June 29, 2023

 In my sermon a couple weeks ago I reminded us that in our collect we had prayed the dangerous prayer that we would “proclaim [God’s] truth with boldness.” Bold truth sounds different in different times and places and in the weeks ahead I hope we’ll keep exploring the possibilities in our time and place. For now, though, I suggested that this Pride month we proclaim truth by believing out loud and telling the world that ALL are not merely tolerated but welcomed and honored in our community. It will take some practice for us to be able to out proclaim the shouts of the haters, but there are so many who need unconditional love that we cannot keep silent. Raising our voices in public is hard for Episcopalians, but there’s an easy way to start. You don’t even have to open your mouth. The Diocese of Oregon has its very own Pride buttons and t-shirts (https://ecwo.myspreadshop.com/) and a quick search for “Episcopal Pride” on Etsy or Zazzle brings up many more. What an easy way to (hopefully!) start a conversation by, as Paul encourages us, “clothing ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.”