Jesus said to him,
“’You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment.
And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”
Matthew 22:37-39
“God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.”
1 John 4:16b
Dear friends,
The whole country has been shaken beyond belief by the horrible shooting in Orlando last Sunday. What does it look like to love our neighbor as ourselves? What does it look like to live in love? I’m beginning to think that it mostly has to do with showing up. This week there are several ways for us, as people of faith, as followers of Jesus, to show our love and care simply by showing up. I’d like to offer two opportunities in particular.
The first is happening this Saturday, from 9-11pm outside the Hillsboro Civic Center on Main St. in downtown Hillsboro.
A candlelight vigil is being organized by two young men from Hillsboro. In their words, “… it is important that we stand together as a community and show solidarity with the LGBTQIA+ community that is deeply in pain.” Pastor Matthew Eagan from Calvary Lutheran, Rector Karen Smith from All Saints Episcopal Church and I reached out to these two men asking how we can help support the event. They asked for candles (which we will gladly bring) and our presence. In other words, ‘please show up.’
So we are reaching out to you all, the members and friends of our congregations, as well as other pastor’s and leaders of faith communities in the area, inviting everyone to show up on Saturday. I hope to see you there.
The second opportunity that I would like to highlight is happening on Sunday morning at 11am in Portland. It is the annual Portland Gay Pride Parade. I’ve never gone. It is usually always on a Sunday and difficult to get to after Sunday morning worship. However, this year - just a week after Orlando – I feel compelled to go. I realize this will conflict with our scheduled prayer and book discussion following worship, and I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, but I find myself compelled, once again, to show up. And I invite any of you who may also feel compelled, to join me.
The LGBTQIA community now, more than ever, needs the faith community to show up. We have an opportunity before us (again, in the words of the two young organizers of the candlelight vigil) …
"to not only SPEAK about equity, solidarity, and true inclusivity of all our marginalized communities but to ACT accordingly."
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