Sermons by Reverend Don Beaudreault
LOVE SUNDAY - The Stories Of Those Who Are Labeled Gay, Etc.
And Of Those Who Love Them
Rev. Don Beaudreault
Unitarian Universalist Church of Sarasota, FL
February 12, 2006
OPENING READING: “Even Before You Walked Through Our Doors”
Even before you walked through our doors
You were - or were not - a Unitarian Universalist.
No one had to convert you – or could.Because if you were a Unitarian Universalist
When you walked through our doors,
You realized that this is a way
Of being in the world -
Beyond merely attaching yourself to “organized religion.”So you walked through our doors
And you stayed – why?
Because for you
To be in the world means:
That your answers are sometimes your questions;
And you realized that this church encourages you
To be responsible in this process of discernment.Our community of thinkers, feelers, and doers
Invited you to be a self-starter, not a pampered follower.
In other words:
To be yourself!
And to be so with a spirit of compassion and acceptance of diversity.And you stayed when you walked through our doors,
Because you discovered that here you can be inconsistent.
In other words, you can be real.
You can admit that sometimes you don’t know about purpose and meaning;
Or if you do know at the moment,
That you won’t be judged for changing your mind.
You discovered that we are a people who go easy on ourselves,
Knowing that we are far from perfect.And you found out that together we can encourage each other
To learn more ardently,
To feel more passionately,
To act more wisely.You stayed because you knew
That we strive to be a family – one without pretensions about
Class, culture, creed, color or condition.
You discovered that we believe what is in your heart
Is more important than what is in your resume or checkbook.But you learned, too, that it isn’t always easy being a part of a church like this!
Freedom never is.Because
So, we were glad you walked through our doors.
Ours is not a catechism of belief, but a calling toward understanding.
Ours is not a list of rules but a suggestion box.
Ours is not an assembly of sinners but a community of seekers.
Ours is not a club of self-satisfied clones but a family of sensitive individualists.
We welcomed you -
And we hope you’ll stay for a lifetime!Don Beaudreault
PRESENTATION: from Rev. Don Beaudreault
Today, on this, the Sunday before Valentine’s Day, we come to honor love – in all its healthy diversity. With all that it calls us beyond ourselves to be. To be more than we even think possible for us to be: ever-good, true, just, caring, and accepting.
We come here this morning to speak of differences among us – ones based on genetic factors, and encouraged – or not – by environmental ones. We especially come here this day to hold up to all who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender the idea that yes, this congregation respects everyone’s right to be who they are or who they want to be. In a phrase: we embrace the right for each one of us to be truly him or herself, not someone else’s coerced expectation of a “self.”
We come here to tell just a few stories about whom we are or about those we love who are part of the struggle and success of simply being the person s/he was created to be.
We come here to say to the world within these walls and without, that yes, we as Unitarian Universalists promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person, not just those who are more like us than different from us. But every person.
We come here to say to one and all, that yes, we are a Welcoming Congregation, equally hospitable to each person who comes through these doors.
Foundational to my own personal commitment to this church community and to the larger movement of this liberating faith – in time, energy, and finances – was an early understanding about myself as a gay man, that I sought to be part of a religious community that would not shun me – even if I wanted to be a minister.
I found that community when I was 17 years old. My acceptance was nurtured through seminary, internships, and now 27 years of professional life as a Unitarian Universalist minister – even though I was not “out” as a gay man for most of that time. Still, I was aware early on that I was gay, and I learned the history of this proud and liberating movement and knew that when I was ready to declare my true “self” in regard to my sexual orientation – I would not be cast out as a “sinner.”
I knew that we were the first religious denomination to speak out firmly for gay rights, HIV/AIDS research and full acceptance of those living with the disease, full legal protection of GLBT people and their partners, and full advocacy of gay “marriage.”
I knew, too, that I could still be free to explore my theological beliefs, and not be limited by creed, dogma or doctrine. That I could, indeed, find freedom.
I take this movement seriously. Like you, I am an heir to the hard-won battles that gay and straight people have fought through the centuries and around the world. Some have been imprisoned because they spoke out for freedom; some have died.
As a church with a proud and noble past, we Unitarian Universalists today, proclaim that we are more than an intellectual gathering, a debate society, or a social club. We are a place of deep caring, where we speak and act in the name of love; where, we act as change agents for goodness, truth, equality, justice, mercy and love.
Each of us here has the freedom to speak behind this pulpit and to speak to the larger world about the real issues of life – a freedom won by others who lived before us and by those who are still within our midst.
The stories you are about to hear symbolize that very freedom. Because we feel that this is, indeed, a sanctuary for the human spirit, this place is special. And because it is, each of us needs to support it, lest we lose it. And we need to invite others who might have a different lifestyle from us, to be part of this very welcoming place of refuge and inspiration; of commitment and action – and LOVE!
CLOSING WORDS: “Our Holding Hands”
Our holding hands is a symbol of our commitment to one another and to others outside this room, that we shall seek justice for one and all, bringing love and peace to a world of division and suffering.
Believing that the world can be a better place if we commit ourselves to making it so, let us express our thankfulness for the bounty of our lives and the chance to bring joy to others and to receive it from them.
Don Beaudreault