Today*, the Rev. Frank Schaefer visited Boston University School of Theology. For those unfamiliar with Rev. Schaefer's story, this link offers a quick timeline. In short, Rev. Schaefer officiated the marriage of his son to another man in 2007 in the state of Massachusetts, where the union was legal. In 2013, charges were brought up against Rev. Schaefer as his actions had violated a law in the United Methodist Book of Discipline which states that homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching, a law which Schaefer, as a United Methodist Clergy, was bound to uphold. A trial ensued throughout much of 2013 which resulted in Rev. Schaefer's initial loss of credentials and then ultimate reinstatement. However, his journey is not over as a Judiciary Appeal requires that he stand trial yet again in late October of 2014.
Rev. Schaefer has a presence about him that immediately draws you in, and he is an exceptionally gracious individual who felt humbled to be speaking from the pulpit that the Rev. Dr. Howard Thurman and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once spoke from. It seemed only fitting that we have yet another prophetic voice in that of Rev. Schaefer's echoing off the stone walls as his words washed over us. Rev. Schaefer spoke of how we are ALL children of God and that we must draw the circle ever wider. Using the scripture of Jonah and his desire to avoid delivering the message of destruction to the people of Nineveh, Rev. Schaefer paints the theological argument that what is occurring in Jonah is the recognition of the Jewish peoples finding God in all places; during the exile, after the destruction of the temple; and that the goal is to find a way to welcome all people to the place of worship; that Jonah is written from the faction which desired to welcome all of God's children. Rev. Schaefer implored us, the Church, to recognize that we need to be careful of what we say and how we say it. Rev. Schaefer warned against our being the voice of exclusion, of spreading a "terrible message which causes so much harm." The good news is, Schaefer shared, that God is a God of grace and forgiveness, God spared the people of Nineveh as they are "120,000 children who do not know their right hand from their left. 120,000 of my beloved children." Schaefer concluded in saying, "God is all about grace. God is all about unconditional love toward all of God's beloved children. There are no special elect groups from among God's children, we are all God's beloved children. We are called, as United Methodists, as Christians, as Muslims, and Jewish believers, as Buddhists, to draw the circle ever wider."
After Rev. Schaefer's sermon, the Seminary Singers performed, "Things That Never Die," an arrangement by Lee Dengler with text by Charles Dickens, found below.
The pure the bright,
the beautiful that stirred our hearts in youth,
the impulses to wordless prayer.
The streams of love and truth,
the longing after something lost,
the Spirit's yearning cry, the striving after better hopes.
These things can never die!
The timid hand stretched forth to aid another in their need.
A kindly word in grief's dark hour that proves a friend indeed!
A plea for mercy softly breathed when justice threatens high!
The sorrow of a contrite heart.
These things shall never die!
Let nothing pass! For every hand must find some work to do.
Lose not a chance to waken love!
Be firm and just and true,
so shall a light that cannot fade, beam on thee from on high.
And angel voices say to thee,
These things can never die!
The poetry in this piece resonated ever so with the words of Rev. Schaefer which still lingered in the room.
In the evening, Rev. Schaefer, joined by his wife and his son, Tim, held an informal Question and Answer session hosted by the Dean's Office and Sacred Worth, the LGBTQ club at the School of Theology. His moving testimony of his experience instantly had me feeling as if I were in the presence of someone and something truly amazing. He shared his story about what brought he and his wife and children to the United States from Germany, his journey into ministry, and his decision to officiate his son's wedding. It was apparent from the start of the discussion that Rev. Schaefer is a man of deep integrity, deep love for his family, and also deep faith. He is able to hold all three in conjunction, there doesn't seem to be a "but" in the equation. His truth and eloquence in sharing his beliefs and his experiences left many pausing in silence.
I won't share everything from the experience of the day, but it left me riding high. Another student and I spoke the entire ride home on the T (until his stop) about LGBTQ rights and recognitions in various Christian denominations, and when I was off the T I placed a phone call to my beloved Oma and MommaB to share my experience. I will likely never forget this experience, and I am grateful to the Boston University School of Theology for this wonderfully moving, enlightening, and deeply spiritual event.
For now, I retire to dreams of equality, love, and drawing the circle ever wider. Amen.
*It was still Tuesday when I began this post.
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