This morning, October 20, I went to my closet and pulled out a pale purple button down. I will be joining hundreds of thousands of others wearing purple to remember, honour, and give hope. This is what it says on the facebook page:
It’s been decided! On October 20th, 2010, we will wear purple in honor of the LGBT youth who have committed suicide in recent weeks/months due to homophobic abuse in their homes and schools. PURPLE represents Spirit on the LGBTQ flag and that’s exactly what we’d like all of you to have with you: spirit. Please know that times will get better and that you will meet people who will love you and respect you for who you are, no matter your sexuality.
So why am I joining in? I’m a Baptist pastor, I’ve already declared that I think there’s more important things about you than how you feel about penises. I’ve preached on Romans 1 (which does touch on homosexuality) and the Sodom and Gommorah story (which does not). I have said that I believe sex acts outside a male/female covenantal marriage relationship are outside God’s will. Why am I intentionally joining in an event that seeks to promote and raise the spirit of LGBT youth? Well first of all, it’s a small and probably insignificant act of repentance. Regardless of what we think about lifestyles and orientations, we as the Church have failed to love God and love our neighbours as ourselves and things that pastors and churches have done and said have contributed to environment where hatred and violence toward Gay people has been allowed to exist. And where millions of I’m sorrys need to be said, this is one.
But bigger than that, people are dying. Not abstractions or orientations or agenda’s, but real flesh and blood human beings. Sons and daughters are dying because of fear and hate and hopelessness and I’m against that. More importantly Jesus is against that and his church should be against that and if wearing a purple shirt helps someone have enough hope to survive one more day I will wear one till I die. As a pastor my call is to share the good news that Jesus brings and just the first part of that Good news is that all people matter, And before we are anything else on this planet we are created and loved by the eternal and almighty God. And there is hope, no matter what we’ve done or what we desire we have hope in the God who lived died, rose from the dead and lives again for us. And that’s why this pastor’s wearing purple.
