Luke 6:27-38

As I stand before you right now, a Special Session of the General Conference is being held in St. Louis, Missouri.  Its only task is to resolve disagreements over human sexuality and LGBTQ inclusion.  The United Methodist Church has been struggling over this issue for quite some time.  Our Book of Discipline, which is the fundamental book outlining the law, doctrine, administration, organizational work and procedures of our denomination, states that we believe “the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching.”  Many agree with this statement; many do not.  And the Book of Discipline can be updated if necessary at a General Conference, held every four years.

The 2016 General Conference was almost dominated by great disagreement over this issue.  Fierce debate had become ugly.  On the precipice of a schism, the Council of Bishops stepped in and requested a special commission be created to study the issue in light of scripture, and to propose “A Way Forward” for the United Methodist Church.  The Commission on A Way Forward was to do a complete examination and possible revision of every paragraph of the Book of Discipline concerning human sexuality and explore options that help to maintain and strengthen the UNITY of the church.  They had two years to complete their task and submit a report to the Council of Bishops and the Bishops have made a recommendation.   This is why we are holding a special session of General Conference right now.

Yesterday was A Day of Prayer.  Today, all the delegates and volunteers are gathered in a worship service right now.  And, in this afternoon, the plans will be presented.  Tomorrow will be a day of dealing with amendments.  And on Tuesday, the delegates will be voting on a plan that could strengthen the denomination’s current ban on same-sex unions and gay clergy; OR, could change the law to be more inclusive of the LGBTQ community.  The proposed plans offer ways for us to stay together or to split.  By the way, you can watch the proceedings via live stream at umc.org.

As I mentioned several weeks ago, there are three main plans:  1) One Church Plan provides freedom and flexibility regarding same-sex weddings and gay ordination.  2) Traditional Plan maintains current prohibitions against same-sex weddings and gay ordination and increases punitive accountability.  And 3) Connectional Conference Plan restructures the denomination into three main conferences based almost entirely on this issue.  None of these plans are perfect; each has its supporters and critics.  And no one knows what the outcome will be, or what its exact impact will be on local churches.

But I want you to know that regardless of what happens in St.  Louis, the work of our church will continue.  We will still gather the following Sunday to praise our God.  The gospel will still be proclaimed, people will still be baptized, and lives will be transformed.  The confirmation classes and Bible Study group will still meet to study and pray.  The hungry children will still be fed.  The mission of God will still continue through our church.  God will continue to have a task for us, for the world.  And God will continue to call us to make disciples and be disciples of Jesus regardless of what is decided at the General Conference.

As we are in this critical moment together as United Methodists, the Gospel lesson for today is: “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.”  I believe our Lord is saying to all of us today.  Are we listening?  As I said earlier, all the delegates are in a worship service at the General Conference just as we are worshipping God in our own church.  Probably, they will read the same text and listen to our Lord, saying to their own ears: “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.”

The last words of today’s lesson bring it all together: “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.  Do not judge, and you will not be judged.  Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned.  Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”

Last week, I also had a chance to read my own sermon that I preached on the first Sunday of this month.  One of the lectionary texts for that day was 1 Corinthians 13 which ends with a very well-known verse:  “And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.”  If we read this verse in our General Conference context, I think, Faith can refer to what we believe in terms of human sexuality; Hope can be understood as inclusiveness, equality and justice; and Love, of course, is the UNITY of spirit.  Then, I realized that Paul is telling us that right belief (Faith), justice and equality (Hope), and unity of spirit (Love) all must coexist.  But, in the end, Paul says that love is the most important, so I pray that as the delegates seek to find balance between tradition and justice, they might do so in a spirit of full, generous love.

I also pray that we would continue to lift up as our number one priority the very things Jesus lifted up for us:  the love of God and the love of one another – and that includes those who don’t agree with us.  I believe that our call as people of faith after all is to provide a radical welcome that all might come to know and experience the saving grace of God.  I hope and pray that all of us – United Methodists – seek to be true followers of Jesus, who, through our love of God and neighbor, are always inviting others to journey with us in grace. 

And I encourage you to be in prayer for the General Conference until it ends on Tuesday.  I know many of you are already praying, and I truly appreciate that.  But, now, I DO encourage you to pray not just for 4 minutes from 2:23 PM to 2:26 PM, but as often as possible.  Even if it’s just for a few seconds, let’s us pray for God-directed Way Forward.  Let us pray for unity in the Spirit and for our church to demonstrate to the world that we are united in Faith, Hope and Love.

Lastly, I have been drawn to the words of Ephesians 4:1-6 and invite you to be guided by them as well:

Therefore, as a prisoner for the Lord, I encourage you to live as people worthy of the call you received from God.  Conduct yourselves with all humility, gentleness, and patience.  Accept each other with love, and make an effort to preserve the unity of the Spirit with the peace that ties you together.  You are one body and one spirit, just as God also called you in one hope.  There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of all, who is over all, through all, and in all. 

Amen.  Now, please, join me in a prayer.

Holy Triune God, in whom there is no distinction or division,

We come to you in a time of great debate and discernment in our denomination, acknowledging our brokenness and longing for your Spirit.  

Help us find a way to affirm our covenantal bonds with one another, and to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.  We pray for the work of the special General Conference.  Empower all the delegates to be at peace with one another as they listen, speak, and discern.  Bless the bishops as they preside over the proceedings.  Soften those who are cynical, and enable the General Conference to seek and claim the exciting future you, O God, desire of the United Methodist Church.

Bless our congregation, reminding us of the holy work to which you have called us, to Make Your Love Real by loving you and loving all people.  Rekindle in us a deeper commitment to Christ.  We entrust our future into your hands, O God.  Bless us as we continue our faith journey with right beliefs, loving practices, and holy unity throughout your church.  We pray in the name of Jesus Christ,
Amen.