To Los Angeles, with Love

Today was Pride Day in Los Angeles, and the Episcopal Diocese of L.A. were selling T-shirts.  The design was a really eye-catching design of mosaic-like Jesus with the message: "The Episcopal Church... and proud of it!  Come As You Are!"

I don't often shell out money for T-shirts any more, but this was one that I could not pass up.  And I was super excited when it arrived in the mail right before a big Pride weekend not only in L.A. but up in Boston as well.  I was looking forward to wearing it to church this morning, and celebrating in my own small way something that I think is important missionary work of the Episcopal Church: namely, outreach to the LGBT community.   In places like Los Angeles and St. Louis, the Episcopal Church leaves the comfort zone of the pews and hymnals, and meets people on the street for a Eucharist at the Pride Parade.  How cool is that?

Answer: Very!

Strange as it may seem, wearing the diocesan T-shirt under my vestments as I served this morning felt really good.  Even though I live at the other end of I-10, I felt connected to a community of believers who were also enjoying that one time of the year when we put aside our political struggles to enjoy being out of the closet and proudly marching and dancing in the streets with our peeps.  Knowing that the institutional church, in some parts of the country, will celebrate along with us proves that a peaceable kingdom can be a reality.  And in the Episcopal Church, "there will be no outcasts."

Come as you are!  Yes!