(Each Saturday, a faith leader in Franklin County offers a personal perspective in this space. To become part of this series, email religion@recorder.com)
Who was it who told you?
Was it a classmate, a stranger, a teacher? Did you read it in a book, or see it in a television advertisement? Did you hear it from your parent, or your president, or your pastor?
Who was it who told you that there was something wrong with you? That there was something wrong with your body, or your brain, or your personality, or your gender, or your ethnicity?
Who was it who first told you to be ashamed of yourself?
It is an ancient story: In the beginning, God created all things and pronounced all things to be good. But our ancestors desired to know both good and evil. Tempted by the serpent’s voice, they tasted the fruit of the tree of knowledge and so they learned to judge: To divide the world up, into the good and the not-so-good. To compare, contrast and condemn. No sooner had they done that, of course, then they began to fear: perhaps they themselves were not-so-good.
So the next time God comes walking in the garden, Adam hides. “Why are you hiding from me?” God asks. “I am ashamed because I am naked,” Adam replies. “Who told you that you were naked?” God asks.
And I imagine God thinking: because you sure didn’t hear it from me.
I can imagine God’s pain, in that moment. I know I am not the only parent who tells her children daily that I love them, in the hopes of somehow building up their immune system against the voices of shame. How do we vaccinate our children against the voices of sexism, or racism, or ableism, or xenophobia, or homophobia? How often do they need a booster shot of love and affirmation?
Once, when I was a child, I borrowed and returned some books from my school library. A few days later, the librarian told me the books were still overdue. When I told her I had returned them, she sternly accused me of lying. At first, I felt shamed and humiliated by her; but then I remember hearing a voice within, which said very clearly: You are not my mother. In that moment, I saw myself, not through the eyes of that teacher, but through the eyes of one who loved me.
Who tells you who you are? Which voice do you believe?
There is another ancient story, that when Jesus of Nazareth was baptized in the River Jordan, he heard a voice that said to him, “You are my Child, my Beloved. On you, my favor rests.” With that one word, beloved, God sweeps aside our anxious categories of good and bad, of worthy and unworthy.
Imagine, for a moment, that these words were for you. What if your own story began with that voice? What if each day, you heard those words? How would your life change if you knew that this was true?
So now ask yourself: what makes you think it’s not?
Remember: God forbid that we should ever taste that bitter fruit. God forbid that we should see our neighbors, or ourselves, as anything other than beloved. We are fearfully and wonderfully made. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
The Rev. Liza B. Knapp is the pastor of the First Church of Deerfield, an inclusive, inquisitive, open-and-affirming congregation of the United Church of Christ and the Unitarian Universalist Association. The congregation gathers for worship and music each Sunday at 10 a.m. in the “Brick Church” at 71 Old Main St. in Old Deerfield. Whoever you are, wherever you may be on life’s journey, you are warmly invited to worship with us. For more information, look for us on Facebook or on the web at www.firstchurchofdeerfield.org. Rev. Knapp may be contacted via email at deerfieldpastor@gmail.com.