Hello.  I would like to say what an honor it is to stand alongside the other members of the congregation today and be a participant in Laity Sunday.  When Linda asked me to share the experiences of my faith journey with all of you, I experienced a wide spectrum of emotions.  Of course my initial reaction was fear, but it was quickly followed by nervous excitement, which was closely followed by eagerness, and finally a sense of pride and joy at being valued enough to be asked in the first place. So thank you for this opportunity and for listening to my story of how I am letting my light shine and not keeping it hidden, just as God’s light shines everyday in my life. 

I came to be a member in this congregation in much the same way as many others who have found a spiritual home here.  My partner and I grew up Catholic and were now adults searching for a church family that would share our Christian beliefs and values or at least accept them.  We both knew with certainty that this church was something special right away.  I have often wondered in my soul searching if the reason that I loved this church so much was simply because it did not openly turn me away or attempt to cover my light with a basket.  But I have come to know in my heart that I love this church for all that it stands for and all that it does.  Yes, and because I am loved and valued here for who I am unconditionally.  Right from the beginning, it was assuring to hear words of acceptance, tolerance, and radically inclusive love being preached and echoed not only from clergy but also the members of the congregation.  Every Sunday I leave this church with a renewed sense of awe and wonder;  With a warmth in my soul, joy in my heart and a thankfulness for all that is shared here. Anyone who knows me well knows my tremendous pride in my membership here. 

It hasn't always been this way.  Growing up Catholic we went to church primarily to fulfill our obligation. But it was enough to instill in me a certain level of comfort in believing in God.  College came and I no longer knew what I believed and even if Christianity was meant for me. The time eventually came when I wanted to re-connect with my spirituality.  I was searching for a church in this area (since I am from out-of-state and wasn’t sure what church to go to in the area) and became a frequent visitor at a local church.  I actually ended up joining that church and tried to feel welcome as a member and ended up feeling as if it was a chore to get myself there every week.  One week, while attending the service, the priest spoke on a topic that I felt very connected to- homosexuality and religion.  He began speaking about how homosexuality did not fit into that church and how the fact that someone was gay was against what the church believed in.  I couldn’t believe it!  A whole church sermon about how being gay is immoral; how being gay is a sin.  A sin, which I now understand to mean, a separation from God.  Funny, I was just starting to feel closer to God and at that time I didn’t feel separated from God until that moment.   I felt like I was sinking in my seat, my face turning red, hoping no one was watching me.  I was one of those “bad” people the priest was talking about, preaching to the church members about how different gay people are and the lifestyle that they chose should be and is looked at as being immoral in the eyes of that church.  I felt demoralized, discriminated against and mostly, un-Christian. My light was not allowed to shine here, at that church.  Imagine that!

I mean, it had taken me all of college and beyond to actually go to church and search for a deeper Christian role in my life.  I thought that was a big step already from being not even sure if Christianity was the right way for me.  I had so many years of silently questioning God and Jesus and what my beliefs actually were.  Then I finally make the commitment to attend and join that church and I get a huge slap in the face.  I am one of those gay people that the priest was marginalizing.  That was it:  should I have even considered continuing my search for religion to be a part of my life?  What was I doing sitting in that church with the head of the church looking down at me, chastising me for finally accepting who I really am.  My spiritual identity was shattered and I left that church with a nasty taste in my mouth and no clue what I was supposed to believe in if God’s unconditional love did not apply to me.

It’s not an easy quest, finding who you really are…not that I have found that out yet, but at least I had come to believe that I was supposed to be gay and that’s what God’s plan was for me.  I rushed out of the church at the end of the service and never to return; never to return to a church at all for a while.  My partner and I knew there had to be a church that would take us in as we are, and appreciate us for the people we are, good people, not the label that had been assigned to us.

Like I had mentioned before, once we stepped into this church, we were not looked at differently.  I was so afraid to hear another sermon about homosexuality and the church, but the day did come when I sat here in the pews and heard a sermon or two about being gay.  Instead of shrinking down in my seat and blushing because I was being marginalized, once I heard the words of acceptance billow down from the pulpit, I actually sat up in my pew, looked around at the people around me, hoping that they could see that I was proud of who I am and happy to exclaim it.  I wouldn’t call myself a “totally out” person, and being gay isn’t the first thing I want people to know about me, but attending this church has made me more comfortable with who I am and proud to say that I am gay if anyone would ask.

Being gay and a person of faith isn’t a different journey.  It is a journey just the same as any other, with  crossroads, and twists and turns.  The destination is the same but we won't all travel the same paths.  And that's O.K.  There has been so much media and hype about homosexuality and religion these days making headlines all across the country.  It definitely makes it hard for someone coming of age and struggling to identify with who they really are and who they want to become, especially if they want to be a person of faith.  It’s the inclusiveness of churches like this church that will help others to keep their faith and not lose sight of the journey they are on.  Being accepted in a church allows all different types of people to at least have the chance of living their life prophetically. We need that desperately to evolve as Christians.  God chose some of the least likely people to be prophets.  If we stop to think we realize that we learn far more from those who are different from us than we could ever learn from those just like us.  We all have a light to shine.

What a difference to not be hiding my light, the light that Jesus gave to me, and not hide it under a basket or in a closet for that matter.  This church has accepted me, my partner, and our 2 beautiful children that were baptized into this church and gladly accepted as God’s Children.  I knew I had my family’s support and they encouraged me to be who I am, but now I have my church family’s support as well.  I can never truly say or describe what a difference coming to this church has made for me, but it has.  I can honestly I say I live a better life personally, knowing that I can go about doing god’s work proudly as who I am.  Just to think that I almost hung my faith up to dry in a closet years ago, and now a new door has opened in my faith journey and it began here, at this church.  Thank you for taking me in and allowing me to let my own light burn the way God had intended it.