This last weekend we started a unique topical series in a way that I’ve never done it before. Over the past month members of our church have submitted questions having to do with our faith and practice and it’s those questions that are providing the teaching direction for our Sunday gatherings.
On Sunday we started with a simple question that leads to bigger theological topics…what about tattoos?
The bigger theological topics of course were; What do we do with Leviticus? Does the Old Testament Law have authority over us today? What does it mean to be holy? What changed with Jesus?
You can listen to the message here but to answer the simple question about tattoos, the answer was: They might be OK, and they might not. There is truly a lot of grey area.
We can say from a Biblical perspective that if, like Leviticus 19:28 talks about, you are getting tattoos that contradict your identity as a child of God or that align with an ungodly lifestyle then you shouldn’t do it. But if after thoughtful and even prayerful consideration your tattoo reflects something of the beauty, identity, and creativity of your relationship with God, then maybe it’s fine. I say maybe on purpose, because I don’t know your heart or motivation but you do and God certainly does.
I finished out our time on Sunday with some reflection questions that I’ll repost here:
Why do you want to do it?
- You like the way it looks
- Because my parents said I couldn’t
- It’s meaningful
What is it communicating?
- Something beautiful, meaningful, profane?
What kind of attention is it creating? What is pointing people toward?
- Maybe none at all?
- Maybe toward something that makes people think about God or maybe not?
- Maybe its drawing attention in an inappropriate way toward your body?
I understand that sometimes with a topic like this people hear what they want to hear or come away with still unresolved questions. Since our heart in this series is to create space to ask questions and wrestle with truth I want you to know that even though we might move on to a different topic each Sunday, you can always reach out and engage with further questions or feedback. So please feel free to send me an email or setup a time to grab coffee and let’s talk more.
Peace and grace,
Pastor Andrew