This week, I had planned to write about my experience at Saturday’s Black Pride Expo. As some of you know, it was canceled. No notice and no details; so, I turned to social media to try to solve the mystery. Eventually, Black Pride STL posted an apology and some details. Of course, people reacted, and I started to notice something interesting. Along with the usual gobbledygook put out by people from the safety of their devices, most of the comments were love and support. Folks praised the good of Black Pride STL and uplifted the value of its presence in the community. They asserted the strength of this community as a whole and decried anyone’s attempts to cause trouble or bring harm. Later, the President of Black Pride STL made another post, which stated:

Moments like these remind us that even in challenging times, there is tremendous strength in coming together, standing beside one another, and choosing community.

As we continue to build upon this spirit of unity, I believe we have an opportunity to create something even more meaningful that elevates our roots in connection, collective support, belonging, and the true spirit of chosen family.

(You can read the entire post here.)

I am reminded of a poster I saw a few weeks ago that read, in part, “The fruit of the Spirit is love.” It got me to thinking. We often try to act in love and to be love and to bear witness to love. These are all good and important parts of living faith. Do we ever consider what we do to generate love? To grow it in the world?

Terrible things happen. We will do out best to respond in ways that help repair any damage. In the meantime, let us work to generate love. And when the terrible comes along, the love will be more keenly felt. That is my prayer for us all.

Pastor Tijuana