The Dance Goes On and Everyone Can Join - Part 2

Last week, I tried to make the case that in the church we need to be aware of gender issues because this has been a huge topic in social and other media for a while now.

It threatens to be divisive, with parents raising their children very differently based on their views, but in general rigid gender roles are softening. Women and men being welcomed into typically opposite-gender professions has become more mainstream. Gender roles in marriage and running a household are becoming more loose.

More and more, I think that we are recognizing that we are far more than an assigned gender based on our anatomy, but complex and wonderfully made and gifted beings (see Psalm 139). We all can find our own way to live out whatever God calls us to in our lives. Each will be different and each, lived out to honour God, ourselves and others, can bless the world and bring about the Kingdom.

It takes great courage to be authentic as human beings and to swim against the current, or dance to a different drumbeat to continue the metaphor. But in our authenticity and vulnerability, perhaps we are most incarnational of Christ. Jesus’ whole life was about dancing his own steps that no one could predict. In fact, many wanted him to dance a completely different style than he did. Jesus, of anyone, understands our struggle to be real and to embrace who God made us to be.

I promised some concrete suggestions for how to be faithful in serving children and youth while being sensitive to this topic. Here are some starting points:

1. We can talk about God’s unconditional love and how we are called to return that love to God, our Creator, and to offer that same love to our neighbours. We can talk about what doing this looks like and work with Bible stories like the Good Samaritan.

2. We can talk about journeying. None of us are the exact same person we were yesterday or will be tomorrow. Figuring out who we are takes time, because there are so many influences pulling us in different directions. It’s okay to be on the journey! We get to do that within faith communities of fellow travelers who celebrate who we are becoming.

3. We can model acceptance, squash stereotypes and stop bullying by those who are uncomfortable with difference. We can talk about fear, about what the culture around us says about those who are different and what we think Jesus has to say about it.

4. We can cultivate safe space for talking and asking questions. We can share Bible stories of those who learned important things about their identity and God’s never-failing love for them. We can remember that everyone is important and has something to contribute. We can actively celebrate diversity and each one’s uniqueness.

5. We can reassure parents that there are supports and resources available to them in the community and professionals who can answer their questions and concerns. We can reassure parents that their kids are welcome and that we pray for them as they journey together.

God has given us a dance that is colourful, diverse, always spinning and changing, with Jesus at the centre inviting us to bring others in and to celebrate that we do the dance together, each in our own way. And it’s beautiful to behold.