“The Sin of Sodom and Gomorrah”

Sermon delivered by Rev. Ray Jordan at Central Congregational United Church of Christ

on July 28, 2019

Last week we discussed the difference between Religion and God. Indeed, there’s a difference between church and spirituality. There’s a huge difference between Law and Love and perhaps there is no greater example of this principle than the folklore and myth surrounding the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and the spiritual abuse committed to persons in the LGBT community.

-Today, Tanis read a portion of Genesis chapter 18 but the true misunderstanding centers in the next chapter, Chpt. 19. In Chpt 18 we see God indicting the people of Sodom and Gomorrah but in the next chapter we see why.

-There we see two angels disguised as foreigners, immigrants to the city, and in response a hostile xenophobic mob gathers, demanding they be turned over that so they may “Yada” them.

-Yada is Hebrew word used 983 times and most often—98.9% of the time— it is translated as “know”. To know them…however when we see Yada presented in Genesis chapter 19, depending on the biblical version, we see it interpreted as to have relations or to have intimacies or yes, some have translated Genesis 19 to say, have sex.

-The scripture goes on to say that Lot, to satisfy the murderous and violent thirst of the mob, offers instead his virgin daughters to the crowd (This is Father of the Year material, right?)

-So, let’s get one thing clear. What we see in the text is not “same-gender loving” relationships, but rather what commonly occurred in the ancient world. What we see here is mob violence that included rape.

-Unfortunately, it was not uncommon to see warring armies throughout the ancient world come into enemy territory, burn the city, kill the children and livestock and yes, as despicable as it is, as a form of intimidation and dehumanization, as a form of violence and war they would also rape the women AND men. Church, this is the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah. This is the behavior that rose to the heavens as an indictment before God.

-And if we just take a closer look, the biblical witness makes this clear for us.

·       Ezekiel 16:49- “This was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride [someone say pride], excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy”

·       From The Message Translation, it says this: “The sin of your sister Sodom was this: She lived with her daughters in the lap of luxury—proud, gluttonous, and lazy. They ignored the oppressed and the poor. They put on airs and lived obscene lives.”

Church, the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah had nothing to do with same-gender relationships. The sin of Sodom and Gomorrah was arrogance. The sin of Sodom and Gomorrah was greed. The sin of Sodom and Gomorrah was indifference to the least of these. It was the sin of radical inhospitality and for this their cities were destroyed.

-And quite frankly this really scares me. It would be much easier to blame and scapegoat a small minority of society. But this really worries me because when I see children in cages, it appears we are closer to Sodom and Gomorrah than many realize.

-The core of the matter is this, how do we treat our neighbor. So simple, yet why can’t we get it right?

-I believe our nation is desperately in need of a “Namaste” moment. Loosely translated from the Hindu faith and practice of Yoga, Namaste is simply but powerfully… “The light of God in me, sees the light of God in you.”

·       Regardless of your race or color, I see God in you.

·       Regardless of whatever name you call God or whether you call God at all, I see the light of the Divine in you.

·       Makes no difference how much money you have.

·       Irrespective of who you love or what your gender or sexual identity might be…I see the light of God in you.

·       You might speak a different language, live in a different part of the world, celebrate different holidays, look different than me, smell different than me, makes no difference because I am you and you are me. Your child is my child and my child is yours; we are all children of God and the light of God in me sees the light of God in you.

-What if we saw the light of God in our homeless neighbors? What if we saw the light of God in our immigrant neighbors? What if we saw the light of God in our Muslim neighbors? What if we say the light of God in our black neighbors? What if we saw the light of God in our transgender neighbors….Instead of being like Sodom and Gomorrah and screwing them all over.

-What if we saw the light of God in that neighbor that annoys us to no end? You know, the one we hate to see coming (we all have them)? What if we saw the light of God in them? What if we saw the light of God in that family member we simply can’t forgive or that person who hurt us? Yes, the light of God is in them too.

-I got another one for you… What if, just what if, we saw the light of God in our neighbors who vote differently than we do?

-The light of God in me, sees the light of God in you! [Singing the hymn: I want to walk as a child of the light. I want to follow Jesus. In Him there is no darkness at all. The night and the day are both alike The Lamb is the light of the city of God Shine in my heart, Lord Jesus]  Amen.