God moments

Today I read this really moving article "I'm Christian, unless you're gay." It's not a new article actually; it's been floating around the interwebs for almost two years now. The article really isn't even about homosexuality and the church. It's more about bullying. And our shortcomings as people of the Church (whether the Church is Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Pagan, etc). But there were a few really touching moments in the post that hit home hard for me.

The author's friend has come out as gay to the author and "Jacob" is telling the author that he has lost friends because he admitted to being his true self.

“Every single person I’ve told has ditched me. They just disappear. They stop calling. They remove me on Facebook. They’re just gone. They can’t handle knowing and being friends with a gay person.”

“You don’t know what it’s like, man. You don’t know what it’s like to live here and be gay. You don’t know what it’s like to have freaking nobody. You don’t know what it’s like to have your own parents hate you and try and cover up your existence. I didn’t choose this. I didn’t want this. And I’m so tired of people hating me for it. I can’t take it anymore. I just can’t.”

Jacob was particularly talking about his friends leaving him within the context of the Church, but I can only imagine that his "Church friends" aren't the only ones bailing. I have been this confidant to several of my friends that have felt like there was no one else to turn to. I think a piece of my heart actually breaks (okay, I know that can't actually happen...perhaps my coronaries get blocked which will lead to an early, untimely heart attack) each time I hear the all-too-common story about not feeling comfortable coming out to friends and family.

I have several critiques of the Church for ostracizing people who identify as non-heterosexual (or really any societal faux-pas--addicts, teen parents, etc), but the one that hits the hardest as I read this article is that we as a Church turn our backs to the people who need love the most. The most vulnerable populations are coming to an organization that touts love and acceptance but are repeatedly rejected.

I guess this is all weighing heavily on me because my home congregation is, on some level, working through similar issues. Four years ago the Churchwide Assembly of the ELCA voted to support same-sex marriages and rostered leaders within the Church whom identify as homosexual. Ever since that decision, my local congregation has had some issues. This blogpost is not the place to unwrap 4 years of heated discussion, but needless to say, it hasn't been pretty.

The issues have since been expanded beyond just the sexuality statement, but that's where it all started. In about a month and a half, the congregation will vote to decide whether or not they are going to leave the ELCA. I, quite passionately, do not believe that we should leave the ELCA because congregants will no longer have access to camp, national youth gatherings and campus ministry for teenagers and young adults, scholarships to Lutheran college and seminaries, access to pastors-in-training (vicars) from seminaries, and the connection to many mission centers of the Nebraska Synod and Churchwide and for many other reasons too.

I used to consider First St. Paul's one of my favorite places, but within the past few years I cannot even drive past the building without my blood pressure rising and beginning to hyperventilate. Truthfully, I think that says quite a bit about how toxic the atmosphere has become...this is a place where I was a peer minister in high school, was on staff for two years as an intern, and was closely partnered with (and still a paid staff member!) as the Campus Peer Minister for Nebraska Lutheran Campus Ministries at Hastings College.

I have travelled across the state several times within the past year or so and no matter where I am, at least one person asks me about the "situation" over at FSP. They offer their opinions and prayers for discernment. They discuss the latest happenings in the saga of the past few years. But mostly there are a whole bunch of negative feelings and plenty of anger from all sides of the situation.

I have not heard one positive thing about FSP in years. YEARS.

Now that is a seriously sad statement about a church. Churches are a place for welcoming the other and being hospitable to the least. I don't think it really matters which way the vote goes at this point, but what we need most is reconciliation and healing.

A few weeks ago I was at a lunch meeting for a service organization with which my entire family is involved. One of the other members said off-handedly,

"It's been really nice working with FSP on the Homeless Connect project. They have been the greatest blessing."

Honestly, I had NO idea how to respond. It took a few seconds for it to sink in. Someone was actually saying something positive to me for the first time in 4 years about the church I call home. In fact, I got a little emotional for a bit after she said that.

And that, my friends, is a God moment. Somehow amidst all of this anger and fighting, God was still able to do some incredible work for the residents of Hastings with no-to-low incomes.

We are not perfect people, but we are the Church. We will always fall short, but we will somehow manage to do incredible things for humanity through the grace of God. And I think that's pretty cool.



**In other ELCA news, we elected our first female Presiding Bishop (essentially the head pastor who oversees all of the regions of congregations in the US) yesterday! It will be interesting to see how my home congregation reacts over the course of her 6-year term because they haven't always had the most favorable view of women in the pastoral position.---let me clarify, the like women clergy, they just don't seem to want any leading their congregation. But yay, Rev. Eaton!