In my ministry, I hear many
stories. It is the joy of my life to
hear the stories of people who are searching for God. Sometimes, they are full of positive
experiences of dedicated pastors or youth leaders or a chance encounter that
pointed them to God. Other times, they
are full of suffering caused by the words or actions of others in the name of
God. In both of these cases, these
storytellers are experiencing God through other people. That is what I want you to remember: if
you are a Christian, others are experiencing God through you. What you do and say matters very much.
This was brought into sharp focus
a few weeks ago when I went to our state capitol to advocate for equal rights
for our LGBTQ citizens. As I shared my
story and listened to others, I felt others’ pain of rejection and hurt at the
hands of Christians. I experienced none
of that pain in my faith story. I was blessed
to grow up in organized religion and was not wounded by it. The Episcopal Church has been a safe and
affirming place for me. This is not true
for many Christians.
One of the women I was chatting
with mentioned she lived in a suburb south of Houston called Pearland. I suggested that she might attend St. Andrew’s
Episcopal Church, that she and her family would be welcome there. I gave her my card and told her to tell the priest
I sent her. She was so relieved to know
there was someplace where they could worship just like everybody else.
As I travel this road for LGBTQ
advocacy, to work to dismantle the structures of injustice that cause
suffering, I find myself in groups on Facebook and in other arenas where I hear
these painful stories. As a bartender
listens to patrons’ stories of woe, so do I. I am sort of like a “spiritual bartender.” These stories are heartbreaking and I cannot
help but be taken aback by the hate dished out in Christ’s name. It is always shocking and I don’t think I
will ever be jaded to it.
I have heard stories of parents
of special needs children who for some, only felt unwelcome in worship but others who have been told their
children were too disruptive to attend worship.
I have heard stories of churchgoers who were specifically pointed out
and shamed from the pulpit. The list
goes on and on.
Have I been disappointed or angered
by folks in my Christian community?
Sure! We’re a family and every
family has its struggles. I have also
witnessed true forgiveness and reconciliation.
Because of my positive experience with organized religion and seeing God’s
loving hand at work, I can invite others to meet Jesus with confidence. And it is the BEST to witness someone who
never thought they’d find a loving Christian community find one and realize
that God does love them and always has.
I have offered to help anyone
find a church (nationwide) that is accepting and affirming to all
people – not only LGBTQ individuals, but all people who may have felt excluded
from Christian community. I’m inviting
not from a place of naiveté but from a place of hope. I guess that makes me a “spiritual
matchmaker.”
I truly believe that if you’ve
been hurt by the Church, you need to be healed by the Church. The Church owes it to you to right the wrong. Don't give up on God. Every day, God is hoping you’ll
be able to believe how much you are loved.
And for those who carry the cross
of Jesus, your words and actions matter.
Be sure you represent the generous and expansive love of Jesus - a love
that others thought was so broad, so bold, so radical that he had to be
stopped. Can you throw caution to the
wind and love with abandon so that others can know God loves them?
