Annual Conference: Sunday's Sermon and Homosexuality

This morning, I would like to post a portion of my message from Sunday's service. It provides some reflections as our Annual Conference continues to dialog, debate and discuss the issue of homosexuality:

As I have mentioned in the newsletter, one of the significant topics of discussion during Annual Conference was around the topic of homosexuality. We had a three-part dialogue between delegates of the conference in which we talked about the emotions of this topic and how it might affect the future of the church. There was legislation requiring gays and lesbians to be on Wisconsin committees. There was legislation to pursue an agenda that repealed the current wording of the Discipline as it relates to homosexuality. There were threats of charges to remove the credentials from one pastor for admitting that she was a lesbian. I am sure that even bringing up this topic makes many of you uncomfortable, no less knowing how much time was spent on it an Annual Conference.

I am sure that, like at Annual Conference, we share a spectrum of opinions about homosexuality as it relates to the Methodist Church. I have talked with some of you regarding social issues, and I know that there are many different opinions out there. As we think about being in ministry to our community, there are lots of different people out there. As it relates to the issue of homosexuality, there are some difficult questions that we need to ask:

• Is homosexuality a sin?
• Should a homosexual individual be allowed to be a member of a church?
• Should a homosexual individual be allowed to be in a leadership position in a church?
• Should a practicing homosexual be allowed to be a minister?

Some of you may be able to answer those questions easily. Some of you have doubts as to what you believe. Some of you have opinions, but you are scared of the day where you might have to publicly share your feelings. It’s uncomfortable. Perhaps you’re just hoping that I will move on. Dan Dick, our Director of Connectional Ministries, quoted a Jewish proverb, “When presented with only choices, take the third.” It sounds like a copout, but as it relates to this discussion, it has some merit.

During the four days of Annual Conference, I was able to dialogue with a variety of people, and they shared a wide variety of opinions on this topic. Of all of my conversations, I spoke with an ordained elder from a different district and a lay person from a church nearby. They both shared one opinion. We need to figure out a way to move on…or at least to change our priorities. It’s not that the topic of homosexuality is without importance. It is significant. Folks at Annual Conference have talked about how this has been a topic for 40 years.

These two individuals and I imagined an Annual Conference without deep contention over social issues. What happened if there were no arguments over the Methodist church’s stance on the current Health Care Reform? What would happen if we moved on from all of our conversations about homosexuality? What if we were willing to set aside some of our opinions and change our focus? Our worldwide Methodist Church has released a new tagline that says, “What if…” So, what if our church changed its priorities?

Imagine an Annual Conference is which our focus was on love of God and love of one another. Imagine an Annual Conference in which we gathered together to think about our strategy to help grow the kingdom of God. Imagine an Annual Conference in which we focused on how we could be in mission to our local community and to the world.

Let’s celebrate the ways in which we help the least and the lost. Let’s celebrate the ways in which we take the Gospel of Jesus Christ out into the world. Let’s celebrate the way that we bear fruit in the world…not for our own glory, but for the glory of Christ’s kingdom. Let’s celebrate the times when we truly are the hands and feet of Jesus Christ, out in the trenches working hard!

The theme for Annual Conference was, “Give Wholeheartedly.” Throughout Annual Conference, we saw a variety of videos about places that could not exist without the apportionment support of local churches like ours. We watched a video about The Crossing, a college church meeting the spiritual needs of UW Madison students. We watched a video about Harbor House, a service that helps women escaping abuse. We watched a video about mission work in Cuba, building the Methodist Church there. It is through the giving of our money and the giving of our time and talent, we “live, give and love…beyond all expectation.” We may have different opinions, but we all celebrate this vision for our Annual Conference.

In Paul’s letter to the Galatians, Paul shares a message for the people of the church in Galatia. Paul was greatly distressed because of what he was hearing about the churches in Galatia. Gentile Christians, unfamiliar to Jewish Law were expected to abide by this law. In some ways they were being treated as second-class citizens within the church. Paul felt the need to emphasize what it meant to be Christians.

Paul makes it clear: in Christ, we are one. We are one church. We are one body. We work together to further the kingdom. We work together to make Disciples of Christ. As United Methodists, we make disciples for the transformation of the world.

So, does this really help to solve our dialogue over homosexuality? Needless to say, despite a lot of conversation and all of the legislation, I’m not sure where we are. Neither side could claim victory and you could still cut the tension with a knife. There is concern over a split in the church. Is that how we would want things to end? Be it over the topic of homosexuality or any other issue in which we disagree, let us not lose our focus as a church.

So what is the third option? Is it a matter of being for or against? Or, is it a matter of focusing on what we can do to grow the kingdom of the God. I do encourage you to think deeply about the issue of homosexuality and other difficult topics. Often taking a viewpoint one way or another will likely alienate or frustrate your fellow Christians. I encourage you to think about an issue from the perspective of scripture, while also taking into account tradition, experience and our own ability to reason. I would certainly be willing to talk with any of you on this topic or another topic. But, it is something that requires prayer and reflection.

Based on our discussions at Annual Conference about this and other issues, I would ask us to think about the church. I personally feel as though anyone is welcome into our church. We do not know everyone’s background, everyone’s views or everyone’s lifestyle or personal choices. What we do know is that we are all one in Christ and we are all sinners. We are all in need of Christ’s redemption. Every…single…one of us. Let’s start there. Then we can think about putting out focus in the world, helping to put together a broken world. “For you are all one in Jesus Christ.”

I did come away from Annual Conference energized, but also somewhat unsettled. It is easy to rally around a particular issue and allow it to be our focus. We can lose sight of our true mission. Despite all of the uncomfortableness around issues like homosexuality and other topics, a larger theme came through. I don’t mean to dwell on this topic, but it something that God has laid on my heart.

I came away energized because I did not allow any one topic to get me down. A difference of opinion should never get in the way of our ability to make disciples of Christ.