Ten Years Later
Celebrating Marriage Equality Post Obergefell v. Hodges
Ten years ago today, the Supreme Court handed down a decision that didn't invent love, redefine marriage, or overturn the gospel. It simply caught up, a little, to what the church should have been proclaiming all along:
Love is love. Not because we said so, not because the courts ruled so, but because love, real love, is always a gift of God's grace. Our capacity to love one another, to commit to one another, to choose each other over and over again, that’s not ours to gatekeep.
It’s grace. Pure and simple.
Dignity is non-negotiable.
And every person, regardless of who they love, bears the image of God.
On June 26, 2015, in Obergefell v. Hodges, marriage equality became the law of the land. But long before it was legal, it was already holy. Because God's love has never played by our rules or waited on our votes. Jesus didn’t ask people about their orientation before calling them beloved.
And yet, the Church, supposed to be the body of Christ and a foretaste of the Kingdom of God, has too often acted like the bouncer at the door instead of the host of the banquet. We have wielded Scripture like a weapon and called it faithfulness. Confused bigotry for conviction and silence for holiness.
And some of us still are.
.So today is a day for celebration, for progress, for love, for lives no longer hidden.
But it’s also a day for repentance. Because we still have work to do. Queer siblings are still being told they’re "incompatible with Christian teaching." Trans kids are still being legislated out of public life. And too many churches still mistake uniformity for unity.
Jesus never said, “They will know you are my disciples by your doctrine.” He said they’d know us by our love. And I wonder if he looks at us some days and asks, “Where is it?”
To all who have waited too long to be seen, who’ve been told to sit down or keep quiet or leave altogether: we see you. We love you. And more importantly, God never stopped.
Happy 10th Anniversary, Obergefell v. Hodges. May we keep walking toward justice, or better yet, running like the father did toward the prodigal, arms wide open, no questions asked.
Love wins. It always has.
Even when the church doesn’t.