Take me to church?

As we contemplate the injustice committed by the House of Bishops last Valentines Day, I was reminded this morning of-, and am strengthened by the lyrics of "Take me to church", by Hozier​, which addresses anti-gay sentiment in the Church.  My heart weeps for those who are hurt daily in the name of faith ... come Lord Jesus.

"Take Me To Church" - Hozier

My lover's got humour
She's the giggle at a funeral
Knows everybody's disapproval
I should've worshipped her sooner

If the heavens ever did speak
She's the last true mouthpiece
Every Sunday's getting more bleak
A fresh poison each week

'We were born sick, ' you heard them say it

My Church offers no absolutes
She tells me, 'Worship in the bedroom.'
The only heaven I'll be sent to
Is when I'm alone with you—

I was born sick,
But I love it
Command me to be well
Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

[Chorus 2x:]
Take me to church
I'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies
I'll tell you my sins and you can sharpen your knife
Offer me that deathless death
Good God, let me give you my life

If I'm a pagan of the good times
My lover's the sunlight
To keep the Goddess on my side
She demands a sacrifice

Drain the whole sea
Get something shiny
Something meaty for the main course
That's a fine looking high horse
What you got in the stable?
We've a lot of starving faithful

That looks tasty
That looks plenty
This is hungry work

[Chorus 2x:]
Take me to church
I'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies
I'll tell you my sins so you can sharpen your knife
Offer me my deathless death
Good God, let me give you my life

No Masters or Kings
When the Ritual begins
There is no sweeter innocence than our gentle sin

In the madness and soil of that sad earthly scene
Only then I am Human
Only then I am Clean
Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

[Chorus 2x:]
Take me to church
I'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies
I'll tell you my sins and you can sharpen your knife
Offer me that deathless death
Good God, let me give you my life

____________________________________________________________________

The other song that brings great encouragement, bears the same title, by Sinead O'Connor.  These lyrics, too, are a stark reminder of what's going wrong in so many of our churches that use faith to oppress.

"Take Me To Church"

I don't wanna love the way I loved before
I don't wanna love that way no more
What have I been writing love songs for?
I don't want to write them anymore
I don't wanna sing from where I sang before
I don't wanna sing that way no more
What've I've been singing love songs for?
I don't wanna sing them anymore,
I don't wanna be that girl no more
I don't wanna cry no more
I don't wanna die no more
So cut me down from this here tree
Cut the rope from off of me
Sit me on the floor,
I'm the only one I should adore

Oh, Take me to church,
I've done so many bad things it hurts
yeah, Take me to church
but not the ones that hurt
'Cause that ain't the truth
And that's not what it's worth
Yeah, take me to church
oh, take me to church
I've done so many bad things it hurts
Yeah, get me to church
but not the ones that hurt
'Cause that ain't the truth
And that's not what it's worth

I'm gonna sing songs of loving and forgiving
Songs of eating and of drinking, 
songs of living, songs of calling in the night 
'cause songs are like a bolt of light
And love's the only love you should invite
Songs of long and spiteful fails
songs that don't let you sit still 
Songs that mend your broken bones
and that don't leave you alone
So get me down from this here tree,
take the rope from off of me
sit me on the floor,
I'm the only one I should adore!

Oh, Take me to church,
I've done so many bad things it hurts
Yeah take me to church,
but not the ones that hurt
'Cause that ain't the truth
And that's not what it's worth
Yeah, take me to church
oh, take me to church
I've done so many bad things it hurts
Yeah, get me to church,
but not the ones that hurt
'Cause that ain't the truth
And that's not what it's worth

______________________________________________________

I'll keep praying and speaking out, with countless others, until our worship spaces are safe space for all.  I know, realistically, we'll never be in the place where all of them are, but we keep praying and speaking out, so that the harmful ones will be in the minority.

If you're not in a supportive church, and need some encouragement, please do look at my post about inclusive faith groups, "Support Inclusivity" and get in touch with one of those organisations. If you have the means to support them (with time or talent), please let them know ... we need as many people involved as we can get.

Peace & love to you this Valentines Day.

The value of Straight Allies ...

I was recently asked to comment on a piece of writing about reforming the Church's views on the LGBT community, and replied as follows.  I thought I'd offer it on here as an encouragement to stay involved.

As a gay person in the Church, I find that it becomes so tiring fighting for the right to simply be, that it often becomes fairly impossible to engage in any useful way in theological discussions about the matter.

People forget (or, if I'm being generous, don't know), that this is an issue of human identity; that sexual identity issues are at the very core of who you are, not a simple matter of "keep it in your trousers".  It's about who you love, how you interpret your place in society, your gifts and talents, what influences your interests and decision-making, and how you express yourself, and so much more ... that to be reduced to a mere extension of your genitals is dehumanising, devaluing, and robs you of the opportunity to engage as an equal partner in discussions about your place in society.

So, to be caught on the back foot all the time, defending your right to participate in the discussion, is exhausting, and can leave you too exhausted to play any useful part.  For this reason, the value of allies of the LGBT (and Q and I) community cannot be overstated, and we desperately need more.

You don't have to be Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transsexual, Queer, Questioning, Intersex or indeed even Asexual to be engaging in the discussions about bringing change and equality in our communities and institutions.  Thank you to all the straight allies that are engaged ... please keep it up.  We need your voice.

Image from this page.

Resources:
Here's a link to download the Stonewall guide about Straight Allies.
A link to download the PFLAG guide about Straight Allies.
The Wikipedia article about Straight Allies

The Drag Circuit & the Imperial Court System ...

One of the things that made a big impression on me during my stay in San Francisco was meeting some of the area's drag queens and seeing how much money they raise for charity and how hard they work in their communities.

I had no idea that there is an Imperial court system in place for American, Mexican & Canadian drag queens, and was extremely impressed at how organised the structure is, and how much of a support the system is to those inside and outside it.  They support a number of charitable organisations and - in addition to their fundraising shows and events, they donate of their own time, talents and possessions to support their communities and those in need.

As I reflected in one of my earlier posts, to illustrate the power of embracing this community and their community ethic, during my stay in San Francisco, I learned of St. Aidan's, an inclusive Episcopalian congregation in San Francisco that welcomes the local drag community into their midst and the drag community is encouraged to fund raise on their premises. The congregation of St. Aidan's has also raised funds for the drag queen's chosen charities. As a result of this mutually beneficial and generous relationship, the drag queens in turn largely funded the parish's food pantry for an entire year.  To me, this is an example of the potential power that true inclusion holds to work for good in our communities.

I was trying to find the right words to explain a little bit more about the Imperial Court system, but decided that, rather than offer misleading information, it would be best summarised by simply quoting a leaflet I was handed at the coronation ceremony for the Alameda Ducal Court I had the privilege of attending before I left San Francisco:

About Latinos and the Imperial Courts

The International Imperial Court System of the United States, Canada and Mexico was established in 1965 by a Latino, Jose Julio Sarria.  There are Imperial Court chapters in over 68 cities within the United States, Canada and Mexico.  Jose, who is now 91 years old and retired, appointed Nicole M. Ramirez, a well-known gay Latino activist, as his successor in 2007. 

The Imperial Courts welcome everyone as members; gays, lesbians, transgender, bisexuals, heterosexuals, friends and family.  The Imperial Courts membership is based on a Royal Court, with Dukes, Duchesses, Prince, Princess, etc., and is headed by an elected Emperor and Empress.  Imperial Court memberships are all volunteer ... no one gets paid.  The Imperial Courts hold events in the LGBT Communities and raise funds for charities and many causes, including children's charity concerns and student scholarships.

For more information, visit www.impcourt.org 

What does an inclusive church service look like?

On Sunday, 7 July, I experienced several different forms of inclusive church.  This post will focus only on the first part ... the church service I attended.

I started the day at St Gregory of Nyssa, San Francisco, a community that actively advertises itself as inclusive of the LGBT community, reaches out to poor people (amongst other things, they run a food pantry where tons of groceries are shared out every week, and where those who come to get food items are as welcome in worship as they are for the food pantry!), and where people on the fringes in other parts of the Church are celebrated and included, not just in being welcome, but have the opportunity to use their gifts in positions of leadership.  The worship space is in two sections, one section they use for the service of the Word (the readings, prayers & sermons), and the second section for the sacraments (the communion, or Eucharistic prayer).

The service involves lots of congregational singing, without instruments, and elements of the worship service are brought in from around the globe, with music bells and chants from other countries, and references to other cultures in items scattered around the church and also used in worship.  The congregation sing most of the liturgy, and are encouraged to interact in other ways (such as touching the Scripture which is processed through the congregation after the readings, sharing their own understandings of the topic for the week with each other after the sermon has been preached, and offering up their prayers).

After the Word part of the service, the congregation sings and dances together to the altar, and gather around the central altar, and are surrounded by paintings of contemporary and traditional saints ... giving a sense of everyone being gathered together.  The communion prayer includes more congregational singing, led by the choir, and the congregation are all invited to receive bread and wine, and to share it with each other.

I think that St. Gregory's own website can perhaps explain it in better detail than I have ... this is mixed in with my impressions.  You can see more here.

Obviously, because of my context, what impressed me, was how LGBT folk are publicly encouraged to come and join in the community (even their business cards make mention of it - see below!), rather than the whole 'cloak and dagger' approach in the UK, which is too often the case.  In the UK, there are LGBT inclusive churches, but in many cases an inclusive member of the clergy is not backed up by an inclusive congregation, or vice versa.  So many LGBT folk may find a clergy person who is inclusive, but they can't be seen to be LGBT by the rest of the congregation, and so are able to attend ... but not able to be themselves.

A montage of the front and back of two of St Gregory of Nyssa's business cards

The other thing that impressed me is that there is no secret made of who is LGBT in the congregation ... they are able to mention their same sex husbands or wives in the prayers, ministry is offered to their whole families, and they are able to be in positions of leadership, and to use their gifts and passions to serve the church.  The other thing that I should make mention of is the fact that this was a congregation like any other - people were celebrating wedding anniversaries, praying for sick or dying loved ones, giving thanks for the blessings they'd received, they sought to apply the Scriptures to their lives, and shared bread together. They work for the good of the local community and are involved in the wider church.  There is nothing there that validates the unfounded fear that allowing LGBT people into the church will turn church into a singles club, or a dysfunctional camp bitch-fest (too late for that, many would say, the straight clergy already do that!), or somehow make it a less Godly place.

This is truly affirming and inclusive.  This is what the Church SHOULD look like. People should be able to attend, as themselves.  People should be able to bring their whole lives into the worshipping community, and they should be able to offer their time, talents and gifts for the Kingdom.

This is a far cry from being allowed to attend ... quietly ... without standing out.  A far cry from having to sit next to your partner, with no sign of affection between you, of pretending to be somebody else, so that people don't make you feel like a novelty or like an inferior Christian, because you're not able to overcome this modern 'affliction' of homosexuality.  People should be encouraged, affirmed, blessed & encouraged to belong as WHOLE people, so that they can better be who they were created to be.  We can't force beautifully created people into boxes that more easily fit our moulds.

This is what inclusive church looks like ... and it's utterly normal, and perfectly fabulous.

Here's a few pictures from the day ...

Where the service of the Word takes place. 

The octagonal space in which communion is celebrated.

A montage of some of the wall panels.

It's the little things ...

I stumbled across this sign yesterday, in the window of a local police station ...

Like many other things in San Francisco, it made more of an impression than I thought. It struck me that it's a very small thing ... I little laminated sign in a window ... but it adds to lots more small things that make a big impression.

This is a city that, through hardship, has had to recognise that all people are equal, and that all need to be affirmed and included.  Deeper than that, all need to be VALUED and PROTECTED.  Many of our civil services, institutions and authorities now state (because the law requires them to), that they will accept LGBT  people.

However, acceptance is quite passive, and implies that there's something to accept, because you wouldn't ordinarily be acceptable.  You accept change, you accept hardship, you accept that occasionally you may have to put up with people you don't like.  Acceptance does not say, "I value you," or "I celebrate you," or "I  love you." It says, "I'm willing to put up with you."

It's an entirely different thing to recognise LGBT people, not as people who won't go away, but as valuable members of your community, with gifts and talents to bring, that are - not just welcome - but NECESSARY.  To send out a message that says, "You are OUR people, we love you and we need you."

This is not about worrying about people flaunting their identity in your face, or worrying that they will appear too 'Gay' (or Bi or Trans or whatever), or that they will have questionable morals. This is not about any of that.  This is about people having the freedom to be themselves without fear, about people feeling valued as valuable members of society, about people being respected members of society, about people being able to love and live, about BEING.

True inclusivity is not just acceptance.  We need to go further than 'allowing' LGBT people into our communities and our churches.  We need to go looking for them, we need to invite them in, we need to celebrate them, we need to use their gifts and their talents, and protect them as our own.  That is inclusivity.

And, by the way, this would be the same for any institution ... I'm not picking on the Church ... merely mentioning it, because that is my context.

Grace in Grace cathedral

Mike and I went to the 11.00 service at Grace cathedral on Sunday, 23 June.

The cathedral, a replica of Notre Dame, currently has thousands of 84 foot lengths of ribbon suspended from the ceiling, which have been prepared by the local community, and present a visual image of inclusivity and equality. The ribbons will have shades of red added this week, expanding even more on this theme, as all the colours of the rainbow hang from the rafters, in time for Pride weekend.

This equality is further represented in the congregation, which included a range of shapes, incomes, colours and sizes, and also a number of same-sex couples, which both felt and looked perfectly natural. The importance of this cannot be underestimated, as it meant that we didn't feel out of place, or that we had to pretend we were friends in case it offended somebody. We could attend a service together, like any other couple, we could worship together, hold hands and receive communion together, and this was just a normal thing. We had the freedom to be a "couple that pray together"!

The sermon was given by Revd Winnie Varghese, and made reference to equality and equal marriage.  It felt both perfectly natural and totally right to be hearing about Equality for all human beings in a church setting, and it struck me how wrong the Church (with a capital 'C') has got it, when it's only in a small number of communities and congregations that all people are welcomed, included, affirmed and blessed.

It's such a small thing, but it made a big impact on us to be able to feel at home, not as two individuals, but as a couple, together ... even moreso because it was the first anniversary of our Civil Partnership registration.

With thanks to the Very Revd. Dr. Jane Shaw for her and the cathedral's hospitality, and to Revd. Winnie Varghese for an inclusive sermon.

Inclusive faith groups need you ...

It never ceases to amaze me how much money is apparently around to both sponsor, and be made from, bigotry and bigoted causes.

The language used by organisations that support bigoted views often claims to support what is holy, sacred, or core to our values as a society.  They use scare tactics and a series of untruths to attempt to label those they're seeking to oppress and to gain support and finances from people who don't wish to see their lifestyle or value system threatened.  In my opinion this is less of a faith issue, but more of a power issue, and occasionally a financial issue.

By contrast, the groups that seek to promote full inclusion often work with very limited budgets and payrolls, but work very hard.

This is especially true in the case of so-called faith groups fighting against the LGBT community.  There are plenty of groups working very hard to fight the full inclusion of LGBT people, to campaign against marriage equality & marriage equality in faith communities, and most recently - often campaigning for bills which allow discrimination on the religious grounds.

I don't believe the answer to fighting bigotry in faith groups is to silence the voice of faith. If we allow ourselves to go down that road, we effectively silence all faith voices, including those fighting hard to bring full equality and inclusion.  People of faith who believe in equality for all often speak out in favour of full inclusion at the risk of their careers, and sometimes even their homes and families.  If we're to bring change in faith communities and have faith communities that affirm and include all and advocate for equality, we're going to need to support them and help them find their voice. If we give them back their voice, it removes some of the power of the oppressive groups that seek to silence everyone that doesn't submit to their control.

I wish to draw attention to some of the groups working for the full inclusion of the LGBT community, in faith groups, in society, in law and in our culture.  They need your support, your time, your gifts and talents, your prayers and your donations.

Faith Groups

• LGCM - the Lesbian & Gay Christian Movement.
  Find out more about them here
  Donate to their ministry here
• Changing Attitude - Changing Attitude works for the full inclusion of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people in the life of the Anglican Communion.
  Find out more about them here
  Donate to their ministry here
• Two:23 - an evangelical Christian with a LGBT inclusive ministry
  Find out more about Two:23 here
• Diverse Church - Diverse Church is a supportive community of 250+ young 18-30yo LGBT+ Christians, predominantly in UK evangelical churches. They aim to be a pastoral/mission resource for the wider church.
  Find out more about them here
  
• Inclusive Church - working for a church that is welcoming and open to all, and also holds a directory of inclusive churches nationwide.
  Find out more about them here
  Support their ministry here
• Accepting Evangelicals - Accepting Evangelicals is a open network of Evangelical Christians who believe the time has come to move towards the acceptance of faithful, loving same-sex partnerships at every level of church life, and the development of a positive Christian ethic for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.
  Find out more about them here
• Metropolitan Community Church - a global inclusive church movement
  You can read more about them here
  Find their Western European & United Kingdom ministry groups here (you can support their ministries on their respective pages)
  Support their global ministry here
• Matthew Vines' Reformation Project
  Matthew is a remarkable young man. There are plenty of people who have explained the theology behind inclusive Christianity, but Matthew is perhaps the first to make it available in a YouTube video, in the form of an hour-long lecture, that provides a brief summary of all Scriptural views of homosexuality. Matthew's page is here.
  This video, and it's growth in global popularity, gave rise to a ministry by the name of
  The Reformation Project - a Bible-based, Christian non-profit organisation that seeks to reform church teaching on sexual orientation and gender identity.  Read more about this ministry here.
  The Reformation Project is only available in the USA for now, but is hopefully coming to the UK soon.
  Support Matthew's Reformation Project here.
  I'm hoping to get the chance to meet Matthew at some point over the course of my Sabbatical, but obviously time-permitting for both of us.

Community / campaigning groups

• StonewallProbably the group many people think of first when thinking of a group working towards equality for LGBT people.
  Find out more about Stonewall here
  Find out about the many ways you can support Stonewall here.

This list is not exhaustive, but a brief introduction into a few of the groups I've had the pleasure of being in contact with - and supporting - over the last year or two.  The people in these groups are extremely hard-working and dedicated, but they desperately need support - in whatever form you can offer it - to continue to fight for equality for the LGBT community in our government and in our faith communities.

I regularly tweet about Equality and Equal Marriage (although not exclusively) ... you can follow my twitter feed here.

Pray for equality

The Lesbian & Gay Christian Movement have issued the following call to action in support of Equal Marriage:
______________________________________________________________

1)  Join the Rally for Marriage Equality on Monday 3rd June from 5.30pm  at the statue of George V in Old Palace Yard, London SW1, diagonally opposite the main entrance to the House of Commons.
2)  Pray. The Evangelical Alliance along with other Christian groups that oppose marriage equality have published a call to prayer. Here is our response using the same format that is being printed in GayStar News:
Please pray:

• That the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill will become law and that it will be promoted in society for the good of all.
• That on Monday 3 June a majority of Peers will vote in favour of the bill.
• For the Equal Love Campaign and all the other LGBT Christian organisations as they campaign to remove the exclusion of same sex couples to marriage.
• For parliamentarians and others in public life to have the courage to stand up for their convictions for equality.
• For the news media, that they would report the issue widely, fairly, and accurately.
• That the real benefits of opening up marriage to same sex couples would be publicly known and properly discussed.
• That people would not face discrimination or be perpetrators of discrimination, in the workplace or elsewhere, because of their sincere beliefs about marriage.

Open prayer is encouraged, but this written prayer may also be of help:

Loving God,

We thank you for the gift of marriage which you established at the dawn of time, to be a blessing for all generations throughout the earth, down through the ages.

We pray that you would fill each and every marriage with your love and grace, and that every couple would know the joy that comes from sharing and giving.

We thank you for establishing marriage to be a secure and stable environment for raising children and becoming all you have called us to be.

We pray, as you have commanded us, for those in positions of civil authority.

We ask that you would bless our nation as the Government seeks to open up marriage to make it available to all your children.

We pray that our government will act with wisdom and righteousness, promoting marriage for all couples to whom you have given the gift of love for each other so that marriage will truly become what you want it to be - for the good of all people.

We pray for our nation, as our government seeks to open up marriage, that they will embrace this change. And we pray for ourselves, that we would speak out in support of equal marriage with gentleness and kindness, but also with courage and confidence.

In the name of Christ Jesus our Lord we pray.

Amen.

______________________________________________________________

I won't be able to make the vigil, but I will be praying.  I'll be praying for equality, inclusivity and victory of good over evil.  Our faith is a faith based on the person of Jesus, the great practitioner of social inclusion.  Following his example, ours is a faith that includes the tax collectors, prostitutes, lepers, lame, the children, the guilty, the social outcasts, the political outcasts and those on the religious fringes.

To be closing ranks and excluding others based on their identity is not a Christian principle. It may be one that can be Biblically backed up by a select extraction of verses, but that is an incorrect use of Scripture to enforce views that are not in keeping with our radical, inclusive faith.

Praying for equality for all!

Some are MORE EQUAL than others

Regarding Equal Marriage, a friend of mine sent me this email:

Naturally I read lots of newspapers and it seems that with gay marriage, the reports are mainly on politicians opposing it. With so much opposition from people in positions of power, it seems unlikely to me that it will ever be legalised. This makes me worry that as I grow into middle and old age, we, as members of the gay community, will always be second class citizens. If the law doesn't give us equal rights to straight people, won't it act as a cue for society to regard us as "not quite as equal"? It's actually a scary thought to think that when I retire in the year 2056, the government will still regard me as "not quite as equal". It puts me in mind of George Orwell's 'Animal Farm' and that phrase that the pigs painted: "All animals are equal but some are more equal than others". It genuinely scares me. I don't even want to get married, but I do want to be acknowledged as being as equal as a homeless person, a homeowner, a CEO and the Royal Family. Is there anything I can do to fight for our cause?

Here's my reply:

It's true, but many people seem unaware that the LGBT community are being treated as second-class citizens. They seem to think that by letting us have 'almost' weddings and by not beating us up when we go out (as long as we're not TOO gay), or by treating us as a novelty, that they're doing their bit and that we're all good with that.

However, it's not all negative ... the anti lobby is very vocal, so it may seem that they hold the reigns, but the pro's are doing better than everyone seems to think. Like I've said in the past, tho' ... people who're against Equality and Equal Marriage can be as vocal as they wish, and it's seen as 'supporting their faith' or 'values', etc., but many who are pro Equality & Equal Marriage often can't speak out, because they're not out themselves, or because (in the case of clergy), doing so puts their head above the parapet and risks them going against their superiors, and potentially endangers future jobs.

I think it's crucial to remain engaged and to be sharing the truth with friends, family & colleagues. Information and education are key. Many people may think that Equal Marriage is wrong, because that's what they're hearing. Many people think that Civil Partnership is enough and offers the same as marriage, because that's what they're hearing. They need to be given the truth.

If u take a look at my youtube playlist http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NV-9EjzmpE0&feature=share&list=PLB169B8F471E38896 there are plenty of resources there (videos 6, 7 & 11 are ones I find I keep referring back to). If u share them or the information in them with the people around you, they can hear some of the truth about the inequality that exists.

The other thing about the struggle at the moment, is that politicians are too comfortable. Too many are claiming that they haven't heard from their LGBT constituents (why would they willingly identify themselves as such in the current climate?!) who want Equal Marriage, but they've heard from plenty of bigots that don't. So keep writing, phoning, emailing and encourage your friends & family to do the same, even if (ESPECIALLY IF) they're not LGB or T themselves (allies have enormous influence - and a safer platform to speak from).

And so, to all ... please, remain engaged & vocal, & share, share, SHARE

Empowering

Preached this sermon in St. Peter's, Maybush on 9 September 2007. St. Peter's is a gorgeous little church, with some charming Art Deco features (most notably the leaded windows and the light fittings), and very welcoming congregation.

Philemon
Lk 14:25 – 33

• Rather than the Gospel, I’d like to focus on the reading from Philemon this morning
• Because it lends itself well to a theme that seems to be occupying my thoughts a lot of late … namely the theme of inclusivity and affirmation.
• In our Philemon reading, there are 3 main characters; Paul, Onesimus and Philemon. The letter is written to Philemon – afriend of Paul’s, while Paul himself is in prison, about Onesimus.
• Why was it written? That’s not immediately apparent simply from reading the text, but is rather to be found in the background behind the text. That’s also where it becomes quite an interesting story. Onesimus was once Philemon’s slave. To make matters more interesting, Onesimus had stolen from Philemon and then run away … matters which clearly were not befitting for a slave.
• Onesimus ended up where Paul was in prison, and was of assistance to Paul, and so Paul writes the letter to Philemon, encouraging and affirming him first, but then asking him that he do welcome Onesimus back, but even more, welcome him as a brother, not a slave. So he was asking for Philemon to not only forgive Onesimus, but to free him.
• A bit of a tall order, perhaps?
  
• But, then Paul saw something in Onesimus that others couldn’t see.
• He recognised Onesimus’ potential and sought to empower him to reach that potential.
• And do we know exactly what happened to Onesimus, after Paul’s act of kindness? We do know that Philemon forgave and freed Onesimus and welcomed him as a brother.
• After that, things are not as clear. Some scholars believe that he is the same Onesimus that was consecrated Bishop of Ephesus by the Apostles years later.
• We do know that Onesimus has since been sainted by the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and Lutheran Churches
• But who knows where he would’ve ended up without someone who saw him, not for what he was, but for what he could be?
  
• Our Lord was an empoweror as well …
• He had a small band of misfits as followers.
• I like to think of them as the gang that weren’t…
• The weren’t glamorous enough; they weren’t literate enough or learned enough; they weren’t wealthy enough; they weren’t articulate enough; they weren’t respected enough; they weren’t strong enough; they weren’t brave enough; they weren’t wise enough; they weren’t charismatic enough…
• And yet … He believed in them!
• And look at the outcome of that relationship!
  
• Our Lord is an empoweror to us as well.
• He believes in our potential, and wants us to reach that potential.
• Are we empowerors to those around us?
• Do we see the potential in others, or do we simply see what they do wrong.
  
• I think, sadly nowadays, people are far too aware of what other people do wrong, and not able to see the phenomenal potential of the other person
  
• And so, we are faced with two challenges this morning;
• Firstly, how we can reach the potential that our Lord sees in us; and
• Secondly, how we can affirm and empower others to reach their God-given potential
• The reality is that we don’t live in an affirming society … we’re bombarded with messages and media that tell us all the negative things about ourselves and our lives:
  Our young people are disrespectful, not to be trusted and lazy
  Our children are not clever, sporty or well-behaved enough
  Our young men and women aren’t fit, attractive or glamorous enough
  Our parents aren’t wealthy or cool enough
  Our partners aren’t considerate, romantic or attractive enough
  We’re not thin enough, rich enough, beautiful enough
  The list goes on
• We’re bombarded by negative messages about our lives, our society and our loved ones.
  
• Sadly, the picture is not much better in many of today’s churches, were too often people are made to feel badly about themselves because they’re not modest enough, conforming enough, pious enough, regular enough in attending worship, giving enough to charity or the Church, “Straight” enough or perfect enough …
  … to be welcomed into the Church
• We see far too many churches and church leaders focusing very hard on who they can exclude, in order to protect their exclusive members’ club, rather than on who they can include, to grow it’s sense of family and community and also it’s numbers.
  
• We see a very different picture in our Philemon reading this morning, and we see a very different example in the life of our Lord.
• We have been given “Good News” after all!
• We have been freely welcomed and should be freely welcoming all to share in that good news.
  
• So back to our challenges…
• How can we welcome, include, affirm and empower others, in order that they may reach their potential, rather than being dejected, rejected and excluded?
  
  There is an old story that is told about an army (which is the actual collective noun for frogs!! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_collective_nouns_by_collective_term_A-K ) of frogs that went hopping through the forest one day when two of the frogs suddenly fell into a deep pit. All of the other frogs gathered around the hole to look down on their two fallen comrades. They all began to sadly shake their heads and to croak out dismal warnings. “It’s too deep!” croaked one frog. Another frog croaked that there was no way that they would ever be able to get out of that pit alive.
  The two fallen frogs began to continuously jump as they tried to get out of the pit, but the frogs that were watching kept croaking louder at them that they might as well stop because they were as good as dead and just wasting their time. One of the two frogs finally gave up and heeded the pessimistic advice of the frogs at the top. He quit leaping and literally “croaked” and died. The other frog just kept right on jumping and leaping harder than ever in spite of all the loud croaks of disapproval from the frogs around the top of the hole. They kept croaking shouts at him to quit jumping and save himself from all the pain and suffering he was incurring as he leaped and fell back down to the bottom of the pit over and over again. Finally, he jumped even harder than ever and to the surprise of all the other frogs he leaped right out of the deep pit. The other frogs asked him, “Why did you keep leaping even though we croaked and yelled at you to stop?” It was then that the frog explained to them that he was deaf and he had thought they were cheering for him and shouting words of encouragement to him the entire time!
  
• Our words and actions have the power to help others to rise above where they are and achieve their full potential.
• We need to not stop at what we can see, but rather to ask for the grace to see what each person’s God-given potential is. Then we have to WORK hard at keeping that up, because it can be easy to resort back to judging and belittling them when we don’t see them living up to their potential.
• We need to remind ourselves of the grace we received, and of the fact that they are God’s beloved, perfect in His eyes.
  
• The second challenge we had was how we, ourselves, could reach our potential.
• This is, for many of us, a harder challenge, partly because we’re so accustomed to seeing our negative points. We’ve been conditioned to do so … it’s how businesses sell products to us.
• So, it’s vital that we extend the same grace to ourselves, that we’ve just discussed extending to others.
• We, too, are perfect in God’s eyes and perfectly loved.
• We, too, need to realise this, ask for the grace to see this, and then ask for help to affirm this within ourselves.
• And we could try spending a bit more time with people that affirm us, rather than those that judge us (making sure that we return the favour).
  
• Amen