My name is Barbara and I have the great honor and privilege of serving as the pastor of Clayton Valley Presbyterian Church. We are the congregation on Kirker Pass Rd –
which is what Ygnacio becomes heading East, that flies a rainbow flag from our
sign. While Clayton Valley has always
been an open and affirming congregation with a strongly diverse membership in
terms of sexual orientation in particular, we have only been flying the flag
for the last 8 months. We made the
decision to fly the flag when we became aware of the bullying of LGBTQ youth
going on in two of our local high schools.
We came to realize that while for us celebration of diversity has always
been an important and obvious component of what it is to be people who profess
to believe in a God of love, that parts of our larger community still do not
have the eyes to see that we are all family, all created to love and to grow
and to learn. We made the decision that
we needed to make a statement that expressed that love, affirmation and
celebration of diversity in a prominent and clear way.
In the
last eight months, then, since we began flying the flag, we have also had our
concerns about the hatred and anger that still exist in the larger community
confirmed. Our flag has been stolen, has
been burned, and notes of condemnation have been left for us. We have experienced fear. Some of the parents
of the preschool children who attend our children’s center on campus have
especially expressed fear, fear that the violence done to the flag might
escalate into violence aimed at those on the campus, even the children. We have experienced fear from some of our
members; one, a gay man, sent word that they could not come to church yesterday
because they were afraid our flag would attract violence after what
happened in Orlando.
But the
reality is that the expressions of hate and anger that we have experienced are nothing in
comparison to the tragedy that hit yesterday in Orlando. Lives, people, our family members, died yesterday; and whole families were devastated by each one of those losses.
Fear has reared its head again, both as a cause and as a result of the
violence.
It is in
the midst of that fear, it is in the face of that hatred that we stand here
today, people who are diverse and yet who are all persons, united by our
ability to love, united by our ability to care, united by our commitment to be
those who celebrate diversity rather than condemning it. We have a long way to go. Acceptance
of diversity seems such a small goal and yet even that small step towards true
celebration, even that small step seems elusive in times like this.
Still, I stand before you declaring
that each day there are more people who see, more people who choose love, more
people who take that step towards openness.
My congregation as well as so many in this community, in this country
and in this world will stay strong in our conviction that love is stronger than
hate; that acts of grace and forgiveness are more powerful than violence, anger, or
revenge; that it is possible to build
bridges across our differences, to build communities that are, like the
rainbow, beautiful because of their celebration of different colors. We choose to walk in hope and to stand
together knowing it is the only way that we can change our world and make it
the place of love that it is meant to be.
As we grieve those who have died in
this tragedy, we vow to be part of the solution and part of working to create a
world where everyone is safe, despite their race, color, ethnicity, culture,
class, gender identity, sexual orientation, differing abilities, religions,
creeds, etc etc etc. We want a world
where everyone is free to love and to know they are loved. We want a world where diversity is recognized
for the gift it is. And where unity does
not mean “sameness”. I am honored to be
part of this vigil, though I grieve deeply for the need of it.
--
O Great Mystery, hold us all in the
arms of your love. Bring us a vision of
love, of understanding, of acceptance, of celebration for what each of us are
and can be. Help us to see a way towards
healing, towards compassion and towards grace.
In your many names we pray. Amen.
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