the first time

Here is a posting of my first sermon which I gave on April 2 of this year.


Readings: Jeremiah 1:5-8
Romans 14:1-4

Rebel Yell


I’m obviously not dreaming because if I were, I wouldn’t really be up here. I read all of the scriptures for this week. And then I read them again and reread them and I just could not get anything to jump out at me for a sermon topic. So I came up with an idea on what I wanted to talk about and from there I was pointed in the right direction for scriptures that fit my topic. These scriptures could not have been more perfect and they got me thinking about some seemingly harmless phrases that we hear all the time. How many times have you heard one of these phrases? Please behave. Whatever you do, don’t do anything to embarrass me. Please be on your best behavior. Why can’t you be more like your brother, sister, or so and so? How many of us have heard these phrases as children? How about as adults? Just what do these phrases mean? They seem so harmless on the surface yet there’s something very insidious about these phrases and the way they are used in society today. The underlying meaning of these phrases is meant to say to us, “Suppress yourself. Hide who you are.” How many times have you wanted to rebel against someone else’s will being imposed upon you? We see people everyday, mainly kids in my experience, who are searching for their own identity regardless of the reactions of others. What if we could be that brave? What if we could be that fearless? How many times in our lives have we kept our true selves hidden because we were afraid of what someone else would think? Because we didn’t want someone else tearing us down or judging us or making us feel less than human? Our history, yes, our history, is rife with people being silenced because of their opinions, their beliefs, their outspokenness and that is just not acceptable. We think, well that can’t possibly happen in 2006 but it does; every day. Our differences make us targets for others who can’t stand to see someone who is comfortable within their own skin. And not just the obvious differences but also the ones we can’t see. In Romans, Paul says, ‘welcome with open arms fellow believers who don’t see things the way you do. And don’t jump all over them every time they do or say something you don’t agree with-even when it seems that they are strong on opinions but weak in the faith department.’ This could apply to any one of us, anyone we hear or read about in the news every day, and any one of the conservative Christians who try to say we are condemned to hell because of who we are. Each week I spend some time listening to people who don’t share the same views as I do, whether it be on Fox News, Focus On The Family, or Bob Lonsberry. I do this not because I enjoy hearing what these people have to say but because I think it’s important to hear the negative rhetoric just as much as hearing the positive. For me, I need to know what’s out there and what people are saying. It’s important to know what’s happening in our city, our country, and our world. It’s not my place to try and silence these people. It is my place to separate out the truth from everything else and to spread that truth to others. God will handle the rest, as it says in Romans. Why should we worry about what others believe or how they’ll react to what we believe? To read the passage in Romans is to realize that just because we all attend the same church does not mean we all see the world the same way or do things the same way. That may sound facile but we need to realize that everyone comes with his or her own history and baggage. God made each and every one of us differently and we dress differently, we eat differently, we live differently and we think differently yet we can all come to the same table each week. We need to be free to voice those differences without fear of recriminations or judgments. I’ve got a new guilty pleasure, the TV show American Idol. On the show three judges offer criticism of each contestant’s performance. Invariably, when it comes time for judge Simon Cowell to offer his opinion, the audience boos and the other judges say things that are meant to discount Cowell’s opinion. Now I don’t know how much of that stuff is scripted or how much is shtick and Cowell does say some things that I think are quite harsh but it speaks to the way our society treats people with differing opinions. Our society scorns people who offer dissenting opinions, no matter what the topic. Our society seems to want everyone thinking and believing the same thing and it just doesn’t work that way. Not that I would ever make it to the American Idol stage but if I were up there I would want an honest critique and not just something bland or neutral like that was good or I liked it. When we try to fit everyone together as one we get rebellion. All we have to do is look at our French neighbors and the riots in that country. It’s imperative that we don’t discount an opinion just because it doesn’t match ours or because we don’t like the sound of it. That’s what Paul is speaking about in Romans, listening to all of the voices and welcoming them even when we don’t like what we hear and see. We need to be aware that we aren’t silencing those voices. There’s enough silencing without our additions. There are censors all around us these days. Of course we hear the censors ready to bleep out someone’s profanity. But we also see an original and thought provoking show like The Book Of Daniel get cancelled because some people didn’t like what it contained, we hear about people wanting Howard Stern or Dr. Laura off of the air because their opinions aren’t of the majority. Whatever happened to changing the station; to turning off the TV or radio? What happened to free speech? We’re all coming from different places and have had different things happen in our lives that make us who we are today. We can’t control the thoughts and actions of others and likewise we should not let them control us. I spent a number of years thinking I was less than human because my family found out I was gay and they laid their opinions on me and made it seem like I had a problem. It took me a long time to realize that I wasn’t the one with the problem. The problem was theirs. I knew who I was and they didn’t like it so they wanted to condemn me. We as GLBT people know that feeling all too well and many of us are still living with condemnation. We have enough problems with day-to-day stuff like jobs, bills, and food without trying to deny who we are. We need to be stronger than the people that condemn us. We may not yet truly know who we are or be able to bring that person out but God knows and God knows what we can do. That’s what the Jeremiah passage talks about, God knows what we can do and all we have to do is let go of the fear inside of us and believe. Last week Jim talked about the God-Light that each one of us has. If we shine that God-Light we can see who we are and what we can do and anyone who wants to stand in our way better look out. When Jim was called as pastor of this church, I was fearful and uncertain as to where I would fit in within the church. I had to look inside and realize that I had a separate identity and then realize the gifts I had. I also realized that I had to be true to myself and not try to fit someone else’s expectations. That was the hard one. Every now and then I still get a bit insecure and think that maybe I am too social or too loud or act too gay but as long as I know who I am then I’m being true to the person God made then God will handle the rest. While working on this sermon, I remembered a roommate I had in college whom I found out was gay. I was not attracted to him, however, there was something appealing and refreshing about his outspokenness. He was very frank with people and he didn’t mince words. At first I found that very off-putting because I wasn’t used to people like that but I soon realized that was who he was. He found it better to be direct and in that I found something to respect. Who was I to deny him friendship because I wasn’t used to that? If I had known then that I would end up being harassed and go before the judicial body of the college, would I have still set out to be friends with him? At the time I probably would have said no but now I think, yes, I would have. It was a learning experience and I’m a better person for having had it. We as GLBT people may have a harder time being true to ourselves and yet that makes it so much more important. No our sexuality is not the sole definition of who we are; there is so much more to us than that. I’ve made it through the trials of my past; they weren’t the end of the world. Our mind always paints the worst-case scenario; reality is rarely as bad as our imagination makes it. Our trials make us stronger and better people and they enrich our lives. If we shine that God-Light inside and discover who we truly are then we can bring out our true selves. Show your true selves. Demand to be accepted as you are and accept others as they are even if you don’t agree with what they are saying. Be proud and yes, be loud. We need to stand up and shout I will not be silenced and never compromise ourselves. Then God can use us to spread truth and love and acceptance of all people, everywhere. And we can do so boldly, fearlessly, and with conviction.