Pride Sunday at Tabor on January 28 January 2024
Reconciling In Christ Sunday
January 28, 2024
As members of the body of Christ, we believe we are called to be about reconciliation both in the church and in the world. Through our baptism we are reconciled to God through the unconditional love of Christ Jesus. As children of God, we believe Christ calls us to lives of reconciliation, wholeness, integrity and authenticity. We believe we are challenged by the Gospel to be agents of healing and love within our church and society by holding space for all the human diversity of God’s creation.
We affirm with the Apostle Paul that in Christ “there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female” (Gal 3:28). Christ has made us one body with many members, equal at the foot of the cross and at Christ’s table of blessing and promise. God’s extravagant welcome is sure.
In the 1970’s one of Mount Tabor’s members by the name of Allen Blaich openly identified himself to the congregation as a gay man. This courageous act of faith began the conversation that led to our becoming a congregation that openly affirms the diversity of God’s good creation, and God’s inclusive love for human diversity. Allen went on to become one of the founders of Lutherans Concerned, a national organization of Lutheran Christians advocating for the full inclusion and leadership of LGBTQ+ children of God in the life and leadership of the Church and society. Lutherans Concerned established Reconciling in Christ Sunday in 1984. Today, Lutherans Concerned is known as “ReconcilingWorks” (http://www.reconcilingworks.org/news/rw)
As a Reconciling In Christ congregation, we call on all our sibling congregations in the ELCA to extend God’s extravagant welcome and genuine invitation for acceptance and full inclusion to
People of every age, class, color, and ethnic origin….
People of all sexual orientations and gender identities….
People who are single, married, divorced, separated, blessed or partnered….
People who are temporarily-able, disabled, or of differing abilities….
And we ask God, the Giver of life and all creation, to guide our ways in living out the ministry of reconciliation, always seeking to follow in the way of Christ Jesus.