This liturgy was originally created as a custom liturgy for Farlington UMC
Through pandemics and state violence,
in economic struggle and before anti-trans decrees –
into every aching place, the dreams of God reach for us.
They awaken and entice with their foolish ways of life, calling the faithful
up from pits of despair and off of thrones of power,
through waters of deliverance, and into lands of healing and repair.
Before the burning bush of this world,
asking us to love all its holy, hurting ground,
come with whatever seed of faith you can muster, and listen:
Listen for the voice of God thundering softly in your depths.
Listen with your hunger. Your hurt. Your heart and all its wisdom
cultivated over time in the company of others.
These are the soils from which God calls us to blossom and bloom,
to bear fruit that nourishes and grow our future with care.
This tending requires courage but it is not a sacrifice.
Just let yourself unfold in the direction of shared flourishing.
Maybe you are a cleansing fire or a safe place to rest.
Maybe you are the grit that won’t let us give up.
Maybe you are the queer love poem that
opens something holy and hopeful in a thousand other people.
There are a million ways to be Love
in this groaning and gorgeous world.
And that is it. That is God’s invitation. Their promise. Their lure
away from all the counter-forces that leave you
doubting your offering,
selling your soul,
or hoarding the precious and unique resources
of your story, and spirit, and life.
Trust in whatever sacred thing bubbles up from within you.
The Divine takes on flesh and yours is no exception.
You can be a conduit of eternal love.
You can be an act of radical solidarity.
You can be a moment of grace.
There is so much hope in knowing God is always that close.
There is so much joy in showing up to our collective possibility
saying “yes,” saying “here I am,” saying “may it be so.”