Diversity and Belonging: A Divinely Queer Gift
The creation narrative in the first chapter of the book of Genesis asserts three things I find interesting in the way they are stated, and important regarding the celebration of Christian spiritual empowerment in Pentecost and of queer awareness and pride on this first Sunday of Pride Month:
“The deepest sense of belonging is not in everyone looking the same or believing the same, but in a whole community being challenged and encouraged by multiple perspectives and manifold aspirations.”
The first of these is that God created humanity in a plural image of God. Verse 26 of Genesis one reads, “And God said, ‘Let us make humankind in our image, after our likeness.’” The God we know as creator is clearly non-binary and very likely exists by embracing multiple identities. That God created humanity, you and I, in that plural likeness of God. Verse 25 continues to say, “And God created humankind in the divine image, creating it in the image of God—creating them male and female.”
The second of these is that God created humanity with a clear purpose. The second part of verse 26, and verses 28, 29, and 30 (of Genesis 1) are quite explicit about this purpose:
“They shall rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the cattle, the whole earth, and all the creeping things that creep on earth… God blessed them and God said to them, ‘Be fertile and increase, fill the earth and master it; and rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and all the living things that creep on earth.’ God said, ‘See, I give you every seed-bearing plant that is upon all the earth, and every tree that has seed-bearing fruit; they shall be yours for food. And to all the animals on land, to all the birds of the sky, and to everything that creeps on earth, in which there is the breath of life, [I give] all the green plants for food.’ And it was so.”
Humans were entrusted by God, still, to fill the earth, and for us to rule and master over creation. To rule and to master are akin to the role and discipline of stewardship and care. Even when capitalism calls for the use and abuse of every natural resource, including fellow humans, God called humanity to steward and care for the whole of creation as a community of care.
The third of these is God’s evaluation of the whole of creation, including the creation of a diverse humanity as God themself is diverse. Verse 31 of Genesis 1 is short and profound, “And God saw all that had been made, and found it very good.” All of the creation was more than above average. It was good, very good. You and I, the last in the created order, including every identity we know ourselves to be, and identities we will discover for ourselves, were found to be good, and even more, very good.
Eleven chapters later, we read of the whole of humanity gathered in one place. They had achieved many things, and enough creative ingenuity that led them to plan to settle in one place. By doing this they wanted to achieve a name for themselves by not having their most precious resource scattered. They realized that human energy and ingenuity was their most precious resource. Controlling that resource, mastering other humans, was the direction human ingenuity in service to humanity alone led this group of early humans.
Humans were created in the diverse identity of God to steward and care for the created order, as a community of care, a community of solidarity, and a community of freedom.
Care, solidarity, freedom.
Peace, love, justice.
When stewarding and caring for creation, curating actions and commitments of peace, love, and justice, there is no space for humans to position ourselves as first, foremost, or worst, supreme. The moments in history when humans turned our abilities, creativity, and knowledge to serve some of us, dominate others, and exploit creation, have also been moments when uniformity has been confused for unity, and diversity has been articulated as a burden.
On this first Sunday of Pride, and as we celebrate Pentecost with Christians throughout the world, the good news is to know that everything that is queer, everything that seems odd from a conventional point of view is, in fact, how God created humanity. That queerness of God’s creative action is the one that encourages stewardship, care, and solidarity, as the ways in which persons of goodness can witness to and live out peace, love, and justice. God’s confusing the languages of the inhabitants of Babel, and scattering them throughout the world is, perhaps, one of God’s most powerful and intentionally queer acts. God came down to break the conventions of social norms and affirmed that diversity is a gift and that the gift of diversity is more fruitful in our finding belonging. The deepest sense of belonging is not in everyone looking the same or believing the same, but in a whole community being challenged and encouraged by multiple perspectives and manifold aspirations.
Otherness is the intent of convention and uniformity. Oppression is its result.
Belonging is the intent of God’s creative power. Dignity is the intent of God’s redeeming action. Diversity is the way God’s spiritual presence will accomplish these. The Church is called to break the norm, to veer from the convention. The Church is invited to embrace God’s queer acts of creation, redemption, and solidarity.
Amen.
These words are based on a sermon preached at the First Presbyterian Church of Albany on Pentecost 2022, also the first Sunday of Pride Month (June 5). Click here to access the video. The sermon begins around minute 20:30