06-05-24

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
June 5, 2024
Last Sunday, in a roundabout way, I talked about what is called ableism, the notion that the world was not built with disabilities in mind. There is an underlying belief among some that those with physical or developmental disabilities simply need to figure out how to fit into “our world.” Though the scripture I used was rather narrow in its focus, it clearly had a list of items that disqualified an individual from serving as a priest, while also implying that certain things disqualified anyone wanting to bring a gift before God. It says…

No descendant of yours can ever serve as my priest if he is blind or lame, if his face is disfigured, if one leg is shorter than the other, if either a foot or a hand is paralyzed, if he is a hunchback or a dwarf, if an eye or his skin is diseased, or if his testicles have been damaged. These men may not serve as my priests and burn sacrifices to me… [and] they may not enter the sacred place or serve me at the altar (Leviticus 21:18-23).

When people have, with the use of scripture, been disqualified from coming into the presence of God, it makes it much easier for others to dismiss them and ignore their gifts. I think about Helen Keller, Stephen Hawking, Frida Kahlo, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Stevie Wonder. Whether from birth or later in life, each of these people experienced a disability or limitation (or multiple) that would have disqualified them from being welcomed into the presence of God, according to Leviticus. We are thankful for their own perseverance, along with those around them who helped to make a way when the path forward seemed limited, if not impossible. 

My understanding of the Gospel, specifically the immeasurable love of God made real in Jesus, does not recognize any disqualifying attributes. In fact, the Jesus I meet in the Gospels is one who makes a way for the rejected and marginalized to find full participation in every aspect of life. Sadly, the church and religious schools fought to be excluded from the Americans with Disabilities Act, suggesting that it would potentially infringe upon the free exercise clause, and they won. Though Cypress Creek Christian Church has one building that is not fully accessible, I sort of feel as if those who follow Jesus should have set the standard by which the ADA modeled their law instead of dragging the feet of Christ’s body.

God of All Creation, every human being has immeasurable value and important gifts for this world, and I pray for both opportunity and a spirit of acceptance by which those gifts can be brought to the world. Amen.