I almost never think in terms of sermon series; for the past decade and a half I have been a part of a community that hasn’t made sermon series a very big part of its life together. So I’m not very used to thinking that way. But the other day I was looking at the Revised Common Lectionary readings for June, and I noticed that they all fit together in certain ways, and had some things in common. And as I was thinking through their commonalities, I also noticed that the theme they all fit was a pretty good match for one of the broader cultural moments happening in June: Pride Month.
Pride Month is one of those things that different people understand differently, and that different churches will acknowledge (or not acknowledge) differently. (Just a couple of days ago an NFL player dismissed the whole month as a celebration of “deadly sins” as part of a graduation speech, in which he also suggested to the graduating women that they might be happiest having kids and focusing on domestic work). Some congregations (and some Christians) work against Pride Month, some ignore it, and some march in the Pride Parade. So you and your congregation might or might not be ready for a Pride sermon series. But I’m a big believer in following the lead of spirit (or Spirit), and looking at the lectionary readings for June, I see a pretty clear opportunity to focus on an emerging form of biblical interpretation that’s very meaningful to an increasing number of people. The texts are lining up with the month of June’s designation as Pride Month, and both are lining up with recent developments like the one in the United Methodist Church, which has taken steps toward fuller inclusion.
The broad use of gender and sexuality to interpret biblical texts is often referred to as “queer biblical interpretation,” “queer reading,” or something like that. The word “queer” can be difficult for some people to embrace, given its long use as a slur and a weapon. But “queer” has emerged as a self-designation for people across lgbtqia+ communities, and there is a thriving academic discipline of Queer Studies or Queer Theory, with a strong and emerging tradition of queer biblical interpretation. Whether you use the word “queer” or use the more familiar “pride,” a sermon series using the methodologies of gender and sexuality could be a powerful way to bring a new lens to biblical texts. (If you aren’t already doing so, I recommend that you check out Dr. Jimmy Hoke’s Queer Lectionary blog).
There are dozens of interpretive methods available to us as we approach a sacred text. We can ask questions about the text’s historical context, its grammar, its relationship to power and violence, or its history of reception. We can pick apart translations, ask about how a text fits with different theological traditions, or notice how it relates to the news of the day. All those different methods yield different results; that’s why seminary classrooms often expose students to a number of different ones. But as an emerging lens, queer biblical interpretation isn’t likely something most pastors studied in school, and it’s not likely to be something many parishioners are familiar with. The potential for new insights, then, is high.
In June, then, I’ll be using that lens each week to draw out a Pride-friendly interpretation from the weekly readings.
On June 2nd, the lectionary includes 2 Corinthians 4:5-12 and Mark 2:23-3:6. Both of these texts are amenable to a queer reading, and both of them are a good starting point for a month-long series. For my Substack for that week, we will focus on the 2 Corinthians text as an account of suffering and persecution—Paul’s, certainly, but also of the people who have received suffering and persecution at the hands of churches and Christians. Paul’s defiance in the text, and his insistence on perseverance, is inspiring. And the passage from Mark gets directly to the question of how religious folk can get in the way of justice and flourishing, and the ways Jesus intervened in religious certainties to make space for new understandings.
On June 9th, we will look at Genesis 3:8-15, which is set in the Garden of Eden. It’s a pivotal text in the history of the way Christians have understood sin and sexuality to be intertwined, and the way gender has been entangled in our theological anthropologies—our conceptions of what human beings are and how we understand our possibilities and limits.
The lectionary for June 16th contains several readings about growth and flourishing, using plants as a metaphor for living in the fullness of God’s blessing. This is at the core of an idea like “Pride.” Pride insists that queer people are made in the image of God, and that everyone is entitled to flourish. The texts from this week’s lectionary make it a point to connect growth and flourishing to the glory of the divine.
On June 23rd, the lectionary gives us a view of genuine and enduring love between two people of the same gender. Scholars debate 1 Samuel 18:1-4 and its meaning. Some see a description of a friendship, and others understand the relationship between David and Jonathan as something much more—something romantic. Certainly the language used in the passage has caught the attention of many interpreters, who see it as a frank textual acknowledgement of the two men’s love for each other. While queer biblical interpretation is not always (or even usually) about finding examples of same-gender love in the Bible, this is a case when it’s fair to ask: what do we miss about this passage when we insist on reading it as though everyone in the Bible were straight?
Finally on June 30th, two passages stand out. 2 Samuel 1:1 and 17-27 describes David’s grief at the death of Jonathan, including David’s “Song of the Bow” and David’s famous declaration in it to Jonathan that “greatly beloved were you to me; your love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women.” And while Mark 5:21-43 might not seem on the surface to be a passage that’s calling out for a queer interpretation, one of my favorite academic articles, by Candida Moss, argues that some of the insights of queer and gender theories can help explain this passage and the way Jesus is depicted in it.
Not everyone will want to follow along for a Pride Month series, but if you feel the tug of Spirit in these readings like I do, I’ll be showing you each week how to draw out some of the meanings of these lectionary texts using the insights of queer reading. If you aren’t ready for that yet, there will still be plenty of things in each week’s posts for you, but I hope you’ll consider structuring your Pride Month study and (if you’re clergy) sermon writing to take advantage of these emerging perspectives. In my classes at the Iliff School of Theology, students are regularly amazed at how much becomes visible with just a simple change of lens, and June’s lectionary texts are a wonderful opportunity to see that in action. I hope you’ll join me!
Nice Candida Moss nod!
Looking forward to these five essays in June!