Obedience

Delaney: God of revelations

In this season

Uncover things that have been hidden

Help us share our light with the world

Reveal to us

Places of joy

Places of new life

Places of liberation

Inspire in us truth telling

Good news sharing

And vulnerability that breaks barriers

Move us to share our stories

Speak against lies told

And stand against violent supremacy

God of little apocalypses everywhere

Uncover the things known to us and unknown to others

Or unknown to us and known by neighbors

And everything obscured by the powers of hate and fear

Let your way, truth, and life be known 

That each and every - body in this room

Is fearfully and wonderfully made

Amen.

Jae: Thank you. All right. Well, it's summer, so in classic fashion. I know that there are many who wish that they could be with us this morning, who cannot be, but I'm so glad to see each of your faces and to anyone listening to this later. Just know that I miss you and I'll find you. Um, good morning, church. My name is Jae, and until I walk out those doors in about an hour, I am a member of the wonderful team here at The Table.

And as many of you know, today's my last service, and so maybe you-- and it's a Pride Month service, and so maybe you would have thought that I'd choose to discuss transitions, new chapters, new life, perhaps, in classic Christian fashion. But in classic fashion of myself, I'm going to choose to tackle a spiritual theme that I think we could all squarely place on a list of top 10 most misused, misinterpreted, and spiritually abusive concepts. And that word is obedience. It's to obey God.

And if you're new, and or if you just me saying the word obedience from up here just made you really feel some kind of way, I really hope that you could stick it out to the end with me. But I think that this word, that this concept, has something beautiful and freeing for us, actually. And we're going to dig into this concept of obedience or to obey God by checking in Deuteronomy 6:4-5, which is famously known as the Great Commandment. It is the commandment which Jesus quotes when he then adds, "and to love your neighbor as yourself."

It is a text which has become arguably one of the most important prayers in the modern Jewish tradition. And it reads, "Israel, listen. Our God is the Lord, only the Lord. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your being, and all your strength." Deuteronomy 6:4-5, [CEB] You have also likely heard this phrase, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength." This portion of Deuteronomy is also known as the Shema, which, as I mentioned, has become truly and perhaps arguably, though widely accepted as, one of the most important prayers in the modern Jewish tradition.

The following verses of this portion that we didn't read command that these verses be taught to future generations, that it be discussed when you are on the road, that it be tied to your hands, fixed on your foreheads, and that it be written upon the doorways of homes and on the gates of all the people's cities. And if you've ever gone into a Jewish home, if you have Jewish friends in your life, Jewish neighbors, perhaps you notice a little rectangle with Hebrew on it. It is in the shape of a scroll, and its decoration on the entry door is called a mezuzah. And inside that mezuzah holds, typically, a tiny scroll on which Deuteronomy 6:4-5 is inscribed, the Shema. It is a reminder of God's covenant. It is a reminder of who the Jewish people are. It is a signal of survival. It is a signal of the persistence of the Jewish people. It is a beautiful thing. And it is called the Shema because of the first Hebrew word in the original text.

The original Hebrew text reads Shema. It starts with this word, Shema Yisrael Adonai Eloheinu Adonai Echad. It means "listen Israel" or "hear Israel." It is a command being given to Israel, not a request, but a commandment. Shema is the word that in our English is translated then, of course, "listen." It is, in its simplest definition, meaning to listen or to hear, but it's so much more than that. Simple listening doesn't cover what Shema means. It indicates a deeper, active listening. The word Shema in Hebrew also points towards a sense of comprehension of what is being heard. An effort to understand, to take in, to take heed of, to process. To Shema is to listen and to understand or seek an understanding. Shema can also be translated to pay attention. Take heed. Shema also has another major meaning, which is respond. To respond to something.

And throughout the whole of scripture, it is clear in the Hebrew text that this word, Shema, is used to mean all three, not separately, but at the same time. To Shema God, is to do all three together, to listen and hear, to interpret from your understanding, and to respond to God. It is to do something active out of your understanding of a commandment, out of God's commandments, out of God's calling in your life, out of God's prophecy to the people. If you hear but you make no effort to understand what you're hearing, or if you hear and you understand and you make no effort to do what is being asked of you, then you have not Shema. If you hear and understand and you simply continue to choose to live in opposition to what you've heard, then you certainly have not Shema.

In fact, Jesus addresses that in the Gospel of Matthew. He said, "This is why I speak to them in parables, though seeing they do not see, though hearing they do not hear or understand." And Matthew is a Gospel that, although written in Greek, was intended for a Jewish audience. And Jesus was a Jewish man who would have spoken and understood this word Shema. Jesus is saying, "They hear me, they hear my voice, it is washing over them, but they do not truly hear me. They are not truly understanding or seeking a right interpretation. They do not respond accordingly to perhaps what they have heard."

I want to give you an example of what I really mean about to Shema as to hear, understand, and respond as opposed to, to just hear it and do nothing of it. "So if I take the Ten Commandments and I hear, thou shalt not kill." Great. Awesome. I've got that in the bag. Y'all, look, I don't know about you, but so far, I am pretty much the master of not killing people. I've got a body count of zero. It's pretty great. How impressive. But hopefully not surprising to you. But if I look at the whole of Scripture, if I look at all of the places where God clearly commands not only to not kill people, but to care for people, to care for the widow, the stranger, the orphan, the outcast, the ailing, the mourning, the less than, where God approaches the suffering and the oppressed and assures their liberation, assures to them they will experience freedom and a peace beyond their understanding, then I would also have to, if I really Shema'd God, I would have to also interpret and understand that the commandments and exodus to not kill are not simply just to not kill my neighbor, but it is to help give life, to help my neighbor flourish, to pour into them life giving, support or care, to remove barriers to their survival, to their thriving.

It's like kids, has your mom ever just been like, “hey, Jack, stop hitting Tommy.” Has she ever said that to you? Sorry to call you out while you're literally standing up. But any other kids or adults in here, your parents, they've said you don't hit your sibling and you say, okay, and just kick them in the shin. Like what did I just tell you? Well you said not to hit them. I heard you say don't hit them, but you didn't say don't kick them. But if you had Shema'd your parents, you would know the command was actually not just don't hit your sibling, but it was actually don't do any violence to them.

Of course commandments then require a response from us, a verb which in English we call to obey. To obey God. But obedience has surely and unfortunately been weaponized in authoritarian and abusive ways against, I know as a fact, against many of you in this room and those of you at home listening. I talked to the middle schoolers and they said that this word obeys sort of feels like, do exactly as I say with no questions asked or else, it feels a bit aggressive perhaps. But what is interesting about this word we're talking about today, this word Shema, is that there's no Hebrew word for obey. There is no separate Hebrew word for obey other than Shema. The word for to obey God is the same word for to listen and hear and understand and respond to pay attention to, to obey.

Shema encourages interpretation. Shema makes you an active participant in your faith and in your relationship with God. To Shema isn't simply to mindlessly follow the letter of the law exactly as you've read it, but it is to read it or hear it and seek your best understanding and act consistently within that which you have Shema. But wait, there's more. I feel like I'm like a car salesman or a infomercial guy for the word Shema. Wait, there's more. And it's exciting. It is particularly exciting because I think it offers a more whole and healthy vision of what obedience means in the Bible. To Shema as obey isn't actually only used for humans in the Bible when they obey God's commandments.

Shema isn't only used for when we are supposed to do something out of our faith. It isn't just a commandment to us. But Shema is the verb that is used for when God responds to people in the Hebrew Scriptures who call out to God in desperation, in need, in suffering, and in their lament. God Shema's God's people. When Hagar cries out from her oppression, the Bible uses the word Shema. And so she named her son Ishmael, which has the root of Shema. His name means God will hear. And when Hannah cries out in her beautiful prayer, God Shema's her. He responds to her and she names her son Shemuel, which has the root Shema. It means God has heard. And Leah, one of Jacob's wives, trying to remind you all about your Old Testament Bible lessons today, Leah, who was one of Jacob's wives, is treated horribly and she suffers greatly in her home and in her relationship. And she has a son and names him Shemon, which we say is Simon, which means he has heard.

Each of these women who suffers greatly, who is oppressed in their context, in their experience of life, they cry out and God Shema's them. He hears and understands their pain. And God responds in a sense we could say God obeys their call, their call out of their suffering, their call out of their life's great pains. God hears and understands intimately their pain. God is compelled by and pays attention to these moments.

It's good news to us that to Shema is not simply something that is an expectation for humans, but is a great part of our covenantal relationship with God. To obey is not simply our place to never ask for anything. We aren't simply little meat sack puppets who were just put on earth to mindlessly worship an intangible God, but we are beloved children made to be loved, named and called very good in Genesis, invited into a covenantal relationship to be co-working, co-creating, and co-listening people. We are not invited just to politely and passively hope to God. We too can tell God Shema me. Listen to me. Hear me God. God to me God. Job demands God responds and God Shema's Job.

When we pray we don't say, "Oh hey God, like so, it'd be really cool maybe if you've got time but I understand you're really busy and just but maybe if you could just I'm going through a lot but I get it if you I get it." And no, that's not how we, there's not, I mean I hope that's not how you pray and if you feel uncomfortable praying because you feel uncomfortable demanding anything of God, there are many people here who would help, who would love to help develop a spiritual practice of prayer with you but that is not how we as the church pray.

We don't say if you could find some time to get around to this horrific suffering. We pray in the imperative form, in a command form of grammar. We say, "God hear our prayer. God heal our world. Bring justice to our neighbors. Protect those making dangerous journeys. God do what I cannot do." And God responds out of an intimate understanding of our suffering, of our needs, our joys, and our pain. Even when it doesn't feel like it often, God responds.

Middle schoolers discussed Shema and they noticed or they noted that their knowing of the Bible saying Shema made them more interested in understanding God's vision for the world and for them than simply the word obey. To know that God hears us and Shema's us, there was a sense that it makes them feel part of their own faith, ready to interpret and understand God's commandments. And so perhaps relearning the word obey as Shema this morning could do the same for you.

I want to reread the text that we had for this morning, Deuteronomy 6:4-5, in a translation that I think to be faithful to the essence of God's intended message and I am curious how different this will fall on your ears. And the reading is this, "Respond in your understanding, Israel. The one who caused all becoming is our God. The I Am that I will be is one and you shall love your God that causes existence with all your heart and with everything from the breath within you and with your perfect muchness."

What does it mean to respond in our understanding or specifically why did I choose Deuteronomy to discuss obedience when I could have chosen so many other things and really specifically and especially why on earth for pride month would I choose to discuss obedience in a series on celebration and transformation? Because the way that I translated the fifth verse, "Love your God that causes existence with all your heart everything from the breath within you and with your perfect muchness." I think offers us something the first translation didn't.

This word used for soul is not the concept of soul that we have in our Western view, which actually comes from Plato and Aristotle. Rather it is referring to the very life breath in your body. Everything you the life which was breathed into you when you were knit together, which now gives you your very breath. Everything in that breath is what you are to love God with. The Hebrew used for strength is "me'od," which is actually not a noun at all. It does not necessarily mean physical strength. It's instead actually like an adverb. It means very, we're much greatly, very exceedingly, abundantly. It is a word that indicates to us simply that there is an abundance within you. It's you being a little extra.

And in fact, the Hebrew says, "u’vechol," which means overall or completely, perfectly, your whole muchness. You are meant to love God with that. Not just your muscles, but the strength of who you are, the overall very, veryness, the chutzpah, the extra spice that you add to life. That's something special that is in abundance within you. That is what you are meant to obey and love God with.

To obey God is to be very much, to be so very much yourself because God brought that, God brings that into existence. God makes all things and thus to obey God is to love God with that very muchness inside you. To obey God is to love God with the orientation of your heart and how and who you love with it, to conjure the holy breath inside of you and to be so very, very much, greatly, exceedingly, exactly who God made you to be. Not to be hidden away, not to be contorted into who the world wants you to be, not to be hustling so hard. Every day that you lose sight of who you are simply so the world will tell you good job.

And the church may have taught you that to obey God is to obey the church, to obey a pastor, obey your parents, and perhaps if you're a woman, to obey your husband. And that to do so, to obey those people and thus God, apparently, you should ignore your needs, your intuition, your pain, your suffering. You should ignore your red flags or make yourself small, quiet, agreeable. Make yourself someone you aren't. But that isn't consistent with Scripture and that's why I chose Deuteronomy 6:4-5 today. Scripture doesn't say to submit with zero critical understanding to the detriment of your survival. Thriving and flourishing. It doesn't say to submit to a human in authority over you who claims to speak for God. Scripture says, "Shema God." Hear God and seek to understand and respond to God.

And in this pride month, the lives and the witness of every LGBTQ person in this room, and every LGBTQ person sitting in any pew as uncomfortable or potentially more uncomfortable than the ones you're sitting in right now, in un-air-conditioned sanctuaries from coast to coast, in big shiny churches with floor to ceiling organs, or just one little room chapels in middle school gyms turned into churches, or coffee shop brewery experimental churches, or in the church that is in someone's living room because no church in town will welcome them, in churches with rock bands, gospel choirs, or just one guy and his guitar and a lot of gumption, which was not at all meant to be a slighted fish in the day. Typically we have a whole band, so that was not about you. But we've all been there. Churches that might just be one lesbian in her room with a bath and body works candle and a Spotify playlist—I don't know why I'm crying, I'm not even a lesbian—It's just a mix of the indigo girls and Semler because she doesn't know where else to find God anymore.

And the witness of every queer and trans person who can no longer find a congregation that reflects God, so they walked away from any expression of church, but those who still listen for the still small voice of God, or those who call out for God's response from a whirlwind, or who cries out for God in the middle of their darkest night. All of us, each of us in our muchness and from everything within our very breath and our whole hearts is obeying God. Because we are choosing despite the insistence from both atheists and Christians alike that we are not meant to still choose God. That we are not meant to still hear God. We are accused all the time of being the most disobedient to God's will, instead replacing God's will with our own.

But let me tell y'all, and I think every queer and trans person in this room would know, that this difficult life full of being reviled in the world, being cast out by our communities, we would not have been likely to choose this if we could have at first. And I want to be clear at first, because many of us now would surely choose that if we could. I wouldn't have if I could have at first, not because of theology or the church, because at 15 I wasn't Christian, I wasn't part of a church. But when I realized that I was trans, I surely did not want to be trans. I did not want the extra emotional labor. I did not want to spend my afternoon at the U of M's gender clinic instead of hanging out with friends at the Ridgedale Mall. I did not want to fight to be understood. I wanted what every other kid wanted. A nice, normal, stable, uncomplicated, unbothered life. But something compelled me, something disrupted my own will so that I would be pushed towards life. A better life, a more whole life, a life I could imagine living into old age and a life where I could finally breathe that breath within me. A full and a deep life-giving breath.

And in the same way, today as I move on from my role here at The Table, I am obeying God because this transition is not rooted in what I want, but in what I have heard and understood from God and to which I must respond accordingly. I could continue to do my job because I want to do this job, but my leaving will allow space for hard work I need to do, for reconciliation, for healing, reconnection and transformation, things that I've heard and understood that God wants for me. And when I heard God command rest to me, I knew it didn't mean take a vacation or go on a long walk, schedule a long weekend up north or take a bubble bath.

I knew what it meant. It meant, “Your whole life through needs to be reoriented, your very being needs to be restored, your whole life needs to be paid attention to, so rest. Shema and rest.” And so I—the person so stubborn that I will choose a blue shirt instead of a green shirt just because my husband told me that the green shirt looks better—In the fullness of my obstinate nature, have heard the God who brought me into existence. And finally, I am happy to respond in what we might call obedience to the commandment of rest.

Please join me in prayer. Gracious God who brings us all into being that makes the very muchness of our life and that breathed into us that holy and deep breath inside our lungs. Today we come before you listening. We come before you to understand what it means to Shama and understand and respond to you in our world today. And we ask, no, we command that you Shama to the many voices crying out to you in our communities in our world today. Tonight we continue to be in a covenantal relationship with you in a deeper way to understand how and when and where to Shama you. Amen.