Changing Focus
Sunday, November 8, 2026
Georgi Persons
Allied Person of Faith
Quote
Do not let the foreigner joined to the Lord say, “The Lord will surely separate me from his people,”and do not let the eunuch say, “I am just a dry tree.”For thus says the Lord:To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose the things that please me and hold fast my covenant,I will give, in my house and within my walls, a monument and a name better than sons and daughters;I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off.
~Isaiah 56:3-5 (NRSVUE)
Devotion
When November rolls around, my thoughts turn towards Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR). It is on November 20, and is preceded by Transgender
Awareness Week. TDOR is a time to remember all those Transgender individuals
who have been lost due to violence and suicide. Their names are read, pictures are shared, and candles are lit. I attended my first TDOR service in 2014. Prior to that, I knew nothing about it.
After our daughter came out as Trans, I searched and searched, and prayed and
prayed. One of the very first things I stumbled on was a sermon by a Transgender
priest. The Bible verses he shared, and his words caught my heart. “...do not let the eunuch say, ‘I am just a dry tree.’ For thus says the Lord: To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose the things that please me and hold fast my covenant, I will give, in my house and within my walls, a monument and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off.’”
From that sermon: “Some scholars have said that the eunuch is the closest biblical example we have to modern Transgender people. Eunuchs were often outcast from society. They were denied a place in the holy assembly. They were looked down upon and despised. And yet here God is saying that they will be given a name that is better than sons and daughters. Friends, this is good news to Transgender and gender non-conforming people. We know what it means to have names chosen for us that don’t fit, or to be called names that are hurtful. We also know what it means to choose names for ourselves that represent all of who we are. And we honor one another by using those chosen names even when others refuse to.”
That gave me, and continues to give me, so much hope.
Because I am a Lord of the Rings fan, when I reread this, I thought of a scene with Gandalf and Pippin in the last movie. As war wages on around them, Pippin says
something about not thinking it would end like that, and Gandalf explains that it’s not the end. The grey curtain of the world will be rolled back, and all would turn to silver glass. White shores, and beyond, a far green country, under a swift sunrise. Pippin smiles and says, “That’s not so bad.” Being given an everlasting name by God that will not be cut off – well, that’s not so bad. Thankful for a God who sees. Thankful for a God who illuminates. Thankful for the internet where one can read sermons from a decade ago and hear God speak.
Reflection
1. How has God changed how you see people?
2. Has God used a scene from a movie to speak to you?
Action
Watch the scene mentioned above:
A Far Green Country, 49th scene from The Return of the King
Read the sermon that helped change my focus:
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