Open and Affirming
The UCC at 50 Series Part 3
Ephesians 2:
May 20, 2007
Rev. Nancy Pfaltzgraf
Since its very beginnings, the church of Jesus Christ has wrestled over issues of inclusion and
exclusion. Who can be received as a member? What are the qualifications, barriers, or tests
required? Who is permitted to assume a leadership role?
Throughout the Hebrew Scriptures -often called the Old Testament- the law is very clear
about dietary practices, what can be eaten, how it is to be prepared and the like. Similarly the law
is very clear about the separation that must be maintained between Jewish people and everyone
who did not follow the whole Jewish law -the Gentiles, the sinners, and the outcasts. In Acts 10
we find Peter being told by God in a vision to eat food considered in Divine law to be unclean.
When Peter refuses, maintaining that he has always followed the full letter of the law, the Stillspeaking
God replies, "What God has made clean, you must not call profane." [Acts 10:15]
Whereupon the servant of a Gentile named Cornelius arrived asking Peter to come to his master's
home. Peter went. As he walked through the door, thus breaking Divine law, he said "God has
shown me that I should not call anyone profane or unclean." [Acts 10:28] Then when Cornelius -
having already felt God stirring in his heart- asked if God's gracious love could stretch far enough
to include him, Peter, seeing his deep love for God, said, "I truly understand that God shows no
partiality," [Acts 10:34] and then baptized this Gentile and his whole family.
The UCC at 50 Series Part 3
Ephesians 2:
May 20, 2007
Rev. Nancy Pfaltzgraf
Since its very beginnings, the church of Jesus Christ has wrestled over issues of inclusion and
exclusion. Who can be received as a member? What are the qualifications, barriers, or tests
required? Who is permitted to assume a leadership role?
Throughout the Hebrew Scriptures -often called the Old Testament- the law is very clear
about dietary practices, what can be eaten, how it is to be prepared and the like. Similarly the law
is very clear about the separation that must be maintained between Jewish people and everyone
who did not follow the whole Jewish law -the Gentiles, the sinners, and the outcasts. In Acts 10
we find Peter being told by God in a vision to eat food considered in Divine law to be unclean.
When Peter refuses, maintaining that he has always followed the full letter of the law, the Stillspeaking
God replies, "What God has made clean, you must not call profane." [Acts 10:15]
Whereupon the servant of a Gentile named Cornelius arrived asking Peter to come to his master's
home. Peter went. As he walked through the door, thus breaking Divine law, he said "God has
shown me that I should not call anyone profane or unclean." [Acts 10:28] Then when Cornelius -
having already felt God stirring in his heart- asked if God's gracious love could stretch far enough
to include him, Peter, seeing his deep love for God, said, "I truly understand that God shows no
partiality," [Acts 10:34] and then baptized this Gentile and his whole family.
Following his experience of being struck blind on the road to Damascus, Paul gradually came
to understand that in Christ all walls of hostility and fear were being dismantled and he was being
sent as an apostle to the Gentiles. Having established a new community of believers in the Gentile
community in Ephesus, he was troubled when he heard reports of the squabbling, tension and
new walls of division and hostility that were arising among them. Thus he wrote reminding them
of who they were and how they came to be:
For [Christ] is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has
broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. He has abolished the
law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new
humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, and might reconcile both groups to
God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it.
[Ephesians 2:14-16]
It is, I believe, this tradition of Divine transformation -evident within our sacred scripturesthat
moved one of our spiritual ancestors -John Robinson- to proclaim, "God has yet more light
and truth to break forth out of his holy Word." This proclamation, embedded in our Spiritual DNA,
is why, according to Rev. Dr. Arlene K. Nehring "we read the Bible, ... ancient creeds and
catechisms, and ... look to the wisdom and guidance of individuals and faith communities
throughout history and across cultures--but it is also why we never let ourselves believe that we
have read or heard all that God has to say, or all that God may be calling us to be and do."
And so it was that in 1971 the Golden Gate Association of the Northern California Conference
entered into a year of study, prayer and discernment regarding the request of one local
congregation to ordain one of their members who happened to be an openly gay man. During this
year as they came to know this young man, who at age 17 heard God call him into ministry, they
saw first hand how God was already working through his life in his passion for the Gospel, his
O:\Sermons\Sermons 2007\05-20-07-ephesians 4 - open and affirming.doc Last printed
6/11/2007 1:25:00 PM - 2 -
leadership abilities and his skills in pastoral care, counseling, preaching, teaching, group process
and youth ministry. Like Peter, they were moved by what they saw in this young man's life and
open to God's Still-speaking voice. Thus on June 25, 1972 they ordained William R. Johnson.
This move began opening doors and hearts as others who had felt excluded began to come
out of closets, emerge from behind walls of fear and voice their concerns and advocate for justice
for Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual people, in what was known at first as the UCC Gay Caucus but
eventually became the UCC Coalition for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Concerns. Even
so, it was not until 1984 that the first openly lesbian woman, Ann Holmes, was ordained by the
Potomac Association of the Central Atlantic Conference.
Throughout the years, the delegates to the UCC General Synod were moved to call for serious
study of human sexuality; support the civil rights of LGBT people; and, at the 1985 General Synod,
to adopt the Open and Affirming (what is called ONA for short) resolution, which calls upon
congregations to engage in study and discernment and to consider adopting statements of
affirmation and policies of non-discrimination -- welcoming LGBT people into the full life and
ministry of the church. [Again, a reminder that since the UCC embraces what is called a
congregational polity, any General Synod action cannot and does not mandate to the local
congregation what it must do. The resolutions are intended to raise issues, provide information
and invite each congregation into its own period of discernment regarding who God is calling it to
be and become.] Since 1985, more than 625 UCC congregations -along with Conferences,
associations, seminaries, and UCC-related colleges and universities- have engaged in ONA study
programs and voted to declare themselves open and affirming.
Like the questions of including Gentiles and freeing slaves, the question of welcoming God's
Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender children is an emotionally charged issue. Although 625
congregations in the UCC have declared themselves ONA, many others, like ours, have embraced
the slogan "no matter who you are or where you are on life's journey you are welcome here," and
are seeking to live into the fullness of all that means without declaring themselves ONA. And many
in those congregations wonder if they already function in an "open and affirming" way, why
become officially "ONA"?
To answer that question I'd like you to imagine what it might be like to believe "everyone"
includes you, only to discover otherwise. That happened in the congregation I served in Wisconsin
and the pain it caused was enormous. No one should have to guess about the "boundaries of
inclusion". A clear welcome allows all people to share their faith and their gifts without fear. A
clear welcome opens the door to families who too often hide the fact that they have GLB(T)
children or relatives because they fear the indifference or rejection of their church. A clear
welcome also opens the door to GLB(T) clergy who often feel that to serve the church they must
hide who they are. A clear welcome opens the door for youth to seek the guidance of faith
communities as they question and establish their understandings of sexuality, spirituality, and
relationships. A clear welcome helps to counter the widespread perception that "Christians think
being gay, lesbian, or bisexual is wrong/sinful."
So it is that some of these congregations -including ours- are beginning a process of study,
prayer and discernment. "Is God calling us to take yet another step in proclaiming that we are a
people of God's extravagant welcome?" Throughout the next year we will have many
opportunities to talk, read, study and pray together; many opportunities to seek God's guidance
and wisdom. I hope that all of you will participate, speaking your truth in love and listening with
compassion to the truth of another's life. If we do, it will surely be a time when we will all grow in
faith and love. So as we move through this process, let us remember that it is God's love revealed
in Christ that has brought each and every one of us here and made of us a community and it is
God's love that will embrace us and strengthen us as we make this journey together. Amen.
to understand that in Christ all walls of hostility and fear were being dismantled and he was being
sent as an apostle to the Gentiles. Having established a new community of believers in the Gentile
community in Ephesus, he was troubled when he heard reports of the squabbling, tension and
new walls of division and hostility that were arising among them. Thus he wrote reminding them
of who they were and how they came to be:
For [Christ] is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has
broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. He has abolished the
law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new
humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, and might reconcile both groups to
God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it.
[Ephesians 2:14-16]
It is, I believe, this tradition of Divine transformation -evident within our sacred scripturesthat
moved one of our spiritual ancestors -John Robinson- to proclaim, "God has yet more light
and truth to break forth out of his holy Word." This proclamation, embedded in our Spiritual DNA,
is why, according to Rev. Dr. Arlene K. Nehring "we read the Bible, ... ancient creeds and
catechisms, and ... look to the wisdom and guidance of individuals and faith communities
throughout history and across cultures--but it is also why we never let ourselves believe that we
have read or heard all that God has to say, or all that God may be calling us to be and do."
And so it was that in 1971 the Golden Gate Association of the Northern California Conference
entered into a year of study, prayer and discernment regarding the request of one local
congregation to ordain one of their members who happened to be an openly gay man. During this
year as they came to know this young man, who at age 17 heard God call him into ministry, they
saw first hand how God was already working through his life in his passion for the Gospel, his
O:\Sermons\Sermons 2007\05-20-07-ephesians 4 - open and affirming.doc Last printed
6/11/2007 1:25:00 PM - 2 -
leadership abilities and his skills in pastoral care, counseling, preaching, teaching, group process
and youth ministry. Like Peter, they were moved by what they saw in this young man's life and
open to God's Still-speaking voice. Thus on June 25, 1972 they ordained William R. Johnson.
This move began opening doors and hearts as others who had felt excluded began to come
out of closets, emerge from behind walls of fear and voice their concerns and advocate for justice
for Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual people, in what was known at first as the UCC Gay Caucus but
eventually became the UCC Coalition for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Concerns. Even
so, it was not until 1984 that the first openly lesbian woman, Ann Holmes, was ordained by the
Potomac Association of the Central Atlantic Conference.
Throughout the years, the delegates to the UCC General Synod were moved to call for serious
study of human sexuality; support the civil rights of LGBT people; and, at the 1985 General Synod,
to adopt the Open and Affirming (what is called ONA for short) resolution, which calls upon
congregations to engage in study and discernment and to consider adopting statements of
affirmation and policies of non-discrimination -- welcoming LGBT people into the full life and
ministry of the church. [Again, a reminder that since the UCC embraces what is called a
congregational polity, any General Synod action cannot and does not mandate to the local
congregation what it must do. The resolutions are intended to raise issues, provide information
and invite each congregation into its own period of discernment regarding who God is calling it to
be and become.] Since 1985, more than 625 UCC congregations -along with Conferences,
associations, seminaries, and UCC-related colleges and universities- have engaged in ONA study
programs and voted to declare themselves open and affirming.
Like the questions of including Gentiles and freeing slaves, the question of welcoming God's
Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender children is an emotionally charged issue. Although 625
congregations in the UCC have declared themselves ONA, many others, like ours, have embraced
the slogan "no matter who you are or where you are on life's journey you are welcome here," and
are seeking to live into the fullness of all that means without declaring themselves ONA. And many
in those congregations wonder if they already function in an "open and affirming" way, why
become officially "ONA"?
To answer that question I'd like you to imagine what it might be like to believe "everyone"
includes you, only to discover otherwise. That happened in the congregation I served in Wisconsin
and the pain it caused was enormous. No one should have to guess about the "boundaries of
inclusion". A clear welcome allows all people to share their faith and their gifts without fear. A
clear welcome opens the door to families who too often hide the fact that they have GLB(T)
children or relatives because they fear the indifference or rejection of their church. A clear
welcome also opens the door to GLB(T) clergy who often feel that to serve the church they must
hide who they are. A clear welcome opens the door for youth to seek the guidance of faith
communities as they question and establish their understandings of sexuality, spirituality, and
relationships. A clear welcome helps to counter the widespread perception that "Christians think
being gay, lesbian, or bisexual is wrong/sinful."
So it is that some of these congregations -including ours- are beginning a process of study,
prayer and discernment. "Is God calling us to take yet another step in proclaiming that we are a
people of God's extravagant welcome?" Throughout the next year we will have many
opportunities to talk, read, study and pray together; many opportunities to seek God's guidance
and wisdom. I hope that all of you will participate, speaking your truth in love and listening with
compassion to the truth of another's life. If we do, it will surely be a time when we will all grow in
faith and love. So as we move through this process, let us remember that it is God's love revealed
in Christ that has brought each and every one of us here and made of us a community and it is
God's love that will embrace us and strengthen us as we make this journey together. Amen.
