Sunday Reflections: Sex is just the Beginning, End Oppression

Welcome to Sunday Reflections. Each week Lou shares their thoughts on a passage found in the "lectionary." The "lectionary," known as the Revised Common Lectionary, is a three-year cycle of passages that mainstream Protestant churches follow. The RCL is built around the seasons of the Church Year and includes four lections for each Sunday and additional readings for significant feast days.

"Then I realized it! What had been missing from my life. No longer did I feel oppressed. I experienced this incredible moment where I have found where I belong. It was kind of like the universe was waiting for me."

Does this sound familiar? It does—that moment where we feel a synergy with the world. We feel like we have been living in a personal hell of oppression, and then we are given relief. That's also boiled down version of Revelation 21:1-6. The cathartic moment where we experience the pain of oppression for who we are, some catastrophe or pain that we have lived through, or an experience that is walking hell. Every one of us has had an experience like this because suffering is an unavoidable part of being human. Some of us live through this hell regularly.

The majority of us aren't facing the suffering of church communities on the Asian Minor, who is the intended audience of this scripture. You can learn more about that in the Backstory of the Book of Revelation. We experience suffering from adverse political ideologies, discrimination, hate crimes, or constant messages that what we do or who we are as wrong as it doesn't fit the "traditional" mold.

What is belonging? When do we experience that moment after the oppression and have located what we deem home?

For many of us, it is people surrounding us with love, whom we love, and our chosen family. Let's face it, the biological family sometimes "doesn't get it." Advice that I determined not to take from my Aunt a few years ago is to always stand by my biological family no matter what. Out of all of the advice I have ever been given, that is probably some of the toxic and potentially traumatic advice. Only we can determine what the healthiest choice for us is. Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD) is genuine and doesn't require a call of duty in war. Apostle John, to whom the Book of Revelation is credited, wrote these words after experiencing trauma living under the Roman Rule and exile.

We experience oppression. Sexual Repression is so common that even in the most liberal denominations, oppression is still there, lying both out in the open and quietly in the darker corners we wish to avoid. Most mainstream protestant traditions struggle with what it means to be Opening and Affirming (UCC), Reconciling (Methodist), Welcoming & Affirming (Baptist). The Episcopal Church has done much work on itself in recognizing the worth and equality of all people, no matter what their sexuality is. The Roman Catholic Church is still struggling to accept that someone who identifies as LGBTQ+ is not disordered. It's not simply an LGBTQ+ issue either.

What is the takeaway of the news that God is making all things new?

If you are at the point of rolling your eyes and hovering your mouse arrow on the "x" of the tab on your browser - I understand. I am sure that you have been assured that you are loved and accepted just as you are. Perhaps, you've never been assured that at all and that this is new information to you. Here is the secret, though, here is the key to making all things news: God doesn't care where God meets you. What is new is that you don't have to change to be in God's good graces. You are in the good graces of God. Institutional religion is not the Holy City we seek.

The Holy City for the sexually repressed is not hearing about sinful sexual acts in the pews. What we call the new earth and new heaven that affirms every person that sexuality is God-given is not the end times. The end times are subjective such as a person's interpretation of the Book of Revelation. The objective is that the Kin-dom of God accepts us all as we are.

Whatever form the higher power takes, something more significant than what can be defined,

something infinite, it's been there since the beginning, and if there is an end, it's going to be there. That acceptance is not conditional on a person's sexual identity or expression. God gave us our sexuality. God created sexuality on the sixth day of building creation. God created our partner's love (s), ways we express our sexuality and engage with each other affirm that we are seen as beloveds among those who matter.

What has been missing in my life is missing in most people's lives. Think of the first person who told you that something you felt love for, something you enjoyed doing, that made you happy was wrong. It most likely didn't fit into a belief system or your church community. And then shut your eyes. Now open them and remember - Jesus gave us the commandment to "love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another." (John 13:31-35)

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Backstory of Book of Revelation:

This week's lectionary had a rare appearance of scripture from Revelation. Yes. THAT Revelation.

What is with the Book of Revelation's reputation?

The Book of Revelation is super popular with the Evangelicals movement. When read literally, individuals take this book as a manual of when to determine the "end times" are near. This book is the base of the popular series Left Behind.

What is the actual story of the Book of Revelation:

The Book of Revelation is considered prophetic apocalyptic writing. The book has dated around 95 A.D. During the time of Emperor Domitian. Emperor worship was a threat to Christians, and persecution occurred due to refusal of the practice. A catastrophe where 60,000 Roman soldiers had stormed Jerusalem. The result was a great temple being burned down and the city in ruins after the Romans declared victory over an armed Jewish revolt had occurred. The actual intent of this writing was to spread a pie-in-the-sky hope that God is going to return and destroy the Romans as punishment for destroying Jerusalem.

The writings are "visions" of the Author apostle John. Colorful is confusing to most but not confusing to the audience that John was talking to. Like the Letters of Paul, this writing is for a specific audience. Later on, the bible includes these writings. These writings are in a code that would have been hard for the Romans to break and allowed the author to communicate somewhat openly.

References:

John Blake, "4 big myths of Book of Revelation", CNN, Last Modified March 31, 2012, https://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2012/03/31/four-big-myths-about-the-book-of-revelation/.

What was the historical background for the book of Revelation? , BibleAsk, https://bibleask.org/what-was-the-historical-background-for-the-book-of-revelation/