Our theme for September is “Welcome,” and I experienced that in so many ways this past weekend! I was warmly welcomed by clergy of other faiths as we led worship together Saturday morning before the Pride parade and festival. My role in the service was to lead a “glitter blessing” with two other out queer clergy; we anointed people with an eco-friendly, skin-friendly glitter gel, and blessed them with the words, “May you know that you are loved. May you know that you are divine.” (A few of you were there and received that blessing from me—a moment of connection that I cherish.)

Then on Sunday morning, we all welcomed each other into a new congregational year here at UUFM with our ingathering service. It was such a joy to be in the pulpit as your minister for the first time, and to celebrate the start of the year with you!

For those of you who were not at our booth at Pride, I want to share a story of welcome that happened again and again there. I had a small jar of the glitter gel from the multi-faith service, and when people came to our booth, I offered them all the things our Pride team had provided in our both: pronoun pins (the ones we have available every Sunday—they were very popular!), stickers, bubbles, beads, and information about us…and I said, “I am also offering glitter blessings to anyone who wants one.”

At first, I was a little nervous—a little out of my comfort zone—because I know that a lot of LGBTQIA+ people are wary about religion, often because they have been harmed by a religion or by people claiming to speak for religion. There I was, though, hesitant about how I would be received, but also proud to be representing you and Unitarian Universalism alongside others from this congregation who were there. So I did it, over and over, for four hours.

Some people did decline, all politely. Many more accepted, most of them quite eagerly. The most powerful part of the experience, for me, was when someone’s eyes would widen as I said the words of the blessing. I don’t know what words they expected to hear from this middle-aged woman minister in a clerical collar and rainbow stole, but it clearly wasn’t “May you know that you are loved. May you know that you are divine.”

Many of them beamed huge smiles at me and said thank you. At least one person cried (and I very nearly did, more than once). One young adult looked me in the eyes and said, “Thank you. I needed that so much.”

People need our message—the message that they are loved, that they are divine. Everyone deserves to hear that, and we are one of the communities in which that can happen for people who do not hear it everywhere they go.

Love is at the very center of my personal theology, and also at the center of our shared faith as Unitarian Universalists.

I’m wondering, now, where else outside of our fellowship building might we take our much-needed, life-saving message of love and worthiness? Who else might really need to hear what we can genuinely say to them?

I’ll be thinking about that, and invite you to brainstorm with me.

In the meantime, whether or not you already received a glitter blessing from me on Saturday, this blessing is for each of you:

May you know that you are loved.
May you know that you are divine.

With love and gratitude,
Rev. Diana