ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
June 20, 2026
“Jesus! Jesus! I have a question for you. Do you accept those Samaritans? Don’t misunderstand me. I love the sinner, but I hate the sin.” I’m not sure if such a conversation actually took place during Jesus’s time, but it certainly seems as if people like to make those distinctions and draw very specific, yet somewhat arbitrary, lines. Some of you have heard the kerfuffle over Pride jerseys and Major League Baseball. First of all, no player is forced to wear a jersey or hat with the rainbow decals, but an individual player cannot then modify or write on his jersey/hat. So all the stories suggesting that players were “forced” to wear affirming uniforms is incorrect. And equally interesting is how the Justice Department opened an investigation into a “pattern of discrimination against Christians.” I am fascinated by the suggestion that there is discrimination against Christians. Do you know that 55% of Christians in the United States fully support LGBTQ+ people, and 67% believe they should be protected under the law? To suggest Christians are being discriminated against is to ignore that Christians themselves have some disagreements, so it is hard to discriminate against a group that technically is supportive of what you are doing.
Finally, what makes me laugh is the passage some players chose to write on their caps. It’s from Genesis 9, and it concludes with the words, “When I see the rainbow in the sky, I will always remember the promise that I have made to every living creature. The rainbow will be the sign of that solemn promise” (vs.16-17). I don’t know if writing this scripture on their hats was an attempt to reclaim what they might have thought was the true Biblical understanding of the rainbow, but this portion of scripture comes immediately after the flood narrative. It is a dramatic shift in how God is portrayed. Israel, along with other religions of the ancient world, wouldn’t have thought twice about a god who wakes up on the wrong side of the bed and decides to destroy all things. So to have a story that suggests our God won’t be doing that anymore, and makes the promises to every living creature, is really fascinating. In fact, it probably would have been absurd to most everyone. For it was thought that a god or the gods might make a promise to good and right people like us, but surely there will be no mercy shown toward those other people. In this passage, I think we find an evolutionary shift in the way people perceived God. Maybe, just maybe, God isn’t simply on my side. Maybe, just maybe, God equally cares about everyone, including those that the social powers have marginalized and left to suffer. At the end of the day, the baseball players wrote a scripture on their hats, attempting to make a statement against the LGBTQ+ community. However, the scripture actually invites the reader to look beyond those specific, yet somewhat arbitrary, lines that have been drawn. By doing so, the scripture encourages the reader to consider those who have been marginalized. And in doing so, glimpse those who have been pushed out over and against God’s dream for all creation.
Holy and Sacred One, provide us with a vision to see where the Spirit is speaking and acting in such a way as to upset those seeking to protect the arbitrary lines of separation. Where something is out of place, prophetic, or outlandish, it might just be your Spirit guiding humanity a little closer to you. Make us aware… please! Amen.
