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A Sermon by Cynthia Bauleke On the Way: Shining a Light in the Darkness A
Sermon by Cynthia Bauleke On the Way: Shining a Light in the Darkness A
Sermon by Cynthia Bauleke On the Way: Shining a Light in the Darkness A
Sermon by Cynthia Bauleke On the Way: Shining a Light in the Darkness Fagot, queer, fairy, homo, dyke . . . common words, put downs, heard on play grounds, in jokes, in conversations. Hostility hurled out to separate the target as someone different from the speaker, different, degraded, rejected. Questioning not only their sexual orientation, but their value as a person. The suspicion, fear, and hatred of the "other" is the fundamental disease of the world today - and perhaps always has been. People are cruel to those perceived as different. We’re aware of the tragic story of Matthew Shepherd, the college student tortured and left to die on a fence because he was different, because he was gay. In our state, the Safe Schools Coalition tracks reports of harassment and violence against students thought to be gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender. Their report is almost as shocking. Students using verbal and physical abuse and even gang rape against students perceived to be homosexual . . .with victims as young as six. This rejection and abuse has a profound impact on the victims. Two of those harassed committed suicide, others cut themselves or turned to alcohol and drugs to cope with the pain. In a third of the incidents, adults witnessing the attacks remained silent or blamed the victim. Some of these victims were rejected by their parents, kicked out of their homes. This happens in our state, in our community, perhaps even to our children, if not ours to the children of our neighbors and friends. Sexuality has such power in our lives many of us dare not discuss it - especially within the hallowed walls of the sanctuary. Bare with me as I break that taboo because I believe our sexuality is an important part of whom we are, it is a gift from God. It has the potential for causing great joy in our lives and when misused, great pain. Because of this power we cannot ignore issues of sexuality here - but we must treat them with respect and reverence. For a long time homosexuality was not understood. As so often happens, fear and prejudice grows around what we don’t understand. We know more now. We have come to understand people are born with a sexual orientation, many of us are heterosexual - attracted to people of the opposite gender, a smaller number of us are homosexual - attracted to people of the same gender, and some of us are somewhere in between bi-sexual - attracted to people of both genders. Because of the rampant fear of being different and the oppressive homophobia of our culture, even if we might be bisexual or homosexual we learn to bury that deep within us. Avoiding the pain, rejection, hostility and condemnation that come with being different. And that’s fine with the majority, why change now and delve into uncomfortable areas? The problem is denying who we are created to be means living a lie. Living a lie separates us from God, from ourselves, and from others. We who follow Christ are called to a ministry of reconciliation. Christ took on human form that we might be reconciled with God. Entrusted with this message of reconciliation requires that we accept and encourage people to live into all God has created them to be. Each of us is given different gifts. These gifts are a blessing, their differences can cause discomfort and even conflict. As members of a faith community we struggle through that discomfort and conflict together. Because we believe church is to be a place where all are welcome, where the gifts of all are recognized and received, and where the rights of all are defended and promoted. While many churches reject those who are homosexual, in our good Congregational tradition, we believe "The Lord has yet more light to break forth from his Holy Word." (Rev. John Robinson to the Pilgrims as they left Holland for the New World.) So we resist the temptation to remain in the comfortableness, nurturing our prejudices, and continually seek God’s light for our time and place. Which brings us to a conversation some of us would rather avoid. This is not a response to the political correctness of our day, this is not a whim, or a radical idea thought up by someone with nothing better to do. And this really isn’t about sex as much as it is about justice. Confronted by faithful members experiencing the pain of rejection, the anguish of exclusion, and fear of abuse our denomination entered into study and discussion of homosexuality. In 1985 the national gathering, the General Synod, passed a resolution encouraging congregations of the United Church of Christ to adopt a covenant of Openness and Affirmation of lesbians, gays, and bisexuals. . It took five more years for our Washington North Idaho Conference to pass a resolution, in 1990, encouraging congregations to study issues of sexuality, to determine if they were called by God to be Open and Affirming. In this church, we discussed the issue in 1990 among our Boards and at Church Council. Some thought the topic too hot to handle. So we have moved slowly, taking most of the decade to discuss and study these resolutions and their ramifications. If it hadn’t been for George Lamb and the Church Council’s leadership we would still be studying, instead of voting next week. Meanwhile over 250 churches in the United Church of Christ have chosen to be Open and Affirming. While Open and Affirming is the term used by our denomination, we are only one of ten denominations with hundreds of congregations welcoming gay, lesbian, and bisexual people (more than 800 in 1997). In this church we are guided and inspired by the sacred writings of scripture, but no one would ever accuse us of being Biblical literalists. We no longer follow many social customs of the Bible. We no longer promote slavery or polygamy. Women are no longer considered inferior, we are allowed to speak in church and even vote. The many cleanliness laws of the Old Testament do not guide our lives. What separates us from our Christian sisters and brothers who condemn homosexuality is the way we interpret the Bible. There are eight Old Testament scriptures and three in the New Testament cited by those who argue homosexuality is a sin. On closer look, Biblical scholars tell us most of these refer to male prostitution in the temples of other religions, a form of idolatry common at the time. Then there’s a gang rape and murder in Sodom, which we all would agree is not a good thing. These scriptures are not about relationships of genuine same-gender love, but of men using sex for power. There was no concept at the time of mutual love between people of the same gender. We are guided by the example of Jesus who included the rejected, outcasts, those living in the margins of life. He ate with tax collectors and sinners, touched and healed the demon possessed and lepers, he talked with women. Whoever was feared, despised, rejected, Jesus included in his ministry of love, mercy, and grace. As Paul wrote to the Galatians "In Christ there is no longer Greek or Jew, no longer slave or free, no longer male and female; for all are one in Christ Jesus." Rather than following the cleanliness code we follow Jesus’ love ethic which is broad enough to include you and me as well as those different from us. As we consider whether we will be a congregation open to people of different sexual orientations, affirming them as individuals, we are not talking about the promiscuous predator, which is harmful behavior whether one is heterosexual or homosexual. We are probably not talking about those who flaunt their sexuality, which we would find inappropriate by anyone in church. We are talking about individuals, people created in God’s image, who seek a faith community where they can follow Christ and be honest about themselves. We are talking about our children and our youth, as they grow and explore their sexuality and who they are attracted to, knowing they will always be welcome and loved here, with no need to hide their identity. Whether or not we become an open and affirming congregation sends an important message to our friends and members who have a brother, a sister, a child, a parent, a grandchild, a friend, who is gay, lesbian, or bisexual. These people have often experienced hatefulness, criticism, and sadness because of those they love. We could create a place where it is safe for them to talk about their fears and joys, grief and gratitude, for those they care about. As a heterosexual I have advantages in this culture I take for granted. I am free to talk about my life partner without fear. My partner is covered by my health insurance. I don’t worry about losing my job because of my sexual orientation. I can freely share small signs of affection in public with my partner. I can walk into any church in town and be accepted. This is not true for gay, lesbian, and bisexual persons. Some of you have asked how our church would change if we become Open and Affirming. There is no way of knowing the answer, but in looking at other churches there is good news. In a survey of 74 Open and Affirming congregations, a large majority of the churches reported their membership has grown since becoming Open and Affirming. Only two of the 74 churches have had a loss in income, with most churches having no noticeable change in finances. Only three of the churches responding to the survey felt there had been a negative effect from becoming Open and Affirming, several haven’t seen a lot of difference, and most felt it has made a positive difference in the life of their church, with a new understanding of what it means to be family, a new honesty and openness within the church, with many people, not just homosexuals, finding these congregations safe, welcoming and affirming communities of faith. The President of the United Church of Christ, Paul Sherry, recently wrote a pastoral letter to the churches, he writes: "I believe our voice among the churches and within our society is urgently needed, bearing witness to the belief that God cherishes all and dignifies all, and to our experience of gay, lesbian, and bisexual persons as gifts of God, called with us by their baptism into the fullest participation in God’s mission of reconciliation in the world. By that voice, I believe, our churches will be renewed. More importantly, in that voice, I believe, the lonely will be called to companionship, the frightened will find comfort, the abused will know safety, and those sisters and brothers in Christ who have lost hope will rediscover the blessing of their baptism: Child of God, disciple of Christ, member of Christ’s Church." We have the opportunity to welcome the outcast and marginalized. To tell our sisters and brothers, in this church they are safe to worship God without having to leave an important piece of themselves home in the closet. We have the opportunity to be a church which will stand up to the injustices too long perpetuated by church and society. We have the opportunity to examine our personal and societal prejudices and grow beyond them. We have the opportunity to learn what it means to be a faith community who welcomes all, including people of different sexual orientations, not just tolerating them, but affirming each person for their unique gifts. In our diversity we will disagree on Biblical interpretation, on what we should do as a church in response to this justice issue, on the wording of the resolution we vote on next Sunday, and how we will publicize the results of that vote. How we deal with these differences will shape us as a community. This is an opportunity for us to practice patience and compassion with each other as we acknowledge our diversity, seeking to respect and love each other when we disagree. Together let us pray for the capacity to envision life as it could be and, with the help of our loving God, to unite ourselves across our differences as we struggle each day to treat all with respect, dignity, love, compassion, understanding and justice. Amen. |