Please turn in your Deep Commitment either online or in worship this Sunday if they have not already done so. Here is a link to the online Deep Commitment Card.
This is the second of a four-week worship series on troubling texts from the Bible. We have chosen stories from the Hebrew scripture which are often neglected because of the difficulty of the content. Our hope is to wrestle with these stories and see what meaning may lie hidden beneath the difficult circumstances of the women’s lives that are depicted. This week our worship will focus on the story of Tamar.
OUTLINE: Closer Readings of Troubling Texts
A four-week worship series on troubling texts from the Bible.
October 30: Hagar’s Story
Scripture: Genesis 16:1-16; 21:9-21
November 6: Tamar’s Story
Scripture: 2 Samuel 13:1-22
November 13: An Unnamed Woman
Scripture: Judges 19:1-30
November 20: Jephthah’s Daughter
Scripture: Judges 11:29-40
The following paragraphs are from The Social Principles of The United Methodist Church. Please read:
Sexual Abuse: Violent, disrespectful, or abusive sexual expressions do not confirm sexuality as God’s good gift. We reject all sexual expressions that damage the humanity God has given us as birthright, and we affirm only that sexual expression that enhances that same humanity. We believe that sexual relations where one or both partners are exploitative, abusive, or promiscuous are beyond the parameters of acceptable Christian behavior and are ultimately destructive to individuals, families, and the social order. We deplore all forms of the commercialization and exploitation of sex, with their consequent cheapening and degradation of human personality. To lose freedom and be sold by someone else for sexual purposes is a form of slavery, and we denounce such business and support the abused and their right to freedom.
We call for strict global enforcement of laws prohibiting the sexual exploitation or use of children by adults and encourage efforts to hold perpetrators legally and financially responsible. We call for the establishment of adequate protective services, guidance, and counseling opportunities for children thus abused.
Sexual Harassment: We believe human sexuality is God’s good gift. One abuse of this good gift is sexual harassment. We define sexual harassment as any unwanted sexual comment, advance, or demand, either verbal or physical, that is reasonably perceived by the recipient as demeaning, intimidating, or coercive. Sexual harassment must be understood as an exploitation of a power relationship rather than as an exclusively sexual issue. Sexual harassment includes, but is not limited to, the creation of a hostile or abusive working environment resulting from discrimination on the basis of gender.
Contrary to the nurturing community, sexual harassment creates improper, coercive, and abusive conditions wherever it occurs in society. Sexual harassment undermines the social goal of equal opportunity and the climate of mutual respect between men and women. Unwanted sexual attention is wrong and discriminatory. Sexual harassment interferes with the moral mission of the Church.
Sexual Assault: Sexual assault is wrong. We affirm the right of all people to live free from such assaults, encourage efforts of law enforcement to prosecute such crimes, and condemn rape in any form. It does not matter where the person is, what the person is wearing, whether or not he or she is intoxicated, if he or she is flirtatious, what is the victim’s gender, or any other circumstance.
What feelings arise for you in reading our global church’s positions on these issues? What parts of these statements do you most resonate with? What parts would you challenge?
These topics may raise intense reactions. If, at any point, you become overwhelmed with emotion, please slow down and take time for prayer. Hold the space for God’s healing presence to be with you. Please let me know if you need someone to talk with about anything that arises.
Biblical scholar Phyllis Tribble describes the terror in this week’s reading: “From the book of 2 Samuel comes the story of a family enmeshed in royal rape. Brother violates sister. He is a prince to whom belong power, prestige, and unrestrained lust. She is a princess to whom belong wisdom, courage, and unrelieved suffering. Children of one father, they have not the same care of each other. Indeed, the brother cares not at all. Though part of a narrative about King David and his court, this tale of terror stands on its own. Within a well-ordered design the plot moves from obstacles and plans to the crime and its aftermath” (Texts of Terror).
Read Tamar’s story in 2 Samuel 13:1-22.
While we cannot hope to resolve the many issues raised, Tamar’s story challenges us to name and work to end sexual assault. Tamar is not an ancient anomaly. Tamar is all around us. Our college students receive instruction on unwanted advances and sexual violence as part of orientation to school. Too many people in our community have experienced sexual harassment, abuse, & assault.
Here is a prayer to share with someone you trust this week:
ONE: Loving God, help us to remember that all people
are made in your image and are worthy of care, love and respect.
When we have ignored the needs of the most vulnerable people;
ALL: Forgive us.
ONE: When we have believed the powerful and disregarded the cries of the voiceless;
ALL: Forgive us.
ONE: We pray for each other, remembering: Those who find themselves in despair today;
ALL: God of grace: Hear our prayer.
ONE: Help us to transform our church into a place of safety, where we can tell our stories; where we can choose to show the scars of wounded bodies, hearts and minds;
where there is the possibility of healing
and a willingness to
stand as pain bearers
for one another.
ALL: God who bears all
things, help us.
Amen.
Peace,
Linda