On June 12, 2016, I woke near dawn to my phone chiming so frequently that the chimes were interrupting each other. “Are you ok? Were you there tonight? I just need you to respond so I know you are ok.” Then, the member attendance check-in for the Orlando Gay Chorus began; is everyone accounted for? What followed was a whirlwind few months of vigils, memorial services, fundraisers, blood drives, and rallies as we all tried to grieve and come to terms with the reality that our community lost 49 members in a matter of hours, that our safe, joyous space – our Pulse had been violated. The reality was painful and terrifying.

But, there was another reality that made itself known in those days and months – in a time when it may have been easy for a city to close down, to offer thoughts and prayers to the LGBTQ+ population and move on without us – It didn’t.

It didn’t close down, it opened up – hearts and doors were flung open. The Orlando Gay Chorus gave more than 200 performances in less than 60 days, (we took to keeping our performance gear in our cars), the performing arts center gave it’s sprawling lawn as a site for a massive vigil, and then as a place to leave memorials, the soccer stadium became a place for families to gather in the private boxes and receive individualized therapeutic support and access to resources, murals began appearing on everything from fast food restaurants to apartment complexes, and the lights on every building glowed the rainbow promise of safety and pride.

And even from outside Orlando, the love poured in – many stars from the Broadway community came to town and asked us to share the stage (and the greenroom) with them as they honored us, (the song the choir sang this morning was the finale of that benefit show). That summer was a great opening up – an embraced identity borne by a community that was shown that it would not have to grieve alone.

Two weeks ago, when we were in Orlando for the UCC FL Conference Meeting, I returned to Pulse for the first time in over a year – Andy and Dawson, another minister in our conference, were with me. That sacred ground carries a lot of weight to it, and it was the first time that I had been there with those who hadn’t lived through it’s loss – it was a new experience to see my face on the memorial walls, along with so many friends and others, and be able to share our stories with those who weren’t there. And as I shared my story, Pulse became a safe space in a new way, because I could share openly and be received with the open hearts of friends. As we were leaving, I turned around and looked up at the iconic sign still glowing bright, I saw the beautiful mural still lit up on the side of Einstein’s bagels across the street, at the friendly smile of the security guard, and then, up at the rainbow lights still lighting up downtown – and it reminded me once again that hate can’t win, because when humanity is at it’s best, our best selves won’t let us close us ourselves off to each other.

Safe and open spaces, communities of care and grace are essential for healing, for growth, and for many, they are necessary for survival. It’s true for Stonewall, it’s true for Pulse, and it’s true for UCG.

In my reflection this week, the learning for me is this:
Openness is an act of love.

-We hear it in the words of Ruth, after experiencing loss and mourning, she doesn’t know what will be, but she is open to the mystery, she loves her traveling companion, and she makes a vow that they won’t have to travel the hard road alone.

-We hear it in the words of Walt Whitman when he pleads for someone to understand, that the truth of his being and of his loving is not one of chaos and death, but that the ability to live openly brings life and happiness.

-We hear it in a Hebrew creation story – when the Divine Council decided to make human kind in the image of God, that means a piece of God, a part of the divine image resides in each one of us. It can only be when open to the vast, diverse, beautiful multitude of human expression and identity can we even catch a glimpse of the face of God. For God will always be bigger than anything we could ever imagine or build rules or boxes and walls around, and so the expression of humanity will always be bigger, more diverse, and more gorgeous than anything we could ever imagine or build rules or boxes and walls around. As our language for God is expansive and creative, so must be our language for humanity and identity. How wonderful that at each Pride, we add even more flags of identity!

-We hear it in the words of George Takei who reminds us that we “should keep calm in the face of difference and live our lives in a state of inclusion and wonder at the diversity of humanity.”

-Live our lives in a state of inclusion and wonder…. Openness to each other: to our identities, our pain, our joy, and our journeys is an act of love.

We make that commitment to each other on the day of baptism when we say that we shall be asked to set aside our own comfort and convenience because we are entrusted with the care of another. We make the promise to our new members on the day of their joining, when we pray that we will accept every part of who they are, blending our lives with theirs as this church is renewed, changed, and made new by our united presence… and we were blessed to reaffirm it today when we said to Eden: we rejoice in who you are and we pledge to walk with you as you will walk with us.

Today, let us not forget these commitments that we have made to each other; to keep each other safe, to allow each other to grow towards wholeness, to rejoice in each others’ stories of truth, and to always remember that openness is an act of love. Amen.

Trans & nonbinary people often *have* to share their pronouns to be identified correctly. As a cisgender person, sharing pronouns costs nothing and naturalizes this process

Holy One, God of many names and many identities,
we praise you for the extravagant diversity of your creation.
From clown fish who change gender to promote the flourishing of the school and penguins who forge same-sex bonds to care for their young,
from forget-me-nots that reproduce asexually
to olive trees with three genders,
you teach us the many ways in which your Spirit of relational love
and nurturing care manifests in our world.
We confess that sometimes our understandings of gender and sexuality
limit the ways in which we know each other and know you.
Forgive us when we,
personally and as a society,
use names and definitions as weapons to oppress
or as fences to exclude.
Free us from the constraints of our narrow views
and expand our vision
so that we might recognize and enjoy
the capacious creativity of bodily expressions
that reveal your infinite glory.
In the name of the One who is Many, we pray. Amen.

Benediction:
May God bless you and keep you.
May God’s face wink at you from across the room,
inviting you to join the party.
May God’s Spirit inspire you
to grow in the midst of fear,
to sing in the midst of hate,
to dance in the midst of injustice,
Always giving the gift of openness
until we turn the world upside down with love.

October 27, 2019

Pride Sunday Reflections

Rev. Talia Raymond