Just What I Needed

Sometimes I spend so much time in "my world" that I forget that there are still more people than I care to think about who believe that I am sinful, perverted, evil, yadda, yadda, yadda, because I am Gay. When I get reminded, like I did in school on Saturday, I get pretty discouraged about trying to be a Gay Christian. More accurately, I get discouraged about trying to be a Gay Christian who is involved in organized religion.

Sunday night, Rev. Dr. Jo Hudson, the Senior Pastor at Cathedral of Hope Dallas, preached for the first time at Cathedral of Hope Houston. It was JUST exactly what I needed to hear.

Her sermon was entitled Radical Inclusion: Breaking Down the Walls. She talked first about the 20th anniversary of the breaking down of the Berlin wall and how that event, the breaking down of that wall, gave the world hope. She talked about Jesus and the breaking down of walls he spoke about during his ministry - the seemingly impossible odds they faced. Then she talked about 'hitting the wall' as a runner and what happens to you if you don't stop, but instead you dig down deep inside and hang on - the result being that you get that second wind, break through the wall, and continue forward even stronger than before.

Rev. Hudson likened 'hitting the wall' in running to what happens to all of us at times in our lives. The wall may have to do with discrimination we face, a professional crisis, or a great personal loss. We may hit the wall as a people of faith. We lose our hope. We hit the wall of our struggles and we hit the walls of our complacency. Regardless, in order to go on and not give up, we have to dig down deep inside and find what we need to break through the wall, tear it down, brick by brick.

She told us when had been called to break down the walls of oppression, the walls of misinformation that try and convince us that God only loves certain people.

She then told us that we had been called by God at this time, and in this place to be a part of the Cathedral of Hope Houston, and that we had to continue forward, breaking down the walls. We have been called to reclaim Christianity and demonstrate radical inclusion, extravagant generosity, and relentless compassion.

We had a potluck afterward, our small, but faithful little congregation. It was a joy filled, blessed evening for me.

God is with us.