A Prayer for Courage, Compassion, and Love

Tomorrow, on Friday, November 7, the Supreme Court may decide whether or not to hear a petition seeking to overturn the historic Obergefell v. Hodges decision, a ruling that made marriage equality the law of the land. At the same time, a video has been circulating of a bishop from a gay-affirming church declaring that he is “no longer gay,” sharing a story of how he claims to have "overcome" his previous life.

For many of us, these headlines and moments stir up something tender in us, not only fear and anger, but a familiar ache. Because this far from the first time our love, our lives, or our very identities have been called into question and called into question under the name of loving God. This is not the first time we have seen people try to deny who they are in the name of faith, conformity, or righteousness. Our communities have been fighting this very fight for decades. Many of us have been fighting for our right to love, to marry, to build our families, and to be our whole and authentic selves for the majority of our lives.

And so, each time these wounds are reopened, we feel it. We feel the hurt, the confusion, the exhaustion of being told, yet again, that our dignity and worth are up for debate. So if you are feeling weary or frightened know this: you are not alone. You are not alone. You are loved and seen and known. We are in this together.

Let us remember: we have lived through scary and challenging times before. We have endured defeats, losses, and setbacks. We have been told to hide, to change, and to disappear. And yet still, we are here. Despite it all, we have persevered, persisted, and prevailed. We love, we fight, and we make a way even when it seems there is no way.

So may our prayers in the coming days be ones of courage, compassion, and steadfast truth.
May we hold one another close and closer still.
May we speak truth in the face of fear.
May we pray for our Supreme Court Justices, that they be moved with compassion, justice, and mercy for all people they serve.
May we pray for those who feel divided in their own bodies.
May we pray for those fighting battles that we do not see or do not understand and may we be moved with compassion, justice, and mercy for all people.

And may we continue to love, to build community, and to believe in a world where all can truly be free. For no matter what the courts decide or the headlines declare, as Bishop Yvette Flunder reminds us:

“Our calling is clear — to proclaim that God’s love is expansive, inclusive, and unrelenting; that our sexuality [and gender identity] are not obstacles to holiness but doorways to understanding the God who is Love.”

Love will remain no matter what.

And so will we.

Love,
Your Pastors

As you have probably learned by now, the U.S. Supreme Court will consider hearing a case seeking to overturn Obergefell v. Hodges – the landmark decision which recognized marriage equality nationwide 10 years ago. Overturning marriage equality would not only be messy and complicated; it would also be an act of injustice that goes against everything we know about the heart of God. Yet we also know we are living in a time when morality is too often replaced for political or monetary gain, when the dignity and rights of those who do not fit within heteronormative structures are time and time again challenged, and when precedent can often be discarded or overturned.

We, at Metropolitan Community Church of Greater Saint Louis (MCCGSL), have never needed the government’s permission to affirm love. Long before the law recognized marriage equality, we were performing marriages for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer couples. The denomination has stood for marriage equality for over 55 years. We must remember that God’s blessings cannot be legislated. We, as MCC, always have and always will marry people regardless of what the Supreme Court decides. God’s justice is not bound and can never be bound by the rulings of human courts. We stand firm in our beliefs that gay marriage is a fundamental human right and that queer people are whole and holy just as they/we are. We will continuously affirm that God delights in our sacred love. We celebrate a God who celebrates and understands queer love. God blesses queer love in all its forms.

At this time, we are called, not just as Christians, but as human beings, to do more than watch history unfold. We are called to pray fiercely and to speak truth especially when it shakes the room. Even when we ourselves shake or tremble in fear. We are called to stand in the public square for justice, hand-in-hand as fear will yet again try to scatter and divide us. We are called to be a people who weep and hold the ones that we love oh so closely. We are called to rise and speak out when the world would rather we sit down and be silent. We will not be silent! We will not allow the love of God — which has no gender, no borders, and no end — to be diminished by narrow minds or hardened hearts.

The poet Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer reminds us that peace is not a pristine destination, but something often grown in the dirt — amid blight, drought, and the mess of real life. This is where we find ourselves: in the dirt, in the mess, in the struggle. And yet, we know that God is here too, in every step forward, in every act of courage, in every moment of stubborn hope. Our hearts may scrape against the rugged earth, but we will keep moving, always together. Because love is worth it! Justice is worth it! We are worth it! And every single one of God’s beloved children is worth it!

If you need to talk to someone about your anger, fear, or worry, please reach out to your pastors - or a pastor of any MCC church. And, if you have been on the fence about getting married, it might be time to schedule your wedding. At MCCGSL, we are happy to be with you to prepare you for that sacred commitment.

We know there will be many days of advocacy ahead for us all. May the God of justice be with us in our fight.