
A Prayer for after Someone Comes Out
Jess Cook
Jess Cook is the organizing pastor for Every Table, a new worshiping community in Richmond, Virginia, and was the first openly trans / non-binary person ordained as a minister of Word and Sacrament in the PC(USA).

God of our baptism,
We thank you for the ways in which you claim us as your own. We thank you for this community, for your Spirit woven through each of us individually and drawing us together as a whole.
God, we thank you that before N was born, you knew what you had in store for them.1 You knew as you knit them in their parent’s womb all of the challenges and celebrations that would come in their life. You knew there would be a time when they would answer the call to share this part of their identity with this community. We thank you for N’s desire and willingness to invite us along this exciting part of their journey, and we celebrate with them today.
We pray that you would help N see the mighty shoulders on which they stand, of all the saints who’ve come before and paved the way and opened doors to this moment.
Like Lazarus being called out of the tomb, or Mary Magdalene whose eyes were opened to the resurrected Christ upon hearing her name, we know you have called N’s name and claimed them as your own.
When things get difficult, remind N of this community who loves them and has promised to walk through life with them. May the people who surround N today be a source of nourishment for them along this journey—a reminder that they are not alone on their path. In a world where most people go their whole lives without asking questions about their gender or sexuality, remind N of the strength and resilience they’ve shown in claiming their beloved identity as their own.
We pray that you will open the eyes and the hearts of family or friends who may not have as much joy in N coming out as we have here today. If the need is there, may you remind N that family is not just defined by blood, and community is not only defined by space or time.
Remind N always that they are seen by this community. Continue opening our eyes and our hearts to one another. Keep us all grounded in the understanding that we are loved beyond measure by a God of infinite abundance.
Notes
- They is used as a neutral pronoun throughout this template. Another gender prounoun may be used throughout the prayer.