These passages reminded Mykal Slack of the debate about whether sexual orientation had its origins in biology or social construction.  Mykal says:  “Was I born this way or did the environment I was part of lay the groundwork for being sexually-oriented in a particular way?  Throughout my continuing development as a sexual and gendered being, I've found myself at various points along the spectrum of these two extremes.  But I've come to realize that, as a Christian, neither of these fully answer the question:  How did I become who I am?”

Mykal continues: “Psalm 139 has been, throughout my rebirth as a trans-identified, queer Christian, a kind of protective covering, reminding me that God created my inmost being and knows me better than I or anyone else can.  I am ‘fearfully and wonderfully made,’ and my only task is to answer God's call to live into the truths that God lays before me.”

Naming and narrating are key elements in our understanding of our truth as LGBT people.  Scripture testifies to the necessity of both if we are to acknowledge the divine presence within each of us.  In 1 Samuel 3, God calls Samuel over and over again by name.  What Samuel must do is to answer his name.

Likewise in John 1:43-51, Nathanael became a believer because Jesus offered him a piece of his own story before he could tell it himself.  This suggests that Jesus had been with Nathanael before he was ever even aware that God could exist in this way and with such abundant knowledge.  The stories of Samuel and Nathanael both emphasize the divine initiative.  They begin with who God calls persons to be, what God calls persons to say and to do, and where God calls persons to go.  We are not our own selves; we belong to God.  It all begins with God’s call.

	At this moment in your life, do you find it difficult or easy to express who you sense God calls you to be? What is your sense of calling at this time?

Mykal again reflects:  “A year after I began my transition, my parents shared with me for the first time that God had told them before I was born that I was supposed to be a boy named Michael.  They had my name picked out and everything.  You can imagine their surprise when I was assigned the female gender at birth!  They changed the name they'd picked out months before and began purchasing all things pink and yellow and gave away all the blue and green accessories and clothing.  But God's call was mine to answer. God had a story for me that I needed to work my way into.  And now, many years later, my name is Mykal and I'm the son my folks always thought I was supposed to be.  I understand now, perhaps more than ever before, the significance of ‘call and response’ in worship – acutely turning our ears to God is no small task, but when we do, we tap into a Holy Spirit power that is unmatched by anything or anyone we encounter here on earth!”

Wisdom insists that we be reluctant in making generalizations about God’s call on other people.  Suffice it to say; in the vast majority of cases God does not call people to the victimization of prostitution.  In 1 Corinthians 6:12-20, Paul reminds us that our freedom in Christ does not include the freedom to participate in the systemic “ab-use” of other persons.  “Lawful” or unlawful, to adopt Paul’s language, prostitution violates the bond of mutuality formed through sexual intimacy.  Unfortunately, Paul’s analysis seems stuck in his concern for the john rather than for the prostitute.  When it comes to sex, Christian discourse has long remained mired in the language of purity rather than concern for human justice.  The LGBT community offers a potential witness to the larger church and world, including many persons who have survived prostitution.  Not only does prostitution violate God’s basic call, but God’s call can make itself heard even in the midst of the most abusive circumstances.

	Some Bible passages leave themselves wide open for abuse. Some people construct detailed interpretations to explain away their offense, while others write them off as irrelevant. Is there a way to acknowledge the difficulty some have with certain Bible passages while still engaging them as dialogue partners in the conversation of faith?

It is frightening how easily some Bible passages are turned to abuse.  1 Corinthians 6:12-20 follows one of the notorious “clobber passages” some people use against lesbian and gay folk, that is 1 Corinthians 6:9-11.  Debates rage among scholars concerning how to translate the key Greek terms malakos and arsenokoitai.  Likewise, Biblical scholars dispute the specific cultural practices to which Paul refers throughout 6:9-20.  In any case, Paul’s use of body imagery certainly lifts up the importance of “embodied existence” for all Christians.  Yet we resist the heterosexual, able, white and thin body as the “one size fits all” model for embodiment.  Living as embodied persons means that how we honor our bodies – and others’ bodies – attests to our most sacred commitments concerning our neighbors and ourselves.

	When you think of “embodied” faith, what images come to mind?