One of the questions I get asked a lot comes from someone who has a gay member of their family who is getting married. They may hold a more “traditional” view of marriage, and as a result feel like they are dishonoring God or compromising their beliefs by attending the wedding. So they ask me, “Should I go to the wedding?”
I always answer their question with a question of my own. “What do you think Jesus would do?” I remind them that one of the big criticisms of Jesus by the religious leaders of the day was that he “ate with tax collectors and sinners.” Jesus didn’t care what people thought about where he went and who he hung out with. He loved being with people, and he cared about them deeply. I try to help them come to the conclusion that Jesus would indeed attend that family wedding. And he’d probably have a great time!
The interesting thing about these conversations is they almost always end the same way… with joy and relief that they can go to the wedding! 99% of the time they knew the right thing to do, but suspected I was going to counsel them in a different direction. When I encourage them to be gracious and loving, they are eager to do so. They have experienced God’s unconditional love and acceptance, and look forward to sharing that love with others. We love because he first loved us.
Go to the wedding! Share God’s love. Have a blast!