June 29, 2025 • 20 mins
This Pride episode of Sermons from the East End is a lyrical reflection on the queerness of God, the holiness of queer bodies, and the love that refuses to be caged by doctrine or fear. Drawing from John 1 and Jeremiah 1, it is a blessing for those long silenced, a rally cry for sacred defiance, and a reminder: you were never a mistake. You were always part of the story.
📖 Scripture: Jeremiah 1:4-10 God calls Jeremiah (read by Simon Meyers)
📖 Scripture: John 1:1-18 In the beginning was The Word (from the First Nations Version)
🎶 Music: All Belong Here by The Many
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
I'm the reverend Brianne Swan, and this is
sermons from the East End forMonday, 06/30/2025. Welcome to
(00:31):
sermons from the East End, apodcast from East End United
Regional Ministry in Toronto.This episode features a
reflection for pride, a poeticmeditation on the queerness of
God, the sacredness of queerbodies, and the wild, untamable
love that still speaks throughthe word made flesh. So wherever
(00:52):
you are listening, on thesubway, doing dishes, walking
through the city, we invite youto take a deep breath, open your
heart, and join us on thejourney. You will hear some
gendered language in today'sscripture readings.
While I generally lean towardsgender expansive expressions of
(01:14):
the divine, these particularrecordings were chosen with
care. The reading from Jeremiahwas voiced by my son, Simon,
when he was a much younger boythan he is now. The gospel of
John comes from the FirstNations version, which brings a
rich cultural and spiritualdepth that is expansive of the
(01:34):
word in a different kind of way.I honor both the integrity of
these voices and the complexityof language and sacred spaces.
Speaker 2 (01:48):
Jeremiah chapter one verses four through 10.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
Read by Simon
Speaker 2 (01:54):
Myers. No. Read by Simon Myers. Read by Simon
Myers. Now the word of the Lordcame to me saying, before I
formed you in the womb, I knewyou.
And before you were born, Iconsecrated you. I appointed you
a prophet to the nations. Then Isaid, oh, Lord God, truly I
(02:19):
don't know how to speak for I amonly a boy. But the Lord said to
me, do not say I am only a boyfor you shall go to all to whom
I send you, and I you shallspeak whatever I command you. Do
not be afraid of them, for I amwith you to deliver you, says
(02:40):
the Lord.
But then the Lord put out hishand and touched my mouth, and
the Lord said to me, I now Ihave put my words in your mouth.
See, today I appoint you overnations and over kingdoms to
pluck up and pull down, todestroy and to overthrow, to
(03:01):
build and to plant.
Speaker 1 (03:14):
He shows goodwill, tells the good story. Chapter
one, verses one through 18. Longago, in the time before all
days, before the creation of allthings, the one who is known as
(03:39):
the word was there face to facewith the great spirit. This word
fully represents creator andshows us who he is and what he
is like. He has always beenthere from the beginning, for
the word and creator are one andthe same.
(04:00):
Through the word, all thingscame into being, and not one
thing exists that he did notcreate. Creator's life shined
out from the word, giving lightto all human beings. This is the
true light that comes to all thepeoples of the world and shines
(04:20):
on everyone. The light shinesinto the darkness, and the
darkness cannot overcome it orput it out. Into the wilderness
of the land of promise came aman named Gift of Goodwill.
He was sent by the great spiritto tell what he knew about the
(04:42):
light so everyone could believe.He was not the light but came to
speak the truth about the light.The true light that shines on
all people was coming into thedarkness of this world. He came
down into the world. And eventhough he made all things, the
world did not recognize him.
(05:04):
Even his own tribe did notwelcome or honor him. But all
who welcome and trust himreceive their birthright as
children of the great spirit.They are born in a new way, not
from a human father's plans ordesires, but born from above by
the great spirit. Creator's wordbecame a flesh and blood human
(05:30):
being and pitched his sacredtent among us, living as one of
us. We looked upon his greatbeauty and saw how honorable he
was, the kind of honor held onlyby this one son who fully
represents his father, full ofhis great kindness and truth.
(05:52):
Gift of goodwill told what heknew about him and cried out
with a loud voice, the one Ihave told you about is here. He
comes after me, but is muchgreater, my elder. He has more
honor. For even though he isthought to be younger, he
existed before I was born. Fromthe fullness of his being, we
(06:17):
have all had many gifts ofkindness poured out on us.
Drawn from the water gave us ourtribal laws, but the gift of
great kindness and truth camefrom creator sets free, the
chosen one. No one has ever seenthe great spirit, but the one
(06:40):
son who is himself the greatspirit and closest to the
father's heart has shown us whathe is like. In the beginning was
(07:09):
the word, and the word was notsafe, not polite, not palatable.
The word was not binary. Theword was not beholden to
straight lines or narrow minds.
The word was fluid, like water,like spirit. And the word was
(07:32):
with God, and the word was God.The word was wild, untamed,
overflowing. The word was awhisper, a rumor, a thunderclap.
The word was a body.
The word was breath. And theword was with God, and the word
(07:57):
was God. And what does thatmean, beloveds, but that God is
more than we were ever told?That the divine does not just
tolerate the queer body, thequeer mind, the queer soul, but
radiates with queerness, createsthrough it, incarnates it. In
(08:21):
the beginning was something soexpansive, no doctrine could
cage it, no creed could containit, no pulpit could pin it down.
Before you were formed in thewomb, before your pronouns were
politicized, before your bodywas called a lifestyle, God knew
(08:43):
you. God knew you. Not in spiteof who you are, but because of
it. You are not God's footnote.You are God's exclamation.
Think of the prophets. Some ofthem wore robes with flare. Some
(09:05):
of them changed their names andchanged them again. Some of them
named truths too dangerous forscrolls. God says, do not be
afraid.
But let's not pretend that thisis easy. Do not be afraid when
the church that baptized youtries to burn you. Do not be
(09:28):
afraid when your own kin callyour holiness heresy. Do not be
afraid when you walk into asanctuary and feel the air
change? You're not imagining it.
But know this, the sanctuary isyours. The table is yours. The
(09:49):
altar is yours. The body ofChrist is not whole without your
body. You, beloved, are theImago Dei.
The image of God is not limitedto those who fit cleanly on
census forms. The image of Godhas stretch marks and scars,
(10:13):
binders and breastplates,glitter, and grief. The image of
god walks in pride parades andholds protest signs and passes
the cup with chipped black nailpolish saying, this is my body
broken for you. What if Jesuswas never meant to be the
(10:34):
exception? What if Jesus was theprototype?
What if divinity has alwayslooked like queer love surviving
anyway? What if the body ofChrist includes drag queens and
asexual mystics, leather dykesand questioning seminarians,
(10:55):
trans teenagers who hear Godclearer than any bishop? What if
the word made flesh still walksamong us, but this time in Doc
Martens and dysphoria still fullof grace and truth? In the
beginning was the word, and theword said, you are my beloved.
(11:23):
Not in theory, not once youconform, but as you are right
now, beautiful, holy, necessary.
And the word was with God, andthe word was God. So let the
(11:44):
church be transformed by thoseit tried to crucify. Let the
steeples shake with the sound ofyour laughter. Let the stained
glass reflect your light. Letthe pews bear witness to a love
too wild for liturgy, too fiercefor fear, too sacred for shame.
(12:05):
God is queer. And if thatsentence makes some folks
squirm, maybe they should. Godis queer because God is always
breaking binaries and boundariesbetween divine and human, death
and life, flesh and word. God isqueer because God is always
(12:29):
expanding what we thought waspossible. God is queer because
God is love, and love when it isreal is never tame.
So hear this, you radiantreflection of the divine. You
are not just welcome here. Hereis shaped by you. You are called
(12:57):
to speak, to sing, to preach, torage, to kiss, to dance, to
heal, to build, to resurrect. Donot be afraid.
You were born for this. You wereborn from this. You were born of
(13:17):
the word, and the word wasalways queer. Amen. Those are
(16:58):
our dear friends, the many, withtheir song all belong here from
their 2017 album of the samename.
You can find the many online atthe manyarehere.com. At East End
(17:24):
United Regional Ministry, webelieve that faith should mean
something in the real world,that it should feed people,
house people, advocate,accompany, and agitate for
change. We seek to live God'slove out in public. We also know
that in a world that can feel sooverwhelming and frightening at
times, we need spiritualnourishment and opportunities to
(17:48):
connect with the divine and withcommunity. We run two worship
services each week, Sundaymornings at our Eastminster
campus and Thursday evenings atour Glenroads campus.
We offer programming forchildren and youth and provide
some of East Toronto's mostvital food justice and shelter
programs, including our nourishEast End Food Bank and Out of
(18:11):
the Cold Outreach Ministry. Butwe can't do any of this alone.
If you believe in the work of anaffirming, justice seeking,
community rooted church, weinvite you to support East End
United. You can give online ateastendunited.ca/donate. Every
gift helps us keep going andkeep growing.
(18:55):
Thank you for joining us forthis episode of Sermons from the
East End. If this reflectionmoved you, challenged you, gave
you hope, please be sure tosubscribe and share it. Let
someone else know there arechurches out there shaped by the
wild, witness of queer faith.You can learn more about East
(19:17):
End United, our ministries, andupcoming events at
eastendunited.ca. We are also onInstagram, Facebook, and
YouTube.
Come find us, follow us, and bepart of what's unfolding. Until
next time. Walk gently, lovefiercely, and don't be afraid.
(19:37):
You were born from the word, andthe word breaks every box we
I'm the reverend Brianne Swan, and this is
sermons from the East End forMonday, 06/30/2025. Welcome to
(00:31):
sermons from the East End, apodcast from East End United
Regional Ministry in Toronto.This episode features a
reflection for pride, a poeticmeditation on the queerness of
God, the sacredness of queerbodies, and the wild, untamable
love that still speaks throughthe word made flesh. So wherever
(00:52):
you are listening, on thesubway, doing dishes, walking
through the city, we invite youto take a deep breath, open your
heart, and join us on thejourney. You will hear some
gendered language in today'sscripture readings.
While I generally lean towardsgender expansive expressions of
(01:14):
the divine, these particularrecordings were chosen with
care. The reading from Jeremiahwas voiced by my son, Simon,
when he was a much younger boythan he is now. The gospel of
John comes from the FirstNations version, which brings a
rich cultural and spiritualdepth that is expansive of the
(01:34):
word in a different kind of way.I honor both the integrity of
these voices and the complexityof language and sacred spaces.
Speaker 2 (01:48):
Jeremiah chapter one verses four through 10.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
Read by Simon
Speaker 2 (01:54):
Myers. No. Read by Simon Myers. Read by Simon
Myers. Now the word of the Lordcame to me saying, before I
formed you in the womb, I knewyou.
And before you were born, Iconsecrated you. I appointed you
a prophet to the nations. Then Isaid, oh, Lord God, truly I
(02:19):
don't know how to speak for I amonly a boy. But the Lord said to
me, do not say I am only a boyfor you shall go to all to whom
I send you, and I you shallspeak whatever I command you. Do
not be afraid of them, for I amwith you to deliver you, says
(02:40):
the Lord.
But then the Lord put out hishand and touched my mouth, and
the Lord said to me, I now Ihave put my words in your mouth.
See, today I appoint you overnations and over kingdoms to
pluck up and pull down, todestroy and to overthrow, to
(03:01):
build and to plant.
Speaker 1 (03:14):
He shows goodwill, tells the good story. Chapter
one, verses one through 18. Longago, in the time before all
days, before the creation of allthings, the one who is known as
(03:39):
the word was there face to facewith the great spirit. This word
fully represents creator andshows us who he is and what he
is like. He has always beenthere from the beginning, for
the word and creator are one andthe same.
(04:00):
Through the word, all thingscame into being, and not one
thing exists that he did notcreate. Creator's life shined
out from the word, giving lightto all human beings. This is the
true light that comes to all thepeoples of the world and shines
(04:20):
on everyone. The light shinesinto the darkness, and the
darkness cannot overcome it orput it out. Into the wilderness
of the land of promise came aman named Gift of Goodwill.
He was sent by the great spiritto tell what he knew about the
(04:42):
light so everyone could believe.He was not the light but came to
speak the truth about the light.The true light that shines on
all people was coming into thedarkness of this world. He came
down into the world. And eventhough he made all things, the
world did not recognize him.
(05:04):
Even his own tribe did notwelcome or honor him. But all
who welcome and trust himreceive their birthright as
children of the great spirit.They are born in a new way, not
from a human father's plans ordesires, but born from above by
the great spirit. Creator's wordbecame a flesh and blood human
(05:30):
being and pitched his sacredtent among us, living as one of
us. We looked upon his greatbeauty and saw how honorable he
was, the kind of honor held onlyby this one son who fully
represents his father, full ofhis great kindness and truth.
(05:52):
Gift of goodwill told what heknew about him and cried out
with a loud voice, the one Ihave told you about is here. He
comes after me, but is muchgreater, my elder. He has more
honor. For even though he isthought to be younger, he
existed before I was born. Fromthe fullness of his being, we
(06:17):
have all had many gifts ofkindness poured out on us.
Drawn from the water gave us ourtribal laws, but the gift of
great kindness and truth camefrom creator sets free, the
chosen one. No one has ever seenthe great spirit, but the one
(06:40):
son who is himself the greatspirit and closest to the
father's heart has shown us whathe is like. In the beginning was
(07:09):
the word, and the word was notsafe, not polite, not palatable.
The word was not binary. Theword was not beholden to
straight lines or narrow minds.
The word was fluid, like water,like spirit. And the word was
(07:32):
with God, and the word was God.The word was wild, untamed,
overflowing. The word was awhisper, a rumor, a thunderclap.
The word was a body.
The word was breath. And theword was with God, and the word
(07:57):
was God. And what does thatmean, beloveds, but that God is
more than we were ever told?That the divine does not just
tolerate the queer body, thequeer mind, the queer soul, but
radiates with queerness, createsthrough it, incarnates it. In
(08:21):
the beginning was something soexpansive, no doctrine could
cage it, no creed could containit, no pulpit could pin it down.
Before you were formed in thewomb, before your pronouns were
politicized, before your bodywas called a lifestyle, God knew
(08:43):
you. God knew you. Not in spiteof who you are, but because of
it. You are not God's footnote.You are God's exclamation.
Think of the prophets. Some ofthem wore robes with flare. Some
(09:05):
of them changed their names andchanged them again. Some of them
named truths too dangerous forscrolls. God says, do not be
afraid.
But let's not pretend that thisis easy. Do not be afraid when
the church that baptized youtries to burn you. Do not be
(09:28):
afraid when your own kin callyour holiness heresy. Do not be
afraid when you walk into asanctuary and feel the air
change? You're not imagining it.
But know this, the sanctuary isyours. The table is yours. The
(09:49):
altar is yours. The body ofChrist is not whole without your
body. You, beloved, are theImago Dei.
The image of God is not limitedto those who fit cleanly on
census forms. The image of Godhas stretch marks and scars,
(10:13):
binders and breastplates,glitter, and grief. The image of
god walks in pride parades andholds protest signs and passes
the cup with chipped black nailpolish saying, this is my body
broken for you. What if Jesuswas never meant to be the
(10:34):
exception? What if Jesus was theprototype?
What if divinity has alwayslooked like queer love surviving
anyway? What if the body ofChrist includes drag queens and
asexual mystics, leather dykesand questioning seminarians,
(10:55):
trans teenagers who hear Godclearer than any bishop? What if
the word made flesh still walksamong us, but this time in Doc
Martens and dysphoria still fullof grace and truth? In the
beginning was the word, and theword said, you are my beloved.
(11:23):
Not in theory, not once youconform, but as you are right
now, beautiful, holy, necessary.
And the word was with God, andthe word was God. So let the
(11:44):
church be transformed by thoseit tried to crucify. Let the
steeples shake with the sound ofyour laughter. Let the stained
glass reflect your light. Letthe pews bear witness to a love
too wild for liturgy, too fiercefor fear, too sacred for shame.
(12:05):
God is queer. And if thatsentence makes some folks
squirm, maybe they should. Godis queer because God is always
breaking binaries and boundariesbetween divine and human, death
and life, flesh and word. God isqueer because God is always
(12:29):
expanding what we thought waspossible. God is queer because
God is love, and love when it isreal is never tame.
So hear this, you radiantreflection of the divine. You
are not just welcome here. Hereis shaped by you. You are called
(12:57):
to speak, to sing, to preach, torage, to kiss, to dance, to
heal, to build, to resurrect. Donot be afraid.
You were born for this. You wereborn from this. You were born of
(13:17):
the word, and the word wasalways queer. Amen. Those are
(16:58):
our dear friends, the many, withtheir song all belong here from
their 2017 album of the samename.
You can find the many online atthe manyarehere.com. At East End
(17:24):
United Regional Ministry, webelieve that faith should mean
something in the real world,that it should feed people,
house people, advocate,accompany, and agitate for
change. We seek to live God'slove out in public. We also know
that in a world that can feel sooverwhelming and frightening at
times, we need spiritualnourishment and opportunities to
(17:48):
connect with the divine and withcommunity. We run two worship
services each week, Sundaymornings at our Eastminster
campus and Thursday evenings atour Glenroads campus.
We offer programming forchildren and youth and provide
some of East Toronto's mostvital food justice and shelter
programs, including our nourishEast End Food Bank and Out of
(18:11):
the Cold Outreach Ministry. Butwe can't do any of this alone.
If you believe in the work of anaffirming, justice seeking,
community rooted church, weinvite you to support East End
United. You can give online ateastendunited.ca/donate. Every
gift helps us keep going andkeep growing.
(18:55):
Thank you for joining us forthis episode of Sermons from the
East End. If this reflectionmoved you, challenged you, gave
you hope, please be sure tosubscribe and share it. Let
someone else know there arechurches out there shaped by the
wild, witness of queer faith.You can learn more about East
(19:17):
End United, our ministries, andupcoming events at
eastendunited.ca. We are also onInstagram, Facebook, and
YouTube.
Come find us, follow us, and bepart of what's unfolding. Until
next time. Walk gently, lovefiercely, and don't be afraid.
(19:37):
You were born from the word, andthe word breaks every box we
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