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Services every Sunday at 7:00 P.M.

"You Belong" - I Peter 2:5-6, 9-10 - 6/6/10

You Belong! I Belong! We Belong! You Belong! I Belong! We Belong! Those words echoed around the courthouse steps as people gathered to proclaim the beginning of this year's pride celebration. But more importantly those words echoed to proclaim a reality that is rightfully yours, is rightfully mine, is rightfully ours. We heard Rev. Brent Hawkes from MCC Toronto talk about the Holy Unions he performed that should rightfully be a marriage with all the benefits that entails. How a law suit was filed against the government, and after years and years of hard work it became legal for same sex couples to marry in Canada. I remember Rev. Hawkes performing the marriage of our founder Rev. Troy Perry and his partner Phillip at the International Conference in Calgary , Alberta, Canada and how many other couples were also married because they had the right to do so under Canadian law. You belong, I belong, we belong! We heard Cleve Jones talk about being mentored by Harvey Milk in California and the responsibility each of us holds to mentor the next generation. You belong, I belong, we belong!

How many of us can think back to the days when we thought we didn't belong. It may have happened for the simple reason that we wore glasses and were called four eyes by the other kids. It may have happened on the playground when we first heard words like sissy, faggot, dyke. It may have happened later in life when we were sitting in the pew of the church we loved so much. And from the pulpit we heard those awful words "God hates homosexuals". We may have felt like we didn't belong is our families of origin because they told us we had to conform to their reality of normal in order to be included. Some of us here served in the military and heard that we didn't belong, so we had to live under the "Don't ask, Don't tell" rule for fear of dishonorable discharge and a loss of veteran's benefits. Each of us in one way or another has experienced the rejection of not belonging. Whether that came from an institution, a governmental law, a group of strangers, a friend, our family, or our church. And the closer it came to home the more it hurt, the more it caused feeling of guilt or shame like there was something innately wrong with us.

Well here is the good news

[A poster was held up with the following:

People hate

but

God doesn't.]

As it tells us in the scripture for this evening: "You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, that you may declare the wonderful deeds of God who called you out of the night into God's marvelous light. Once you were no people but now you are God's people." (I Peter 2:9-10) You belong. I belong. We belong! We are a chosen race, we are a royal priesthood, we are a holy nation, we are God's own people. With belonging comes responsibility. As the scripture says we are called out of the night into God's marvelous light so that we may declare the wonderful deeds of God. Until same sex couples can't get married legally in the United States of America we have work to do. Until gay and lesbian people can serve in the military openly we have work to do. Until the young teenage boy or girl can come out in their high school we have work to do. Until families accept their glbt children we have work to do. Until churches across this land really open their doors to glbt people we have work to do. Until our brothers and sisters in other countries can walk down the street of any city without fear of harassment, arrest, or murder we have work to do. Until everyone belongs

[A second poster was held up with the following:

Gay - Straight

Black - White

Same struggles

Same fight.]

we have work to do.

This night I want us to thank God for all the ways we do belong. For all of the strides that have happened in our country and others to include glbt people, we thank God. I challenge us tonight to realize how much more work needs to be done so that all are included. Work in the area where you can be of the most help. As a church we need to continue to stand as a beacon for all people that this is a safe place, that they can belong here, and above all that our God is a God of love. You belong, I belong, we belong.

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