Rev. George Miller
June 2, 2024
Acts 27:13-26
Today is a miracle; a moment never
imagined; a miracle we share; a moment to take with us when it seems like all
miracles are gone.
15 years ago, I came here to interview for
pastor.
While taken on a tour of the community,
there was an image that was seared in my mind.
Graffiti, in a local rest room; writing of
a lost soul seeking out contact with someone else just like them, scribbled
onto the bathroom stall.
It was an ancient way of communication; something not seen in ages anywhere else.
Seeing this kind of closeted communication
made it feel like I traveled back to a time no one deserved to be in.
Though that writing on the wall seemed
like a relic, it was a sign of where the LGBTQ community was in 2009.
Living in secret; fear; hiding; lonely and
alone.
Indeed, there was a community of women,
men, and trans individuals, just as there is everywhere else humans exist.
When this group of individuals met, it was
done via e-mails that were Blind CCd, under the title “Friends of Dorothy,” a
term from the 40’s and 50’s.
We met in homes, sometimes a restaurant,
once or twice a film, always done with caution and care, wrapped in some fear
and elements of shame.
We give honor and thanks to those individuals
who had those meetings, finding a way to gather, for without them, we would not
be here today.
But then, slowly, over 15 years, things
began to change, evolve.
With social media, members of the LGBTQ
community began to make themselves known,
no longer scribbling on restroom stalls,
but writing about their lives on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.
Much of it mundane, most of it
ordinary. But not without naysayers and mean-spirited
folk adding unnecessary comments.
But that didn’t stop what had
started.
People posting photos of their friends,
their partners, their trips to Disney for Pride; their grieving for the lives
lost at Pulse.
Chris Davies courageously held the 1st
public vigil for Pulse. Emmanuel UCC
soon followed.
Highlands CORE Wellness hosted the 1st
drag show here. Mark opened a club that
welcomed all.
Mon Cirque became important allies, making
the first PRIDE event possible. Emmanuel
became Open and Affirming. Morty &
Edna’s put their business and reputation on the line by hosting Drag
Bingo.
What was once only expressed secretly,
shamefully, solitary in private, is now out in the light, seen, heard,
experienced, discussed. Lived.
So it’s with immense joy and celebration
that we gather here today, in the protective shelter of God’s Holy Sanctuary,
to worship, and to soon share in the
Lord’s Supper, knowing that we have worked so hard, so courageously, and we are
hungry.
Has it been easy? No. Have
there been naysayers? Yes.
Have we had to face public obstacles,
rough seas, and unfriendly faces? Heck
yes.
Are there those cringing that we have the audacity
to gather here today, and call ourselves Christian? Of course.
But that says more about their own
brokenness than our own wholeness and healing.
For we have bravely been on this journey,
and we are HERE.
That’s what makes today’s scripture so
special.
The Apostle Paul is on the journey of a lifetime.
He has mastered the art of public witness. He’s not worried about being seen or
heard. He’s not afraid of going to where
the people are.
Disagreements don’t stop him. Threatening words from self-appointed
guardians of the old guard don’t get him down.
Paul is filled with excitement for what he
has experienced through his new life in Christ.
He’s using whatever tools he has to share
the Good News-
public appearances, letters, standing
before religious leaders, government officials, interactions with keepers of
the peace, and officers who may not always be the most honest.
Does Paul have it easy? Nope.
Does everyone like what Paul has to
say? Nope.
Does he upset folk wherever he goes? Yup.
Does he even upset those in the group he identifies
with? Heck yes.
But Paul keeps Pauling, even when he is threatened
with violence, even when the dog whistles go out, even when he’s before City Council.
He is a testimony to not giving up, not
giving in, of keeping up his courage.
Even when he is arrested, even when placed,
as prisoner, upon a boat that faces rough seas.
Here we see what it means to endure the
toughest of storms; here we see what courage is.
Paul is on a ship traveling across chaotic
waters. The waves are intense, the boat
feels shaky. Everyone around him is
scared, unsure.
Paul and the crew head into the winds of
the world that try to slow them down and steer them away.
They are struck again and again by the
waves of the world that their first instinct is to drop everything they have.
Here we see Paul and the crew face a
moment in which it feels like all hope is lost and they are just wandering
listless and with no point.
Then, when it seems as if all hope is
lost, Paul stands, speaks, and says-
“I urge you now- keep up your courage. Be brave.
Don’t stop. Don’t quit.”
Paul says “Keep up your courage, for I
have faith in God. But we will have to
run aground on some island.”
There is much to love about this
statement.
First, is the brutal honesty that Paul
shares with the crew- that we will run into rough times; we will run aground.
Paul’s words speak to us today, a reminder
that even with God, even with bravery,
there are islands that block our path,
there are obstacles to overcome, there are still shipwrecks we will face.
Does that mean we give up? Does it mean we quit?
No.
It means we adjust. It means we prepare.
Second, is how Paul addresses
courage. Instead of imploring the crew
to give into cowardice, what does Paul say?
“Keep up your courage.”
Keep.
An action word.
Keep up.
An action phrase filled with intention.
Keep up your courage.
In other words, Paul is inviting those on this
ship sailing on rough seas to act.
Keep.
Hold onto. Grasp. Fight for.
Do whatever you need to do to maintain
that courage.
Notice this- Paul says “keep up.” He does not say “Go out and get.”
He does not tell them to “Find.”
He does not instruct them to go to the
Great and Powerful Wizard of Oz to ask for their courage.
Paul says “Keep up your courage.”
Which means… the courage is already
there. The courage has been there.
The courage has always present, within
them.
Paul is not telling this crew facing rough
seas, about to run onto the shore, to find courage-
he is telling them to hold onto, to
embrace the courage that is already within them.
And that is beautiful.
So often the world tries its best to strip
us of our courage.
So often those guardians of the old guard
like to make us forget we have courage.
Sometimes the leaders, officers, like us
to think we have no courage.
But we do.
The courage dwells within us. The
courage is ours. The courage is there
for us.
To keep.
To hold onto. To embrace.
That courage is amongst each and every one
of us today, that is why we are here, that is why we are gathered.
That courage is a gift from God; that
courage is a sign of Christ’s love.
That courage is a manifestation of the
Holy Spirit.
Does that courage mean we won’t face rough
storms?
Does that courage mean we will never be
afraid?
Does that courage mean danger no longer
exists?
What it does mean is that the courage we
possess is not something we have to go out and get,
it’s not something we have to earn, it’s
not something only a few of us have it.
What it means is that the gift of courage
is always there, has always been there, within us.
And with God, through God, for God, we
have opportunity after opportunity after opportunity to hold that courage, to
keep that courage.
And to act.
Because we are brave. Because we are beautiful. Because we have Pride.
The seas may be rough, the shores may be
jagged, but our courage is ours to keep; our courage is a gift from God.
And the more we hold onto our courage, the
more we share our courage, the more we show our courage,
the more miracles we are sure to face, and
the more moments like this that we will have together.
For that, let us say “Amen.”
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