OK, so if the Word of God was spoken to John in the hot desert, then what is God trying to tell us with THIS weather?

I want to say, congratulations to all of you who shoveled yourselves out to come to church today or to the dinner dance last night. Yes, it’s Dignity/Boston’s anniversary season again, and I say, what better way to celebrate our spirituality and enjoy nature than by grabbing a shovel, picking up some of nature’s beauty and transporting it a few feet away to a big pile?

There’s a message there somewhere. But in the meantime, Happy Anniversary, everyone!

Yes, in case we were all too busy shoveling to notice, it’s Dignity/Boston’s 31^st anniversary. Smack in the middle of the busy, overbooked and wintry holiday season, comes another fun Dignity/Boston celebration of our spirituality and sexuality. Our anniversary is a unique GLBT Catholic holiday rivaled only by our Pride festivities in June in terms of gaiety ­ just with fewer rainbow flags and much, much heavier clothing. I find it hard to believe that a full year has passed since I stood up here, wishing everyone at Dignity/Boston a happy 30^th anniversary. With all the reminiscing, parties, liturgical celebrations, slide shows, walks down memory lane, anniversary tchotchkes, and general hoopla that surrounded our 30^th anniversary in the fall of 2002, it seems somewhat anticlimactic ­ but a bit of a relief ­ to stand up here now and wish you, simply, a happy 31^st anniversary.

I like to think of odd-numbered years like 31 as being the “stuff between” the milestone anniversaries, when the business of our lives really takes place. There’s no question, our 31^st anniversary will be remembered for the lousy weather and the unflagging spirit of so many people who made this holiday possible. The 31^st year overall will be remembered for many challenges, however. As in any year, we had our share of heartaches. The war in Iraq, the sluggish economy, and the continuing crisis in the Catholic Church come to mind. Meanwhile, the new Archbishop of Boston, hailed as being a healer for a broken community this year, joined the rest of the Catholic hierarchy in a crusade to spread the notion that same-sex marriage is a threat to the American family. The bishop of Worcester was even forced to issue a public retraction for merely hinting that parents in a same-sex household deserve the same legal protections as those in a heterosexual household.

But as we heard tonight from the prophet Baruch, “Jerusalem, take off your robe of misery and mourning; you will wear God’s glorious splendor forever.” And in fact, our 31^st year has given us many reasons to be hopeful for what lies ahead.

In 2003, many of us attended an amazing, energizing DignityUSA Convention in the Las Vegas desert last summer ­ back in the days when it was actually warm out. Meanwhile, 2003 was a year in which Dignity/Boston enjoyed a renewed relationship with the Church of St. John the Evangelist. Our pastoral care task force, presider task force, and constitution committee set the stage for future generations with several major reforms on how our chapter serves the community. We held I don’t know how many listening nights on a wide range of engaging topics (personally, I’ve had enough pizza to last me for awhile). In our 31^st year, Dignity/Boston also experienced nearly unprecedented media exposure, as we became the go-to source for reporters looking for an alternative Catholic voice on GLBT issues. In November, we all rejoiced at the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court’s decision paving the way for same-sex marriage in our Commonwealth ­ something that became very personal for us, as we have celebrated at least two holy unions and an adoption in our community this year. And last night, in one of the worst snowstorms of the past quarter century, 24 devoted friends (braver than I was) endured the elements for an evening in Newton, determined to give each other a happy Dignity/Boston anniversary. After the darkness of 2001 and 2002, years filled with tragedy, scandal, uncertainty, and loss, 2003 has felt very hopeful indeed.

The Advent season is a good time for us to feel hopeful, because these four Sundays are all about anticipation for the coming of our Savior. I remember when I was a child, the anticipation in those weeks before Christmas would fill me with excitement! The lights! The music! The festive decorations! The glitter! What little gay boy wouldn’t love Christmas? It was the closest our living room ever got to looking like the set of a Broadway show! And then there was the mystery surrounding the holiday… like how does Santa get into our house, when we don’t even have a fireplace? My parents never really had a good answer to that one.

“Only 18 more days till Christmas!” I would exclaim around this point in Advent. “Don’t remind me,” my mother would groan, wilting into a chair, no doubt thinking of all the shopping, gift-wrapping, cooking, and bill-paying she and my dad would need to do in the weeks ahead to make this holiday so special for their little boy. As an adult, I too get stressed out around this time of year thinking about all the things that have to be done before Christmas. But I still try to let myself get excited in the weeks leading up to the holiday. I look forward to the visits from out-of-town guests, the parties with good friends and family, the simple expressions of love represented by giving and receiving gifts. This year, I’m especially anticipating the Dignity/Boston Christmas Eve liturgy, which will include the commitment ceremony of Catherine and Sandra. I can’t think of a more perfect way to wrap up our 31^st year at Dignity/Boston, a year in which same-sex marriage was front and center. Their ceremony fills me with hope as a reminder of God’s presence among us.

This Sunday, as we prepare for Christmas and the coming of our Savior, we heard three very hopeful readings reminding us that God will act for the good of humankind.

I’m told that the book of Baruch is set in a time when there was growing nationalism in the Hebrew kingdom of Judah. The people were convinced that they were the heirs to promises made by God since they had remained loyal to the royal house when the kingdom split after Solomon’s reign. Like many a 21^st-century fundamentalist or Church leader, they considered themselves to be blessed by God and therefore invincible. The people of Judah were in for a disappointment, when they were led away from the city toward exile and years of servitude in a foreign empire. Baruch tells these people that all hope is not lost. “God will show all the earth your splendor, and your eternal name will be ‘Peace Through Justice, and Honor Through Devotedness.’… God is leading Israel in joy by the light of divine glory, escorted by mercy and justice.” So Baruch tells us, if we follow the path to justice, we will find God.

This message of hope continues in Paul’s letter to the people of Philippi. He reminds us to live good and faithful lives, and learn to value the things that matter, because the day of Christ will be soon be upon us.

Perhaps there is no better symbol of hope in the Bible than the story of John the Baptist, the ultimate Coming Attractions flick. Emerging from the desert sands, we heard tonight, John promises better days ahead, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. “Make ready the way of Our God, clear a straight path.… Every valley will be filled and every mountain and hill will be leveled. The twisted paths will be made straight and the rough road smooth ­ and all will see the salvation of God.”

Despite my obvious reservations about the repetition of the word “straight,” I hear a lot of optimism in this reading. Be open to the all-encompassing presence of God in our lives, and you too will experience God’s glory. That’s not to say that salvation will come easily. Repentance and good conduct are rarely easy; there’s much work to be done, but the rewards are great.

It’s similar to the challenges that we will face in Dignity/Boston’s 32^nd year and beyond. In his fantastic Thanksgiving homily a few weeks ago, Ron challenged us to act out our gratitude for the good things in our life through love, compassion, and social justice. He was absolutely right. The opportunities that have presented themselves this year are not a fait accompli. We are closer than ever to same-sex marriage in Massachusetts, but these benefits and protections can still be denied us with the stroke of a pen. We must continue to remind our friends, relatives, and most of all legislators about the reasons why civil marriage is so important for the good of our families. And marriage is only one piece of the pie, as GLBT people continue to face discrimination in the workplace, the classroom, the family, and the church.

In the year ahead, we need to commit to perpetuating our faith community, which cannot continue to exist without the time, talent, and treasure of countless volunteers. Dignity/Boston and DignityUSA may be gaining in public exposure as an alternative Catholic voice and a champion of peace and justice, and we can’t underestimate how important that is; but as Sam and Peggy have said since the Convention, we must also continue to amplify and empower the Voice with our membership and with our financial Angel contributions.

And such is the “stuff between the milestones,” the hopes and challenges that make up our 31^st year.

It was very appropriate that the brave men and women of Dignity/Boston chose the season of Advent to hold their inaugural liturgy, back in December 1972. Whether or not the timing of that ceremony was intentional with regard to the liturgical calendar, I’d like to think that they were filled with anticipation as they gathered at the Randolph Country Club that Sunday in Advent.

We, too, should be like John the Baptist, emerging from the desert ­ or maybe the snowdrifts ­ to proclaim a brighter future and spread our message of anticipation.

Peace through justice, and honor through devotedness.

We have a lot to look forward to.

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