Given by Rev. Madison Shockley June 21, 2020
We are all one. On June 15th, the Supreme Court ruled that discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity is illegal. In 56 CE, the apostle Paul ruled that discrimination was not Christian. No longer does race, gender, or class matter in the sight of God. The Supreme Court based its ruling on the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Discrimination has actually been illegal since the 1875 Civil rights Act. Unfortunately, some people tried to go around this and enacted Jim Crow laws. Today’s ruling is just a better understanding of the original Act. Paul wants us to go deeper and enter into a world, not of law, but of faith. Laws compel us to act a certain way. Faith is an attitude guided by love. The law makes you treat someone right but faith makes you WANT to treat a person right. If you love someone then you will respect that person. The movement of 1964 has not stopped moving forward. It has just evolved to the present movement. As Paul tells us, there is no longer Jew or Greek, male or female, free or slave, gay or straight, or citizen or undocumented. We are all one in Christ.
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