Postcard from the Edge
[I’m working from home – Froggatts’ Edge – this morning.]We enjoyed a delightful time away in Provincetown last week. The small village on the tip of Cape Cod has become a favorite destination for a host of reasons. It offers fresh seafood in abundance, the beaches are broad and inviting, there is a lively art scene, its deep seafaring roots are everywhere on display (the Provincetown Public Library houses a half-scale replica of the schooner Rose Dorothea) and there is music everywhere. Best of all, Provincetown is an unabashedly welcoming spot for the LGBTQ community. (This is also true of Key West, another of our favorite get-away spots.)
I thought of this in recent days when I read of a case the Supreme Court recently took under advisement, one that challenges the institution of same-gender marriage. The Court’s current iteration has demonstrated a willingness to claw back established rights of late, most notably the 2022 reversal of Roe v. Wade, eliminating the federal right to abortion. The question is not simply one of the legal chaos that would ensue were this institution to be eliminated – what would become of the more than 800,000 couples who have been married in the ten years since Obergfell v. Hodges was decided? I worry about the return of an unnecessary and hateful stigma against our LTBTQ sisters and brothers, once more relegating them to second-class status. In my own opinion, this is an affront to both social and religious freedom. The number of times the Bible gets trotted out as a cudgel against gays and lesbians is offensive, risible, and quite frankly, plain wrong. As an Open and Affirming Congregation of the United Church of Christ, we stand against any and all such trivialization of people’s humanity, no matter who they are or who they love.
On an entirely different and personal note, today marks my eighth year as your pastor and teacher. I have loved every moment of it and look ahead to the years ahead – deep gratitude and blessings to God on behalf of all of you and our shared faith journey.
Links to Sunday’s bulletin and service are here: