“And as a young college friend said to our recent national conference, ‘Jesus had two dads, and he turned out all right!’”One wants to say all kinds of things like are you suggesting the family was polygamist, meaning one wife and two husbands. Or are you equating Joseph’s relationship to God with a homosexual coupling?
But what does it really mean that Jesus had a heavenly Father and an earthly step father? Doesn’t that take in the whole sweep of God’s revelation to his church? Isn’t that the whole story of Holy Scripture? Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of the Father, taking on human flesh, living and dying for our redemption.
There are surely two Christmas stories sweeping through our Presbyterian Church. One is God’s revelation, met with awe, devotion and worship. That story is always new, it is the story saints and martyrs never grow tired of hearing. It is the push and shove that plants their feet in hard places. It is God’s promises fulfilled in history. It is God’s light that shines in our awful darkness.
The other Christmas story, the plot is somewhat the same, but the words have lost their meaning because they seem unbelievable, old and stale. So old and stale that the story can be used blasphemously to hopefully bring about something ‘new’ while putting Jesus in the funny box. It is simply a means to an end, a way to hurry on to some new vision or some new activity.
But Jesus, the Incarnation, his life, his word, his death, his resurrection, that is our story that is our song.
Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son; and you shall call his name Jesus for he will save his people from their sins." (Matt. 1:20b-21)
3 comments:
I would say that the story perpetually sweeping through the PC(USA) as well as other denominations, unfortunately, is people on both sides of the LGBTQ ordination issue misrepresenting their opponents' views. For example: I think it is preposterous for you to claim that because Pam Byers made a joke (not even a new one by a long shot), she is someone who merely sees the Christmas story as an empty means to a political end - much less that there are supposedly many people who do so. I dare you to contact her and ask - you will almost certainly learn otherwise.
As for whether we can find or use humor as part of faith, I imagine we disagree there too.
Doug,
I think you missed my whole point-and yes I have heard that before (that was part of my point) and as Byers was pointing out someone said it at the Covenant Conference. Speaking of Jesus that way and his relation to the Father is not funny. It is a glib, insulting way of trying to make people laugh about how easy it should be to allow gay marriage. Using Jesus that way, I will say it again, is not funny.
Given the message it's polyandrist non polygamist.
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