“We Love because Christ first loved us!” I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the actions taken at the 2009 Churchwide Assembly. I know many people have been hurt by those actions and are contemplating leaving the ELCA. I also know that many others are delighted and are joyful. What I find myself asking and wondering is how can we continue together? I know what the Bible says about homosexuality but I also know what it says about love and grace. Besides, aren’t we all sinners? Isn’t divorce, greed, envy,etc sins too? The other day I partook in an event with youth from church. We spent the night in cardboard boxes and fasted for 30 hours to raise awareness of the homeless in our communities. One of my youth wrote the verse from above on her box and it has been ringing in my brain ever since. Don’t we love because Christ truly did love us first? Doesn’t Christ claim all of us as his children? As the CWA 09 unfolded, I found myself trying to find the words I was feeling as I tried to capture what was happening. I find myself returning to the words that my friend Mark was quoted in the NY Times for saying. He basically said, “Let us stop leaving people behind and be the family God has created us to be.” I also find myself turning to the words I penned that day as well. They are as follows:

The world watches
as this church
makes a gigantic decision

And as voices are heard
and resolutions debated,
many hearts break
yet at the same time,
many other hearts are hopeful,
so we pray.

We pray
that no matter today’s outome
we still can be the church,
not divided,
but rather united in love,
love for one another.

And as we love one another,
despite our differences,
may we move forward
as one bread and one body
rooted in God’s love for all God’s people