Lament / Prayer / Dreaming

July 24, 2022
by Sara Baron

“A
History Lesson”

In 1968
the Methodist Church merged with the Evangelical United Brethren
Church to form The United Methodist Church. Both of the predecessor
denominations had social creeds, statements about what justice looked
like. This had started in 1908 when The Social Creed was passed in
the Methodist Episcopal church calling for end to child labor, a fair
wage, and safety standards.^¹
Initially, the statements of both churches were included in the
Discipline, but the 1968 merging conference created a study committee
to create a unified statement, the first edition of the Social
Principals which state where we – as a church – stand on a wide
variety of issues.^²

The
committee came to the 1972 General Conference with language that
said, “homosexual persons no less than heterosexual persons are
individuals of sacred worth.” (It seems worth noting that the
Stonewall Riot was in 1969, and may well have influenced the
intentional inclusion of this statement.)

However,
General Conference fussed over the language, and Don Hand, a delegate
from Southwest Texas suggested that the period be turned into a comma
followed by the phrase “though we do not condone the practice of
homosexuality and consider this practice incompatible with Christian
doctrine.”^³
It passed.

Thus
began the 50 years of EXPLICIT homophobia in The United Methodist
Church – 50 years and counting. The next General Conference –
1976 – added funding bans to prevent church funds from being used
to “promote” homosexuality. The 1984 Discipline Adopted as the
standard for ordained clergy, commitment to “fidelity in marriage
and celibacy in singleness” and “self‐avowed practicing
homosexuals are not to be accepted as candidates, ordained as
ministers, or appointed to serve in The United Methodist Church.”
I remain particularly horrified that the church wrote in “fidelity
in marriage and celibacy in singleness” in order to attack LGB
people, while claiming to do otherwise. It took until 1996 to ban
clergy from presiding at “homosexual unions” and to tell churches
they couldn’t host them.

At the
same time, occasionally, the UMC would make attempts to remind others
that they should be in ministry “for and with all persons” (1996)
and ask “families and churches not to reject or condemn their
lesbian and gay members and friends.” (2000.) Isn’t is great the
church asked people not to reject people while actively rejecting
people? In a great turn of irony the 2008 General Conference adopted
a resolution to oppose homophobia and heterosexism. (FACEPALM.) You
can’t make this stuff up, can you?

Meanwhile,
over the course of these years, the AIDS crisis raged, suicides
stayed common, and LGBTQIA+ kids were kicked out of their homes and
onto the street. Clergy were defrocked, and people called by God
kept their calls quiet (or lived in death spiral closets),
individuals were rejected from their churches and families, and the
church’s attention remained on an odd definition of sexual purity
INSTEAD of focusing on income inequality, poverty, colonialism,
sexism, racism, or climate change.

In 2012
there was an attempt to acknowledge that people of faith disagree
about homosexuality. It failed. 49% to 51%.

Meanwhile,
as you may well know, individuals, churches, communities, and
sometimes even Annual Conferences refused to obey unjust laws. Many
organizations were founded by people who worked for inclusion, many
churches became Reconciling (26 years ago here), clergy refused to
obey rules about homosexual unions and marriages, Bishops refused to
deny people ordinations, people of God simply refused to obey unjust
laws.

And
those who wanted control, those who wanted to have authority over
OTHER people’s bodies, other people’s love, other people’s sex lives,
were really, really upset that they could pass the laws but they
couldn’t crush the dissent.

In 2016
this came to a boiling point at General Conference, and instead of
passing more laws from both sides of its mouth, the church created a
Commission to create a new way forward, and called for a Special
Session of General Conference in 2019 to receive and act on their
report. The Commission called for a moderate way forward, “The One
Church Plan” which let Annual Conferences, Bishops, clergy, and
churches be led by their own consciousness and faith. It aimed to
remove explicit homophobia from church policy but protect those who
wished to live it. Meanwhile progressives called for a FULL end to
homophobia with the “Simple Plan” and conservatives to a doubling
down on it all with the “Traditional Plan.” (While I’m teaching
this history lesson, I still can’t make myself explain all the
horrors of the Traditional Plan.)

The
2019 General Conference passed the Traditional Plan.

And, as
you may know, there was general outrage and horror, and even the
moderates in the USA got upset, and it became certain that The UMC
was headed to divorce, with the only questions being which side would
exit, where the moderates would land, and how the money would be
divided. And then, and I’m pretty sure you DO know this, there was a
pandemic, and here we still stand. 50 years of death and
destruction. And so, we lament.

“Where
are We Now?”

The
United Methodist Church these days is stuck. We’ve realized that we
cannot stay together – not when some of the church says that the
most important litmus test of faith is fidelity to homophobia at all
costs — and the rest of us … I don’t know, exist and don’t agree
with that immoral and theologically bankrupt assessment. On May 1^st,
after years (decades?) of planning, the “Global Methodist Church”
(GMC) launched, inviting churches and clergy to leave The United
Methodist Church and join the GMC. That church is designed for
those who think homophobia is faithfulness to God, although oddly
that isn’t on their website. Slowly, but rather consistently, some
churches are “disaffiliating” from The United Methodist Church
and joining the GMC. I wouldn’t call it a mass exodus, perhaps
because leaving involves paying a fair share of debts owed, ministry
shares, and shared pension liability, and perhaps because their
theology is shallow and deviates wildly from Jesus’s.

There
was a hope among many that the 2020 General Conference would pass
legislation to allow a mostly graceful way forward, allowing
churches, clergy, and even Bishops to leave The UMC. However, the
next General Conference is now scheduled for 2024, (2020 never
happened) and things keep changing. There is, unfortunately, little
hope that the denomination’s official homophobic stances will change
in 2024, but there is SOME hope that our Annual Conference might
become a part of the church that refuses to acknowledge such laws.

In the
meantime, we HERE remain committed to the Reconciling statement:

“We celebrate God’s gift of diversity and value the
wholeness made possible in community equally shared and shepherded by
all. We welcome and affirm people of every gender identity, gender
expression, and sexual orientation, who are also of every age, race,
ethnicity, physical and mental ability, level of education, and
family structure, and of every economic, immigration, marital, and
social status, and so much more. We acknowledge that we live in a
world of profound social, economic, and political inequities. As
followers of Jesus, we commit ourselves to the pursuit of justice and
pledge to stand in solidarity with all who are marginalized and
oppressed.”

We
continue to celebrate love and weddings for God’s beloveds, with no
boundaries around gender or sexual orientation. We continue to
welcome into membership all of God’s beloveds, and invite people to
be in leadership in the church when they are willing and able. We
work in regular and consistent opposition to both the unjust laws of
the church, the implementation of those laws, the homophobia and
transphobia of the country and the world, and the patriarchal, white
supremacist narrative that only some people matter.

And, we
know that there are beloveds of God who cannot stomach being with us
because we are a part of The United Methodist Church, and/or
Christianity, and the harm they’ve experienced from one or both.

We are
in-between. Clear on what we believe, but stuck without a good way
forward, aware of harm happening in the meantime, and yet still
hoping God can help us find a way forward. That’s what this time of
worship is about – praying for help in the midst of all that is
“where we are now.”

“A
Glimpse of God’s Vision”

I know
that no local church, no denomination, and no clergy person will ever
be perfect. We’re human, we’re finite, our perspectives are limited,
and our needs differ from those around us.

But
sometimes I let the perfect be the enemy of the good, and I forget to
even dream with God about where God wants the church to go (because
if we can’t be perfect, why bother???) I don’t have the full vision
of God wants, no one person does, but I am going to share with you
what I can see, so that it becomes part of the conversation that can
become whole.

I
believe that the GMC is predominated by wealthy, cis, straight, white
men who are angry they couldn’t control the movement of the Spirit.
That helps me see what I want the church to look like: economically
diverse, and careful to center the voices of people living in
poverty; diverse in gender expression and careful to center the
voices of those who are trans and non-binary; diverse in sexual
expression and careful to center the voices of those who are
LGBTQIA+; racially and ethnically diverse and careful to center the
voices of people of color and immigrants; with men, women, and
non-binary people, with carefulness in centering the experiences and
needs of women and non-binary people. My language here is very
careful, because I believe in community where all are welcome and
fully engaged members, but the hierarchies of the world enter the
church with us and unless we INTENTIONALLY invert the power dynamics
of the world, they’ll replicate themselves in the church.

And, of
course, I want to be a part of a community open the radical movement
of the Spirit. The GMC uses scripture as a means of control, to
limit people and prescribe their lives. I hope to be part of a
church that sees scripture as an invitation to dialogue about what
matters, what justice looks like, and how we might work together for
the common good of all of God’s beloveds.

When I
listen to Jesus, I hear a lot of intentional inversions of the power
dynamics of the world, so I’m pretty sure he’s into that. I also
hear an amazing amount of empowerment, and reminders that together,
the people have enough to care for each other. The world believes in
scarcity, but the church is called to believe in abundance.

At this
moment in time, I see several intersecting crises that I believe we
are all called to be attending to: poverty and income inequality,
climate change, militarism and escalation of violence, and an
epidemic of loneliness. (In terms of analysis, the way we practice
capitalism seems fundamental to all of these concerns.) I hope that
when the church stops infighting about who is lovable in God’s eyes
(eyeroll) and acknowledges the answer “everyone” we might put our
energy and attention to enacting that by working on the current
crises. (I know, all too well, than when we move from explicit
homophobia to implicit homophobia and transphobia not nearly enough
will change. I know that, and I’ll keep working on it. But the care
of all people includes these pieces TOO.)

At its
worst, religion is the set of myths that empower the societal systems
that create injustice, inequality, hierarchy, and despair. I think
one of the tells of this use of religion is when it is focused on
control.

BUT, at
it’s best, religion lives out the love of God for all people,
dreams of a society of equity, justice, equality, and hope. I think
one of the tells of this use of religion is SHARED power.

While I
hope we will speak, act, live out, and advocate for justice in all
the crisis areas, I think we are best set up to change the world is
by being a place for humans to really connect,
to God and each other, and therefore changing the

epidemic
of loneliness. We are already a community. We already have a
building that can help people gather. We are already practicing
caring, and listening. Many among us have already have lives
transformed by being a part of this community, that is, by God and by
each other. Seeking to use our gifts and resources to connect with
others, and transform loneliness would ALSO increase our empathy and
lead us towards more valuable work in KNOWING that our well-being is
interconnected. I dream of a church where people are loved exactly
as they are, and listened to, and thus healed, and thus a source of
healing and love for the world around them. I think it is possible,
too!

To do
this, though, would require a rather different way of “being”
than we are now, and I am waiting to see how the Spirit moves in
others, to learn how we will move forward together.

1 https://www.umc.org/en/content/methodist-history-1908-social-creed-for-workers

2 https://www.umc.org/en/content/ask-the-umc-why-do-we-have-social-principles-where-did-they-come-from

3 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homosexuality_and_Methodism#United_Methodist_Church,
the word “doctrine” was changed to “teaching” by friendly
amendment before the amendment and statement passed.

Worship 7/24/2022

Uncategorized

“Grieving What We’ve Lost” based on Psalm 69: 1-3,…

July 3, 2022
by Sara Baron

I don’t even know where to begin.

There are so many layers of lament.

For many years, I have regularly advocated for
Reproductive Justice at the New York State Capital, with both Planned
Parenthood and Clergy for Reproductive Choice. Often, one of the
older women in the groups I was advocating with would wear a hanger –
a hanger necklace, hanger earrings, or carry one with them.

Confession: I thought that was sort of tacky.

Especially before 2016, I didn’t think Roe v. Wade could
really fall, and the reminder that people die from illegal abortions
felt like a narrative from another era.

So, once again, I feel the need to apologize to my
elders for not heeding their wisdom. As I remember those moments
with other advocates, I’ve been considering their ages, and noticing
that they were of reproductive age before 1972. They KNEW the impact
of those hangers. It wasn’t just a part of history to them, and I
think that’s why they KNEW better than I that it could become a part
of the present as well.

That’s one part of it all.

I want to acknowledge that not just women can get
pregnant. There are men and non-binary people who are also at risk.
And for the sake of this sermon, I am going to say “women” and
“mothers” sometimes. These words doesn’t encompass men and
non-binary people, but women are the broadest category of affected
people, and I am going to acknowledge that by using the words “women”
and “mothers.”

Another piece of it all is the is the awareness of how
unequal the impact of this decision will be. Not just in terms of
red states and blue states, although that’s a big deal. But also in
terms of socio-economic status – people of means have ALWAYS had
access to safe, medically appropriate abortions, even if they had to
fly to Europe to get them. As per usual, those who live in poverty
will pay a higher price. AND, it is impossible to ignore that
maternal mortality is abominably high in the United States, and most
of the deaths are black women*¹,
followed by other brown women*, while WHITE women* have pretty
reasonable maternal mortality rates. Which is to say, in stark
terms, that an impact of this decision is that more black women* are
going to die.

To make this even move problematic some of the unspoken
and underlying motivation for abortion bans is white supremacy –
whereby there is a desire to prevent white women* having white babies
from ending those pregnancies, and a willingness to end all abortion
access to keep white women* pregnant with white babies. So that
motivation then ends up killing black and brown women.* There was
Freudian slip this week when a congresswoman called the Supreme Court
decision “a historic victory for white life.”²
It was odd to hear it stated directly instead of just being implied.

That’s a part of it all.

Then there is the normal, obvious part of grief around
this decision: the impact on those who are pregnant and don’t want
to be, and the incredible variation of how that came to be and what
impact it will have on them. Earlier this month The Atlantic
published an article entitled “The Most Important Study in the
Abortion Debate” which reports on the research of Diana Green
Foster looking the difference between what happens to women* who were
or were not able to access an abortion.³
They study lasted for 5 years, and included 1000 people seeking to
end pregnancies. They found that those who were denied an abortion:

were more likely to end
up living in poverty. They had worse credit scores and, even years
later, were more likely to not have enough money for the basics, such
as food and gas. They were more likely to be unemployed. They were
more likely to go through bankruptcy or eviction. “The two groups
were economically the same when they sought an abortion,…one became
poorer.”⁴

Also, those who were denied an abortion were more likely
to be with a partner who abused them, more likely to be a single
parent, had more trouble bonding with their child, felt more trapped,
had more anxiety, had lower self esteem, and were less likely to even
have aspirational life plans. They were sicker. Additionally, two
of the pregnant people denied an abortion died from their pregnancies
(none of the people who had abortions died.)

Since most people seeking an abortion already have kids,
the research was also able to study the impact of not being able to
access an abortion on the existing kids. That is, they were less
likely to hit developmental milestones and more likely to live in
poverty. This truth ALSO applied to children born after the abortion
or lack of one.

And, of course, there
were emotional impacts. “Afterward, nearly all said that
termination had been the right decision. At five years, only 14
percent felt any sadness about having an abortion; two in three ended
up having no or very few emotions about it at all. “Relief” was
the most common feeling, and an abiding one.”⁵

This decision made by the Supreme Court condemns
impoverished women* and families to harder lives, because – as we
know – the ones who are pregnant are the ones who know what is best
for them and their families. The data backs it up. They know when
they can’t adequately care for a child or another child.

So, that’s another part of it.

And also, there are the
pieces where some states are having FULL bans on abortions, without
exceptions for the life of mother**⁶
nor for rape nor incest. Now, I have major concerns about the impact
of having to convince someone you were raped or experienced incest in
order to access healthcare, but nevertheless, the impact of being
forced to carry that child to term is enormous. And, many people
will die simply because of the lack of exception for the life of the
mother**.

So, that’s another part of it.

I’m hoping breaking this up actually helps a little. I
mean, it is depressing, I know. But when all of it swirls together
into one huge overwhelming grief, it feels even more out of control.
Knowing there are layers helps me distinguish between them.

I am now at the personal layer, the place where grief is
for me. Not just for me, but for me. The decision tells me that I
do not have authority over my own body. I don’t have a right to my
own body. “Big brother” has the right to tell me what I can and
cannot do with MY BODY.

When this decision came out, I became a second class
citizen. SOME PEOPLE in this country have rights over their body. I
am no longer one of them. SOME PEOPLE have bodily autonomy. I am no
longer one of them. SOME PEOPLE have a right to life-saving
healthcare. I am no longer one of them.

To go back to The
Atlantic, “The legal and
political debate about abortion in recent decades has tended to focus
more on the rights and experience of embryos and fetuses than the
people who gestate them.”⁷

My body, in this country, has more value as a womb for a
future human than as an existing human.

The Supreme Court gaveth, and the Supreme Court tooketh
away.

The history of women* as being property of men is still
present, and still having impact. We are now, it seems, property of
the state who can tell us what we can and cannot do with OUR BODIES.

That’s another part.

And, a friend on FB this week put things into some
context. She is a person of color. She said, “If they’re willing
to do this to white women, I shudder to think what they’re willing to
do to us.” I’m aware that some of the strength of my horror at
having bodily autonomy taken from me comes from the fact that I
thought it was mine to begin with. Which has a lot to do with my
places of privilege in society.

That’s another part.

And along with it, is the fact that I live in New York ,
which not only protects the right to abortion but isn’t even one of
the border states people will flock to when they lose privileges in
their own state. (OK, fine, I hope. May my birth state of PA hold
strong.)

What I’ve lost is more theoretical than for those who
have actually lost the rights to their bodies in their states, and I
have to hold that in tension too.

That’s another part.

Those are many of the pieces of grief and tension I’ve
been experiencing. These are my current lament, and I think the
Bible shows us that lament is important.

But what do we do NOW?

Where is that good news God appointed Isaiah and Jesus
to share? Where is the good news for the POOR? For the captives in
their own bodies, the oppressed?

I may be stating the obvious, but it isn’t here yet.

But, we don’t stop there.

We also do what we’ve done today. We grieve, because
there has been loss. AND, we deny the narrative. The state has said
I don’t have authority over my body, and many of the rest of you
don’t too.

That may be LEGALLY true, but it is morally and
ethnically bankrupt. The state cannot take away the sanctity of
bodily autonomy, the value of human rights. We deny the power of the
state to bureaucratically take dominion over human bodies, and we do
so in whatever means necessary. Because GOD is the one who said we
are created in the image of God, and our lives are sacred, and the
state can’t take away what God has endowed.

There is a wonderful tradition of progressive Christian
activism to support those in need of abortions, and the strength of
that tradition will be a part of what guides us now. There are
amazing new leaders emerging, and part of our work is to listen for
great ideas and support them. There are groups led by those who know
EXACTLY what to do to support the most vulnerable, and we support
those groups.

In the meantime, I suggest we all take some inventories
of the spiritual and physical resources we have available to us
(communal and individual) so we know what we have to offer when
support is asked of us.

God doesn’t let oppression stand. We’re working with
God towards justice, and listening to the urgings of the Spirit and
the wisdom of those impacted as we find our ways forward in this new
(and old) struggle. Amen

1*women,
girls, and people who can get pregnant.

2 https://www.npr.org/2022/06/26/1107710215/roe-overturned-mary-miller-historic-victory-for-white-life

3Annie
Lowry, “The Most Important Study in the Abortion Debate”
published in The Atlantic on
Jun2 11, 2022. Accessed June 30, 2022.
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/06/abortion-turnaway-study-roe-supreme-court/661246/

4Lowry.

5Lowry.

6**Mother
or parent.

7Lowry.

Rev. Sara E. Baron
First United Methodist Church of Schenectady
603 State St. Schenectady, NY 12305
Pronouns: she/her/hers
http://fumcschenectady.org/
https://www.facebook.com/FUMCSchenectady

July 3, 2022