Finding a Spiritual Home by Alex Griffin.

Finding a Spiritual Home

**Alex Griffin**

Day 1 of 3: Introduction

These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment. Take no gold, or silver, or copper in your belts, no bag for your journey, or two tunics, or sandals, or a staff; for laborers deserve their food. Whatever town or village you enter, find out who in it is worthy, and stay there until you leave. As you enter the house, greet it. If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town.
-Matthew 10:5-14

I wonder how the disciples knew when to stay in a town and when to leave it. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus makes it seem like there is a clear distinction between “welcome” and “not welcome,” but many queer and trans Christians have seen that “welcome” cannot be understood in a binary. When I left my conservative church, I imagined that the Episcopal Church was a queer utopia. My local Episcopal church was full of Bible-loving gays, so why wouldn’t the rest of the denomination be the same?

A few months after coming out and leaving my old community behind, I was accepted into seminary in the Episcopal Church’s Canadian counterpart. But the day after I paid my deposit, the Anglican Church of Canada’s vote to officially allow gay marriage failed to pass. Yes, I can get married in my diocese, Montreal, but clearly not every place was as ready to welcome me as I had hoped.

And as a trans person, “welcome” is even more complicated. I often find myself welcomed and misgendered in the same sentence. People put pronouns in their Zoom display name and still forget to use the ones in mine.

If you’re an LGBTQIA person trying to find your place in a community of faith, how do you know where you are welcome? In this devotional series, we will explore how to know when to leave a spiritual home, describe the realities of finding yourself seen and loved in a new community while simultaneously seeing its flaws, and describe how you know when it’s time to stay and build your community into a better spiritual home.

Today, reflect on what it feels like to be welcomed. Even if you haven’t found a faith community that welcomes your whole self, know that God welcomes you––the real you, exactly as you are––with open arms.

Pray:
God, thank you for welcoming me and inviting me to make my home in your love. Help me to know and experience the Good News of your embrace. Whether I shake the dust off my feet or stay and build a home that reflects your welcome, stay by my side.
Amen.

Day 1 of 3: Introduction

Start reading this 4-day devotional in the app. Find it on the Featured shelf.