been a symbol of the Pride movement since 1978 - much shorter than the rainbow promise was made to include all folx - including our queer siblings. While some Christians may want to “reclaim” it from Pride, it isn’t the church’s promise to reclaim. The rainbow promise was always God’s promise made with all of creation - no matter the gender identity or sexual orientation of the people to whom it was promised. The church may (at its best) steward that promise, but we do not own it and we cannot control it. I, personally, love the rainbow flag - I think of it as a way that our queer siblings are reclaiming their rightful place in God’s rainbow promise - recognizing that they too are beloved by God.
The rainbow promise belongs to all of us, even straight, cis-gendered folx. Even Christian folx who aren’t sure what all this Pride stuff is about and why the pastor keeps talking about it and wish we could talk about tithing! Well, certainly I talk about other things too - but at the core of it all is my conviction that Scripture shows us and the Spirit continually reminds us that we are all deeply, passionately, wondrously loved by a God who keeps covenants and that to live holy lives we have to let that truth sink down deeply into the very core of our being.
So, what about the rainbow promise? It includes all of us - gay, gender-queer, straight, white, brown, black, rich, poor, differently-abled - but some folx have had their place in the covenant denied. And that is the reason for us to learn to steward that promise better.
In the words of our joint choir from this past Sunday’s Joint Service of Baptists on the Journey of Radical Welcome, “every person has a place, in this holy, sacred space, earth's entire human race, welcome to God’s love.”
Friends, the next time you see the rainbow - whoever you are - breathe deeply of the promise that God’s covenant of divine care and presence is for you.
Blessings,
Pastor Amy
Screaming Into the Void
by Rev. Dr. Amy Chilton on 10/12/23
Friends, Israel declared war on Hamas this
past Sunday after Hamas launched an attack over Gaza’s borders. As I write
this, nearly 2,000 people have died - both Palestinians and Israelis. Over
1,000 people died in the earthquakes in Afghanistan this past weekend. Around
200 people have died and about 90,000 ethnic Armenians have fled in the
Nargorono-Karabakh region in the past month.
Part of my work as a pastor and theologian is giving words to how we ought to engage this world in light of our Christian faith. But, friends, this week words have failed me.
I just want to scream into the void.
Perhaps the best I can give right now is permission for you too to open your throats and scream.
Let it out.
God can handle our grief and rage at the many ways this world has gone terribly wrong.
GOD, HOW CAN YOU KEEP LETTING THIS HAPPEN? HOW CAN PEOPLE KEEP DOING THIS?!
One of the Psalmists screamed for us in the 94th Psalm:
YHWH, God our Avenger– reveal yourself, God our avenger! Rise up, judge the earth, and give the arrogant what they deserve! How long will these violent gangs, YHWH, how long will these violent gangs be jubilant? (Psalm 98:1-3, The Inclusive Bible)
Friends, perhaps this is a week where we scream into the void, yell at God to step in and do something, anything, and trust that just as God brought beauty from chaos at creation, God can do that again.
Blessings,
Pastor Amy
A Prayer for Hope amid Despair
O God, here I am again. Hopeless. Overwhelmed. Angry. The world is so broken. People are so cruel. The vulnerable are once again dying, ignored, oppressed.
I want to have hope, but it feels so futile. What good is my hope if nothing seems to change?
God, give me a new heart to love what You love. Give me a new spirit to be faithful as You are faithful. Give me fresh eyes to see how You see.
I want to be a person who is not mired in inaction in the face of despair, but who works to realize Your vision for the world. Who participates in unleashing Your kingdom of peace and gentleness and justice and love.
May I be a person marked by bright hope in the midst of the darkest of hours. May I be an Easter person.
Amen
~ Kate Bowler and Jessica Richie, Good Enough: 40ish Devotionals for a Life of Imperfection, p. 224
A World Full of Octobers
by Rev. Dr. Amy Chilton on 10/05/23
“‘Oh, Marilla,’ she exclaimed one Saturday morning, coming dancing in with her arms full of gorgeous boughs, ‘I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers. It would be terrible if we just skipped from September to November, wouldn’t it? Look at these maple branches. Don’t they give you a thrill—several thrills?’” ~ Anne Shirley
I am in total agreement with Anne Shirley on this - October is a glorious month! Just yesterday I stopped at a farm stand (one of my weaknesses!) where there were giant bins full of Cortland and Macoun apples. My dahlias are in full bloom and serving as the neighborhood bee hotel, with 2-3 bees to a flower each night! The smells, flavors, and colors of October are bold and vibrant as this part of the globe prepares for a season of rest before it flaunts its Spring rainbows.
October stands at the intersection of summer and winter - still holding onto the glory of the former season while also easing us into our season of hibernation. I love that as we shift towards the darkest days on the calendar we have dahlias and leaves and apples to fuel our transition.
October gives us beauty in transition. Thank you God for Octobers!
Perhaps death and taxes are the two things we are assured of in life, but the Bible also shows us that transitions and God’s presence are also always with us. One example of this is in Isaiah 55, where we read God’s pleading once again with God’s people to return to faithfulness. In that plea God reminds them that there is an abundance of grace, goodness, and beauty that comes from God’s own self. With God there is enough food, there is enough life, there is always a listening ear, there is enough mercy, there is enough divine wisdom for all that God’s people need to make the transition back. Not only is there enough of the staples, but on top of that there is glorious beauty to get them through the transition!
You will go out joyfully, and be led out in peace; the mountains and the hills will before you break into cries of joy, and all the trees in the countryside will clap their hands! (Isaiah 55:12, The Inclusive Bible)
There won’t just be food, but there will be rich food (55:2). There won’t just be a path, but a path wending through the songs of the trees! There won’t just be a transition, but God will send abundant beauty through the earth to surround them as they make the transition. God is a God who we can rely on to send beauty to help us through our transitions.
So, in a world of “Octobers,” of spaces and places and people that bring beauty to seasons of transition, I pray that we, the people of God, live as a people of abundance rather than a people of scarcity. I pray that we steward this earth and the church well, trusting that God’s grace, goodness, and beauty are abundant and will surround us through whatever transition comes our way.
Friends, I am so glad we live in a world of Octobers!
Blessings,
Pastor Amy
Ever Changing, Always the Same
by Rev. Dr. Amy Chilton on 09/28/23
According to Merriam-Webster, the word “folx” was first used in 1833. The Cambridge dictionary claims it was first used in the 1990s. In either case, this word follows the practice of using an “x” to indicate all genders, such as in Spanish. Example: “latinx” takes the place of the male gendered “latino” or the male/female/super/awkward “latino/a.” This way of using “x” (which totally preceded Elon Musk) was then incorporated into “folx” in order to purposefully mean “all people” with the extra of it meaning “all people, of all genders, and all sexualities.”
“Folx” kind of goes well with our new ministry statement. And it has the added surprise of taking folx by surprise!
Folx, all really does mean all here!
Language is funny. Once we think we have it settled, it moves right along and surprises us with new little gems. Languages are always on the move. The English we know today is little like its forerunner in the 5th century. Have you ever tried to read an Old English document from back then? It’s enough to make you cry.
Is this talk on the shifting form of language making you want to cry? Good thing you didn’t sit through the adult Sunday Morning Bible Study where we talked about the addition of vowels to the Hebrew language and the complexity of reading God’s name, YWHW, when the vowels added to it are from another word and are added to make it unpronounceable!
Head spinning?
It gets a bit tricky, then, when we think that we use ever changing human language to talk about God who is “the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). Malachi also has the Lord speaking and saying, “I the LORD do not change; therefore you, O Children of Jacob, have not perished” (3:6). God is the same, yes, but God is the same in that God is consistently the God who is love. God is consistently the God who takes joy in us like God took joy in our creation (Psalm 18:19). God is not static because love is not static. And those of you who have loved know that to love means to always find ways to be loving and present to the one you love. And that does involve growth, change, and dynamism.
So, what about language? Language is part of this created world, ever growing and changing as we grow and change. There are words folx used 100 years ago that we wouldn’t use now - because they are antiquated or because they are harmful. And there are new words that will cycle into our lingo because we are creative people, always reaching for the infinite with what we have: language.
So, what words will you use this week to bring God’s love to those around you? What words might you let go because they no longer serve that purpose well?
Folx, whatever words you use, I pray that they will reflect brightly the God who is love to a creation that sits in waiting to know this good news.
Blessings,
Pastor Amy
Seeing Anew
by Rev. Dr. Amy Chilton on 09/21/23
The past few days in Cranston have been
perfect weatherwise. So, needing to clear my head this morning and needing to
help the dog work out some wiggles, we walked to the church building. The air
was slightly crisp, the trees are still green, and the sky was a brilliant
blue. I appreciated the change of perspective I had on same route I take most
days. I could see flowers up close that I can’t while driving - including a
hefty milkweed that is growing out of a sidewalk crack. Daisy, meanwhile, got
to smell all the things.
Think about the things you have done that have given you a new perspective on an old sight. Being out on the water makes the shore look a whole lot different than being on the beach. Boating from Providence to Newport seems much more direct than driving between the two. Seeing your city from an airplane makes it look a bit different than seeing it from your car or house windows. Perhaps the new view makes things look smaller or even makes things look closer together than when you experience them “on the ground.” The time and effort it takes to knit a sweater might give you a new perspective on the justice problems of fast fashion and worker’s rights.
In Ezekial God promised the exiled Israelites to give them a new perspective when they return home from exile. God had promised they were going to come home - but the cherry on top was that they would see and understand things in a new way!
“For I will bring you back from the nations, and gather you from every land, and bring you into your own land. I will sprinkle pure water over you, and you will be purified from everything that defiles you. I will purify you from the taint of all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you. I will remove the heart of stone from your body and give you a heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 36:24-26, The Inclusive Bible).
What is fascinating about this text is that it is set in the middle of a lengthy discussion on how their perspective on God and the world had to change and how their time in exile was going to be when that happened. New perspectives can be hard hard won - in this case, while God is promising a new perspective on faithfulness, God is also telling them this new perspective is going to come about through some rather challenging life experiences.
Israel didn’t exactly choose to be colonized and trafficked into exile - but by the grace of God good was able to come from even that. By God’s same grace, good and new perspectives are able to come from difficult life realities we also did not nor would not have chosen. God’s love can be victorious over pain, trauma, and hate - and one of the ways it can win is by us learning anew how to love and be faithful despite our life circumstances. If we can emerge from pain with love instead of hate, God’s grace has won. If we can emerge from being the victims of injustice with compassion and advocacy for other victims, God’s grace has won.
But, new perspectives can also come about through changes we choose - such as choosing to walk instead of drive, or choosing to start a new spiritual practice or hobby. While I would never encourage you to have difficult life situations in order to learn something new, I do pray that you might try something new and be present in those moments to how you might see God and the world differently. Perhaps you might start a daily journaling or prayer practice, perhaps you might read a new genre or book of the Bible you aren’t familiar with, or perhaps you might find a new way to befriend your neighbors. These purposeful ways of seeking new perspectives on God’s presence in this world might just open you to God’s grace in new ways.
So, this week as you go about your days, be open to God finding you in new ways, because God’s love is always ready to spring forth anew.
Blessings,
Pastor Amy
