“God’s Covenantal Community” Colchester Federated Church, June 4, 2023, (Genesis 1:1-2:4a) Welcoming, Open and Affirming Sunday

“When God began to create the heavens and the earth—the earth was without shape or form, it was dark over the deep sea, and God’s wind swept over the waters—God said, ‘Let there be light.’  And so light appeared.”[1]  This is how Genesis—the first book of the Bible—begins.  With God creating the heavens and the earth, with God separating the light from the darkness, and the earth from the sky.  With God naming the dry land “Earth” and the gathered waters “Seas.”  With God letting the earth produce plants.  With God creating living things—birds flying above the earth up in the dome of the sky and great sea animals living in the waters.  With God creating humanity in the image and likeness of God.  Genesis proclaims, “God created humanity in God’s own image, in the divine image God created them, male and female God created them . . . God saw everything [God] had made: it was supremely good.”[2]

This account of creation is best read as a poem.  I would argue that it was never meant to be taken hyper literally, as in contending that the earth is only 6,000 years old when scientists know that the earth is around 4.5 billion years old.  Creation stories helped ancient people to understand their place in the world.  Creation accounts helped answer questions around natural phenomena like animals that belong in the sea versus those that belong in the sky.  What do we make of the sun and the moon, of the light and the darkness that we experience daily?  How about our place in the world as human beings—who are we and what are we supposed to do with the gift of life?

If we were living thousands of years ago, these words would help orient our lives.  Listen: “Then God said, ‘Let us make humanity in our image to resemble us so that they may take charge of the fish of the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the earth, and all the crawling things on earth.  God created humanity in God’s own image, in the divine image God created them.”[3]  These ancient words from the author of Genesis can still help orient our lives as people of faith.  Not to take charge of the fish, birds, livestock, crawling things, and all the earth in a way that harms the earth.  No, to be responsible stewards of the creatures with whom we share this earth.  Because these words from Genesis help us remember that we are all a part of God’s covenantal community.  We are on this earth and in this life together.  Every single human being is created in the divine image of God.

Ten years ago, Colchester Federated Church became a Welcoming, Open and Affirming Church.  To undergo the formal process with both the American Baptist Churches and the United Church of Christ meant that the congregation had to do internal spiritual work to wrestle with questions of inclusion and welcome.  To do so meant entering a covenant—a covenant can be defined as a promise.  Becoming a Welcoming, Open and Affirming Church represented making a promise that everyone is invited into the full life of our church, ministry, leadership, worship, sacraments, rites, and fellowship.  The covenant our congregation entered doesn’t do a whole lot of good if we’re shy about it because of what some people may think, especially those who disagree with welcoming everyone.  Let’s be honest, there are churches full of people who disagree about LGBTQ+ welcome and inclusion specifically. 

Though how will people know that we are a safe place where folks are welcome to be themselves if we don’t let our light shine?  Part of the process of becoming a Welcoming, Open and Affirming church is to do the internal spiritual work among our members and friends and part of the process is to do the external work of sharing who we are and what we believe with the wider community.  It’s about sharing who we are with people who may really need to belong to a church family like this one.

Some of us were around in 2013 and remember the process.  And thank you to Mark and Barb for providing the historical context for those of us who are newer to our congregation (me included!) who were not present for that moment of making public the values that this congregation long held to be true.  Though it’s important to remember that in some ways this all began because there were people in our church who wanted to get married.  Those two people happened to be two men (Tom and Ray)—who loved each other and wanted to be spiritually and legally bound to one another once they were able to do so given LGBTQ+ marriage equality in Connecticut.  A loving relationship is what helped this congregation formally declare that of course everyone is welcome here.  Because love is love.  And guess what?  God is love.

Everyone is welcome here.  Spoiler alert, pretty much every church says that everyone is welcome.  But the truth is that when we say that everyone is welcome here at Colchester Federated Church in Colchester, Connecticut, we really mean it.  The categories named in our Welcoming, Open and Affirming statement are telling: “We invite all who seek to follow Jesus into the full life of our church, ministry, leadership, worship, sacraments, rites, and fellowship: all persons of every gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression; as well as all ages, races, nationalities, mental and physical ability, family structure, and social and economic status.”[4]

Male, Female, Transgender, Non-Binary.  You are welcome here.  Straight, Gay, Bisexual, Queer, Questioning.  You are welcome here.  Young, middle aged, elderly.  You are welcome here.  White, Black, Latina and Latino, Asian, Pacific Islander, Indigenous.  You are welcome here.  American, Canadian, Mexican.  You are welcome here.  Depressed, bipolar, autistic, anxious.  You are welcome here.  Disabled or currently able-bodied.  You are welcome here.  Married, divorced, single, partnered, blended family, widowed or widower.  You are welcome here.  Upper, middle, or lower economic class.  You are welcome here.  High school, college, or graduate school education.  You are welcome here.  As our church statement proclaims, “We believe that all people are created in God’s image and thus are loved and blessed equally by God.”[5]

That comes right out of our Genesis creation poem.  All people are created in God’s image.  All people are loved and blessed equally by God.  You will never look into the eyes of a person that God does not love.  Oh, that is hard to remember when we’re facing someone with whom we disagree.  When we look at someone who is different from us in any category just named, let’s remember that we all have the divine spark within us.  We will never look into the eyes of a person that God does not love.  God saw everything God had made—it was supremely good.  Thanks be to God.  Amen.

[1] Genesis 1:1-3, CEB.
[2] Genesis 1:27 and 31.
[3] Genesis 1:26-27.
[4] From Colchester Federated Church’s Welcoming, Open and Affirming Statement.
[5] From Colchester Federated Church’s Welcoming, Open and Affirming Statement.

Photo by Alexander Grey on Unsplash