I had to go to my 5th-grade brother’s church as I was growing up. When I say church, it was his room with a pulpit made of a nightstand with a trash can then a board game on top. The cross was made of hot wheel tracks and his stole of toilet paper. He loved Jesus and the church early. Being the younger sister who certainly was not thrilled that I needed to go to a second service in a week, I tried questioning his motives behind the offering. My mom assured me that he gave it to our real church. I could not get out of going. My parents who were life-long, church-going Lutherans, could not have been prouder of him.
Their pride and love never wavered, but sadly the church did not feel the same way. Our family’s journey of the rejection of the church when he came out as a gay man is one of incredible love by the people who knew him, and immense grief caused by the church we loved. It is a long story, too long to tell in a blog, but the end of the story for him, our family, and ultimately the ELCA church is one of the light of Christ shining through the darkness. God never left us and love won.
So please bear with me as I talk about Pride again. I know some may be tired of hearing it. “Why can’t they just live their lives quietly and not make a big show of who they are?” is what I have heard many times. It’s difficult to fully understand the fear and isolation that comes when sexual orientation or gender identity isn’t considered the norm. Pride is about loving and claiming who you are and no longer being afraid. We are ALL made in God’s image. I am incredibly thankful and proud that we celebrate this at Lord of Life and share this message loudly and frequently.
Unfortunately, there are still mountains of hurt and rejection from the Christian community. “LGBTQ youth are more than four times as likely to attempt suicide than their peers. They are not inherently prone to suicide risk because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, but rather placed at high risk because of how they are mistreated and stigmatized in society” (The Trevor Project www.thetrevorproject.org). We can’t sit idly by. We must act. Lives depend on it.
This past week, we experienced a myriad of emotions at Hamilton Pride and at the multi-denominational Service of Reconciliation and Healing. We heard heartbreaking stories of rejection by the church, but we also experienced a real sense of hope as we gathered to begin healing. People felt the line begin to blur. The church who had drawn a line to keep people out were now standing with Jesus on the other side. The Holy Spirit is changing hearts and minds. As John Johns, Lord of Life Music Director, so eloquently reflected at the service, there is a difference between “loving the sinner, not the sin” and truly being an ally in the love of Christ. If you couldn’t be at the service, I encourage you to give yourself the gift of experiencing it. Watch the whole service or John’s testimony begins around 45:40 //fb.watch/dxGBEaoV9l/ or www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BV9EOm31HI.
When asked which commandment is greatest, Jesus responds, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:37-40).
There are countless things in the world that we can’t fix. This one could truly be easy, just love! How can you love in Pride month and beyond?
Living, sharing, and celebrating with all people God’s love in Jesus Christ,
Angie Seiller, Director of Faith Formation