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June 8, 2025 30 mins

Boundary-breaking Hospitality, with Rev. Dr. Steven Koski. Series: Holy Troublemakers A Spacious Christianity, First Presbyterian Church of Bend, Oregon. Scripture: Luke 15.1-2; 4-7.

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Keywords:

Rachel Held Evans, holy troublemakers, evolving faith, LGBTQ+ inclusion, church vision, spiritual refugees, grace table, repentance, unconditional love, marginalization, civil rights, theological diversity, open doors, long tables, radical love., presbyterian, church, online worship, bend, oregon

Featuring:

Rev. Dr. Steven Koski, Rev. Sharon Edwards, Becca Ellis, Brave of Heart, Guests

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Transcript

Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Whitney Higdon (00:00):
You. Welcome to worship At First Presbyterian

(00:42):
we, at First Presbyterian,practice a spacious
Christianity, which means nomatter where you are in your
faith journey, you belong andthere is space for you at the
table, there is space for yourdoubts and questions. We believe
doubts and questions are a giftthat invite us into deeper
conversations and a moreauthentic faith. We believe
diversity is a strength. Everystory is sacred and everybody

(01:05):
matters. We do our best to livethe spacious and radical love of
Jesus so that all might have achance to flourish in this
world. We are so glad to connectwith you in this way. We would
also love to worship with you inperson if you're ever in the
neighborhood on Sunday morningsat 830, or 10am and never
hesitate to reach out to us tolearn more about us or how we

(01:27):
might support You. I hope youenjoy this worship service.
Welcome.

Unknown (06:03):
we continue to explore holy troublemakers, and this
week is Rachel Held Evans at hermemorial service. Her friend the
Reverend, Nadia Boltz Weber,gave this blessing. It reflects
Rachel's life. And perhaps ourown. Blessed are the agnostics.

(06:27):
Blessed are those who doubt.
Blessed are those who havenothing to offer. Blessed are
the preschoolers who cut in lineat communion. Blessed are the
poor in spirit, you are ofheaven and Jesus blesses you.
Blessed are those who no onenotices, the middle schoolers at

(06:50):
the lunch tables, the laundryfolks at the hospital, the sex
workers and the Street Sweepers,the closeted the teens who have
to figure out ways to hide newcuts. Blessed are the meek. You

(07:10):
are of heaven and Jesus blessesyou. Blessed are they who have
loved enough to know what lossfeels like? Blessed are the
mothers of the miscarried?

(07:34):
Blessed are they who can't fallapart because they have to keep
it together for everyone elseBlessed are those who still
aren't over it yet. Blessed arethose who mourn you. Are of
heaven, and Jesus blesses you. Iimagine Jesus standing here

(08:01):
blessing us, because that is ourGod's nature. This is the Jesus
who cried at his friend's tomb,turned the other cheek, and who
forgave those who hung him onthe cross. He was God's
Beatitude, blessing God'sblessing to the weak in a world

(08:24):
that admires only the strong,Jesus invites us into a bigger
story, bigger than ourselves andour imaginations, yet we all get
to tell that story withscandalous particularity of this
moment and this place. We arestorytelling creatures, because

(08:50):
God has fashioned us in theimage of the storytelling God.
May we never neglect that gift,may we never lose our love for
telling that story. Amen,

Steven (09:09):
we're continuing our worship series on holy
troublemakers, people of faithwilling to get into good
trouble, holy trouble for thesake of love and justice. This
week's holy troublemaker isRachel Held Evans, a Christian
writer, Best Selling Author.
Rachel grew up in the BibleBelton, in a conservative and

(09:30):
Evangelical Church, and shebegan to question many of the
things she was taught about God,the Bible, Jesus and the Church,
her writing became kind of likea safe haven for those who were
hurt by the church but whodidn't want to let go of the

(09:50):
story of Jesus. Rachel started avirtual community called
evolving faith for spirit. To arefugees longing for a place to
call home. Rachel said, anevolving faith isn't abandoning
God, it's moving closer to theheart of God. She wrote, whether

(10:12):
you're a believer who doubts ora doubter who believes, or
someplace in between, there is aplace for you at God's table of
grace in May of 2019 Rachel diedunexpectedly after a short
illness. She was only 37 yearsold, with a husband, two young

(10:33):
children. People from all overthe world wrote tributes, saying
they found a way to return to arelationship with God because of
her writing and her work. So Iwant to highlight Rachel today,
during pride month, because ofher vision of the church. Rachel

(10:56):
said, what makes the gospel sooffensive to some isn't who it
keeps out, but who it lets in.
Rachel said, I used to be so, socertain with my theology in neat
little boxes, my Bibleunderlined in all the right

(11:18):
places, my heart guarded by byall the truths I've been taught
to believe. But somewhere in thejourney of my evolving faith,
between the doctrine and and thedissonance, I started to notice
how exhausted my LGBTQ plusfriends were how many had been

(11:44):
hurt rejected by churches justlike mine? How many walked away
from the church not because theydidn't love Jesus, but because
they didn't think Jesus couldpossibly love them back, because
that's what they were told.
Rachel said, I longed for achurch that didn't see itself as

(12:08):
the gatekeeper of God's grace. Ilonged for a church with open
doors, long tables, willing toserve as host, a table setter,
making sure there's a place foreveryone and enough grace to go
around. Let's be honest,churches haven't always gotten

(12:35):
this right for far too long.
LGBTQ, plus, folks, I've heardone of two things, you're
welcome here, but you need tochange, or, well, God loves
everyone. Who am I to judge? Butlet's not talk about that part

(12:58):
of you that's not welcome,that's not grace, that's not
love, that's not Jesus. And ifwe as followers of Jesus are
serious, serious about livingthe same radical and spacious
love that he lived, well, thenwe've got some spiritual work to

(13:22):
do. The Gospel of Luke chapter15 begins this way. Now the tax
collectors and sinners were allgathering around to hear Jesus,
and the type of Jesus, the Wordsinner didn't mean what we think
it means it didn't mean specificbehavior, specific immoral

(13:44):
behavior. The word sinner in thetime of Jesus actually referred
to people who were consideredunclean, unacceptable, not
welcome in the temple. So Luke15, says the Pharisees and the
teachers of the law mutteredthis man, Jesus welcomes

(14:10):
sinners. He welcomes theunclean, the unacceptable, and
he eats with them. The religiousleaders were offended by who
Jesus welcomed to his table.
Instead of getting into adebate, Jesus did what Jesus
always did. He told a story.

(14:36):
Jesus told him this parable,suppose one of you, suppose one
of you has 100 sheep and losesone of them, doesn't he leave
the 99 in the in the opencountry and go after the lost
sheep until he finds it. Andwhen the lost sheep is found, he
joyfully puts the sheep on hisshoulders and returns home. He.

(15:00):
Then he calls his friends andneighbors together and says,
celebrate with me. Rejoice withme. What was lost is now found.
I tell you that in the same way,there will be more rejoicing in
heaven over one sinner whorepents than over 99 righteous
persons who feel they don't needto repent. The word repent kind

(15:27):
of scares some people. The wordrepent actually is not, not some
scary word you see in abillboard. The word repent is
actually a really beautifulword, and it literally means to
turn, or actually, better, itmeans to return. So is it

(15:47):
possible Jesus is saying herethat there will be more
rejoicing in heaven over oneperson previously excluded on
the outside, who returns, whofinds their way back to God and
community, then over 99 selfrighteous persons who don't even

(16:13):
realize they're lost. Did younotice the celebration in the
story, the joy? Did you noticethe celebration that takes place
in the heart of God? When theone who is on the outside
returns, they throw a party forGod. It's not only important for

(16:39):
you feel welcome, for you tofeel included. That's actually
not far enough for God. Goddesires that your very presence
is celebrated. Rachel said thechurch shouldn't be the last
place people feel safe to befully themselves. Church should

(17:05):
be the place where the fullnessof who you are is received with
celebration not suspicion, whereyour pronouns are respected,
where your partner is welcomed,where your identity is seen as
sacred, not sinful. Beinginclusive, she said, Isn't isn't

(17:26):
about being trendy orprogressive. Being inclusive is
about being faithful to the loveof Jesus. Several years ago,
when I was a pastor at a churchin Adelaide, Australia, a young
man named Michael beganattending the church. Michael
left Adelaide years ago to livein Los Angeles, and Michael had

(17:50):
AIDS, and he was actuallyreturning home to die. He was
really, really thin and alwayscold, so he would have a blanket
around his shoulders. He wouldsit alone near the near the back
of the church. I learned he'dbeen told his whole life that he

(18:14):
was an abomination to God, andthat God rejected him as his
family rejected him, as he feltrejected by the Church, but as
he neared the end of his life,he was desperate to know that he
would be welcomed into God'sheart when he died. Now I tried

(18:38):
to tell him that he was alreadywelcomed in God's heart, loved
just as he was. You know, thecongregation welcomed Michael,
but honestly, their fear keptthem at a safe distance. They
didn't really get close toMichael,

(18:59):
my son Jacob, who was two yearsold at the time, Jacob, this two
year old knew intuitively whatMichael needed every Sunday.
Amazingly, Jacob would find hisway to Michael, and he would
crawl into his lap and letMichael hold him for the entire

(19:23):
service. The unconditional loveand acceptance of a two year old
helped Michael heal and be foundin God's unconditional love
before he died. You know, as Ilook back as the pastor of the

(19:46):
church, we welcomed Michael, butwe didn't celebrate him. We
didn't tell him that hispresence in our church was not
a. Liability, but a gift. Wedidn't acknowledge that our
story wasn't complete withouthis story. You know, we were the

(20:12):
99 we wouldn't be completewithout him. I regret that.
Here's what Rachel Held Evanswrote not long before she died.
If you're gay, lesbian,bisexual, transgender or queer,

(20:35):
I hope you already know youdon't need my affirmation to
live whole and joyful lives,just as God made you. You are
beloved children of God, andthere is nothing I or any other
Christian writer or churchleader can say to alter that. I

(20:59):
hope you know deep in your bonesthat there is no height or
depth, no angel or demon, nodenomination or church or pastor
or parent who can separate youfrom the love of God and Jesus
Christ. My heart grieves overthe way this truth has been

(21:22):
obscured and denied by thechurch, often in destructive and
deadly ways. Forgive me for allof the ways I have been
complicit in yourmarginalization, including my
silence. It is not the church orany church leader that makes

(21:47):
love valid. It is love and onlylove that makes the church
valid. Friends. I know we won'tall land in the same theological
place. Some are still wrestling.
Some are still asking questions.

(22:08):
That's okay. That's human.
What's not okay is using ouruncertainty as an excuse for
silence when the civil rightsand very existence of our LGBTQ
plus siblings are under siegeevery day, we're allowed to be

(22:30):
unsure, but not unloving. We maynot understand, but what we
don't often realize is we'reactually not asked to understand
before we love. We are called tolove, and it is love, only love,

(22:51):
that will deepen ourunderstanding. The church
becomes the church, not when weagree on everything, but when we
welcome everyone to the table,and we choose to stay at the

(23:14):
table and learn to love oneanother. Rachel Held Evans was a
holy troublemaker whose visionof the church included everyone
she wrote. The Gospel doesn'tneed a coalition devoted to
keeping the wrong people out. Itneeds a family of sinners saved

(23:41):
by grace, committed to tearingdown the walls, throwing open
the doors and shouting, welcome,there's bread and wine. Come and
eat with us and talk friends.
May we continue to build achurch to be a church that looks

(24:08):
like Jesus, one with open doors,long long tables, a surprising
guest list and enough grace forabsolutely everyone. May it be
so.

(28:03):
Announcer friends go in thepeace and the unconditional love
of Jesus that welcomes andcelebrates the presence of each
and every one, including you.
And May the love that you bringto this world bring peace to
others and help them to knowthat they, too, are loved and

(28:24):
celebrated. Amen.

Whitney Higdon (28:30):
Thank you so much for joining us, and we hope
you enjoyed this worshipservice. If you would like to
make a donation helping makethese podcasts possible or
support the many ways. First,Presbyterian seeks to serve our
community. You can make afinancial gift online@bendfp.org
every week, we hear from someonethanking us for the gift of

(28:51):
these broadcasts, and what adifference they make. Your
support makes that possible. Ourchurch is committed to reach
beyond our walls, bringing hopewhere there is despair, and love
where it is needed the most.
Your generous support helps usto be generous in love. Go to
our website, bend fp.org, andclick on the link. Give online.
Your support is reallyappreciated and makes a

(29:14):
difference in people's lives.
Thanks again. I hope to See younext week. You
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