Slideshow image

"Clothe yourselves with compassion…” (Colossians 3:14)

Friends,

Compassion is where Paul begins in this morning’s reading from morning prayer. Not with commands, not with corrections, but with a tender invitation. An invitation to choose, each day, the kind of life that makes room for others. Kindness. Humility. Gentleness. Patience. And above all, love.

He’s writing to a church—much like ours—trying to figure out how to live the resurrection life in the light of Christ. How to be a community where people can truly belong, even in their differences. Where peace can take root. Where forgiveness has room to grow.

That vision is beautiful. And it’s also not always easy.

May 17 is the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia—a day that still matters deeply. Not because nothing has changed, but because pain still exists. Sometimes it’s obvious—heard in rejection or ridicule. Other times, it’s more hidden—felt in unease, in avoidance, in silence.

And truthfully, the church has not always been a place of safety. Many have known what it feels like to be watched, but not truly seen. Welcomed, but kept at a distance. Prayed about, but not prayed with. That kind of experience can leave a mark.

And yet—here’s the grace: that’s not the end of the story.

Somehow, even through all of that, something deeper has always been at work. A voice calling not with shame, but with belonging. A love that persists. A love that keeps finding a way.

Here at St. Francis, I see that love showing up—in the care we offer one another, in the questions we dare to ask, in the space we are slowly, faithfully making. I see signs of grace, and that gives me hope.

Our Franciscan tradition reminds us that God is present in all things—and in all people. Everything belongs to God. And if that’s true (and I believe with my whole heart that it is), then no life is too complicated, too unfamiliar, or too different to be holy.

This year, our Acting Primate and the National Lutheran Bishop have invited us to mark May 17 as part of our calling as the Church—to be a people who build communities of love for all.

In their invitation, they encourage us to:

  • Keep learning, and unlearning, with humility.
  • Pray with and for those still seeking safety and belonging.
  • Celebrate the gifts LGBTQ2SIA+ people bring to the Church.
  • Speak with compassion when others are being diminished or dehumanized.
  • Make room—real, lasting room—for those who’ve been pushed out elsewhere.

This is not about politics or pressure—it’s about remembering what lies at the heart of our faith: the Gospel, dressed in everyday clothes.

A gospel that calls us to:

  • Keep growing in love.
  • Keep choosing compassion.
  • Keep putting on love like a garment we wear daily—because love is what binds everything together. It’s what holds us as a community, and what leads us more deeply into Christ.

May we, together, continue to build community that celebrates the diverse tapestry of Gods abundance made real in creation. 

Blessings,

Alex+