Our Beloved Community: Trinity Sunday
A sermon on Colossians 3: 12 – 17
The Great Blue Shirt Incident
Eleven years ago, we were planning a special five-generation photo—my grandmother, my mother, my daughter, me, and my grandson. I told everyone to wear blue. I showed up wearing a snazzy blue shirt.
Turns out, it was grey. Completely grey.
There I am, the odd duck, in that treasured family photo that we all walk by every day because we all display it in our homes. My daughters still razz me regularly. I say, “Oh yeah? I’ll have you know people ask me for fashion advice.”
Their eyes grow wide. They are like, “OMG, NO!” They’ve seen me wearing mismatched shoes and inside-out polo shirts.
The Question Behind the Question
I say, “Yup. Sometimes when I invite people to church, they ask me–of all people–what they should wear. I tell them, ‘Clothes. Just wear clothes.” Okay, it’s not really fashion advice, but it does temporarily deflect my daughters’ teasing.
When I get the question about clothing, I suspect that beneath the question lurks deeper anxiety: ‘Will I belong? Will I be seen and accepted–even with my doubts and flaws?’ Or will I be the odd duck out?” We all wonder: must we perform to be loved, or can we simply be ourselves? That’s why it’s so powerful to be able to tell them, “Whoever you are and wherever you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here.”
For one hundred years, from generation to generation, that attitude has been baked into the DNA of our church, and in our world of division and hatred and tribalism, it’s needed now more than ever. If Bay Shore didn’t exist, someone would need to come along and invent it because we all desperately seek a community where we’re accepted for who we are–warts and all. So, I thank God for all of you who embody that sense of community. We are on a quest to become the beloved community that Paul talked about in our scripture, where we clothe ourselves in compassion, kindness, humility, and patience–forgiving and bringing the best out of each other.
Wear This, Not That
Think of Colossians as a spiritual version of the old makeover show, What Not to Wear. Hosts guided participants to strip away outfits that don’t serve them and replace them with items that help their personality shine. Paul does something similar in Colossians 3:5-17. He says, “Strip off” the old garments of anger, malice, slander, abusive speech, and then “clothe yourselves” with compassion, kindness, humility, patience, and above all, love. It’s a spiritual wardrobe transformation: giving someone a wardrobe rebirth, Paul’s vision offers a character makeover that helps followers of Jesus walk out into the world beautifully, boldly, and with grace.
Your New Wardrobe
So they don’t become mere pleasant buzz words, let’s consider what Paul is asking of us:
Compassion that says I see what you’re going through, and you don’t walk it alone.
Kindness that shows up in concrete actions by showing up for others, and giving them the benefit of the doubt, assuming the best and not the worst in them.
Humility that listens more than it speaks.
Patience to be there for each other over the long haul, and not kicking over the game table whenever we don’t get our way. It breathes deep and doesn’t give up.
And above all, love that gets its hands dirty to help bring out the best in each other.
The Beloved Community
These are adornments of what we call “The Beloved Community.” It’s a concept first coined by philosopher Josiah Royce in 1913. Decades later, Martin Luther King Jr breathed new life into it. He envisioned a world where people of every background could live in justice, peace, and dignity, where love replaced hatred, where reconciliation replaced revenge, where our interconnectedness wasn’t just tolerated but cherished.
He said that it starts from adopting an attitude of non-violence in our hearts. Not only do we eschew violent actions and retaliation, but we refrain from words that injure, and we actively pray for the best for others, even opponents.
At the General Assembly of the National Council of Churches, he said, “The aftermath of non‑violence is the creation of the beloved community, while the aftermath of violence is tragic bitterness.”
We aim not for the spoils of victory. Not the score-settling of vengeance. But the sacred aftermath of nonviolence. This isn’t just a historical ideal; for 100 years, Bay Shore has strived to be a living laboratory for this very vision.
The Bay Shore Tailor Shop
For 100 years, Bay Shore Church has been a tailor shop for the Spirit. This congregation has helped people try on new garments of grace. Has taught generations how to clothe themselves in compassion.
This is a place where the LGBTQ+ community has been welcomed and affirmed when so many churches told them to leave their whole selves at the door.
This is a place where meals have been prepared, hands have been held, and songs have been sung—not out of obligation but out of love.
This is a place where, when someone stumbles, others don’t point fingers—they reach out to lift them.
Are we perfect? No. Do we always get it right? Of course not. However, being part of the Beloved Community doesn’t mean being flawless. It means being faithful. It means continuing to show up, to try again, to love again, to forgive again.
I have always understood it this way: our church is the place where we practice these actions with one another so that when we go out into our daily lives, we will know how to act and bless our families, workplaces, and communities.
A Week of Violence and Animosity
And it’s needed now more than ever. Just look at what we’ve seen this week.
Violence at protests in LA.
ICE agents are rounding up whoever they can find cruelly. At the Downey Memorial Christian Church, they took down a man in the parking lot, and when Rev. Tonya Lopez tried to find out the man’s name so she could find him after they took him, they waved a rifle at her. You may remember her because we helped support her journey into ministry when she preached here a few years ago. Look up what she said about the incident. I’m so proud of her and her vision of the beloved community that sticks up for people.
Israel and Iran are launching missiles into civilian areas.
Two lawmakers were gunned down in Minnesota, killing one and her husband and wounding another couple, presumably because someone didn’t like their politics.
A flex of military might in a parade in Washington and massive No Kings protests here and around the country, hoping for a better way.
It’s overwhelming, and so is the need for a renewed vision of the beloved community. Because in that vision, we regenerate hope. Yes, we live in a world addicted to force and fear. BUT because God’s love is tenacious, becausecompassion is better than domination, because for 100 years this very church has embodied a different way—we declare that love, not enmity, is the binding agent of community. We declare that the Beloved Community is not a distant dream, but a living, breathing reality, continually being stitched together right here. This isn’t passive hope; it’s an active, prophetic declaration that the garments of grace Paul speaks of are not just for personal spiritual makeovers, but for mending the torn fabric of our world.
Clothe Yourselves Appropriately in Response
When overwhelmed, ask, “What is mine to do? What act of goodness can I do right now?”
However else you may feel called to respond, adopt a spirit of non-violence. Strip yourself of garments of malice, hatred, and abusive speech. Clothe your spirit with compassion, kindness, humility, and patience, forgiving, and above all, love.
So here’s your invitation. Every morning, when you get dressed, make it a spiritual practice:
- As you pull on your shirt, breathe deep and pray, “God, let compassion cling to me.”
- As you put on a belt, whisper, “Fasten me with love.”
- As you tie your shoes, say, “Help me walk in kindness today.”
Because the Beloved Community doesn’t fall from the sky. It is sewn stitch by stitch, garment by garment, act by act. It is made real in homes, in protests, in policy, in pews, in churches like ours.
In two weeks, as part of our centennial celebration, we will take a group photo of everyone together. The beloved community. What should you wear for the photo?
Compassion, kindness, humility, patience, and love. Because when our common thread is love, we’re perfectly dressed no matter what. And clothes. Wear clothes. Amen.