Sermon Tone Analysis

Intro:

Me

Our Topic: Theology of Disability and how it relates what you’ve been studying and will study - Tell Story

a. of mom who felt that she wasn’t faithful because her son wasn’t healed

b.

Of the young man who couldn’t be baptised because he had difficulty professing his faith with the words the pastor was used to.

c. friend in africa- death threats person in wheelchair preaching.

b. of friend Daniel Aaron Harris, with cerebral palsy who told me that he never fully accepted himself and his place within “normal” society and the church until he accepted psalm 139 - god you formed my inward parts, you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.

I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made, .... my frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth.... etc. etc.

That wasn’t just about other people.

that was about me too.

He told his pastor, I learned two things about myself reading God’s word.

#1 - I am not a mistake or result of sin.

I was made this way.

#2 - Because of it I am uniquely fit for ministry.

To which his pastor responded.

“wait a minute, God didn’t make you this way....

I don’t know how disability comes about, but I do know God didn’t make it this way… and 2- ministry is going to be very difficult for you.

My friend didn’t listen and today is studying for his phd and has a ministry called fallen walls international, he comes alongside people newly disabled to walk with them and help them with their questions to God, since he knows they’ve never asked them before, because they never mattered to them before.

c. and in 2 decades of friendship and work in this field I could tell you so many stories.

And so many them have their ties to incomplete theology.

SO ITS MY CONVICTION THAT FOR invitation and hospitality to happen for people with disability in our churches that we need to have inclusion at every aspect of church practice.

Not just at the ministry level, but at the theological level.

That we look at the scriptures that form our theological thought on mankind with one of our lenses being that of disability.

For so long, theology has been done by those with the resources, the education, the

Intro:

I like to know - HOW MANY OF YOU EITHER HAVE A DISABILITY OR A MEMBER OF YOUR FAMILY WITH A DISABILITY?

Thank you -

AND ALSO - FEEL FREE TO JUMP IN WITH QUESTIONS AT ANY POINT ALONG THE WAY.

ANTHROPOLOGY:

What have you covered so far in this class as it relates to anthropology?

The study of humankind?

That’s so good!

It’s such an important aspect of theological discipline.

Scripture is full of thoughts on this very subject.

I think if - What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?”

The Psalmist recognizing the deep questions of what it means to be God’s human creations.

Important questions that we all face in this life.

What is our purpose?

what are our origins?

what does it mean to be embodied?

What is our current fallen state?

what is God’s image in us?

How does sin affect our bodies?

What is healing all about?

3 Facets of Anthropology

This Morning we only have an hour and so it will be more of a intro into the implications of studying this field with the lens of disability.

And so we’ll look at 3 facets -

Defined?

Substantive/Functional/Relational/Vessel of God or Multifaceted Image

Ideal Humanity: Jesus as the exact Image is our measurement- Not - AquaMan

Christian Ethic

Embodiment- The Image of God is meant to center all human creatures in the same circle and instead with our many definitions we create sub categories.

Which we’re all kind of okay with because that’s how our world seems to us.

Their’s the athletes, the academics, the popular, the rich, the poor, the attractive, the not so much, the disabled and non disabled, the young and the old.

Etc.

Etc.

As if the subgroups we are part of define us more than the main category.

Of Image Bearers.

The Image of God is meant to center all human creatures in the same circle and instead with our many definitions we create sub categories.

Which we’re all kind of okay with because that’s how our world seems to us.

Their’s the athletes, the academics, the popular, the rich, the poor, the attractive, the not so much, the disabled and non disabled, the young and the old.

Etc.

Etc.

As if the subgroups we are part of define us more than the main category.

Of Image Bearers.

Embodiment - What part do our bodies play in our being human?

and how does a proper understanding of embodiment help to center all people- regardless of ability within the norm of human experience.

The Imago Dei- Do we know what it is?

Do we all have it?

What did the Fall do to it?

Does disability mar the image more than in the rest of us?

Sin - What does the fall, or individual personal sin have to do with disability and the image of God in us.

To be more pointed- Does disability mar the image of God more than in the rest of us? or is it simply a facet of our embodiment.

If it’s a facet of our embodiment with ramifications from the fall, then it frees us to think differently about cause of disability, healing, etc.

EMBODIMENT

Embodiment is simply the understanding that we are embodied people.

People with bodies.

We are not simply bodies- we have minds, souls, etc. , but we also can’t deny the fact that our bodies play a significant part in how we engage in the world God created us and in the way we engage God and Neighbor.

When Jesus commands us to love God and Neighbor, to serve others, to feed the hungry, visit prisoners, care for the orphaned and widow.

When the Torah tells the people of Israel to care for the foreigner, to speak up for the voiceless, etc. etc. Embodiment, and the needs that come with being an individual embodied in this world are definitely in view.

When we read stories in the bible, those are stories of embodied individuals- who had sickness, injury, disability.

They lusted, they fought, they caused pain in others, they murdered, they were enslaved, they travelled, they were threatened, they immigrated, they had communities, etc. etc.

And the fact that our entire faith centers on a God who Became Man.

Who Took On Flesh.

Shows the importance of embodiment to experience of humanity as God created it.

I bRING THIS UP HERE BECAUSE IT’S IMPORTANT FOR THE FACT THAT IT CENTERS ALL HUMANS IN THE SAME SPHERE CALLED NORMAL HUMANITY.

WHICH IS EXTREMELY HELPFUL FOR UNDERSTANDING DISABILITY.

THE DIFFICULTY IS THAT OFTEN WITHIN THE CHURH WE ARE JUST AS INFLUENCED BY OUR REIGNING CULTURAL PHILOSOPHIES AND THOS PHILOSOPHIES FIND THEIR WAY INTO OUR THINKING ABOUT PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES.

this leads us to ask- is their an ideal body- and ideal human

DISABILITY MODELS- BRIEFLY WITHOUT TAKING TOO MUCH TIME, I’LL EXPLAIN WHAT I MEAN.

DISABILITY MODELS

VOCATIONAL MODEL/MEDICAL MODEL/MINORITY GROUP MODEL/LIMITS OR EMBODIMENT MODEL

We are all in the middle.

Where humanity is.

Where what it means to be human is.

With all of our diversity- skin color, ethnicity, eye color hair color, disability, ability, gender… And we’re All responding to our embodiment.

We all belong to eachother.

and we all have something in common.

But I’m definitely not satisfied to leave it there.