A Message from Pastor Kaji
Dear Church:
Pride Sunday is always something special at The Park, and this year is no exception. This Sunday, we gather for a service that honors our LGBTQIA+ family, lifts up our shared dignity, and declares, in every way, that the love of God cannot and will not be limited by human hatred.
Our Pride worship is one of the most joyful, soul-stirring celebrations of the year. It’s a moment of fierce truth-telling and even fiercer love. And if you’ve been before, you know: when C. Anthony Bryant celebrates Pride, Spirit has A LOT to say.
Each year, C. Anthony brings a sacred anointing to songs that many might label secular, but which have been holy in queer spaces for generations. Songs of survival, tenderness, heartbreak, liberation, and glittering joy. This is the music that has walked people through rejection and resurrection, shame and self-discovery. When he sings, it’s not just performance. It is ministry.
This Sunday, we’ll also hear a powerful Word from scripture, calling us to step deeper into love, liberation, and community. As we prepare our hearts, let’s spend some time with the letter of 1 Peter, which speaks directly to those who have been cast aside, misnamed, and misunderstood, and dares to call us all chosen.
Worship Study Guide: 1 Peter 2:1–5
This short passage packs a theological punch. Peter uses the image of “living stones” to describe what it means to be part of a holy community. This is community that isn’t built on conformity, but on spiritual authenticity. It’s a deeply affirming text, especially for those who’ve been told they don’t belong in the house of God.
Take time with these questions as you reflect this week:
1. What parts of you have been rejected or misunderstood? How might God see those parts of you as sacred?
2. How do you experience spiritual growth when you are surrounded by people who affirm you as you are?
3. What does it mean to be a “living stone”? Where is God building something new in your life?
Join us this Sunday for a worship experience that centers joy, truth, beauty, and queer power. Bring a friend, come colorfully, and be ready to worship with your whole fabulous self.
Pax Christi,
Pastor Kaji
1 Peter 2:1-5 (Year C, p. 229):1 Rid yourselves of all malice, and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all slander. 2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow into salvation—3 if indeed you have tasted that the Holy One is good.
4 Come to Jesus, a living stone, although rejected by humanity yet chosen and precious to God. 5 And are yourselves, like living stones, being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.