Love is Love

(This open letter is written to the students of Eastside Catholic in support of their protests against the dismissal of their principal Mark Zmuda for marrying his partner over the summer.  Here's the link to the intial story: Eastside Catholic students rally around ousted vice principal )

Dear sisters and brothers at Eastside Catholic:

Thank you.

Thank you for your faithful, loving witness on behalf of both your principles and your principal.  Thank you for the risks you are taking with those beautiful smiles on your faces.  Thank you for the truth you are telling with chants, writing and song.  You are all amazing.

There are many of us on this spectrum of Christianity that agree with you and are excited about and supportive of your call to reinstate your newly married principal to his position.  Your call for justice and fairness is echoing far beyond the halls of your school and filling many of our hearts with joy, hope and excitement.  Again, thank you.

Bishop Sartain is a good person and fulfilling the commitments of his position.  I both mourn this action and understand that it is consistent with what what some believe.  However, doesn't mean we should ever just settle in to our different positions with a shrug of our shoulders.  We are entrusted by God with the obligation to disagree with each other in ways that are loving, persistent and graceful.  I'm convinced that, somewhere in our journey of struggle and honesty, we create a path that makes way for truth.  It is our shared and sacred responsibility as children of God to speak up when we see injustice; to march forward with the hope our leaders will soon follow; and to celebrate love at all times as well as in all the ways it binds people together.

Love is love.  God is love.  Thank you for teaching us more about love's wide embrace.

God bless you all.

Peace.

Mike

The Rev. Michael Denton

Conference Minister of

The Pacific Northwest Conference of

The United Church of Christ