
On Liturgy: Shared Space
Maggie Alsup
Maggie Alsup is chaplain and head of religious life at Lyon College in Batesville, Arkansas.

Accessibility and sustainability are words that bring to mind all kinds of images. From a liturgical perspective, accessibility can be linked to the ways that people feel welcomed to the table. Accessibility connects to the practical side of life as well, such as the ways people are able to enter your building, and beyond that be able to functionally use the building space.
Thinking about sustainability can raise questions around financial longevity for programs or ministry tasks. From a liturgical perspective, it can lead one to think about how we are caring for creation and our use of space, energy, and resources.
Often people want to divide accessibility and sustainability and think of them as two separate concepts. I find that sustainability and accessibility have a great deal to do with each other. For at the heart of both concepts is creating space where practices of a community are inclusive and seriously address the diverse needs of those in the community.
With that in mind, what might it look like for the church to take seriously the concepts of accessibility and sustainability when it comes to our liturgy and practices? What changes might need to happen to make these concepts a reality? How does the conversation around the phrase “all are welcome” change when we really examine and live into what it means to use the word “all”? What might our community look like if we strive to examine our lives and practices to live in the abundance of human experience rather than live into the systems that fit the status quo?
As a college chaplain, it is a joy to celebrate the achievements of our students. Commencement season is one of the best times for our community. We have countless ceremonies: from celebrations for all the honor societies, to celebrations for those in Greek life, to the recognition and celebration of our first-generation graduates, to our pet graduation ceremony, to the big event of honors convocation—celebrating all the academic achievements of the student body. Recently, we examined all the ways we celebrated and realized we were falling short in celebration and care for our LGBTQ+ students.
We began to think about the ways we could honor and celebrate them reaching this milestone in their lives. We hosted our first ever Lavender Graduation a few commencement seasons back. This celebration recognizes all that our LGBTQ+ students bring to our community and their impact on our community life. It is a fun celebratory event that honors who they are as individuals and recognizes how important the accomplishment of a college degree is for them.
When we first came up with this idea and began to work with students, some in the larger community thought it was strange to have the chaplain be a part of such an event and celebration. But those who knew all the ways I pray, lead worship, and show up for our college community thought nothing of it. They knew I was doing what needed to be done to build a better campus community that celebrated the gifts and joy of all our students. In fact, students wanted me there and expected me to be the one to open with a prayer, to be the one to bring the Divine into the celebration.
As we began the event, we did what we always do at community celebrations and had the chaplain pray and offer a blessing. We acknowledged the ways in which God created the depths of diversity in human life. We also marked and acknowledged the ways in which our ancestors came before us, making a way for us to celebrate and enjoy such a day.
We gave voice to the ways in which the church has not valued or honored LGBTQ+ people. Through liturgy and ritual, prayer and confession, we marked the day together honoring and celebrating all the ways our LGBTQ+ students influence our communal life. As we celebrated, we also made note that one day we too will be the ancestors of the next generation of students in our community, and so it was up to us to continue the work to make our community life one of an expansive welcome and love.
When we are intentional about who we are and the ways in which we support and care for others, we are an authentic community. It is in these moments that the expansive love of God is experienced. That begins with examining who we say we are, then working to live into that life. It is one thing to say “all are welcome,” but it is an entirely different thing to live into that saying. For the truth is that it is hard work to do.
It can be a hard reality to realize that in the way you are living you are not who you claim to be. But the good news is you can do something about it. You can work to bring change to practices and rituals that widen your circle. And in doing that you are actively working to live into who you say you are.
The goal should be to find the ways in which the church can address the intersection of sustainability and accessibility. What does it look like for the church to take seriously the mindset of creating space for the authentic selves of their members to thrive? What ways does the church show up and work alongside the Divine to bring about love and justice? And what does that look like in terms of ritual and practice?