Ever since I was a little girl, I have loved Jesus and baking. I pursued both with a passion that found me in church each Sunday and regularly in the kitchen. By high school, I was an accomplished, self-taught cake baker and a passionate Christian, who taught vacation Bible school and attended adult Bible study.By the early 2000’s, I was in constant demand to make cakes for all occasions, including wedding cakes. During this time, my love for Jesus was still as strong as ever, and my husband and I sought a deeper understanding of Christianity through our studies together and in church.
Even though the rights of LGBT people were not routinely discussed in church, it was no secret that the majority of my fellow believers and I rested firmly on a belief that homosexuality was a sin, and sinners went to hell.
So, why would I agree to bake a cake for a same sex couple’s commitment ceremony? Because it never even occurred to me not to bake the cake. In fact, I was honored that this family saw in me a Christian who would serve all regardless of my religious beliefs or convictions.
Several years ago, I retired from cake baking to spend more time with family and to pursue my calling to study world religions. I no longer identify with a Christianity that is judgmental and excludes others from God based on sexual orientation, but I still find in the life of Jesus a beautiful example of someone who sought to serve, to dwell among all of us, and to not judge or condemn while doing so.
A contemporary Christian song has the lyrics, “I hope that they see You in me.” This lyric is based on one of the foundational beliefs of Christianity: to be light and love in the world just as Jesus instructed.
I still have much work to do. My flaws and mistakes keep me humble and eager to pursue a deeper understanding of God. But I am grateful that for at least one brief moment someone saw light and love in me and asked me to bake a wedding cake. For me, it was the right, and Christian, thing to do.
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