|
A "Valuable" Lesson by Colleen Hart Steve is out of town attending Annual Conference so I am guest writing his blog. (Just a reminder that with Steve, you get well-researched and carefully contemplated, biblically sound messages. With me, you get rambling musing that may or may not be on topic.) I will strive to provide some insightful content and not just cute anecdotes about my new kitten, Barnabas. But, I am too self-centered and preoccupied with my own troubles (cancer recovery, job loss/search, still trying to lose 10 lbs before Thomas and Sydney’s wedding last year) to even be aware of troubles and challenges in my community and around the world. I have pretty much stopped watching the news. Even when breaking news interrupts my social media scrolling, I quickly assess whether this affects me and move on. So the fact that June is Pride month did register on my radar – if only because of the rainbow colors at NBA playoff games and social media posts. But instead of ignoring it -- and attributing it to marketing algorithms -- I decided God is trying to get my attention. There are plenty of Social Justice bible verses. Again, I am too busy to attend Pride rallies! But I was reminded of the famous quote by German Lutheran Pastor Martin Niemöller, that starts “First, they came for…” (I don’t have the word count to run the whole thing so I’ll summarize.) He observed that each time the Nazis came to arrest an opposition group, he did not object because he wasn’t part of those groups. But eventually they came to take him, and no one was left to speak up on his behalf. I can at least use my resources – like this blog -- to raise awareness and support. I have also consoled myself that the challenges others face don’t affect me. Yet, among the vendors I requested quotes for producing San Marco Church T-shirts, one declined because “our church does not align with his values.” The rainbow colors and Methodist mission to Love Boldly, Serve Joyfully and Lead Courageously are not values everyone shares. The rejection and disbelief I experienced over T-shirts does not compare to the feelings Mary Beth Blevins described so eloquently on Facebook. But judgmental rejection over T-shirts and Mary Beth’s insight helped crystallize my understanding that God’s love is unconditional and that includes the right to be loved just as we all are. I take pride in those values. Colleen Hart
|
