Fourth Sunday of Advent: Emmanuel: God With Us Turns Traditionalism On Its Head

Jaroslav Pelikan in The Vindication of Tradition: 1983 Jefferson Lecture in the Humanities said: "Tradition is the living faith of the dead.  Traditionalism is the dead faith of the living."  Many of the things and attitudes we have often adopted as part of our faith and way of life are often said to come from tradition, when in fact they are the result of traditionalism.   Because my blog is based on the Scriptures and the full inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning and queer people, I am going to present the idea here that the virgin birth of Christ which we will celebrate on December 25 and our belief that Jesus was God's perfect revelation of God's Self was an act in which God turned traditionalism on it's head.   That traditionalism extends to an understanding from the Bible that men are strong and dominant, and women are somehow weak and subordinate.  When God broke into human history through the power of the Holy Spirit to conceive the human body of Christ in Mary all labels and attitudes of the weaker vs the stronger were overturned, never to be the same.


Out in Scripture reminds us of something very important to go with the Gospel reading for this weekend of Matthew 1: 18-25.

Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:

"Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,

and they shall name him Emmanuel,"

which means, "God is with us." When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus.

 In spite of the disturbing shifts away from liberation in these texts, we also discovered there is at least one liberating gift for LGBT people in Matthew 1:20b and its portrayal of Mary becoming pregnant by the Holy Spirit.  We hear the passage speak of a female same-gender loving partnership, since in Hebrew the word ruah, Spirit, is a feminine form.  The Greek version of Spirit, pneuma, is neuter in form, which furthers the claim of both Hebrew and Greek traditions that males were not involved at all in Jesus’ conception.  This radical reading shakes up any traditional take on love-making between God and Mary.  God is about something altogether new in creating Emmanuel, God with us.

The Virgin Birth Narrative might also be understood as obliterating the shame of those who have children and create families outside the traditional model.  In this story, God enters the world as the child Jesus, born of a woman who is not married to the father.  In this way God could be saying, “If you want to label such people negatively, you’ll have to use that label on Jesus.”  One problem with this rendering, however, is that readers often get stuck with the sexualized images and miss or avoid the transgressive good news of such a reading.

The Virgin Birth Narratives have been used by traditionalists to establish so called traditions to explain and legislate what the ideal sexual, familial and romantic relationship should or should not be.  Not to mention what the so called proper role of the male and female gender should be.  God broke into human history to turn the dominant and submission understanding that had been perverted by sin and discrimination to bring about liberation and equality.   What traditionalists have done in an effort to save face is worked to return the sin and discrimination back in place.  This is why laws preventing same-sex couples from marriage equality, as well as abstinence only education are so unjust and out of place.  They are based on presumptions that are neither true nor substantiated.  

It is no mistake that this weekends readings are what they are after yesterday's Senate vote to repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell passed with a vote of 65-33.  The 14 year Military Ban that requires women and men to serve and die in defense of our country by lying about who they are or be subject to discharge is finally dead.  A law based on the dead faith of living people has been legislatively destroyed.  Thanks be to God.  Yet, even as we rejoice there are already Christianist anti-gay hate groups vowing to force Congress to reverse the repeal of DADT. Traditionalists are planning to return the sin of discrimination that Jesus came to liberate us from, back claiming that it comes from their "Biblical traditions."

When God comes to us, God is known for turning our plans upside down and inside out.  One of the oldest quotes is: "If you want to make God laugh, tell God your plans."  God's use of Mary and Joseph to change the face and direction of human history, by also challenging many religious and social "traditions" is exactly what God the Holy Spirit does.  We cannot be left alone in our Pandoras Boxes of what we think about God, others or even ourselves.  If we are to experience growth in our personal, spiritual and social lives then we must be open to moving from where we are to beyond our wildest imaginations.  The biggest message of Advent and Christmas is no matter how difficult and challenging changes in our lives are, God is with us through it all.  Whether we are ready for God to move and change us and others around us or not, God is there with us and helps us face and endure whatever circumstances that come our way.  We are never alone.   God the Holy Spirit, like a good Mother leads us to Jesus by helping us to understand God's will as opposed to our own.  Even though Jesus came to ultimately go to the cross to die for the sins of the world, he still faced everything with God the Mother Spirit helping him to trust in God for every moment and each step of his journey.  So God the Advocate and Comforter is always with us.

Those of us who are challenging the status quo in terms of sexual and gender diversity are facing enormous political, social and religious obstacles.  We are facing the work of traditionalists determined to make things that are not part of the Christian faith to determine the laws of our country and our churches for each and every person.  We are facing those who tell us that our work for equal rights and full inclusion cannot be done because the Biblical laws rebuke being LGBT or acting on our sexual orientation and/or gender identity/expression.  Unlike Christianists, we are taking the opportunity to become more educated and aware of the misinterpretations that are created by intolerance, prejudice and apathy.  It is the same attitudes that are used by the Governor of Arizona to keep terminally ill patients from receiving organ transplants or enacting their horrible anti-immigration law.   The same behaviors are shown as our country continues to show complete disregard for the poor, lonely, discouraged, mentally/physically and psychologically challenged.  The God who came into human history through Mary came to bring all who are forgotten and marginalized into the company and wonder of God's unconditional and all inclusive love.  

No more was there to be the dominance of one person or group of people over another.  That is the tradition that was suppose to be brought about by the Advent and Christmas message.  It is that message that the Church has yet to fully acquire and proclaim.  It is the prayer that Jesus prays for each one of us as he intercedes for us at the right hand of God.  If such a prayer were answered violence would not even be considered.  Discrimination would be permanently outlawed and understood to be unacceptable.  The need for the Christianist capitalistic enterprise designed to destroy any and all individuals and institutions that do not think like they do, would be defunded and put out of business.  And there would indeed be peace on earth and good will toward all.

Purify our conscience, Almighty God, by your daily visitation, that your Son Jesus Christ, at his coming, may find in us a mansion prepared for himself; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Collect for the Fourth Sunday of Advent, Book of Common Prayer, page 212). 

Eternal Spirit, Lover of our souls and bodies,
        We thank you and praise you for your enduring love.
    May we cherish our own embodiment
        as we do yours – that fleshly-wrap housing the Spirit
        of infinitesimal power and grace.
    May we continue to honor the Temple within,
        and gratefully treat our body
        that reflects your very presence.
    In the name of Jesus, Immanuel, God with us. Amen.  (Prayerfully Out in Scripture).