“Moving from Darkness into Light” for LGBTQIA+ Christians:

1. Overview:  by Glenn Schrader

This liturgy is responds to the need to acknowledge through the openness of public confession the moral injury that has occurred for LGBTQIA+ Christians through marginalization, discrimination and alienation experienced in churches and other denominational organizations.  In response to this trauma, this liturgy is initiates a pathway for reconciliation for individuals, groups of individuals, and entire congregations through a liturgy of lamentation, confession and healing.  A symbolism of “moving from darkness to light” unites the elements of the liturgy not only in the creation of the physical environment but also in the hymns, readings, responses, and eucharistic celebration.  At the center of this liturgy, the brokenness of the relationship in the community is named, and the “relinquishment of sin” element offers a first step towards healing.  The approach demonstrates resistance and renewal through a combination of confessional roles.  This “queerness” disrupts the theological presumptions that forgiveness of sins is extended through and by the church; rather, in this liturgy, the church is called to confess also.  Nevertheless, the liturgy is intended to reflect the “oneness” of the church which recognizes the need for communal reconciliation.  The final movement of the liturgy into light emphasizes healing and feeding of the entire “flock” through the sharing of a eucharistic meal.   

2. Rationale and Motivation

Dying and rising in baptism, burying and raising up in resurrection, and movement from darkness to light are all central the liturgy of the Christian church.  Yet, there is a need for continued renewal as the church faces new challenges in modern society:  a “living liturgy” is attuned to these evolving contexts.  Some of these challenges are the result of societal changes, advances in understanding, or the recognition of past errors.  However, the church has often been slow to recognize its past mistakes and the need to reform.  Some of the challenges are related to the advancement of science:  for example, it took nearly 350 years for the Catholic church to admit its errors in condemning Galileo.  Similarly, only some Lutheran organizations have confessed the sins against the Anabaptists and the Jews during Luther’s time.  And now, only a few Christian voices in America are raising up against the “Doctrine of Discovery” which perpetrated genocide of indigenous groups.  In order for the church to be “life-giving”, it must be “living” itself – as Cheryl Peterson suggests as a “Spirit-breathed church” that is renewed by the grace and mercy of God.¹ Grounded in our baptismal calls, she reminds us that the “water of the church” is not “still” or stagnant; the water moves on continually through our lives and the life of the church.

“Over the last few decades, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer community (LGBTQ) has been front and center in the so-called cultural wars that have marked faith and politics in the United States.  One would be hard-pressed to find a group of people that has faced greater consternation and vilification by Christians in the past forty years than gay men and lesbian women.”²   This group of evangelical Christian leaders admonishes congregations in Forgive Us:  Confessions of a Compromised Faith (2014) regarding the sins against this marginalized sexual minority. There would be few who are members of this community of God’s children who would contest their observation.  Rather, “while relationships with people in the LGBTQ community have led many in the church to adopt a more loving approach, others have responded with hate and vitriol.”  Regrettably, even in the most progressive churches, ambiguity and inertia still exist so that although “not all religious communities, leaders, and institutions are hurting people, but enough are that we are all called to respond”. 

Christians are called to recognize their complicity in the ongoing silence, not saying the truth, continuing to be blind, or avoiding the woundedness present in many lives and families.³ Audre Lorde has warned the church’s silence over the years has endangered many minorities:  however,  “Your silence will not protect you.”⁴  Without confession of these transgressions against LGBTQIA+ sons and daughters of the church, many of professions of Christian hospitality in American congregations still ring hollow.

3. Need for Rite

If liturgy is the “work of/for the people”, it is clear that more liturgical work remains to be done since there is dearth of materials written by and generally available to the LGBTQIA+ community in the ELCA.  Without liturgies that specifically address the harm done to sexual minorities, it remains unclear to most people exactly what the position of the church truly is.  This hiddenness obscures what we have been willing to see, change, or restore in our broken relationships within the body of Christ.  Without public confessional statements recognizing that the church has “gone on the assault against what is often called the ‘gay agenda’”³, there is little likelihood that the millions of God’s LGBTQIA+ children currently estranged from the life of the church will recognize that Christianity offers – at its core – healing and hope. 

The reconciliation expressed through our liturgical services and enacted through our sacramental expressions is key. As Pasquale points out: “The answer to the mass exodus of people from churches [including the LGBTQ community] into spirituality unaffiliated categories is not better music, marketing, or branding.  The answer is deeper than that.  The longevity of Christianity as community and institution does not rest on branding, it rests on healing.”³ Healing can emerge from intentional, repeated liturgical practices that resist and renew in ways that revise or reverse previous traditions.  Healing is central to the message of the Bible:  thus, the liturgy must emphasizes reading selections that demonstrate the inclusiveness of God’s grace, the power to transform relationships, and the newness of life given through baptism, the meal, and Jesus’ own resurrection that opens newness of life for all.

4. Framework

The church should be the very place that such “movement from darkness to light” could occur.  The church provides the best “theater” for rediscovering real Christianity because “the church is the necessary theater; partly because the church is still the best pubic place or theater in which to proclaim and test out new initiatives in lifestyle and spirituality; and partly because the church, despite itself, still carries buried in its memory the necessary concepts for explaining and interpreting the Kingdom religion.”⁵  As Cupitt states, LGBTQIA+ members of congregations should not scruple to use the church as a useful theater or proving ground in which to pursue the cause of social emancipation of sexual minorities across all aspects of American society.

However, this liturgy could be used in a variety of settings as well as through various formats.  The initial conception for this liturgy was in response to the need perceived in my spiritual direction training (through the Hesychia School of Spiritual Direction of Tucson) that a Christian service of healing (perhaps related to Taize services) was not available.  The “relinquishment of sins” has been an addition to a healing ceremony that was developed with Dr. Lee Griffith that was intentionally “non-religious” because of the triggering that might have occurred for some LGBTQIA+ participants.  However, following further discussion and development with members of this community in my church and with Wartburg students and staff, I more assured that this liturgy could be used without creating further trauma among workshop participants who receive complete disclosure prior to the service. I appreciate and acknowledge Dr. Griffith’s advice and support in developing the approach in “Part II: Relinquishment”.

V. Structure and Symbolism

The liturgy offered in this original proposal certainly suggests resistance against the ongoing wounding by “sacred” institutions, but it also call for a transformation of roles in the confession of sins, repentance and reconciliation in the liturgical practices of the church.  This reversal is centered in the “relinquishment of sins” which is an alternative to the confession of sins by those who would reject LGBTQIA+ children of God.  Even when people or portions of the church remain unmoved to confess, the entrapment of sin can be released by traumatized individuals through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Relinquishment loosens and releases the binding that society has placed on LGBTQIA+ individuals and communities.  Then, healing be offered to those who have been “hurt, invalidated, forgotten, neglected, negated, unheard, or discarded” by the simple fact of who they truly are as God’s beloved LGBTQIA+ family members.³ The effectiveness of a symbolic “darkness-to-life” movement has been used in previous workshops and is clearly reflected throughout the liturgy.  In the final eucharistic portion of the liturgy (optional), it is symbolized by an original fused glass paten and by small crosses distributed at the end of the service which serves as a reminder of the solid, affirming love of God in Jesus Christ.  

^1.     Peterson, C.M. Who Is the Church? (Minneapolis:  Fortress Press) 2013.

^2.     Cannon, M. E., L. S. Harper, T. Jackson, S-C. Rah. Forgive Us (Grand Rapids: 

Zondervan) 2014 

^3.     Pasquale, T, Sacred Wounds (St. Louis: Chalice Press) 2015.

^4.     Lorde, A. Your Silence Will Not Protect You (Silver Press) undated.

^5.     Cupitt, D. Reforming Christianity (Polbridge Press) 2001.  

Part I:  Lamentation

(The Sanctuary is darkened.)

Gathering and Greeting:

Pastor/Leader: Peace be with you.

All: And also with you.

Scripture Reading:                                                       Lamentations 1: 1-2, 19; 2:19

Pastor/Leader:         Hear the word of the Lord.

^{1: 1}  How lonely sits the city
    that once was full of people!
How like a widow she has become,
    she that was great among the nations!
She that was a princess among the provinces
    has become a vassal.

^1:2  She weeps bitterly in the night,
    with tears on her cheeks;
 among all her lovers
    she has no one to comfort her;
all her friends have dealt treacherously with her,
    they have become her enemies.

^1:19 I called to my lovers
    but they deceived me;
my priests and elders
    perished in the city
while seeking food
    to revive their strength.

^2:19 Arise, cry out in the night,
    at the beginning of the watches!
Pour out your heart like water
    before the presence of the Lord!
Lift your hands to him
    for the lives of your children,
who faint for hunger
    at the head of every street.

Silence followed by Prayer:

Pastor/Leader:   

God of all, we know that you are faithful over all things, even the hard, darkest times of our lives. Help us to not back away from you in our times of brokenness, grief and separation. Help us instead to lean into you and trust you, even when we do not understand how you will guide us and where you will lead us. Keep our heads above the waters of anguish or despair and secure our feet from slipping away from the ground of your truth. Draw near to those call on you, O Lord, for you know our sufferings and sorrows.  In Jesus’ Name, we pray.  Amen.

Responsive Reading:                                                                                        Psalm 31

Reader: How long, O God, will you forget me?

All: How long, O God, will you hide your face from me?

Reader:           How much longer must I bear my grief

        and sorrow fill my heart day and night?

All:            How much longer will my enemies have the upper hand?

Reader: Look at me, O God, and answer me.

          Light my eyes or I shall sleep in death;

All: My enemies shall say that I have lost, and rejoice at my 

                                                   destruction.

Reader: But I rely upon your love, O God, my heart rejoices in 

                                                   your saving help.

All: I will sing to the God of Life who has been good to me.  

Hymn:  “Once We Danced and Sang with Gladness” by Marty Haugen 

Silent Transition Followed by Brief Musical Interlude:

Pastor/Leader:          Holy God, holy and might One, holy and immortal 

                                          One, have mercy on us.

All: Christ have mercy.  Lord, have mercy.

Part II:  Relinquishment

(A single Pastoral candle is lit at the front of the sanctuary.)

Scripture Reading:                                                                        Ezekiel 34: 1-6, 20-22

Pastor/Leader:  Hear the word of the Lord.

¹The word of the Lord came to me: ² Mortal, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel: prophesy, and say to them—to the shepherds: Thus says the Lord God: Ah, you shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep? ³ You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fatlings; but you do not feed the sheep. ⁴ You have not strengthened the weak, you have not healed the sick, you have not bound up the injured, you have not brought back the strayed, you have not sought the lost, but with force and harshness you have ruled them. ⁵ So they were scattered, because there was no shepherd; and scattered, they became food for all the wild animals. ⁶ My sheep were scattered, they wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill; my sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth, with no one to search or seek for them.

²⁰ Therefore, thus says the Lord God to them: I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep.  ²¹ Because you pushed with flank and shoulder, and butted at all the weak animals with your horns until you scattered them far and wide, ²² I will save my flock, and they shall no longer be ravaged; and I will judge between sheep and sheep.

Silence followed by Prayer:

Pastor/Leader:   

God of all, you are home to the exiled, the guiding light to the lost, the daylight to the prisoner.  You lift up those who rank lowest in this world.  Draw near to those who call on you, The Good Shepherd, who seeks out those who have been lost – separated from your church.  You wept for Jerusalem who would not receive you, you experienced the loss of you friend, Lazarus, you knew abandonment on the cross.  Weep with us now in our loss and grief for those who have not been welcomed in your church – those who have been driven away and given over to abandonment.  Listen to our cry, O Lord, how long?  In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

Responsive Reading:                                                                              Psalm 27:1-8

Pastor/Leader: The Lord is my light and my salvation;
               whom shall I fear?
           The Lord is the strongholdof my life;
               of whom shall I be afraid?

All:                  When evildoers assail me
               to devour my flesh—
            my adversaries and foes—
               they shall stumble and fall.

Pastor/Leader: Though an army encamp against me,
                   my heart shall not fear;
                                 though war rise up against me,
                   yet I will be confident.

All:             One thing I asked of the Lord,
               that will I seek after:
            to live in the house of the Lord
               all the days of my life,
           to behold the beauty of the Lord,
               and to inquire in his temple.

Pastor/Leader: For he will hide me in his shelter
              in the day of trouble;
           he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;
              he will set me high on a rock.

All:           Now my head is lifted up
              above my enemies all around me,
           and I will offer in his tent
              sacrifices with shouts of joy;
           I will sing and make melody to the Lord.

Pastor/Leader:         Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud,
                   be gracious to me and answer me!

All:                      “Come,” my heart says, “seek his face!”
                             Your face, Lord, do I seek.

Hymn:  “Shepherd Me, O God” by Marty Haugen 

Relinquishment of Sins:           

Pastor/Leader:

Let us pray:

Holy Creator, you have created all the Earth and those who dwell under your mercy and love.  You have given us an abundance of water, generous food for sustenance, and the brilliance of the sun in our daily lives.  Open us to your quickening Spirit that upholds all in the flourishing of life that you called “very good” from the Beginning.

Almighty God, you know our hearts and our wills.  Our brokenness is always before you.  We confess that we cannot free ourselves from our desires to pursue our own wills and desires.  We cannot put ourselves on the path of your righteousness.  We move away from each other and drift into darkness and despair.  We do not see the light of your forgiveness and reconciliation.  Loosen the chains of sins that bind us, and free us to be your ambassadors of reconciliation to all the world, especially to those whom we will name before you now. Amen. 

Let us now join together to ask God to call us to turn loose any special anger, resentment, anxiety, fear, or sense of loss regarding a person or persons, the church, or any of our fellow believers in Christ.  We ask God to help us relinquish all sins and let go of issues and other personal reasons that would prevent us from being a part of God’s flock.  We ask God to sustain us in this prayer daily as we walk in newness of life through his Son, Our Lord, Jesus the Christ.   

(The group gathers together in a standing circle around the candle including the Pastor/Leader.  People form groups of two:  one person starts with palms down; the other starts with palms under or over.)  

Pastor/Leader:

As we turn to the person on our right, with our palms turned down, in a gesture of dropping or turning loose, we ask together:

All:

Lord Jesus, I relinquish to you afresh this day <name may be spoken> along with my anxiety, my indictment, my sorrow, and my anger concerning <name>.  I relinquish <name may be spoken>, whom you love far better than I am able, into your hands. Protect <name may be spoken> this day from harm and from <his/her/its> own brokenness. Draw <name may be spoken>, I pray, ever deeper into the realm of your love and service to all.  Amen.

Pastor/Leader:

Now, with palms turned up, in a gesture of receiving or filling, we ask together:

All:

Lord Jesus, I ask for my own release and forgiveness. Into every space in my being vacated by my anxiety, indictment, sorrow, betrayal, and anger, I ask you to come in the presence of your light, your love and your peace. Fill each of those empty spaces, I pray, with your grace and your Spirit.  Amen.

Now turning to the person on our left, we again pray: 

(Repeat the above prayers. The roles are reversed)

Lord’s Prayer

Pastor/Leader:    Gathering our prayers into one, we pray the prayer Jesus taught. 

Transition Followed by Musical Interlude (and return to seating):

  Pastor/Leader: The peace of the Lord be with you.”

All: And also with you.

Part III:  Healing

(The sanctuary lights are partially raised.)

Scripture Reading:                                                                        2 Corinthians 5:17-19

Pastor/Leader:  Hear the word of the Lord.

¹⁷So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! ¹⁸ All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; ¹⁹ that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. 

                                                                                                      Matthew 18:1-5

¹At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” ² He called a child, whom he put among them, ³ and said, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. ⁴ Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. ⁵ Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.  

                                                                                                       Matthew 23:37

³⁷Jerusalem, Jerusalem, …[h]ow often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!

                                                                                                            James 5:16                                                                                        ¹⁶Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.

Silence followed by Prayer:

Pastor/Leader:  

God of All, you value humility and lift up the least of those who we would otherwise reject and refuse.  Grant us the grace to know your will be include all who society ranks lowest in the world.  Grant us the courage and conviction to serve all who seek your Kingdom.  Help us to reunite with all for whom you are the Good Shepherd.  Amen. 

Responsive Reading:                                                                                      Psalm 146

Leader: Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!

All: I will praise the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praises to my God all my life long.

Leader: Do not put your trust in princes,

           in mortals, in whom there is no help.
All:   When their breath departs, they return to 

                 the earth; on that very day their plans perish.

Leader:          Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
                                      whose hope is in the Lord their God,
All:           who made heaven and earth,
                     the sea, and all that is in them;
Leader:             who keeps faith forever;
                                     who executes justice for the oppressed;
All:           who gives food to the hungry.

                     The Lord sets the prisoners free;
Leader:                   the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
                     The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
All:                          the Lord loves the righteous.
Leader:   The Lord watches over the strangers;
                     the upholds the orphan and the widow,
                                  but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.

All:                The Lord will reign forever, your God, O Zion, for 

              all generations.
                      Praise the Lord!

Hymn:  “Gathered in the Love of Christ” by Marty Haugen 

(The lights of the sanctuary are fully raised.)

Brief Order of Holy Communion(optional)

Words of Institution, Meal and Blessing

Closing Prayer: Susan Briehl and Marty Haugen

Pastor/Leader:

Let us pray.  Gracious God, giver of every good and perfect gift, we praise you for your promise to make us whole.  We thank you for receiving our praise and prayers.  We ask you to fill us with your Spirit that we may know your peace and share your love with all in need, through Christ Jesus.  Amen.

Dismissal and Distribution of Crosses

Dismissal Music:  “Gather Us In” by Marty Haugen