Unconditional and Independent

Sunday, September 28, 2025

The Rev. Brandan Robertson

Author and Public Theologian

Queer Christian

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.

(Romans 8:26)

All of us experience struggles along life’s journey. Sometimes, everything seems to go well, and life unfolds smoothly. Other times, it feels like we’re pushing a boulder uphill, with obstacles every step of the way. In Paul’s letter to the Romans, he reveals a mysterious truth about the Spirit: in our weakness, God shows up to give us strength. When we don’t know how to move forward or lack the energy to keep going, God is with us, even in our wordless groans, working to heal and uplift us.

This requires faith—especially in hard times when it’s difficult to see if or how God is working. Yet, when we trust in God’s goodness and ability to redeem any circumstance, our spirits are warmed and comforted, even during our darkest nights. God has not abandoned us to our pain or confusion. Jesus demonstrated just how deeply God loves us and walks with us through every valley. When we’re drained of faith and strength, the

Spirit intercedes with us, turning our unspoken pain into prayers for strength, healing, and love.

Whether you are in a season of blessing or walking through a dark night of the soul, know that God is at work within you and for you. Even when you lack the words to pray, the Spirit groans alongside you, bringing your unspoken needs to God. Remember, God’s love isn’t conditional or dependent on your strength—it’s simply there, guiding you every step of the way. Thanks be to God for that.

Reflection

What is an area in your life where you need God to work, even if you don’t have the words to pray about it? Write it down as an offering to God.

When have you seen God show up for you in unexpected ways?

Action

Write out Romans 8:28 and place it somewhere visible. Let it remind you of God’s faithfulness and the Spirit’s presence, especially in times of struggle.

A Rare Missed Week

Monday, September 22, 2025

Happy Monday, my friends!

As begin living into the new reality of working a reduced and hourly schedule for LOVEboldly,

I’m trying to figure out how to be the most effective while condensing a full time schedule into 10 (maybe 15) hours. Unfortunately, that means that I’m coming up short in some areas. Last week one of those areas was Monday Moments. I apologize that there is no essay this week (a rarity in almost four years of weekly essays).

In lieu of Monday Moment this week, take a look at my sermon from Blue Ocean Faith Columbus: “I Will Establish Justice Where I Am: A Sermon on Amos 5:10-15.”

If you’re interested in reading my work from another context, I encourage you to subscribe to The Christian Bear where I post my sermons and occasionally other writing.

Know that I’m keeping you all in prayers and ask for your prayers as well.

Faithfully,

Ben

The Gospel is Queer

Sunday, September 21, 2025

The Rev. Dr. Ben Huelskamp

Executive Director, LOVEboldly

Queer Christian

The Gospel is Queer

When one reads that the Gospels are Queer, there’s a rush to indict Jesus and his disciples as a homoerotic group of men who always seem to be around other men. That’s a negative stereotype built on toxic masculinity.

The Gospels aren’t Queer because men traveled together in large numbers. The Gospel is Queer because Jesus routinely transgressed the norms of gender, sexuality, and culture in his words and actions.

The Gospels reveal that Jesus was a Palestinian Jewish man who had been raised as the son of a carpenter. He lived in a time when Palestine was under the occupation and rule of the Roman Empire. With one or two exceptions, his closest followers were drawn from the low, maybe middle, classes of society. They were unskilled laborers, skilled fishermen, and artisans. Jesus spoke Aramaic and seems to have known Hebrew. He speaks fluently with multiple Roman officials and so seems to have been conversant in Latin. Cultural expectations would have been that he become a carpenter like Joseph or to enter another skilled trade. In the oppressively masculine culture, Jesus would have been expected to take a wife and have children. Save his wife and children, Jesus’ close connections would have been men.

But this isn’t who the Biblically revealed Jesus becomes; in fact, he betrays almost every one of these cultural practices. His close followers include men, women, and gender-expansive folks. He associates with people who are positioned culturally higher and lower than he is, and he routinely interacts with people considered ritualistically unclean or societally excluded because of psychological or physical disabilities.

Reflection

How has Jesus been transgressive for you?

How do you transgress expectations of you and/or your identities?