Like each individual snowflake the path will be the one of our own making, yet our destiny is the same: full inclusion in the human experience of being loved and valued so we might express ourselves openly and without fear of retribution.
Then you will declare before Our God, "My ancestor was a wandering Aramean who went down to Egypt with a small household and lived there as an alien. There they became a nation great, strong and numerous. When the Egyptians mistreated and oppressed, who heard our cry and saw our affliction, our toil and our oppression? Our God brought us out of the Egypt with a strong hand and outstretched arm, with terrifying power, with signs of wonders; Our God gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. Therefore, I have brought now the first fruits of the products of the soil that you, O God, have given me." Then you must set them before Your God, and bow down before the Most High.
Then you will declare before Our God, "My ancestor was a wandering Aramean who went down to Egypt with a small household and lived there as an alien. There they became a nation great, strong and numerous. When the Egyptians mistreated and oppressed, who heard our cry and saw our affliction, our toil and our oppression? Our God brought us out of the Egypt with a strong hand and outstretched arm, with terrifying power, with signs of wonders; Our God gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. Therefore, I have brought now the first fruits of the products of the soil that you, O God, have given me." Then you must set them before Your God, and bow down before the Most High.
Deuteronomy 26:5-11
"Wondering Arameans were our ancestors," is both a claim of faithful remembrance and a claim of trust in the Sacred to guide us into the unknown. To say that our ancestors in the faith were wondering Arameans is to affirm that the journey of Abraham and Sarah is our journey too and their journey is continued today through you and me ever stretching, ever moving forward, ever responding to the nudges of the Holy.
Today we often take on journeys, or quests, or pilgrimages as a result of seeking and desiring. We seek something to complete us or we desire healing and that which provides is our destiny. However, Abraham and Sarah did not leave their dusty, cluttered souls-capes in order to "find." They started their quest because the Sacred called them to move on with their lives. God, we discover, walked beside them all the way of their journey.
Those of us who count ourselves among the sexual and gender diverse are also on a quest. And like the children of Abraham and Sarah, we too find that our journey is the present leg of a pilgrimage that is as old as humanity. What the queer pilgrimage has taught me is that while our destiny is the same, the path by which we get there is varied, hence the alphabet soup of initials: L G B T Q I A.
Steve Maraboli speaks to the dynamic of destiny and paths in his book, Life, the Truth, and Being Free: "We have all heard that no two snowflakes are alike. Each snowflake takes the perfect form for the maximum efficiency and effectiveness for its journey. And while the universal force of gravity gives them a shared destination, the expansive space in the air gives each snowflake the opportunity to take their own path. They are on the same journey, but each takes a different path. Along this gravity-driven journey, some snowflakes collide and damage each other, some collide and join together, some are influenced by the wind ... there are so many transitions and changes that take place along the journey of the snowflake. But, no matter what the transition, the snowflake always finds itself perfectly shaped for its journey."
Like each individual snowflake the path will be the one of our own making, yet our destiny is the same: full inclusion in the human experience of being loved and valued so we might express ourselves openly and without fear of retribution.
The ending of the biblical passage points to the time of completion when we have made it to our journey's end and live within the full expectancy waiting for us. During this time our hearts and minds are to turn not to ideas of comeuppance or victory, but rather are to turn to the singular notion of humility.
It is a humble act to acknowledge that we did not arrive by ourselves. Like slaves from Egypt, we arrive in our promised land because other's fought and marched, were jailed and even killed. We lift up this legacy, not to be ashamed, but rather to honor the journey and those who got us this far.
The biblical passage also calls us to honor the Source of our being as one who walks with us until the pilgrimage is completed. This Source goes by various names in queer circles - some religious and some secular. It is important that we acknowledge that something both within and outside of us moved along the snowflake path with us bringing us to our final destiny.
Let us move one with courage born of the knowledge that we have been perfectly formed for "maximum efficiency and effectiveness" on our journey. Let us travel down the road in the expectancy that the promised land does await. And let us acknowledge with love and honor those who started the journey and got us this far.
The biblical passage also calls us to honor the Source of our being as one who walks with us until the pilgrimage is completed. This Source goes by various names in queer circles - some religious and some secular. It is important that we acknowledge that something both within and outside of us moved along the snowflake path with us bringing us to our final destiny.
Let us move one with courage born of the knowledge that we have been perfectly formed for "maximum efficiency and effectiveness" on our journey. Let us travel down the road in the expectancy that the promised land does await. And let us acknowledge with love and honor those who started the journey and got us this far.
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