From David Grizzle, in attendance at the Integrity Eucharist at General Convention (extra paragraphing added):
Bishop Gene Robinson delivered the sermon. After a conspicuous golly-gee moment at seeing how packed the church was, he gazed onto the congregation and said, “Just look at you. Look around you. This is what heaven will look like.”
He introduced his partner Mark. He expressed gratitude for God’s miracle of creation; Jesus’ death on the cross and the Spirit’s inspiration. “This is not the time to talk about politics or strategy,” he said. “We don’t serve a god who is all bound up in scripture 2000 years ago, but a god whose love blows through us like a mighty wind.” He preached powerfully on forgiving one’s enemies.
At the conclusion, he quoted extensively from a text that, after the Bible, he said, had changed his life more than any other: John Fortunato’s “Embracing the Exile.” It read as an object lesson of the admonition, “love them anyway.”
The end of his sermon was greeted by thunderous applause and a long standing ovation, which was only ended by a spontaneous congregational launch into the Doxology.
This was not the first time I have heard the message of grace powerfully delivered in a predominantly homosexual context. Not surprising. Grace most abounds in the midst of pain, hurt and injury. Virtually none of these losses have I experienced in my charmed (blessed) life of virtually uniform splendid outcomes. Those who pounded their hands raw tonight applauding for Gene have known more pain than I can imagine, so I got to feast on a message purchased by their hardship. I was grateful.
Some of them will not understand how I could share in their experience of God’s grace tonight and then continue to take the positions that have taken regarding what the Trinity demands of marriage and church leadership. I am confident of where I am heading.
But many of those with whom I shared the Cup tonight will not understand.
Leave a Reply