Greetings,
Use of inclusive language in worship, hymns, on signs and in our usual conversation has
been transformational to many people across the decades since this change first began.
Still, changes still need to be made, especially in more traditional spaces, like the church
often is.
We need to keep asking the questions of whether we are doing enough. We would all acknowledge that it is not enough to put something on notice board to say that we are a welcoming church, if people come through the door and end up leaving before anyone has spoken with them.
Similarly, our language can sometimes betray us, setting us apart from those that we want to be in community with. A simple example might be with our prayers as we pray for the poor and the sick. Immediately we are dividing the community into those who are poor and not poor and those who are sick and not sick.
While this might seem inconsequential, it can put people outside of our experience. We
cannot identify with the poor unless we are poor, and then we are separated from those who are better off than us.
We pray for others because we have concern for them, so it is a shame when the shadow
message comes through that there are those who are outside the desired state of being. It
is also hard when we feel that that we are on the outside as the danger can be that we equate that with being further away from God’s love.
It is important to remember that the love of God is transformational and that nothing “in
all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ our Lord.”
(Romans 8:39)
This is the message that we should be reminding one another of and sharing with our
community. With the possibility of a new sign being installed, we need to remember that
it is not just messages on a sign, but our care, our conversations, and our willingness to let
other have a go that will make us truly welcoming.
Blessings – Rev Heather.