Pride month.
It's not only the time we think of. It's the time that Christians emerge to wave our own "pride flag".
Too often we become like the Pharisee who thanked God that he was not as other men were. We parade and flaunt our self-righteousness and show off our trophies of good Christian lives and accomplishments, ignoring the skeletons in our closets.
I know where I believe the Bible stands on the question of LGBTQ+. I stand with that. I know what the Bible says about God hating pride - and I know that means He hates my pride in thinking I'm better than someone else because I live (and sin) differently.
To those who have held a flicker of longing to reach for Jesus, and those with "God hates ****" signs shut you down, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for the hypocrisy we place on display every year. I'm sorry we haven't appropriately shown Jesus to you and provided a space for you to find your true identity and purpose.
I'm sorry that we forget - Jesus ate with sinners and tax collectors.
Yes, I know what some are thinking. "But remember, Jesus told the woman caught in adultery to 'go and sin no more'! We can't condone sin!". Oh yeah. He said that. With the purest love possible. With an invitation to relationship in it. Not with the expectation that she would go and clean herself up, but in the hope she would embrace a chance at transformation. The transformation so many took hold of just because they got to know Him.
We expect transformation from people, but fail to spend time with them. Fail to show them love and truth mingled. Fail to show them Christ. And then berate them because they "rejected the truth". Did they? Or did they reject us because we're bigoted, self-righteous, hateful jerks who don't know the Lord as well as we claim we do?
My fellow Christians, I am pleading with you. We have to be better. We have to ask for the Spirit's leading. There are those who have offered love without truth, and it's been shallow, with no transformation or salvation offered. Then too many times we offer truth without love, and it's been harsh and cold, also not allowing for transformation. On the contrary, it drives people away.
This month, I pray we can let down our pride flags and extend mercy. Grace. Truth. Love. Maybe, just maybe, they can lower their flags too, and reach for something more. Something that will fulfill.
Because actually, love is love - if it's Jesus we're talking about.
~ Artwork by Salt & Gold
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