Happy First Week of Pride Month, Saints!
It seems appropriate that we start Pridetide with Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26. Jesus calls Matthew from his job as tax collector to follow him, dines with tax collectors and “notorious” sinners, raises a presumed dead girl, and the fringe of his cloak was touched by a woman who had been hemorrhaging for twelve years. All ritually unclean and on the margins.
I know firsthand what it feels like to be labeled a “notorious” sinner. I’m thinking of getting a t-shirt printed with that. Apparently, the LGBTQ+ community has so much power that we are able to bring about all the disasters in the world – earthquakes, plagues, you-name-it. Throughout history, humanity tries to keep people out in spite of a message that tells us to break down the walls and invite people in.
Perhaps you’ve heard that conservative politicians and state legislatures in places like Tennessee and Indiana have replaced Pride Month with Nuclear Family Month to promote the traditional family structure of one husband, one wife, and their children as foundational to society? I guess they haven’t gotten the memo that families come in many different permutations, and they have marginalized a great many more than the queer folk.
Jesus shows us a different way. Island United lives a different way. A house where all are welcome, where love and family grow.
I look forward to seeing you at 10 am Sunday on 1130 Balclutha, Zoom, or Livestream. Extend the love.
Love,
Rev. Michael
P.S. Thanks to Isidro and Isela for the delicious pies. Rumor has it that there is a rhubarb pie in the near future.