Memorial United Methodist Church

AND GOD SAYS, "THIS IS VERY GOOD"

A message from Pastor Joe Agne

On Saturday, June 30, in Bielefeld, Germany, I shared in the covenanting vows of Tobi Finsterer and Elisabeth Lens. Tobi, Elisabeth and their son Gustav are our friends, and this is what I said at their service.

On the first five days of creation

· God completed God's work
· mused about God’s accomplishments
· and said, "Good."

On the sixth day of creation God created humans and reflected, "Very Good."

This is not a sign that humans are better than the rest of creation. It is a word from scripture that confronts the negativity that most humans receive

* from those around us
* even sometimes from friends, family and lovers
* almost always from advertisers and others seeking to capitalize by making us feel negative about ourselves.

So let's begin today by saying,

* "Tobi, on the day you were born, God said, 'This is very good.'
* Elisabeth, on the day you were born, God said, 'This is very good.'"

We gather today to remember and rehearse that when we covenant to live with each other we are committing to the “very goodness" of each other. This is true whether we are gay, straight, bisexual or transgender. Life-partnering brings the protection of the original blessing of each of us. Any denial of each other's "very goodness" is abuse.

Elisabeth and Tobi, today we celebrate your covenant, commit to support your vows and we commit ourselves to our own intimate relationships.

We gather to tell you that we share God's opinion about your "very goodness." We need to be clear we don't think either of you is perfect. We know you are not. We just celebrate the essential "yes" God keeps speaking about each of you. All of us celebrate the days of your births and each of the days of your lives. We are here because we love you and because you love us.

We also say, "Yes" to Gustav, your son, affirming that God took a look at Gustav on the day of his birth and said and says every day, "This is very good."

We gather today; Tobi, Elisabeth and Gustav; to be witnesses to your public expression of your love and commitment. We are not passive people. We make a commitment also – to all three of you and your relationships. You can count on us. We will be present for you – whether we live close or a long way away.
Today, it all seems, "Very good."