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Two Holy Stories and Same-sex Marriage in Iowa
When you were a child, did you know the story of Dumbo? Mrs. Jumbo, a circus elephant, had a new baby. She loved him very much, even though he had very big ears. But the crowds made fun of those ears. His mother tried to protect him from his tormentors, and was put in a cage. The powers that be decided that Dumbo would be a clown. Dumbo was disgraced. Timothy Mouse told Dumbo he could fly, that his big ears, the source of his humiliation, were his gift. He could be famous, and that would win his mother’s freedom. Dumbo tried to fly, but it didn’t work. He was afraid, and he really didn’t believe. One of the crows gave Dumbo a black feather, insisting that it was a magic feather and if he held it, he could fly. And he did! Then one day he dropped the feather and began to fall. Timothy Mouse cried, “The feather is a trick! The power is within yourself!” And realizing that, Dumbo successfully flew before the astounded circus crowd, and his mother was freed. Some people are different, like Dumbo. That difference, instead of being a curse, can be a blessing. It can be the very gift you need. Dumbo had internalized the barriers that others had set up: he was not acceptable because of his ears. He had to learn to break through that barrier before he could fly, and before he could realize that his difference was his gift. He had to learn something about power. The second of our two holy stories comes from the gospel of John. It’s about power, too, and barriers. Jesus meets a Samaritan woman at the well, and gets into a spiritual discussion with her. In doing so, Jesus breaks barriers, because in his culture, Jews didn’t talk to Samaritans, men didn’t speak in public to women, and men didn’t talk theology with women as though they were peers. Barriers are created by the society we live in, and often we internalize them, even when the barrier condemns or ostracizes ourselves. Lucky for us, God is in the business of breaking barriers. The Samaritan woman, like Dumbo, was looking for power outside herself. Dumbo thought the feather was it. The Samaritan woman thought it was in the water Jesus was speaking about. We, too, often look for power outside ourselves: maybe in money or status, maybe by hooking up with a strong partner or a revered leader, maybe in the form of other people’s approval. It takes a long time to learn that we carry within us the power we need. Jesus knows the truth about the Samaritan woman (“You have had five husbands…”) He names the truth, and that is part of what frees her. Dumbo finds the freedom to fly when he discovers the truth about the feather. We cannot move out of our wounds and limitations until we tell the truth about our lives. People in 12 step programs know this. Abuse survivors know this. Nothing is more revolutionary than to name reality as it is. Truth telling empowers. In the story from John, Jesus names himself. “I am he (the Messiah).” His authority comes in part because he defines himself. He knows who he is. He does not allow others to define him. Women have had to learn this. Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people have had to learn this. Dumbo had to learn this. I am reminded of the musical “Man of La Manchia” based on the story of Don Quixote. The prostitute Aldonzo finally accepts the image of herself as good and beautiful when she sings “My name is Dulcinea,” insisting that she is a person of worth. This naming raises a good question for us: will we permit ourselves to be defined by our weaknesses or our wounds? by our friends or by our enemies? It is when we do our own naming that the power emerges. (Remember that God names us “Beloved.”) In Iowa, where I live part of the year, our Supreme Court has named it unconstitutional to deny marriage rights to same-sex couples. This, too, is a story about difference and barriers and power and truth telling and naming. This event, and the long struggle for justice for gay people and all who are oppressed, marginalized or diminished, remind me of our two holy stories, John’s story about Jesus and the Samaritan woman, and the story of Dumbo, the elephant with the big ears. They offer some lessons that are worth taking home with you. Some are different. That difference is also their gift. Amen. ©2009 Janice Jean Springer
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