Once a year, I do a “question box” sermon where the congregation writes down their questions on index cards and I answer as many as I can on the fly. This past Sunday, I reversed that and asked questions of the congregation, in order to identify who we are and what we agree is our purpose.

One thing I asked was about the adjectives for this church. We had many: Accepting. Welcoming. Fun-loving. Forgiving. Progressive. Inclusive. Friendly. Ageless. Growing, Experimenting. Safe. Free. Unconventional. Musical. Loving. Patriotic. Hopeful. Peaceful. Service. Real. Resilient.

“Fun-loving.”

I love that this is a part of our self-identity. Some may question in Such Time Such As This whether “fun” is necessary. I will argue that it is precisely at Such a Time as This that we most need to make time for fun, as fun is a part of resilience. I am reminded of what Dan Savage says: “During the darkest days of the AIDS crisis, we buried our friends in the morning, we protested in the afternoon, and we danced all night. The dance kept us in the fight because it was the dance we were fighting for. It didn’t look like we were going to win then and we did. It doesn’t feel like we’re going to win now but we could. Keep fighting, keep dancing.”

This Saturday at 6:00, we dance. And drink, and eat, and laugh, and BID. This is a fundraiser for the ministries of Live Oak, so it’s a Gala with a Silent and a Live Auction. Bid generously! It is also time to let our hair down, and even be silly. The theme is Across the Eras, and you are invited to dress in the Era of your choosing. It does not have to be an Era in your lifetime. Heck, got a Renaissance costume you like? That’s an Era, too.

“I’m in my ____ era” has become a viral saying, e.g. “I’m in my gym era,” or “I’m in my travel era.”

Whatever other eras we are in, we are in our “chosen village” era. Long may we be.