Queer Theology

After two weeks of Easter Q&As (here & here), we are back to the lectionary! It’s really easy to get swept up in the moment of a movement — whether that’s for Jesus or justice (or both!). But at some point, the luster fades and the hard work begins. Then what? Are you really in it?

Later, Jesus himself appeared again to his disciples at the Sea of Tiberias. This is how it happened: Simon Peter, Thomas (called Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, Zebedee’s sons, and two other disciples were together. Simon Peter told them, “I’m going fishing.”

They said, “We’ll go with you.” They set out in a boat, but throughout the night they caught nothing. Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples didn’t realize it was Jesus.

Jesus called to them, “Children, have you caught anything to eat?”

They answered him, “No.”

He said, “Cast your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.”

So they did, and there were so many fish that they couldn’t haul in the net. Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It’s the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard it was the Lord, he wrapped his coat around himself (for he was naked) and jumped into the water. The other disciples followed in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they weren’t far from shore, only about one hundred yards.

When they landed, they saw a fire there, with fish on it, and some bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you’ve just caught.” Simon Peter got up and pulled the net to shore. It was full of large fish, one hundred fifty-three of them. Yet the net hadn’t torn, even with so many fish. Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples could bring themselves to ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came, took the bread, and gave it to them. He did the same with the fish. This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.

When they finished eating, Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”

Simon replied, “Yes, Lord, you know I love you.”

Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.” Jesus asked a second time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

Simon replied, “Yes, Lord, you know I love you.”

Jesus said to him, “Take care of my sheep.” 1He asked a third time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

Peter was sad that Jesus asked him a third time, “Do you love me?” He replied, “Lord, you know everything; you know I love you.”

Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. I assure you that when you were younger you tied your own belt and walked around wherever you wanted. When you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and another will tie your belt and lead you where you don’t want to go.” He said this to show the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. After saying this, Jesus said to Peter, “Follow me.”

Photo by jesse orrico

The post What happens when the excitement fades? – John 21:1-19 appeared first on Queer Theology.

Y’all submitted so many rich questions for our Easter Q&A episode and we couldn’t get to them all so we are doing a followup episode.

In this episode, we respond to 2 questions on the same theme: Navigating a church that isn’t LGBT-affirming (or who might not be), and how that intersects with Easter

We’ll be doing Q&A episodes in the future… if you have a question for us, email us at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at queertheology.com/listen

The post Easter Q&A Part 2 appeared first on Queer Theology.

This year for Easter, we’re doing a Q&A episode to cover all things Holy Week and Easter. We really dig into a few amazing questions in this week’s episode. There were too many to get to all in one episode so we will be doing more Q&A episodes soon. Make sure you’re subscribed so that you don’t miss it — and you can submit your own question to be included in a future episode.

Photo by Tucker Good

The post Easter Q&A appeared first on Queer Theology.

Palm Sunday is this Sunday and because this podcast follows the lectionary, we’ve looked at the same handful of verses this week each year over and over and over again. Why do we do it? What value is there in following the lectionary and how might we see a reflection of queerness in the lectionary itself?

Read the transcript (PDF)

Photo by Rod Long

The post Easter Every Year – Why We Follow The Lectionary appeared first on Queer Theology.

There’s so much in this passage that can related to queerness and LGBTQ+ Christians. What does it mean to be extraordinary in our service of God and the work of God? How can LGBTQ people related the bad faith questions asked by those who don’t care about it? In what ways is queerness inherently holy? We just scratch the surface of those questions and more.

What does this passage bring up for you? Let us know on Twitter!

You have a few more days to submit a question for our Q&A podcast about Easter and all things Holy Week. Email us at [email protected] or leave a voice message here. Submit it by midnight your local time on Sunday April 7.

Transcript coming soon

Six days before Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, home of Lazarus, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Lazarus and his sisters hosted a dinner for him. Martha served and Lazarus was among those who joined him at the table. Then Mary took an extraordinary amount, almost three-quarters of a pound, of very expensive perfume made of pure nard. She anointed Jesus’ feet with it, then wiped his feet dry with her hair. The house was filled with the aroma of the perfume. Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), complained, “This perfume was worth a year’s wages! Why wasn’t it sold and the money given to the poor?” (He said this not because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief. He carried the money bag and would take what was in it.)

Then Jesus said, “Leave her alone. This perfume was to be used in preparation for my burial, and this is how she has used it. You will always have the poor among you, but you won’t always have me.”

Photo by Sharon McCutcheon

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We are doing a special Q&A episode about Easter & Holy Week. Submit a question! Send it as an email to [email protected] or record an audio message here (or from the sidebar of any page on our website, including this one!).

What happens when we re-encounter stories that we heard with different interpretations growing up? What if we understood God as extravagantly loving instead of always waiting for us to mess up so God could smite us? How would that change how we move through the world? How does this text teach us about family acceptance and queer families? All this and more in this week’s podcast!

Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

Then Jesus told them this parable:

Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.

“Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

“When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ So he got up and went to his father.

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

“The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

“But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 2For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.

“Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’

“The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’

“‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”

Photo by Tim Marshall

The post The Extravagant Love of God – Luke 15:1-3, 11-32 appeared first on Queer Theology.

If it feels like we’ve talked about this passage before … we haven’t! It’s just that social justice, taking care of people’s immediate needs, shows up over and over and over again in the Bible. If you’ve ever heard that you’re not really a Christian or that you’re “doing” Christianity “wrong” because of your progressive convictions, this passage is a helpful reminder that taking care of each other is constantly close to the heart of God.

All of you who are thirsty, come to the water!

Seek the Lord when he can still be found;

Photo by Anthony DELANOIX

The post All who are thirsty, come to the water – Isaiah 55:1-9 appeared first on Queer Theology.

The Church, where faith should thrive, too often kills — sometimes spiritually, sometimes literally — the very people working to keep the faith. LGBTQ, women, young people, people of color and others know this well. In this week’s episode, we explore Jesus’s thoughts on the relationship between prophets and religious centers.

At that time, some Pharisees approached Jesus and said, “Go! Get away from here, because Herod wants to kill you.

Jesus said to them, “Go, tell that fox, ‘Look, I’m throwing out demons and healing people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will complete my work. However, it’s necessary for me to travel today, tomorrow, and the next day because it’s impossible for a prophet to be killed outside of Jerusalem.’

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those who were sent to you! How often I have wanted to gather your people just as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings. But you didn’t want that. Look, your house is abandoned. I tell you, you won’t see me until the time comes when you say, Blessings on the one who comes in the Lord’s name.”

Photo by Gift Habeshaw

The post Prophets in our midst – Luke 13:31-35 appeared first on Queer Theology.

This passage is the story of God’s people and how they relate to God. We see that they are instructed to start by remembering where they came from. It’s a reminder that all the writers of scripture had a place and a time and a family and a context. What were theirs? How is God moving among them? And then… what is ours? And how does Scripture speak to us? What does God have to say to us?

Read the transcript (PDF)

Once you have entered the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, and you take possession of it and are settled there, take some of the early produce of the fertile ground that you have harvested from the land the Lord your God is giving you, and put it in a basket. Then go to the location the Lord your God selects for his name to reside. Go to the priest who is in office at that time and say to him: “I am declaring right now before the Lord my God that I have indeed arrived in the land the Lord swore to our ancestors to give us.”

The priest will then take the basket from you and place it before the Lord your God’s altar. Then you should solemnly state before the Lord your God:

“My father was a starving Aramean. He went down to Egypt, living as an immigrant there with few family members, but that is where he became a great nation, mighty and numerous. The Egyptians treated us terribly, oppressing us and forcing hard labor on us. So we cried out for help to the Lord, our ancestors’ God. The Lord heard our call. God saw our misery, our trouble, and our oppression. The Lord brought us out of Egypt with a strong hand and an outstretched arm, with awesome power, and with signs and wonders. 9He brought us to this place and gave us this land—a land full of milk and honey. So now I am bringing the early produce of the fertile ground that you, Lord, have given me.”

Set the produce before the Lord your God, bowing down before the Lord your God. 1Then celebrate all the good things the Lord your God has done for you and your family—each one of you along with the Levites and the immigrants who are among you.

Photo by Tyler Milligan

The post Who was scripture written for? – Deuteronomy 26:1-11 appeared first on Queer Theology.