06/02/2026
"Remember you are loved."
You'll increasingly find these Farmington Lutheran shirts around these parts, bearing this statement.
"You are loved" is a general statement. God loves all people. (Including you!) And it's not just recommended; love is reflected and commanded by Jesus:
"For God so loved the world..." (John 3:16).
"Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus..." (Romans 8:38-39).
"God is love." 1 John 4:8
"Love one another..." John 13:34
"...love your neighbor as yourself." (Matthew 22:39).
In June, "Remember you are loved" also becomes a specific statement. Pride month lifts up a group of people who are sometimes told, by someone or another, or by one church or another, that who they are is unwelcome, or unlovable.
The consequences of this narrative are real, and harmful (see, for example, TheTrevorProject). A local educator and panelist who worked with LGBTQ youth once shared that "the church" is the biggest source of strain, antagonism, and rejection for her students: that rather than being the most welcoming and loving place, the wider church is known as unwelcoming and unloving. We grieve this.
And so, while "Remember you are loved" is a general statement (You, dear reader, are loved!), it's also a specific statement this June, to those who need a reminder that all people (including you!) are fearfully and wonderfully made, created in the image of God.
Happy June. Happy Pride. Remember you are loved.
(PS - let us know if you want a shirt.)
