The Gospel According to Taylor Swift (Natalie's Version)

 Mark 6: 1-6 NRSVUE

6 He left that place and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. 2 On the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astounded. They said, “Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What deeds of power are being done by his hands! 3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary[a] and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense[b] at him. 4 Then Jesus said to them, “Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown and among their own kin and in their own house.” 5 And he could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them. 6 And he was amazed at their unbelief. Then he went about among the villages teaching. 7 He called the twelve and began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. 8 He ordered them to take nothing for their journey except a staff: no bread, no bag, no money in their belts, 9 but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics. 10 He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place. 11 If any place will not welcome you and they refuse to hear you, as you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.” 12 So they went out and proclaimed that all should repent. 13 They cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.

The Gospel According to Taylor Swift (Natalie’s Version)

Friends, family, parishioners, colleagues, neighbors, classmates, random strangers, and anyone else who’s found their way here: welcome. This ground I’m standing on, this liminal space between one church and the next, one town and the next, one life and the next, is holy. I’d take my shoes off, but I like my Nikes a little too much to do that. I’m so grateful you’re standing next to me on this ground, listening to the burning bush with me, and wondering when shrubbery became verbal and sentient. The voice of the Divine is luminous, warm, striking, and often hella bizarre.

Back in April, when I set up my preaching schedule for a mini Stump the Preacher 2024, one that would fit into the month of May and that would be wrapped up before I moved away from Eastern Parkway, my brilliant, creative, prophetic and sassy 8 year old daughter made the most amazing topic request ever, and I saved it until I could give it the attention it deserved. She wanted to hear (and I swear these were her exact words) “The Gospel According to Taylor Swift”. Oh, Taylor. To say Lily is a Swiftie is the understatement of the century. To prepare for the 4 hour road trip from Schenectady to Honeoye Falls, Lily and I made a Spotify playlist that she filled with Taylor songs. She asked for her new bedroom to be Taylor Swift themed. Her current favorite movie is that compilation of Taylor’s Eras Tour concerts that you can watch on Disney +. When John Lennon once quipped that the Beatles were bigger than Jesus, he may have been crass, but in the hearts of many, he wasn’t wrong, at least in terms of admiration and influence. But now Ms. Swift has usurped that spot right above Christ, and not just to Lily. You will never find a fiercer collection of Swifties than in a room full of little girls. She’s beloved by teen girls, too, and adult women, and becoming a rising icon in the queer community. Are there any hetero men reading this that love Taylor? Don’t be shy, fam. She’s reaching a whole lotta people, and when Taylor does something, whether it’s release a new album, date a new guy, or buy coffee at Starbucks, we all take notice, whether we want to or not. Thanks to the cameras that are constantly in her face, she’s always on my news feed, and I hear more about her than I do the President of the United States. I mean, she has a way higher approval rating.

When taking on a request like Lily’s, there’s an important line that needs to be drawn, and then explored–the line that segments admiration from the gray area of infatuation, and then the other side of that space, where idolatry starts. To Taylor’s credit, she seems to be aware of that boundary, too, even if she puts it differently. As a lady of the cloth, I’m morally obligated to remind you that no one person, not even Taylor Swift, can possibly embody selflessness, justice, and love as consistently and purely as the Sacred. Don’t put Tay up on a pedestal, there’s no winners when you do that. But also, as someone who has spent the better part of the last 20 years imbued in studies of spirituality, I can also tell you that every time we try to draw a firm line around the Holy, and declare that all that fits inside this box is of God, and all outside of it is not, we commit the sin of limiting our Creator. It’s not, and never has been, for us to say what person, place, or circumstance God can utilize to change our souls. So, by all means, admire Swift as a brilliant musician and lyricist, as a shrewd business woman, as a role model to women and girls who want to own their power, and as a very public example of generosity and philanthropy. Look at the big picture of this young woman, and absorb from that image what helps you grow. Leave the rest.

Jesus spoke similarly about all the places this life takes us when we attempt to live it following him: absorb what helps you grow, and, as for the rest, well, Shake It Off. In the scripture excerpt I chose for this sermon, Jesus is about to preach in a new location (gulp) and it’s in his hometown (eehhhhh…) and it doesn’t go so well (oh dear). Alright, you have my attention, God. Here I am in Honeoye Falls, just south of Rochester, the home I chose. And I’m only a few days away from preaching in this new place for the very first time. You’d think after this much time in the ministry I wouldn’t be so insecure, but it turns out I have the same fear anyone else has when they meet new people–What if they don’t like me?

This preoccupation with being liked is, in itself, an idol, a False God. It’s something I put up on a pedestal when its real value is far below. I’d argue that none of us are on this mortal plain to be liked, and my job in particular is so, so much bigger than that. This is church number seven for me, and I’ve had the sacred privilege of loving, serving, baptizing, visiting, anointing, marrying, teaching, burying, and mourning with hundreds of people. I can’t be The 1 to all of them, and I don’t have to be. You don’t either. Jesus asks us to give all we can, to strive for justice, and to proclaim peace. If that’s what we’re expected to do, I know All Too Well that some people really won’t like us, and those folks are usually the closest to home. Welcome to New York.

For Jesus, that was Nazareth. The place where he couldn’t be taken seriously, and some were downright hostile. Of all reasons, on account of his family. Ok, seriously, God, I get it. I’m listening. 

Some people won’t be able to appreciate you, or what you bring to the table. It’s life. But that doesn’t make it hurt any less. It’s a Death By a Thousand Cuts. For some, like the flock Jesus attempted to preach to in this story, they won’t be able to see you stepping into grownup shoes when they knew you as a kid. For some, also like the flock in this story, they’ll judge you based on who they see around you. For some, they’ll carry too much toxicity for it to be worth your time to stick around. For some, you just won’t be able to cram yourself into the box they want to stuff you in. You won’t be The Man, white enough, able enough, educated enough, rich enough, straight enough. Or they just might not be strong enough to lift both you and your autistic son. But Jesus urges us, don’t dwell on the folx who don’t get it. Don’t get stuck on the roads that turned into dead ends, on the jobs that terminated you, on the friends that stopped calling, on the partner who left, on the people who said no, on the Bad Blood. God equips me, you, us, all of us, to go on, even after that. And I Can Do It With a Broken Heart.

It takes bravery to live this life, and our Creator knows we have it. Jesus gives us more specific instructions for how to be yourself in a world that can be hostile: travel light. You’re Bejeweled, beautiful, and beloved just the way you are. Bring one tunic (or Cardigan, or Dress, or, like, whatever you actually wear). Accept hospitality where you find it. Don’t be closed off to love even if you’ve been hurt before. Don’t shrink away from new relationships, or new experiences. Be Fearless. And if you’re no longer receiving love, warmth, or care where you are, it’s ok to leave. Shake It Off your sandals (or Nikes), and move on to the next great adventure, the next Wildest Dream.

I’m beginning a new Love Story this week, with a new church family. How long will me and this flock serve together? What kinds of experiences will I have here? What will life be like here for my family? How will we grow? Only God knows the answers to those questions. In the meantime, all I can do is trust. Me, Sean, and the kids are Dancing With Our Hands Tied. But the Invisible String that connects us to the Divine is stronger than ever, and will never break. God will always Hold On.

What is the Divine putting on your heart to do right now? Is God outside your window, honking the horn of the Getaway Car, and telling you to get in? And if God is asking you to do something new right now, are you Ready For It?  Or is your last heartbreak, your last Cruel Summer, making you gunshy? I’m telling you, from vast experience, that no matter what God is telling you to do right now, even if it sounds nuts, and no matter what awful things you’ve encountered in the past, you can trust that the Sacred is holding you, and you’ll be ok. You can take new risks, you can make new goals, and you can fill in the Blank Space of the road before you.

Amen.