Safety, security, and a place to grow - Reflecting on Pride at Manchester Cathedral
Revd Alexa McDonnell, Curate in the Team Ministry in Wythenshawe, South Manchester, which hosts an Open Table community, standing in front of a beautiful multi-coloured stained glass window.
FOR MANCHESTER PRIDE festival weekend last month, the city’s Anglican cathedral hosted an Open Table Eucharist, gathering more than 180 people in a service of celebration and hope for LGBTQIA+ people and our allies.
The guest speaker was Revd Alexa McDonnell, Curate in the Team Ministry in Wythenshawe, South Manchester, which hosts an Open Table community. This is her reflection, on Matthew 13:31-35.
I want to concentrate on the first few verses of this passage, when Jesus is comparing the kingdom of Heaven to being like a mustard seed, the smallest of all seed that grows into the biggest of trees that provides a haven to all birds.
“Like the birds flocking to the tree, Pride provides safety, security, and a place to grow, where we are then encouraged to go out and spread our wings. And we are always welcome to come back, to perch and find shelter when the storms stir up. When the winds of life are too much, and we need to find comfort for a while.”
If you feel comfortable doing so, I want you to think about the journey you’ve been on that has led you to who you are here today.
The general imagery and message that tends to be picked out of this passage is about how something small can become something big, and it’s often linked to our own faith journeys, missions, lives, and whatever else might be applicable. Now this is an important point to take away, and I’ll touch on it in a bit, but I want us to think about instead the environment in which that seed grew.
If you were to look at a mustard tree and compare it to some of the trees that we get here in the UK, they aren’t actually that impressive - but when you think about how harsh the environment these plants have to grow in, we start to see why these trees are so remarkable.
Able to grow and thrive in the middle of the desert, the harshest of conditions in which not much is able to survive. Little water, nutrients, or shade from the elements, yet this tiny seed miraculously grows into the biggest of trees - or at least one of the bigger trees for that part of the world.
Not only is it able to grow with the odds completely stacked against it, but it also then becomes a haven for birds. A place where they flock to feel safe, build nests and raise their young. A place where these birds can grow, flourish, become what it is they are made to do, then are released to spread their wings to be able to fly.
And I feel sometimes this reflects some of the journeys that we go through in life. Whether you consider yourself gay, straight, bi, cis, trans, queer or an awesome ally, we all go through times where we feel like we are trying to grow, as something that’s so tiny, in a harsh environment, with the odds stacked us.
We also need consider overlapping social identities which contribute to marginalisation and a harsher environment, such as race, disability, gender, and wealth.
Which is why, at Pride, it’s so important that we hear from different voices and share with each other our lived experiences.
Everything must start from something - take Pride, for example. That started as a protest of a few people, a riot in fact, which has grown to be a global movement of celebration, and also lament.
It’s also become a safe place for those who’ve felt on the margins, where anyone can come and express themselves in all different forms and identities.
Like the birds flocking to the tree, Pride provides safety, security, and a place to grow, where we are then encouraged to go out and spread our wings. And we are always welcome to come back, to perch and find shelter when the storms stir up. When the winds of life are too much, and we need to find comfort for a while.
I believe that this is what God calls the church to be like, especially as, in this parable, Jesus is talking about the kingdom of heaven, and surely that’s what the Church should be reflecting?
Now I fully recognise that the church hasn’t always got it right, and there are lots of churches that sadly aren’t safe or welcoming to LGBTQ+ people.
Growing up, I felt like I was a tiny seed trying to grow with all the odds stacked against me. However, God can and does grow amazing things, even in the most difficult of environments - I’m now ordained as a priest, civilly partnered to my best friend, and life is still tough, but I am flourishing!
The church that I believe I am called to be a part of, is one where all can come and rest on its branches and find safety to just exist as God has made them to be. To find a place to be nurtured and loved. A place where folk are able to grow into the person God is calling them to be, and then released to fly and do great things.
Although in life right now I feel as though I am finally able to fully spread my wings, I have no shame in admitting that I also need to rest on a branch from time to time and find shelter. To just spend some time in the presence of God and be reminded of who it is I am, and who God has called me to be.
So, as we continue to celebrate and be proud of who we are, and as we reflect on the teachings of Jesus, let us remember the triumphs and struggles I’m sure we have all gone through that has led us here today.
We are like a beautiful garden, each individually unique and vibrant, nurtured and loved by God called to do amazing things.
And together we can also provide shelter, comfort, and space for others to grow, and where the love of God can be poured out abundantly with no boundaries or barriers
