Does your Face fit?

It is always good to get out and about, and LGBT History Month has offered plenty of opportunities to do this. When I spoke to groups in Oxford and in London recently, I was reminded again of how blessed I am to be part of a church and a denomination that accepts and loves me for ALL of who I am. I do not need leave part of myself behind in order to become acceptable to those around me. What struck me also, was the great love and deep passion that others have for God, for their own church, and for holding their ground in places where they are not welcome or not fully valued. I heard stories of women and men who were willing to go forward in the ordination process, even though they know the sacrifices that they will have to make in their personal lives, in order to answer the call that God has placed upon their hearts. I recently asked a female theologian why she stayed in the Catholic Church. She said ‘This has been the church of my family for generations. I agree with much of its teaching. I am not going to let a bunch of men push me out.” These stories are stories of great courage, great faith and great hope. These individuals continue to stand, to bear witness, to live out their sacred lives in the spaces between human-made rules and regulations.
 
One of the roles that MCC has always played is to be an ‘oasis’, a place of renewal and refreshment for those who are engaged in these spiritual struggles. We are the community that binds up these warriors, tends their wounds and gives them strength to go back to the fight. We are the safe space where they can be fully themselves. We offer a glimpse of how it might be for every person to be fully accepted and embraced, just as they are. We are also able to give voice to the voiceless, speaking for those who have too much to lose if they speak their own truth. As I said to these groups, the Berlin Wall was pulled down by people on both sides of the wall. It takes all us to dismantle sexism, racism, homophobia, transphobia and other oppressions.
 
We also need to be vigilant in ourselves. Are there people who don’t feel welcome or comfortable at Northern Lights MCC? Do we send out messages, knowingly or unknowingly, that tell people that they have to look/sound/act a certain way in order to be acceptable to us? Someone in the congregation said that they had challenged people at their workplace who were feeling rather pleased with themselves because of their attitude to diversity. “What about people who struggle with mental illness? What about the homeless or the asylum seeker? Being ok about LGBT folk is all very well, but what about these people?” he asked. We can ask the same question of ourselves - when we are in the safe centre at NLMCC, who is still on the edges?

God bless
 
Cecilia