Enlarge the Place of Your Tent: Nobody’s Free Until Everybody’s Free<br/> by Chelle A. Carter-Wilson

**Enlarge the Place of Your Tent: Nobody’s Free Until Everybody’s Free**

Chelle A. Carter-Wilson

Day 1 of 7: Imago Dei

Then God said, “And now we will make human beings; they will be like us and resemble us. They will have power over the fish, the birds, and all animals, domestic and wild, large and small.”
-Genesis 1:26 (GNT)

Raised in a home where social justice was an inherent Christian value—Jesus had always been radical to me, and Black was beautiful. Black Liberation was never just part of my theology; Black Liberation was and is my theology.

Made in the perfect, precise Image of God, how could the Divine not be the brown baby, Black girl, African woman gazing back at me? How could God be anything other than Who you greet each morning in the mirror as you rise? Who do you see? God said of human beings that they would be “like us and resemble us.” That makes every face you see the Face of God—a Divine reflection.

As a Black woman often found in white American sacred spaces, I know how it feels to be left out. However, the old testament admonishes us to enlarge the place of our tents, leaving room for expansion left and right, for descendants who will inhabit the nations. Acknowledging that truth, we are challenged in every interaction, to show the love of God, consistently and without reservation. That is inclusion. If for any reason you are unclear, let’s return to the Gospel, where Matthew 11:28 puts it like this: “Come to me, all of you…”

All means ALL. There is neither qualifier nor special circumstances under which exceptions will be made, the Gospel is as it is.

So, people of faith—if that’s what we truly are—it’s time we addressed the relationships we have (or don’t have) with the LGTBQ+ community (as a start). And let me be clear, the LGTBQ stands for lesbian, gay, trans, bisexual, and queer.

With all meaning all, it’s time to be convicted.

Prayer challenge: Embrace and welcome ALL of God’s children, OR confess that we are not yet who we claim to be, but that we will, with God’s help, do better. Redeeming God, hear our prayers.

Day 1 of 7: Imago Dei

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