It's All About Love: Presbyterians Should Not Fear Same-Sex Marriage

Community House Presbyterian Church

A local Presbyterian pastor, Rev. Wayne Peck, offers a word of hope and encouragement to his colleagues in ministry coming to Pittsburgh for the 220th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA). Peck serves as pastor of Community House Presbyterian Church, a welcoming and affirming More Light church in Pittsburgh. Community House Presbyterian Church will receive the 2012 More Light Church Award at the National MLP Dinner on June 30 at the Westin on the opening day of the Assembly.

From the Pittsburgh Gazette:

This weekend, my denomination, the 2.1-million-member Presbyterian Church (USA), will convene in Pittsburgh to discuss policy and the future direction for the church. One of the biggest questions on the table is whether the church will recognize marriage among same-sex couples.

Like parents raising a family, these faith leaders have the responsibility to make a choice that will affect our community for generations.

I know there are those who fear this. I hear my colleagues in ministry saying things like, "If we extend a full welcome to gay and lesbian people and recognize their marriages, our unity will be threatened." Or worse, they feel that the Bible says something that prohibits marriage among same-sex couples.

As I see it, this choice comes down to love. For if love is the everyday miracle of God through which "we taste the kindness of the Lord" (1 Peter 2:3), then marriage is surely the quintessential practice through which loving and committed relationships are sanctified, strengthened and blessed by God.

In love we must strive to be as generous as Jesus was at a wedding in Cana of Galilee where He transformed water into wine. He made it clear there is enough wine to go around for everyone, enough love in God for all of us. So how can we not offer the blessings of marriage to all those who love? Especially to people who are saying yes to each other, yes to God, yes to the promise of a faithful relationship that goes the distance till death they do part.

When a faith community offers the blessings of marriage to those who love each other, we are not just connecting two people. We are creating a connection between that couple with God and with the larger community. These connections are crucial to all couples and families, and it is critical that we don't deny them.