Beloveds,
In 1979, a big disco hit by Sister Sledge sang:
We are family
I got all my sisters with me
We are family
Get up everybody and sing.
I remember singing this song as part of a Pride service, alternating “I got all my…” between sisters and brothers. Eventually, the sung lyric became “siblings” as we moved away from the binary.
Juneteenth, Pride. I think about the journey toward freedom. There is an intersectionality in these celebrations.
Although not the same, there is a similar journey. The LGBTQ liberation movement is shaped by the Civil Rights Movement. Queer folk exist across any of the racial and social demarcations. There is work still ahead for all of us. Liberation is not just for the oppressed but for all.
How long before the promised kin-dom of heaven is come? How long? When Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was asked, “How long”, about the arc of the moral universe bending toward justice, he responded, “Not long.” He left it in a relative question.
However long it takes, let’s continue to sing songs that proclaim our familial ties as we live into the promise.
I look forward to seeing you on Balclutha or Zoom as we welcome this Sunday at 10 am “The Unofficial Mayor of Foster City” Mr. Bill Stewart as he shares a few words with us. It will be a revelation.
Get up everybody and sing!
Rev. Michael Cronin
