Susan Lukey - Church Blog - Page 2

It is important for trans youth (and other children) to have access to puberty blockers. Puberty is beginning earlier, for some girls as young as 8 years old. The changes to the body that happen during puberty can be distressing if they are not in line with a youth’s gender. Puberty blockers can help relieve this distress. Delaying puberty gives the young person more time to explore their gender identity & make a mature decision, before bodily changes happen that can’t be reversed. The effect of puberty blockers is completely reversible. If a youth decides not to transition, they go...

Should transwomen be banned from women’s sports?  NO!  Transwomen have no advantage over cis-women in sports. They face the same challenges as any female athlete. Banning transwomen from women’s sports can harm all women athletes with invasive tests, accusations that a woman is “too masculine” or blaming any woman's win on not really being a woman. Cis-women may naturally have higher or lower hormone levels.  There should not be separate teams for trans-people since that segregates them as targets for bullying. Trans youth need to be welcome to play sports alongside other students at school.  It is naïve to think that we...

Why would a child tell a teacher before they tell a parent about their gender and sexuality? It actually makes total sense. It is a very vulnerable and scary thing in our society to name that you might be something other than male or female, cisgender and heterosexual. Children hear attacks all the time on LGBTQ+ people. So it is easier to tell a teacher. If the teacher rejects them or tells them it is nonsense, they will have a new teacher next year. But if they tell their parents and their parents reject them, then that is the most...

High River United Church is officially an Affirming Church. That means that we have gone through a process set out by AFFIRM UNITED that helped us commit to being an intentionally inclusive community.  Here is the High River United Church Affirming statement:   Rooted in the love of God and grounded in the teaching of Jesus, High River United Church is a community of help, home and hope. In the spirit of Jesus' radical love we open our hearts and doors to be a safe community where no one feels alone. We celebrate all people in the full spectrum of gender identity,...

I wonder, if like me, you are noticing a disquieting “hum” around us and the planet? The best I can do is describe it like a subtle static buzz that is causing many of us to feel slightly off—out of whack, or something like that. I know that we’re all doing the very best we can to hold on, to grasp at some form of “normal” during these times and yet, despite our best efforts we can’t quite avoid the “hum”. I wonder, what can Advent offer us this year that serves to quiet such a disquieting hum?   One thing...

Next year, we said.  Next year, we’ll be back to normal.  That was our dream as we locked down and limited our gatherings for Christmas 2020.  Next year!   But here we are a year later, and life is not back to “normal.”  Vaccinations have provided a bit more freedom and a bit more security.  But a new variant has been identified and unsettled things.   We are not fully open, fully gathering, no worries in the world.  It’s just another pandemic Christmas.  Oh my!   This is the time when we really need the Christmas story – not the warm fuzzy...

 I have no doubt about that. Jesus would wear a mask. There are two reasons that I am certain that Jesus would wear a mask if he were here today in the midst of this pandemic.   First, Jesus declared that the second greatest commandment is “Love your neighbour as your self.” Wearing a mask is about loving your neighbour. If you have COVID and are asymptomatic and if you do not wear a mask, then you are spreading the virus to your neighbours, friends and family members. They could become very sick and possibly die from the disease, or they could...

“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 We are hearing much weariness in people as this pandemic continues with numbers rising and warnings of stricter measures.  We wonder about how much more we can take.  We yearn to see family and friends without worrying about safety protocols.  We long to anticipate a Christmas as we’ve enjoyed in previous years, even as we know this Christmas will be different.  We wish to be rid of masks and distancing and hand-cleansing, and most of all the fear and worry that vibrates within us. ...

This week we are remembering those who served and those who are currently serving our country through the Canadian Armed Forces. We remember their family members and friends, especially those who are grieving the loss of one who served.   We remember those armed forces members who continue to suffer physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually after their service to this country, those for whom depression & post-traumatic stress is a daily reality for themselves & their families.   We remember civilians bombed and driven from their homes, and refugees living in camps, longing for a new life.          ...

There was snow on the ground this week. We are grateful that it held off for so long, compared to last year. It allowed us more time to be outdoors for safe distanced connecting. But now the snow reminds us that winter is around the corner (though there will still be some warmer times). There is a weariness to this all – masks, hand-sanitizing, physical distancing, staying in small cohorts of people and not being able to engage freely with friends and even extended family.   Yet, we have no more control over the pandemic than we do over the weather....