Living OUT Loud in our Worship in our Work and in our Witness… What have you done to Live OUT Loud?

So what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn’t hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending [God’s] own Son, is there anything else [God] wouldn’t gladly and freely do for us? And who would dare tangle with God by messing with one of God’s chosen? Who would dare even to point a finger? The One who died for us – who was raised to life for us! – is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us. Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ’s love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture: “They kill us in cold blood because they hate you. We’re sitting ducks; they pick us off one by one.” None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I’m absolutely convinced that nothing – nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable – absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.

This month, on September 25, we celebrate GLBTQQIA Pride. This is a chance to be OUT Loud in our living witness that God is an awesome God who not only created each and every one of us as unique individuals with a divine purpose but also loves every one of us and considers each of us God’s own.

Launch OUT Loud is the celebration of the Outreach Ministry. Outreach’s focus is to get the word out about St. John’s so that we can be OUT Loud as witnesses for God. As Paul points out in Romans 8, absolutely nothing can come between us and God’s love for each and every one of us. Pride is a great chance to launch that message to our brothers and sisters in the community and beyond.

So during this month of Pride, what will you be doing to launch this message to others? When at Pride, we can show love and kindness to everyone from the participants to the protesters and remind all that they are truly God’s Beloved, Deeply Loved, Richly Gifted, Highly Favored, and Abundantly Blessed.

Write it down and feel free to share your OUT Loud moment by dropping this page into the collection basket or going to www.StJohnsMCC.org and clicking on the virtual Living OUT Loud wall under Main Menu on the left. We will post these OUT Loud moments in the Friendship Hall and on line and want to hear from you every month!