I wanted to share the opening remarks of the sermon which I delivered this past Sunday in response to the recent Supreme Court decision making same sex marriage "the law of the land" in all 50 states.  I share it here because I want seasonal folks as well as those who couldn't be in church to be aware of how St. Paul's is responding to the change in the law:

Good morning.  It's great to be with you this Fifth Sunday after Pentecost, what the church calls "ordinary season."  Sounds a bit boring to call it "ordinary season," especially when the season of life in which we find ourselves-with all of the joys and challenges here at St. Paul's-moving from the Surf Club to the Garden Club to the Furniture Mart and eventually, Lord willing, to Flamevine.  And the times we are facing in the country as a whole-the tumultuous cultural changes which are taking place at a breakneck pace-it feels like anything but ordinary times that we're living in, but this is the time when we're called especially to grow spiritually.

Before I begin, I want to say a word about the Supreme Court decision that was handed down on Friday which makes same sex marriage "the law of the land" in all 50 states.  The decision was disappointing for those of us who hold the traditional, biblical view of marriage.  The core leadership who started St. Paul's four years ago felt strongly enough about this issue that our statement of faith in the by-laws included the traditional biblical definition of marriage between one man and one woman.  I certainly hope my own position has been clear for years, since in 2008 I decided to leave the Episcopal Church, along with the other clergy at Trinity, based on what I felt was an abandonment of the clear biblical teaching on marriage and other issues.  The biblical position on marriage is best summed up when Jesus reaffirmed God's original plan for marriage in which He quotes Genesis 2:24 saying,

"For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh" (Matthew 19:5).

So with this in mind at St. Paul's, we will continue to uphold and bless marriages which follow the pattern which Jesus set forth.  We will not under any circumstance bless same sex marriages.  At the same time, and I want to be absolutely clear about this-we have always been an extremely gracious and compassionate community and we will continue to be so.  We understand that not everyone who comes through our doors to worship with us will agree with us on this issue.  And that's good.  We want people who have not heard about the love and forgiveness of Jesus, His death on the Cross and His resurrection, to hear about it and experience new life in Him.  I believe that the Spirit is moving at St. Paul's at least in part because we've been able to maintain a clear commitment to God's Word as the authority and moral compass of our lives while we continue to be loving and compassionate to all.

And finally, the law currently protects Pastors like myself who feel compelled by religious conscience to refuse to perform same sex marriages.  So as of right now, there is no threat to religious liberty, and we pray that will continue in the days ahead.  Please join me in praying for our country in the days ahead.

Gratefully in Christ,

Pr. Jon