"For You": A Pride Month Meditation
I was wondering what to say as a pastor for Pride month. Being the Church Geek that I am, I wanted to share something that was grounded in the faith and what came to mind was communion. Here it is and Happy Pride and God Bless You. You can watch a video version below.
“For You.”
That’s something you might hear when you get communion. Someone will hand you a piece of bread and tell you “The body of Christ, broken for you.” and then they will give you the wine or grape juice and say, “The blood of Christ shed for you.”
I never heard those words until I went to Luther Seminary. Being among Lutherans I started to hear those words over and over. Growing up and taking communion, no one really ever said anything when the elements were handed out.
I liked hearing those words because they offered a sense of meaning and context to communion. We weren’t just handing out a cracker and grape juice, but we were remembering something. We were remembering Christ’s death and we are reminded that Christ dying on that cross wasn’t just the result of the Romans putting down another threat to their power. It was also something more, something far more. It was about Jesus coming to into our world to be with us and die for us. So when we take the bread and wine we are reminded what happened to him was for us. In Christ, we are free, forgiven and loved.
June is Pride month and I’ve been wondering what to say. What I started to think is that the bread and wine remind us that this love that God showed through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus is “for you.” And that for you means those of us who are LGBTQ. There are those who will say that because we are LGBTQ we are sinners and don’t deserve communion, but I am reminded of the verse in Romans that says that God showed his love toward us in that while we were sinners, Christ died for us. All of us, straight and gay are sinners, but communion reminds us that we are also loved by God. For those of us who are LGBTQ and feel that the church or even God couldn’t love you, the bread and wine are for you because God loves you as you. The love of God is for you. God’s forgiveness is for you. God loves you for you.
So, my message for Pride month is that God is for you. God cares for you. Because of this, this congregation is for you. As a servant of Jesus, I am for you. And know that the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Love of God and the Communion of the Holy Spirit is for you. Happy Pride.