'If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal."

My first week as your Conference Minister was an interesting one. Three days in, I found myself on the Statehouse lawn standing in support of women's reproductive rights and a state legislator's First Amendment rights.

At issue was whether the word "vagina" could be spoken from the floor of the state House during debate.  At stake was whether female legislators would be denied their voice to speak the truth in the House chamber, and women in Michigan would be denied control of their reproductive rights.  Apparently, some find this word to be embarrassing or unseemly and are concerned about younger ears listening to debate from the gallery. I found this perplexing, mainly because it is usually the church that can be prudish in such matters and state politics where anything goes.

The church has some history with this. For a long, long time, the church has used another "V" word: Virgin. The church concerned itself with whether or not Mary had marital relations before giving birth to Jesus, or whether the Holy Child was truly from God's Spirit. The Apostles' Creed put this debate to rest for earlier generations by declaring that Jesus was "conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary."

I must confess, however, that as an adolescent - when I reasoned like a child - it was sometimes embarrassing to hear that "V" word in church. But, now that I have become an adult, I love to know that God is involved in - and blessing - even the most intimate aspects of our lives. Thus, I appreciate the Prayer of Baptism in the UCC Book of Worship that depicts the rich symbolism of water proclaiming, in part, that Jesus "was nourished in the water of Mary's womb."

As we get immersed by the wave of the current culture war, it is important to remember what we bring to the conversation. That is love. An early church apologist, Tertullian, wrote about how non-Christians viewed Christians: "Look how they love one another." Our distinctive characteristic is love. We love our fellow Christians, we love God and neighbor, and Paul encourages us to speak the truth in love.

In addition to our love, the United Church of Christ also claims a long commitment to women's rights in general and women's reproductive rights specifically. Hopefully, our distinctive love, and our commitment to justice for women, will guide our shared ministries and help us to be the loving, truth-speaking, justice-seeking people that God calls us to be.

Stillspeaking God, help us to listen to your voice and the voices of those calling us to greater truths. Empower us then to speak on behalf of the voiceless and with those in any need. Amen.