Standing a Little Bit Straighter
by Rev. Dr. Amy Chilton on 03/21/24
As I write this the earth is standing a little bit straighter than it was yesterday. Today is the vernal equinox! Today the earth stands parallel to the sun, with neither axis tilted away. For this day, the northern and southern hemispheres will receive an equal amount of light. We call it the “vernal” equinox in the northern hemisphere because we are moving toward spring (“vernal” = “of spring”).
Not that I want the southern hemisphere to be in darkness, but I feel like they have held onto the longer days long enough. It’s our turn now!
In all seriousness, when it comes to sunlight, the earth is going to do its thing, splitting the long days between northerners and southerners and bringing us together in sunlight equality twice a year.
Much of our Scriptures (both Hebrew and Christian) are concerned with the fair treatment of all people. The Hebrew prophets are full of commands to treat insiders and outsiders fairly. In Paul’s letter to the Galatians he writes that baptism is what brings equality between people:
“As many of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise” (Gal. 3:27-29).
Paul isn’t saying that people have their race,
ethnicity, or gender removed at baptism, but rather that these often arbitrary
things no longer determine some folx to be more valuable than others or more
deserving of freedom or God’s grace. Baptism is the equinox - that which brings
equality between folx. Joining Christ by joining in his life, death, and
resurrection in the healing waters of baptism is the grace that helps us come
face-to-face with others as our siblings in Christ.
It is hard to believe that this proclamation of Paul’s can actually play out in real life where so many realities conspire to give more to some and less to others. We’d like to blame that all on the “world,” but we have plenty of inequalities inside the church as well - such as chancels that aren’t accessible to folx with limited mobility or whole churches that aren’t accessible to LGBTQ+ folx and their families.
As we head into Easter on this first week of spring, may we remember that like the earth coming back to its equinox, God’s grace can bring us back to equality with one another. And may we always be a people who seek out places of inequality so we might more faithfully share this good creation with one another.
Blessings,
Pastor Amy
