Transgender Day of Remembrance services have been taking place since 1998 and have grown to be an international event. I can’t recall the first time one was held in my church building, but this moving service fills me with the same kinds of feelings I get when I attend Good Friday or Kristallnacht services. Led by members of All Soul’s Church (a congregation that shares our building), the LGBT Center (also in our building) and Reading Pride, the names of transpeople who were murdered in the past year are read. Words of hope are spoken by different participants, and tears of loss are shed and shared by everyone there. There are many different people from different places present, praying for the same thing we all want – peace and safety.
As a community – as a nation – it is our differences that make us great. I see this when I watch the Olympics; American athletes come in all shapes, sizes, colors, and last names. We come from all over the world; some in recent years and some centuries ago. Some were brought against their will while others were running from oppression. As we approach Thanksgiving, we will hear about some of the early settlers who came here looking for freedom and safety. I am often curious as to why so many Americans can’t see that the same thing is happening today. And while our history has been filled with times of welcome and acceptance of difference, it has also been defined by violent responses to new people and new ideas. The fight against hatred has been part of our story since before we were a nation, and it will – sadly – continue to be part of who we are. The same can be said about our quest for freedom and equality.
When I left the New York Metropolitan area for rural Ohio to attend college, I met a lot of people who were very different from me. They came from all walks of life, and a lot of them spoke, dressed, and lived differently than I did. I learned a lot – I even did some work on the farms! I drove a tractor – I tossed bales of hay. I couldn’t find decent pizza, and bagels? Fuggetaboutit! I didn’t think these new people were weird or wrong or dangerous – I just thought they were different, and they probably felt the same way about me. We drank beer together and went to sporting events together, and we stood up against the bullies who wanted to rule the world – together. It was our differences that made us great, not just what we held in common. I’m a straight, white guy. That doesn’t make me better than people who aren’t like me – it just makes us different. And my understanding of God is that we are all beautifully made in God’s image. Different inside and out, but Spirit-blessed in the same way.
Difference – Diversity – these things make us great. To live as if that were not true goes against God’s design for creation. That should matter.
Prayer – Merciful God, we remember those innocent people murdered for being themselves. Have mercy on us. Amen.
Today’s art is “Crossing Over” – I couldn’t find out who the artist is.