GOD’S RAINBOW — LGBTQ Misconception
It was on a summer evening. Pastor Peterson, the Senior Pastor of the Glassy Cathedral: one of the biggest churches in the city of Jasmine, was having a nice time at the dining table with his wife and his 6-year-old daughter, Charlotte.
"Hey honey, this meal tastes different. Where did you get this recipe?" He dabbed his mouth a little with the towel and continued, "I had not tasted this delicious delicacy before, how did you do it, because I would love to try it myself in the kitchen oneday?"
"Oh, darling! You're such a flirtatious sweetheart." she smiled while sitting up a little to speak. "Anyways, I used a Chinese recipe. Hello, wait, darling, when was the last time you were in the kitchen ?" she teased him.
"Hmm, OK! Even if I can't remember, one of these days, I could be the mother and the chef in the kitchen, this is not a matter of gender you know. Of course, I can cook for the whole family. Do you remember the garden? Adam also prepares a meal for Eve to eat in the Garden."
"Ah ahhhhhh", they both burst into laughter.
"Mum look", little Charlotte interrupted their conversation.
"What sweetheart?" she stared at her.
"The wall..." she points at the little cockroach on the dining wall.
"Oh, is it the little cockroach? Always scared of little cockroaches." Her dad stood up and went to her seat and hugged her, "Don't panic sweetheart, your mom got it. OK,``he assured her. "I hate cockroaches, I hate insects!" she yelled and ran to her room.
As Mrs. Peterson was trying to kill the insect on the wall the doorbell rang. "Honey you kill that fast, let me reach for the door, I guess it's Mr. Jackson". The sound of the bell jingled the second time, "Yes, please, you hold on, I'm on my way".
When he reached for the door, he turned the handle, lo and behold, it was Mr. Jackson who was standing behind the door. Now, Mr. Jackson was Pastor Peterson's childhood buddy, he's just visiting the family for the weekend.
"Hey! Jack, it's you." gleaming with a smile already.
"Yea, Pet". So overjoyed, they hugged themselves.
"Hey, honey, who's that?" Mrs. Peterson shouted from the inside, peering through the space.
"It's Jack honey, it's Jack. He's already here." he opened the door to let him in. They both entered inside and he slammed the door behind them. Mrs. Peterson walked up to Jack:
"Hi Mrs. Pet", he stretched out his hand.
"Hi Mr. Jack, you're welcome". They both shook hands. Mrs. Peterson took the little bag he came with from him and continued, "It's already 7 pm by my time here. Honey, you told me he's gonna be here by 5 pm this evening, you..."
"Oh, Yea." Jack intervened. "Right here in your city, I encountered a little traffic jam. The road was packed and stuffy", they made a move to sit down but Mrs. Pet went to get Mr. Jackson a glass of water from the fridge. "As I was saying, Pet, your city roads were really busy." "busy, why? because here in Jasmine we rarely have busy roads". He was a little puzzled.
"I guess, a mystery is about to be uncovered in your city. Let us wait till tomorrow Pet." He reached for the glass of water he was served.
"Whatever be the mystery, God is in control of our city dude. Alright, that aside. So, how was your journey, and how's your family and work?" He enquired more.
"It was a smooth journey, all the way from Frankisburg to here, Jasmine. God was on the wheel. My family is doing great. You know, I've changed jobs..." They all chatted away the night.
The next day was Saturday. On that Saturday morning. Pastor Peterson got his car ready, called out for little Charlotte.
" Daddy, are we going out shopping?" she asked. "Yes baby we are", He stopped over her and whispered it gently into her ears then gave her a peck on the forehead.
He took his car key; went to his wife, and took her hand, "Hey honey, we will be back in a jiffy, let me just take Jack out with Charlotte for a shopping", he kissed her, "we will be back OK." he hugged her for a while then left her to embrace. "OK guys, it's time to run". They all jogged out. While they entered the car, Mrs. Peterson came beside the window, while looking through it, she bid them goodbye, the trio waved back in the car and zoomed off.
They came to a stop in front of a traffic light. It's the last traffic light on that lane before the classic and colossal Giffy Mall they were heading towards. The mall is famed for its varieties. It's the biggest in the city, thousands of residents shop there every week. It's a shopping mall for all shopping parents. While they were there in the traffic, they began to hear faint noise from afar coming towards them.
"Hey Jack, can you hear that?" he tapped him. "Yeah, of course, I guess it's the sound of a crowd coming from a distance,'' he replied.
The sound was now becoming intensified as the crowd was coming closer and closer. "Pet look !" Jack pointed at an angry protesting crowd already coming close to where they were. The inscriptions on the placards they carried were now becoming very conspicuous. "Hey, Dad, what's that, who are they?" Charlotte looked through the window to see. Her question was left in the air. "Hey look, can you see that?" Jack point at one of the banners in the hands of the protesters at the front, "STRAIGHTS FOR GAYS RIGHT", he never knew when he muttered those words out. "Pet, did you see that? It's a movement by the LGBT community".
"Look at the other placard with the hashtag 'GAY PRIDE' amid the crowd", said Pst. Peterson. "Why are civil rights subject to majority vote? Trans people belong". He read out another inscription on another placard.
"Oh Lord have mercy on humanity for perversion", he muttered those words of prayer still having his hands on the steering wheel. "hmm, this means staying a little longer in the traffic, OH lord". He dropped some water from his eye; not because of the delay in his journey, but because of the people who do not know what they are doing.
"Hey daddy, did you see the rainbow flag in their hands, what does the rainbow flag mean because I saw some kids with them in my school?" she continued "what does the rainbow mean?" Little Charlotte asked her dad, looking very puzzled and perplexed. Mr. Peterson turned to her; filled with great sadness, and mixed feelings, he smiled at the daughter in between the line. He dropped a little more in tears for how little children in our public schools have already been exposed to perversion. He smiled again, then turned his head away leaving no response yet.
The crowd with flags of various sizes with rainbow colors filled the air. The march was massive with a mixture of men who are gay, women who are lesbians, young women, and men who are bisexual, with some transgenders. It was a call for the liberation of the LGBT community to total freedom and acceptance.
"Hey Pet, are you not seeing them, they are sinners and they will all rot and go to hell?" Jack said angrily. "No, don't say that Jack", He retorted his statement. "Wait Pet, are you saying you love these sinners, who perverted God's creation, who turned their body into an instrument for the devil's use?" Jack was fired. "Yes, I love them", he replied wiping his eyes with a handkerchief. "Wow! Are they not sinners for supporting what God never ordained in the scriptures?" He reminded me.
"Well, of course, they are sinners. I don't like them because of the sin that they have committed, but because Christ still loves every one of them even when they are in sin. God still loves and He's still willing to help all of them without condemning them". He responds simply.
Getting walked up about his response Jack said, "How can God love such perverted folks. They have already damned Pet, or are you not a pastor again, don't you know the truth?" "I know Jack. But remember, when we were yet sinners, Christ died for us", he responded sharply.
"Now, Pet, how about the rainbow flag, I mean the rainbow. What will you say about it?" He turned to watch the crowd again, still walking slowly past them in the car with their placards. "you mean the flag with rainbow color in their hands?"
"Yes buddy!" he responded. Mr. Peterson narrated quietly still watching at the road intermittently; a cluster of vehicles haphazardly packed as a result of the movement, the traffic light, and the endless line that is still moving slowly: "actually concerning the rainbow flag, you should know that the ubiquitous symbol isn’t a rainbow at all. It currently has six colors, previously it had eight and included turquoise and pink. But as Christians, we have the opportunity to remind the society that the rainbow, the real rainbow, symbolizes something very different. Its true meaning can be seen in the scriptures..." the sound of the car honk from the vehicle behind broke the conversation line. The traffic light is now on the green. But vehicles can't speed, the road is still stuffy with pedestrians in the form of protesters and too many vehicles trying to find their way. Mr. Peterson navigated but it was difficult. Every vehicle halted again to let free the road for a smooth ride.
"Today is a good day", Jack said satirically and took a deep breath.
"...the true meaning of the rainbow came from the Bible. This meaning represents God's idea about the rainbow. In Genesis 9:12-15, the rainbow reassured Noah and his family that a flood on the same scale will never take place again. After the Flood, God made an everlasting covenant with Noah, his family, their descendants, and all the living creatures. He promised never again to destroy the earth by a flood. The rainbow was the sign of that promise – a reminder of God’s commitment to the earth". He took a deep breath and continued:
"The rainbow is also a picture of God’s beauty and holiness. As buttressed by Ezekiel 1:28: 'Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD".
"then what's the relationship between LGBT and the rainbow?" Jack interrupted.
"The rainbow is precious". He continued the narrative, "It’s a symbol of what theologians call God’s common grace – the grace he shows to all people saved and unsaved alike. With the rainbow, God promised to restrain his wrath. He promised never again to visit destruction on the earth in the same way. Judgment was delayed, for Noah, his descendants, and the rest of creation. God would continue to provide rain and sun. He would provide seasons and harvest. Land could be worked, crops could be grown. It's a sign of God's grace that has appeared to all men".
Jackson looked at the protesters again and said with great disdain, "All of you are doomed forever".
"God still loved them and wanted them saved", Pst. Pet looked at Jackson, patted him, and smiled. He continued, "The rainbow reminds us how our heavenly Father is prepared to restrain his anger against sin and deal with it through his Son Jesus Christ. God not only delayed his judgment but provided a way of salvation for us. It also provided an opportunity – a day of grace. In delaying judgment, God has provided the opportunity for the Gospel to be proclaimed to every tribe and nation. An opportunity for every man, woman, boy, and girl to recognize their Creator and be saved. The rainbow means salvation".
"Hey daddy, do you mean the rainbow means salvation?" Charlotte is alert that she's still a part of the talk.
"yes baby". He looked back, responded, and smiled. He moved on, "So the rainbow is not merely a symbol. It’s not simply part of an ancient story. It is a living example of God’s faithfulness. It is an assurance that God has not forgotten us and that he continues to work in this world. Lord, I pray that their eyes be enlightened, that they may come to know the true meaning of the rainbow – and our covenant-making, covenant-keeping God".
As Pst Peterson uttered the last word, here comes the police with their van. They tried controlling the disorganized situation, but the angry protesters were proving unsubdued. But gradually the road came to shape as the police tried to make the protesters give way. The sound of vehicle engines began to sound, drivers began to honk. As Peterson turned on the engine, "Then Pet what do you think is God's mind about gender and sexuality?" Jack quickly asked, looking more inquisitive. The car was in motion now, they were almost at Jiffy Mall.
"God's mind about gender and sexuality, OK. Now, Jack when it comes to God's mind on sexuality and gender, you must understand this indisputable fact that, from the beginning, he created them, both male and female..." he drove into the mall; slid into the car park; stopped the car, and they all breath down the pressure they encountered on the road. Not ready to go down yet, Mr. Peterson continued.
"From the beginning, he never made them male and male, neither female nor female. So, he wants only a man to be joined by a woman for the two to become one partner. Secondly, since everything he made was good and perfect, God wants us to be grateful for the gender we are, whether male or female and not try to become the other sex through a system called transgender. God made sexuality for only a man and a woman to be enjoyed within a container called - marriage. We are God's masterpiece, perfectly created by God. God never made a mistake by making us the way he did - man or woman. But Satan has corrupted humanity and introduced perversion. But God loves all. Anyone that comes to him, he will in no way be cast out."
"Dad opened the door. Open the door, I'm gonna go out", She said, trying to push the door open.
"I'm coming sweetheart". He replied. "Hey Jack, we're gonna go down now". They opened the door and came down. Peterson went to open the other door for little Charlotte to come out. When she came down, she ran excitedly into the mall. Jack and Pet followed after her into the building.
