Merry Christmas from MIND

It’s an incredible story, isn’t it? That God would come to earth and live among us. Even more so, that God would choose to do so through the most humble and vulnerable of circumstances – as a baby, born to an unwed, homeless mother. Not only is God here in the world, God is in the most unexpected and unadorned places. It’s a story of incredible hope, the celebration of God’s presence in the world!

We recite the words every year: “There was no place for them in the inn.” No place for God. I’m sure the innkeeper would say, “if I’d known it was God asking for room, I would have found some,” but isn’t that the point, that we don’t see where God is in the world?

Christmas is about celebrating God’s presence in the world, God’s all-encompassing love, God’s radical justice. We celebrate it by living it, by making room in the world where God already is. As Methodists in New Directions, we live Christmas by making room in the church for God’s LGBT presence in our midst.

MIND has had an incredible year, thanks to the hundreds of MIND members who have supported our work, taken part in events and joined our annual conference witness. Building on our 2010 work, 2011 has the potential to be a truly transformative year for the cause of LGBT justice in the New York Annual Conference. There are exciting follow-up initiatives growing out of the My Brother’s Keeper event, and our marriage initiative is gathering steam. On May 7 we will gather for celebration, worship and of course, organizing; and Greg Dell will join us at our annual conference witness.

We wish everyone a wonderful Christmas and a happy New Year. May the season bring you joy and wonder anew at the incredible Good News of God’s presence in our broken world.