a response to the sermon

I received this email in response to the sermon that I posted last week. Remember, part of the sermon was about opening our minds to ideas that are different to us.

Good Morning Jeff,

Thank you for posting the link to your sermon this past Sunday. It worked well and your sermon spoke to my heart. Love the story of Zacceaus, as I always identified with the part about being short and many times needed a tree to climb to see what was going on! No, seriously, what pains me the most about my family and friends is when they have a point of view entirely based on how they were raised and treated. They keep those blinders on you mentioned and never want to see the other person's point of view or even give them a chance to think differently.

Last summer I was asked to find a Bible study about the LGBTQ issue in the church. You helped me by sending me some good references. Before the study, I did not believe in same sex marriage. I know and love several people who have family members who did this but always felt it should be called something else and even it was not what God wanted for us. After the study, I realized the hurt and guilt and self loathing people who have these inclinations felt. I saw how we as Christians continue to devalue these sons and daughters of ours almost to the point of suicide for some. I heard stories of people in a church I went to for over 30 years felt, how some of my former Sunday school students felt and I cried. Your story about playing the Christian music was especially enlightening as I remembered my feelings about what marriage meant to me and how selfish I had been to think only I knew what was right and what was wrong in God's eyes. After the Bible study, my little church in Vermont voted to become an Open and Affirming church and hung a Rainbow Flag outside to let the community know it changed! This is a church with mostly people in their senior years and very few young people But when they had the celebration of hanging the flag, several of our former young people attended and said for the first time in their lives they felt safe to worship Jesus!!!

I didn't mean to write such a long email, but I just wanted to let you know how much your message meant to me this morning and that even an old woman like me who thinks she is welcoming to everyone, but in her heart was not, can remove those blinders and change.

Thank you so much,

Your friend...