Mark 5:21-43,

Independence Day: Just as Jesus liberates the hemorrhaging woman and the dead girl, so also does Christ call us Americans to be people who strive for liberation/independence for all entities, not just, say, whites, heterosexuals, men, Christians, Americans, or humans.

I am not condoning civil religion. Rather, I am using the idea of Independence Day as a springboard for talking about a greater independence that transcends nation. (At least, that's what I am trying to do.)

Ecofeminist Homiletics:

Our gospel shows Jesus liberating two female humans, a woman suffering from twelve years of hemorrhaging and a twelve-year-old girl who has died. Having hemorrhaging would have made the woman unclean and thus an outcast. Jesus brings freedom and life to both figures. The passage illustrates yet again Jesus' compassion for outsiders, including women/girls.

As an aspiring ecofeminist preacher, I find myself thinking about how the non-human world, like women, is often excluded and oppressed and how Jesus liberates it, including through our Spirit-guided efforts.

For instance, during these summer months, we tend to overuse air- conditioning. Granted, we need air-conditioning or some way to keep ourselves cool, but many homes and, especially, business tend to use the air too much. How often have I gone into a restaurant or store and needed a parka? Of course, the store or restaurant employees might reply that they have no control over the temperature or that cold temperatures have to be maintained for some reason. But is that really true, or are we humans too complacent sometimes when it comes to conservation?

We conserve when it's convenient.

All of this concern about air-conditioning may seem trivial and far removed from the Gospel, but it is not. Overusing the air-conditioning wastes natural resources. Such overuse is a kind of hemorrhage that we humans create to extract from nature for our benefit. Such hemorrhaging violates God's creation and also hurts future generations of our fellow humans, especially the poor and underprivileged. And who tend to be among the poor and underprivileged in rather large numbers? Why women and children, of course.

So when we preach on Jesus liberating this woman and girl in Mark 5, we may want to keep in mind other oppressed groups, including the non-human world.

Of course, there are plenty of other oppressed groups, and, indeed, ecofeminist homiletics calls for the liberation of ALL. After all, Christ has come for everyone.

St. James Evangelical Lutheran Church,
Youngstown, PA

(from www.goodpreacher.com/blog/)