Those Shall Wake (November 17, 2024)
Date: November 17, 2024
Occasion:
Transgender Day of Remembrance with Candlelight Service
Location:
United Church of Hyde Park
Scripture:
Daniel 12:1-3
Sermon title: Those Shall Wake
“Let the
words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and
my redeemer.” Amen.
“Daniel was
called Belteshazzar” (Dan 1:7) by the palace master, as well as Daniel’s three
other Jewish friends. Although Daniel and his friends were captured by the Babylonian
King, they insisted not to comply with the eating regulations they were asked
to follow. Daniel started to interpret King’s dreams because God has given
Daniel vision and wisdom during the diaspora. Daniel’s three friends did not
comply with the mandatory worshipping code – to worship the Golden Image made
by the King, they were thrown into the furnace that was heated up seven times
more than was customary. But, they survived. The King was shocked to know that
they were unburned and unharmed. The King believed that a divine was with them.
People set up a plot against Daniel and threw him into the den of lions. But,
Daniel was unharmed. God sent the messengers to “shut the lions’ mouths.”
Daniel claimed “[B]ecause I was found blameless before God; also before you, O
king, I have done no wrong.” (Daniel 6:22)
The biblical
scripture today, “Michael, the great prince, the protector of God’s people,” is
one of Daniel’s visions. God’s messenger, Michael, is the most vital figure to
Daniel and Daniel’s friends, to whom live in uncertain times, and with people who
surround them and are not friendly but crucially against them. The only reason
is Daniel and his friends are extremely beauty, handsome, resilience, and
filled with wisdom. Michael delivered the message that whoever is found written
in the book, shall be delivered. Those who sleep in the dust of the earth
should awake, and some to everlasting life.
Reading the
Book of Daniel during Transgender Awareness Week, I cannot help connecting
Daniel’s story and our transgender siblings’ story and experiences, especially
throughout the presidential election and what we are facing today.
Transgender
Issues are not only about pronouns and bathrooms[1]
but also about uneducated medical professionals, inaccessible mental health
care, our trans siblings’ existence being constantly debated by others,
experiencing homelessness, experiencing difficulties accessing legal documents
with the correct name and gender, and, the violence against them, surgery
costs, and long waiting lists for gender clinics, job opportunities and
security.
When our
trans siblings encounter these challenges, can they see in the vision that a
divine is with them in the burning furnace? Can they feel a friend is with them
in the den of lions? Can they feel someone is standing beside them in
solidarity?
Some of us
here today are Daniel, and some of us are the friends of Daniel, or friends of
Dorathy. We, United Church of Hyde Park, are honored to know that we are
trusted to share part of your world. What we are doing today, the Transgender
Day of Remembrance with the Candlelight, we remember those trans siblings we
lost. As people of faith, we might find ourselves resonating with God’s
messenger’s work: declare those who suffered, their names are in the book, they
shall be delivered. As long as we remember their names and stories, they shall
wake, not only in our hearts but also in our hard work together toward a just
world for all.
Let us pray.
Prayer
after Sermon
God of
Daniel and all people of faith, we know that throughout all we experience, you
are with us. Today, we take time to honor and uplift the lives of our
transgender siblings who have passed away. We hold those who suffered violence,
discrimination, and prejudice in our hearts. We remember and honor the lives
they lived with courage and resilience. May their memories be a blessing and a
call to action.
Grant us the
strength to stand in solidarity with the transgender community and all who face
oppression, to be advocates in their struggle for acceptance, equality, and
safety. May we confront prejudice and ignorance with understanding and
compassion, committing ourselves to justice in their names.
Amen.[2]
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