Transcript:
Rev. Kym Lucas:
Greetings, beloved in Christ. This past Sunday, after my regular Sunday visitation, I was excited to be heading to Boulder, Colorado, to celebrate an evening with Locally Haiti. Locally Haiti is an organization formerly known as the Colorado Haiti Project, that seeks to build on a community partnership started almost 40 years ago. I was excited to be at this celebration, celebrating our partnership with the people and community leaders in Petit-Trou-de-Nippes. Excited to be celebrating the completion of a medical center and to be raising funds that are critical for our ongoing partnership with the people of Petit-Trou. I was horrified to learn on the way of an incident of violence, of someone throwing incendiary devices at a protest.
It was horrifying because it pointed to the increased violence in our world. I am witnessing every day an increase in violent speech, hate speech, an increase in violence as a means to settle problems. And I remind myself every day that we are followers of the Prince of Peace. We who claim Jesus are called to strive for justice and peace, recognizing that there can’t be true peace without justice. But also recognizing that violence only begets violence. The violence in speech that demonizes and dehumanizes people, the violence in action are contrary to the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. And so I ask you to pray. To pray for an end to violence in our world, to pray for a vision from our God of a peaceful world, to pray for ways that you and I can be arbiters of justice and peace. Our scripture tells us it is not against flesh and blood, which we contend, but against powers and principalities that devalue the life of certain humans that refuses to see the image of God in the other.
And you and I are called, called to see that image, to seek and serve Christ in all persons. As we are entering Pride month, I am aware of so much anti-Pride rhetoric on social media. And I want to say, as I have always said, I stand with my LGBTQIA siblings. I see them. I see God’s grace in them. I see God’s love for them, and I stand with them. This year, other leaders in the diocese and I have struggled with the ethics of corporations capitalizing on the idea of pride and not supporting the cause itself. And so we are inviting communities to be hyper-local in your pride observance, partner with organizations in your community, partner with businesses that are LGBTQIA+ friendly, partner with other congregations from other faiths and denominations. I hope that we can make a witness for peace and justice and that we can eschew any perpetuation of violence. Whether that violence is through active participation or passive witness, is my prayer that we will stand up for the peace that our loving God desires in and for all of us. Blessings.