Thunder, lightening, the smoking mountain of Sinai, and the loud sounding of the shophar, the ram’s horn, after the giving of the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20 exclaims God’s sovereignty. Add to the that dramatic revelation, God’s song about a wayward vineyard (Israel) in Isaiah 5 which is echoed in Psalms 19 and 80, or the judgment bestowed on the tenants (the religious leaders) who defy God’s authority in Matthew 2. Even Paul’s labor in Philippians 3 to reach the goal of heaven -- that only comes by the grace of God and not Paul’s own work -- exclaims God’s sovereignty. All these texts coalesce to make it quite clear that God alone has dominion and that certain behaviors are required by us to be in God’s favor and part of God’s realm.

Our fear of being judgmental may cause us to be uncomfortable with such texts and to water them down. But it is clear: God reminds us that the entire world belongs to God and that we are tenants for only a period of time.

Chief Seattle of the Suquamish tribe understood this concept. The Chief declared in a 1848 speech: “This we know; the earth does not belong to [humankind]; [humankind] belongs to the earth. This we know. All things are connected like the blood which unites our family. All things are connected” [See Vandana Shiva, Earth Democracy. Justice, Sustainability and Peace (Cambridge: South End Press, 2005), 1]. As people of faith, we rationally know that God owns the earth and everything on it, but still we want a deed to part of it! The law is considered by ancient Israel and contemporary Judaism to be a gift that instructs the community how to reside peacefully in a world that belongs to God and is leased to everybody equally.

	What situations or experiences have reminded you that God is in charge? How did or do you deal with this?

The Decalogue (Exodus 20:2-27; Deuteronomy 5:5-21) is given to the people with the strong message that these are not commands to be dismissed at whim. The God of Israel is sacred, the only God, and should be treated with the utmost respect. Everyone is required to set a day apart (Sabbath) to honor God’s holiness and to remember whose we are. Further, the commandments forbidding disrespect for elders, murder, adultery, theft, lying, and coveting promote an atmosphere of justice and right behavior that lead to a peaceful community. The law provides order and reminds us the God did not create a capricious covenant with God’s people. Jesus sums up the law in his commandments to love one another as we love ourselves, and love God with all of our heart, soul and mind. God gives this law with all authority — so much so that the people are afraid not to follow them. Yet it takes so little time for them to forget!

By the time Isaiah of Jerusalem, an 8th century prophet, begins his work, the leadership in Jerusalem has become corrupt and the people along with them. Israel’s relationship starts off strong as portrayed in God’s love song sung to Israel, the vineyard (Isaiah 5). The author compares the choices made by the people of Judah with a vineyard that was planted with choice grapevines in the hope that the yield would also be of high quality. When the vines matured, they produced only wild grapes, (understood at the time to mean putrid fruit or literally “stinking things”) wholly unsuitable for winemaking. The love song turns sour when God’s people break covenant and do not practice justice (mishpat) and righteousness (tsedekah) in the land. Some within the community are well cared for and have much while others struggle to survive — an obvious result of violation of God’s law. Justice and righteousness had been expected. Yet now, we see in verse 7, people will be punished with bloodshed (mishpah). Now people cry out (tse’aqah). Even within today’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities where justice and righteousness are central, some have greater power than others and each of us must deal with issues within our own communities.

	Where are the injustices within the LGBT communities? Do some tend to “own” the group more than others? How can we become more focused on our covenant responsibilities?

Psalm 19 and Psalm 80:7-15 both remember God’s saving acts in Egypt and celebrate God’s law given to the people as a gift. Psalm 19 reaffirms the perfection of God’s law and how vital it is to keep them, emphasizing the great reward to those who live by them. Knowing the limits of humankind, both of these psalms look for mercy for breaking God’s law. Drawing on the vineyard image of Isaiah 5 the psalmist cries out: “Turn again, O God of hosts; look down from heaven, and see; have regard for this vine, the stock that your right hand planted” (Psalm 80:14-15).

The parable of the wicked tenants in Matthew 21 continues the theme of judgment and begins with a summary of Isaiah 5. As this story reveals, even the people who call themselves God’s people occasionally kill God’s messengers. Members of the LGBT communities and their allies hardly need the reminder. The church’s rejection of unfamiliar voices not only does violence to those it rejects, it comes at great cost to the church itself. Yet we should be cautious with this parable. Might it not do harm to our own souls as well? Whenever we long to witness the parable’s fulfillment in the demise of closed and oppressive communities, we tinge our own souls with violent desire.

	Instead of offering ourselves to be abused, as do the messengers in the parable, and instead of wishing to see the vineyard’s tenants meet their doom, how might we look for new ways to bear witness?

We also must be willing to accept that this allegory can sometimes be applied to the LGBT and allied communities where power struggles and bickering can occur. We sometimes forget that God plants us and places us in the hands of those God hopes will help us to grow and bear the fruits of the covenant relationship – that is justice and righteous for all people. Sometimes when fruit from our work is produced, we (like the tenants) become greedy. Jesus reminds us that we are called to serve and have been given responsibility to produce fruits and share them and not horde glory, power and wealth. Jesus says: “Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to people who produce the fruits of the kingdom” (verse 43).

	When do we risk “killing” God’s messengers because we loathe to share power?

Ah, but Paul proclaims in Philippians 3 that righteousness comes through faith and not the law, so we do not have to live by the Decalogue, do we? Before we throw the law out, we need to examine how Paul prefaces his argument. Paul, whose letters are so often invoked against LGBT people, celebrates his identity in Philippians 3:4b-14. Yet perhaps we may claim his insight for ourselves. Born the right way, he's lived the right way. As far as the law is concerned, he's blameless. This runs directly counter to how many people imagine Paul as a man broken by the law's demands and awaiting deliverance. Could it also inspire hope among those whose identity has been repeatedly cursed? May they celebrate the way they were born, celebrate the integrity of their lives, celebrate their identity publicly?

Yet there is more, for Paul looks beyond his given identity to his calling in Christ. Who he is to become is grounded in who he has been. Rooted in the gift of his identity, he pursues the way of Christ. Still more awaits him. For those who belong to Christ, identity marks a beginning to celebrate, not an end in itself.