Rev. Megan Rohrer is the bishop of the Sierra Pacific Synod in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the first transgender bishop in a mainline Christian denomination. We asked them to write a prayer and blessing for LGBTQ Christians. —The editors
Shepherding God,
Be palpably present with us when we dance,
snuggle,
and enjoy the sensations
of the creation you declare good.
Help us to name, define, redefine, deconstruct, claim, and properly pronoun our fabulousness. We commit to properly naming and pronouning the fabulousness of others.
Dwell with us,
both when we are able to articulate our pride for ourselves and others
and when we get stuck in a cacophony of negativity, bodily shame, or unjust laws.
When we are tired, weary, and exhausted,
grant us the rest and renewal we need to keep on marching, advocating, and living openly.
When we have all that we need to live fully,
help us to share with others who lack.
And when it feels like time is moving too slow,
or change is not possible,
take the lead
block the wind
refresh our hearts
distract us with passionate love
give us purposeful work
anything that helps those on the edge to choose life
to get through the month, the week, or the hour
to move time a bit closer
to the safety, acceptance, and love we all need and deserve.
When we cannot hear you,
scream louder,
love more tangibly
silence violent voices of opposition
whip advocates into a frenzy
fill us with memories of times when we felt closer to you
and love us anyway
as we were
as we are
as we are becoming
as we wish we could be in a safer time and place
as you know us
as we seek to know ourselves.
Remind us of the victories our ancestors won,
with their storytelling and coming out,
with their lobbying and work from the inside,
with bricks and sugar shakers thrown through windows of oppression
Help us to live and act with bravery,
working within and without,
educating ourselves and those around us,
so that we can do the work generations to come need us to do.
Stir up our hearts,
so that we always remain on our tiptoes
looking for additional ways
we can remove the barriers unjustly placed in front of our LGBTQ kin,
especially those embodying multiple intersectional identities.
Make us plumbers,
capable of unclogging all the places
where the ever-flowing stream of justice has been dammed up or clogged.
Shepherding God,
Be palpably present with us when we dance,
snuggle,
and enjoy the sensations
of the creation you declare good.
Amen.
Rev. Dr. Megan Rohrer is the bishop of the Sierra Pacific Synod in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Bishop Megan is the first transgender bishop in a mainline Christian denomination, a crip theologian, and writer who was featured on Netflix’s Queer Eye.
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