Bishop Gene Robinson at Cathedral of Hope Last Night

For a Wednesday night service, I suspect last night's was a record in attendance for the Cathedral of Hope. Every seat in the spacious sanctuary was filled and people stood in the back to hear a minister who isn't even a member of the United Church of Christ.

Special guest Bishop Gene Robinson, from the Episcopal church was delivering the sermon, and he certainly delivered to the full sanctuary. An unimposing figure, Bishop Robinson would hardly seem the kind of man to be at the center of a firestorm of controversy. As the first openly gay Bishop in that denomination, his ordination still causes heated discussions among members of the Anglican Communion.

Controversy aside, Robinson delivered a thoughtful yet lively sermon on the liturgy for the evening from the Book of Acts. The story of the lame beggar who was healed by the Apostles and rose to walk, leap and dance into the temple mad an appropriate subject for both Robinson and the congregation.

He compared LGBT people to that cripple, who being deemed unworthy and impure was kept outside the temple and not allowed to worship there. After being called to rise in the name of Jesus, he not only walked but danced into the holy space much like the congregation of the Cathedral had risen and reclaimed the church as our holy space.

I am not doing his sermon justice so to hear the entire service you can go here to the Cathedral of Hope's website and see the streaming video. The music and energy in the sanctuary last night was moving and truly inspiring.