|
Stevenkersker@aol.com
Recently, I was
declared Satan by a local area church.
It is better to disagree with kindness, than judgement. And it's better
to preach love and practice love, than say we love and act with hatred.
Ways of Seeing and Loving God: by Steve Kersker
"You are not of Christ, but of Satan." That's exactly what they said
to me. That was the declaration recently from a Board of Deacons at a
large area church.
Their judgment and condemnation resulted from an article I wrote that
portrayed the loving relationship of a gay couple as acceptable to God.
In that column I said that Christ's message of love is boundless and for
everyone.
Apparently I'd committed an unpardonable sin: I had contradicted the
Word of God as they saw it. I'd stepped outside Scripture, which clearly
declares that homosexuality is a sin. But worst of all to these deacons,
I would not confess or recant my beliefs.
We all sin at times, and I couldn't resist a little sinning of my own.
So, I glanced at one of my accusers, a man who obviously enjoyed that
extra piece of pie, and asked, while pointedly looking at his extensive
girth, if gluttony was a sin? I'd always been told that to Jesus sin is
sin and we all sinned, just in different ways. So wasn't his Gluttony
the same as homosexuality in God's eyes? He got red and didn't respond.
I know the above thoughts of mine are unloving, hence sinful and cruel.
And ask God's forgiveness and do openly confess them. To me God can
never be other than a God of love and kindness. And I see love and
acceptance of all the differences inherent in God's children as the best
way to experience the joys' Jesus can bring to our hearts and spirits.
I then asked the Deacons to consider a visit to King of Peace Church
some Sunday. I told them how they'd experience the church members'
outpourings of love for Jesus, just like they experienced at their own
church. Perhaps in that expression they'd come to see the gay and
lesbian members as their brothers and sisters in Christ.
The Deacons' response, voices trembling in anger: "Those people can't be
Christians, they can't love Jesus and be gay or lesbian. They don't
worship Jesus. In their sin they worship Satan!"
With those words they closed our meeting and withdrew their church's
financial support of my ministries. While leaving, I told them that I
loved them and would never stop loving them.
Sometimes people disagree over how God sees the world and His children,
but disagreement doesn't cause me to reject or not continue loving those
who disagree with me. To me, disagreement reveals just how expansive and
truly wondrous God is and shows the countless ways there are of seeing
God and experiencing God's love. And when we allow ourselves to see
Jesus through the eyes of other Christians, or even the God's of other
faiths, our knowledge grows and in this increased understanding can
develop a boundless love for Christ and others.
In the following letter to me from King of Peace, I hope they can see
the love of Christ it expresses and the spirit of the God we all love.
I've learned that to return hate for hate or judgment for judgment as I
did a little at the beginning of this column with my joking about
gluttony, is not the way of love and only harms our spirits. It is far
better to search out the love and goodness that exists within all
hearts: so instead of seeing their hatred, see the goodness in them and
in this goodness, feel love for those who despise you:
Dear Steve, Greetings from your sisters and brothers at King of Peace
Church.
It has been a joy as well as an honor for all us to labor along side
of you for the past three years. Our involvement in your many
ministries, projects, and outreaches in the community has definitely
helped enable our growth in our relationship with God. As the lyrics go
in a song from "Les Miserable" - "to love another person is to see the
face of God".
We also deeply appreciate your unwavering support of our church's
ministries to all people - especially the gay / lesbian / bisexual / and
transgender community.
As a Christ-centered church, King of Peace has been called of God
to adopt a new model of ministry that is founded on a "Love,
Appreciation, and Trust Culture." As a result, new and wonderful changes
are happening on a regular basis.
As much as we have participated in your work by supplying volunteers
and food, offering our cooking services, and planning functions for the
homeless, we now wish to do something more! Our Homeless Outreach Team
( H.O.T.) has changed its name to the Human Outreach Team, and it wishes
to further expand its ministry into the community. That team has
decided to offer more direct assistance to you in the way of personal
monthly financial support in order to free you up to further enable your
work with the homeless, those suffering from Hepatitis C, people living
with AIDS, and so many other marginalized and forgotten people.
We see this action by one of our ministry teams as a statement of
appreciation and trust in your personal crusade to be a living witness
for God in the world today. It is our privilege to call you a friend of
our church and to share in your commitment of love for all God's
children.
Yours in Christ,
Reverend Elder John W. Gill, Pastor
Thank
you, Steve Kersker
|
