EXCERPT FROM A WEDDING SERMON
for Christine and Scott
Will somebody give me a Love-a-lujah!
Look at the two of you. It is so amazing, such a miracle. It must be that were not alone. As we all stand here in that wedding way, staring and not necessarily comfortable, who else is standing with us? Do you feel the centuries of unstoppable lovers who put us here? Yes? Everyone in the church, call out the name of someone WHO DID IT FOR YOU!
And why have you made the decision to have this ceremony with all of us, to invite us into the visible stream of your relationship. Dont you know that everyone here loves you we were always ready to protect you, to raise you up! Well have this big day with you, of course! But our love is already unconditional. Otherwise we wouldnt be here.
Isnt that true? Somebody shout Love-a-lujah!
And yet you are marrying now. When just a few years ago marriage was women submitting to ownership, and when right now a homophobic god or government demonizes some of us for wanting to love for life.
You two are escapees, in a long daisy chain of escapees, leaving a thousand years of fundamentalism in the dust. Oh and we admit that this flight into new love has sometimes caused pain. All that ecstatic experimenting, all the children growing up with great confusions and abandonments. Our parents locked in terrible soap operas from one sexual revolution or another
Lets be honest. A wedding is a lot of people who are too drunk and too angry to forgive! But we must forgive, children, Amen? Will we? Were starting over today! These two lovers are leading the way! Forgive-a-lujah!
Oh never underestimate holy matrimony, or unholy matrimony, either! Oh - Marriage insists on having its life that lets-marry idea is older than religions or governments or Disney. It dates from pre-history, from back where biology started culture. Its as old as drumming.
Love is so strong. Emma Goldman said, Love is the molder of laws, love is stronger than history. Woody Guthrie said, I love you like a cowboy loves the sky. And the Archbishop of Love Reverend Doctor Marvin Gaye said, Lovin me could never be wrong - if the love is true!
Love MUST break the past. Loves job is to empty the church! Love is the basis of change! Change-a-lujah! If our love stops changing - it becomes the fundamentalism we were fleeing. It becomes violence. Then leaders make us hurt other people for the love of our god, for the love of our gender, for the love our country
Yet with this risk - love is the only source that we human beings have for Peace.
You two beautiful lovers. - can you forgive us for bringing our biggest hopes to you? We dont mean to pressure you. Our world is in so much trouble. You see, you figured out something that the world has forgotten.
Love-a-lujah!
for Christine and Scott
Will somebody give me a Love-a-lujah!
Look at the two of you. It is so amazing, such a miracle. It must be that were not alone. As we all stand here in that wedding way, staring and not necessarily comfortable, who else is standing with us? Do you feel the centuries of unstoppable lovers who put us here? Yes? Everyone in the church, call out the name of someone WHO DID IT FOR YOU!
And why have you made the decision to have this ceremony with all of us, to invite us into the visible stream of your relationship. Dont you know that everyone here loves you we were always ready to protect you, to raise you up! Well have this big day with you, of course! But our love is already unconditional. Otherwise we wouldnt be here.
Isnt that true? Somebody shout Love-a-lujah!
And yet you are marrying now. When just a few years ago marriage was women submitting to ownership, and when right now a homophobic god or government demonizes some of us for wanting to love for life.
You two are escapees, in a long daisy chain of escapees, leaving a thousand years of fundamentalism in the dust. Oh and we admit that this flight into new love has sometimes caused pain. All that ecstatic experimenting, all the children growing up with great confusions and abandonments. Our parents locked in terrible soap operas from one sexual revolution or another
Lets be honest. A wedding is a lot of people who are too drunk and too angry to forgive! But we must forgive, children, Amen? Will we? Were starting over today! These two lovers are leading the way! Forgive-a-lujah!
Oh never underestimate holy matrimony, or unholy matrimony, either! Oh - Marriage insists on having its life that lets-marry idea is older than religions or governments or Disney. It dates from pre-history, from back where biology started culture. Its as old as drumming.
Love is so strong. Emma Goldman said, Love is the molder of laws, love is stronger than history. Woody Guthrie said, I love you like a cowboy loves the sky. And the Archbishop of Love Reverend Doctor Marvin Gaye said, Lovin me could never be wrong - if the love is true!
Love MUST break the past. Loves job is to empty the church! Love is the basis of change! Change-a-lujah! If our love stops changing - it becomes the fundamentalism we were fleeing. It becomes violence. Then leaders make us hurt other people for the love of our god, for the love of our gender, for the love our country
Yet with this risk - love is the only source that we human beings have for Peace.
You two beautiful lovers. - can you forgive us for bringing our biggest hopes to you? We dont mean to pressure you. Our world is in so much trouble. You see, you figured out something that the world has forgotten.
Love-a-lujah!