Another world possible and on her way

“Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. Maybe many of us won’t be here to greet her, but on a quiet day, if I listen very carefully, I can hear her breathing.” Arundhati Roy. 

The 2025 National Transgender, Intersex, Non-binary Theology Conference at Luther King House - what a conference! Abundant, grace-filled generosity on how to be love, how to respond with love to those who struggle to love everyone. It was not a quiet couple of days (tho well-being had been thoughtfully considered so quiet could be found by those wanting it) but I definitely could hear the breath of another, better, world on the way.

With the conference title and theme being “I have a dream”, the focus was very much on trans joy. However given the state of the world there was of course also lamenting and vulnerability in sharing pain. The cost, and sacrifice, in trying to love when met with hate, was palpable. Dreams might start small when actually what is wanted and needed is access to health care, safety and feeling able to express identity. 

Speaker after speaker showed what it might mean to be open and curious as to what and who God is calling us to be.

For me it felt like a mini greenbelt, a place of hope  - possibilities that we can co-create a kin-dom where we all get to be fully ourselves as we delight in recognising God in each other.

Being trans is not how I define myself and yet I rile against the way society is quick to box us off, such an emphasis on binaries, when I can glimpse how much brighter the world is/would be without that.

What would it mean if I more frequently allowed myself to be open to God, open to change? If say on a bus journey, or in a conversation in the supermarket, or watching a TV programme, I was curious about what might be revealed about myself, or another human or creature, or about God? With that wonder of a child that many of us lose.

I have come away feeling like my heart, my mind, my whole self has been opened that bit more. It’s how I feel after Greenbelt, or NCBI events, or a good church service. What if we could offer that to everyone? That’s my dream!

Today’s testimony

 I personally think our story changes all the time, so this is what I shared at church today, but next week I might say something totally different! 

Have you ever felt a feeling where you know you need to speak up and say something even though it’s not going to be popular? For me it starts in my chest and I can feel my heart get faster. I know that whether I like it or not, something needs to be pointed out. It happened to me the other day in a meeting where it looked as if lots of folk were in agreement about something, but I could see there was an angle that hadn’t been mentioned, an unfairness that God was nudging me to encourage everyone to pay attention to. 

Inspired by love and anger is a Wild Goose hymn by John Bell, (link below) and sums up what I’d like to share today - part of my story and my song.

I am inspired by Love - God’s love is what I cling to when I doubt if I’m good enough. There’s another song, a Celtic prayer, with the line “may God hold you in the hollow of God’s hand” and for me when things have been tough in my life I imagine myself curled up safe in Her huge hands.

I want all my actions to be inspired by love. Another song popped into my head from Mike Scott and the Waterboys with its line “what do you want me to do Lord” and so that’s what I am always asking, what is it God that I can do right now that would be the most loving response. 

God’s love means I know every single one of us is made in God’s image so how wonderfully diverse God is and we are. And that we’re all totally through and through loveable and called to love each other. God’s unconditional love is what appealed to me when I first started going regularly to church at 15 years old - encouraged by a geography teacher (she’s a Methodist too), and it’s what appeals to me still.

I am also inspired by Anger - the first verse goes: Inspired by love and anger, disturbed by need and pain,

Informed of God's own bias, we ask our God again:
"How long must some folk suffer? How long can few folk mind?
How long dare vain self-interest turn prayer and pity blind?"

Some of us might have been raised to think anger is a bad thing. But I think God wants us to get angry about injustice, and to speak up and challenge it. Whether that’s injustice caused by our greed, by racism or homophobia, by people taking more than their fair share of power, or because of the impact of climate change.

In another verse we sing “God asks who will go for me “

So I think that’s me. And it’s you. 

“And who when few bid welcome will offer all they know”. I believe God wants me to challenge the status quo, disturb where we are comfortable in our privilege, even if that challenge is not always welcome. 

Our minister Michaela has asked us all to reflect on how we see God calling us to the new. So the love and anger have long, and hopefully will long, inspired me. New to me now is the role of our circuit EDI officer, offering many ways for me and us all to show our love in action by ensuring our churches and groups and worship are as accessible and inclusive as possible. And maybe irritating a few folk along the way as I encourage us all to look at what we might need to change or give up in order to make that happen. 

we then sang the song together - here it is:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=R_vQI6XzY2o&source_ve_path=NzY3NTg&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F