Saturday, August 30, 2008

"Come Unto Me, All You Who Are Weary, And I Will Give You Rest"

In the Westminster Shorter Catechism, the first question is this: "What is the chief end of man (sic)? Our chief end is to glorify God and enjoy God forever."

That's why we were all created in God's image: to glorify, to worship God, and enjoy God and the life and world God has given us forever.

This holds true for all people, straight and LGBTQ alike; able-bodied and disabled alike; women and men, young and old, rich and poor, universally, because we are all created in God's image.

At the Church where I've been called to be their interim pastor we are wrestling with what it means that I am a pastor who is an openly gay man in a 13 year-old relationship, with two children, two dogs, a mortgage, cars, land, debts, salt-and-pepper hair, and still runs marathons and leads pilgrimages around the world. The Church--which currently has other gay and lesbian members though closeted--is struggling with abounding grace to come to terms with what the 21st century is looking like: a place where we who are LGBTQ are no longer living in closets of Don't Ask Don't Tell. It will take some time for us at this Church. After all, this is another moment of "coming out," and it takes some people longer than others to get used to the very idea of being an out gay pastor.

Who is leading the way? The One who welcomes the weary outsider.

The hope? That we will be a Church well-known in the geographical for our inclusivity of all God's people.

Behold: God is doing something new in northeastern North Carolina!

Peace!

B

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