Friends,
This week, I have had 3.5 hour rehearsals almost every night for the Austin Gay Men’s Chorus Spring Concert. It has been exhausting and exhilarating all at the same time. As the concert comes together in its performance-ready shape, I realize how the music tells the story of so many persons and communities that have been marginalized, vilified, oppressed, and feared. We will sing songs and tell stories in solidarity with not only our LGBTQIA+ siblings, but with Black and Brown and Indigenous communities as well. It inspires me to witness how the chorus comes together to live into its mission of ‘raising voices in song to change minds, transform lives, and build communities.’
I am inspired in the same way by PCLT, when I witness the ways in which we all come together to live into our mission to be ‘a progressive voice for Christian engagement in the Lake Travis area.’ I hope to highlight those ways for us in worship each Sunday in May. This Sunday, May 7, we will consider what it means to be ‘living stones,’ offering welcome and hospitality to those who have so often felt unwelcome in other sacred spaces, by standing with, standing alongside, those who have been ignored or overlooked or pushed aside or rejected by others. When we are ‘living stones,’ with Christ as our cornerstone, we show the world what it means to be a Christian community of hospitality and welcome.
I look forward to worshiping with you tomorrow.
Oh, and if you haven’t gotten your tickets for the concert, there might still be some available for the Sunday afternoon performance!
Peace,
Pastor Jack
