Reflection for Ash Wednesday

Today, Ash Wednesday, many Christians mark the beginning of the 40-day season of Lent - a time traditionally set aside each year for reflection on our relationship with God and with our fellow human beings. As the above video demonstrates in the opportunity it affords us to enter into a space of meditation and prayer, through special observances of prayer, fasting, and giving to others during Lent we prepare ourselves to commemorate the Paschal Mystery of Jesus - his and our own passing from death into new life.

This year in particular I will be praying and reflecting during Lent on the hope I and many other LGBT people of faith feel deep within us that someday our churches themselves will accept more fully the message of Lent and begin to repent and make amends for the ways they continue to deny our dignity as fully loved and accepted children of God.

In the meantime, my prayer for myself and for all of us this Lent is that we each continue to awaken from the habits and attitudes that distance us from God and one another and realize once more that we are loved and chosen by God, that we are empowered to serve, and that we are called to live lives rooted in faith, hope, and love.

Peace,

Padre Chuck

"Thank you, God, for giving us Harvey Milk"

A few months back I commented in this space about the inspiring new film, Milk, which tells the story of the first openly gay elected official in U.S. history, Harvey Milk. Although the film itself was wonderful and inspiring, it was also sweet to see it garner two important Academy Awards last night, for best original screenplay and best actor. I'm including here by way of celebration the inspired words of Dustin Lance Black, the screenwriter, whose reflections feel so right as we continue to fight for equality and feel the hope we have for the future start to overcome the hatred and ignorance that have surrounded us for so long.

In the words of Dustin Lance Black's speech, thank you God for Harvey Milk, thank you for inspiring women and men each day to stand up for their own and others' dignity and persist in fighting for the day when love will overcome. Amen.

With hope and peace,

Padre Chuck

MILK
Written by Dustin Lance Black
ACCEPTANCE SPEECH
Oh my God. This was, um, this was not an easy film to make. First off, I have to thank Cleve Jones and Anne Kronenberg and all the real-life people who shared their stories with me. And, um, Gus Van Sant, Sean Penn, Emile Hirsch, Josh Brolin, James Franco and our entire cast, my producers Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen, everyone at Groundswell and Focus for taking on the challenge of telling this life-saving story. When I was 13 years old, my beautiful mother and my father moved me from a conservative Mormon home in San Antonio, Texas to California, and I heard the story of Harvey Milk. And it gave me hope. It gave me the hope to live my life. It gave me the hope one day I could live my life openly as who I am and then maybe even I could even fall in love and one day get married.

I wanna? I wanna thank my mom, who has always loved me for who I am even when there was pressure not to. But most of all, if Harvey had not been taken from us 30 years ago, I think he'd want me to say to all of the gay and lesbian kids out there tonight who have been told that they are less than by their churches, by the government or by their families, that you are beautiful, wonderful creatures of value and that no matter what anyone tells you, God does love you and that very soon, I promise you, you will have equal rights federally, across this great nation of ours. Thank you. Thank you. And thank you, God, for giving us Harvey Milk.

Walk With Us, O Lord

As I've mentioned in previous posts, unfortunately I don't have much time during this academic term to blog since I'm preparing for a series of exams. However, just to share a little thought today...

The other night at choir practice we rehearsed a spiritual called "Walk With Me, O Lord." Mostly it consists of a call and response with the words of the title between choir and soloist but there's also the second part of the verse - "all along my pilgrim journey."

For me at least, as I keep this song in the background while I go about the day it helps to remember that God does indeed walk with us, all along our pilgrim journey. Even when some abandon or reject us or operate from out of fear and condemn us, we know that we are loved and held in being by the God and Creator of the universe - who is mercy and compassion.

May we all know the peace that comes from walking with God each day, may this peace sustain us in moments of sorrow or sadness when the journey feels difficult, and may this peace be our reassurance that in the end in God the victory is ours.

Blessings of peace,

Padre Chuck

Beyond the Either/Or God

This past weekend I had the privilege of attending a retreat in which one of the texts we used for reflection was Yvette Flunder's Where The Edge Gathers. Flunder, an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ, offers both in her book and also here in this video some challenging and I think also reassuring reflections on the nature of God - how the true God is not the god we sometimes form and fashion in our own image to conform to our narrow fears and prejudices; how the true God of the Bible is the God who sets the captives free and empowers the oppressed to rise up and reclaim their dignity and in doing so proclaim God's glory once more.

I wish I had more time this semester to write more extensively about these matters and to share here more of my own original thoughts. However, since that isn't possible given my studies I hope that these reflections, albeit brief, continue to serve as a source of inspiration and reflection for those of you brave readers who have stuck with me here. Thank you for walking with me and I look forward to continuing to learn and journey together.

Peace,

Padre Chuck

A Little Comic Relief

With the necessarily serious tone of many of the things I share here, not to mention the gravity of the numerous challenges we face as a nation and a world, I thought today we could all use a little comic relief. To that end, a friend recently shared this hilarious excerpt from the Ellen Degeneres show in which Ellen talks with a fan about her love for the show and her appreciation both for faith and a little drink once in a while! :)

Hope you enjoy it and have a great long weekend ahead.

Peace,

Padre Chuck

It's Okay

Beautiful people round the earth,
let's come together because I believe
that you and I,
we can change the world.

Oh, I know,
there’s somewhere else you’d rather be,
a better place for you and me.
I’ve seen it in the eyes of a child.

So tell me, you won’t give up on me this time
No, help me live this dream I have behind
The future won’t deny
The words are written clear on my heart

World, It’s Okay….

I believe that we were meant to love and to discover
that every heart has a home somewhere in this world
Oh I know, we’ll take the road to higher ground
until we bring the world around
and wipe away the tears of a child.

Your eyes say, tomorrow will be brighter still
a new day, where love will overcome and we will
walk hand in hand
until the whole world understands.

World…It’s Okay

I am just one voice
and I will make a choice
I’m crying, I’m crying out for peace
We’re standing up for love
and we will not give up
Let’s join our hands,
join our hearts and sing.

World, It’s Okay

We are our own voice
and we have made our choice
We crying out, crying out for peace
We’re standing up for love
and we will not give up
Let’s join our hands,
join our hearts and sing.

This song, "It's Okay" is one of my favorite songs by one of my very favorite groups, Jason & deMarco. As a loving same-sex couple dedicated to spreading the Good News of God's love for all people they continue to be an inspiration to me and many others.

I think in particular this song does a beautiful job of simply showing that it's okay to be who you are. Whether that's transgender, straight, lesbian, bisexual, gay - it's okay. It's okay to be who we are before God and to feel and share the love God has placed inside all of us.

And whether others like it or not, we are here to stay. As they lyrics of this song say, we will not give up. We will not sit by any longer and let anyone take away the joy that is our birthright as believers in God. We will not allow anyone to deny us the dignity that is ours as human beings and daughters and sons of God. By standing and singing together as one we shall overcome and the message of God's reign and care for the poor and the oppressed will be heard through us - together.

Blessings,

Padre Chuck

Please Don't Divorce Us

"Fidelity": Don't Divorce... from Courage Campaign on Vimeo.

As you may remember, this past November Proposition 8 (an initiative designed to take away the rights of same-sex couples to marry) passed by a very narrow margin in California. Although the passage of Prop 8 was tragic from a human rights perspective, it was also profoundly disappointing to my husband and I and many other couples we know who were married in California during the months in which it was legal to do so.

How deeply saddening it is that some people and organizations would want to take away others' rights and would seek to prevent them from entering into stable, monogamous relationships - the kind that benefit society and allow human beings to express the gift of their sexuality in ways that can give life to others.

In response to this tragedy, my hope is to continue to get at the root of this problem slowly but surely - serving in my call to ordained ministry in a way that calls into question the mistaken, outdated religious attitudes that would deny same-sex couples their right to marriage. If you feel the same way or even if you're still praying and discerning about this question I urge you to keep praying and to take action as well.

If you live in California please consider signing onto one of the initiatives being sent to legislators or if not please tell everyone you can about this and above all please don't sit by and let another day pass in which anti-LGBT attitudes and stereotypes are allowed to go unquestioned. Please listen to your heart and help us to overcome this prejudice so that we can get to work together on things that really matter - setting the captive free, welcoming the immigrant, taking care of the widow and the orphan and letting God's love be known.

Peace,

Padre Chuck

A Little History Lesson

For today's reflection I found this moving video, which tells by way of images the story of the oppression and eventual liberation of a number of groups and peoples over the centuries. Although there is still so much work to be done, both in the LGBT movement and also on behalf of many other people in our world, it's encouraging to know that history is on our side. Indeed, when we pray and work together amazing and miraculous things happen - hearts and minds are transformed, people are set free, and God is glorified as human beings once more become fully alive.

With peace and hope,

Padre Chuck

Camp Out

Today I'd like to share a clip from a very moving film I saw recently. It's called Camp Out and it tells the story of several lesbian and gay teenagers who come together in an environment that is affirming of both their faith and the gift of their sexuality. The ministry that made the camp possible is part of an outreach called The Naming Project, which seeks to help young people find peace with themselves and their faith with the goal of preventing teenage suicide - a very serious problem within the LGBT community.

Personally, I found this film very moving as it reminded me of my own journey toward self-acceptance and the amazing discovery I've made in my own life that it's okay to be who I am and still love and serve God in the process. Most of all I'm just so grateful that opportunities like this are now starting to appear for the next generation of LGBT youth. It took me so long to learn these lessons on my own and so it's incredibly heartening to know that young people now have the chance to begin building a life of faith in God and self-acceptance from an earlier age.

If you have a chance I encourage you to check this film out and to recommend it to others, especially anyone who may still be a bit skeptical about some of these questions. Just seeing and hearing the testimonies of these young people goes a long way to showing the immense potential there is within the LGBT community when we bring together our faith and our self-identities as one.

Peace,

Padre Chuck

His Eye Is On The Sparrow