The Living Waters

Well, most of us here at the GLBT Pride festival know about family division. Jesus' coming seems to have something in common with coming out. But Jesus isn't talking about coming out. He's talking about what happens to those who choose Jesus before everything else.

I've wondered what it means to "love Jesus more" than our parents or children or partners. For those of us in a tradition where not everyone has had a "personal experience of Jesus" it becomes difficult to decide just what "loving Jesus more" means. Perhaps it means putting Jesus' values before "family values," in fact, before everything else.

So, what kind of values do we see Jesus representing?

• Jesus tells us that he is "the way, the truth, and the life."
  GLBT people know something about choosing "truth" and the costs it brings in family divisions
• Jesus calls for justice.
  Basic human rights ... it's part of why we are here today.
• Jesus presence results in love and life.
  If one's standard for making choices is what increases love and life – or the biblical standard of what brings one closer to God – it becomes difficult to condemn most loving GLBT relationships.
• Jesus welcomes everyone, particularly the marginal and socially unacceptable.
  The good news is that Jesus sees everyone as worthy of forgiveness and love.

Episcopalians say it over and over: "The Episcopal Church welcomes you." This can be "loving Jesus more." When we, the church, welcome people who are different, like GLBT people ... AND, when we, the GLBT community, welcome the church, sin and all ... The promise is that "none of these will lose their reward" and the reward is life.

We who have suffered for the truth about ourselves, who have lost our old lives, have died with Christ and will have life.

Welcome one another, and welcome life.

The peace of God be always with you.
(Exchange of the peace.)

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