December 7

I hear time and time again, “where is God in all this suffering?” Here. Right here with us, in us, moving us to create systems built with justice that serve everyone. We are not lacking in any spiritual gift – we have what we need to create justice, even as we wait for the full revelation of God’s love among us.  God is moving through us, enriching us to speak what must be said when advocating for bodily autonomy and freedom. God is moving through us, as the knowledge of what each of us needs to live lives that are faithful to ourselves in relationship with God.

We are called into partnership with Jesus, just as we are called into partnership with those whose needs are been forced to the margins. Jesus would have us in the camp with those who are inequitably penalized by our systems of punishment and incarceration, struggling with them for abolition. Jesus would have us kneel and wash the dust from the feet of those who have walked by shouting protestors to get the reproductive care they have discerned, journeying with them toward freedom. Jesus would have us sit in grief with those who have lost community and family members to violence at the hands of the system that is supposed to protect and serve them, mourning with them toward healing. Enriched, equipped and yet still waiting, we are called to be partners in the unfolding of God’s love made flesh, dwelling with us, in us, and moving us toward freedom for all bodies.

Prayer

As we await the revealing of your love, fully embodied and made real in our midst,
Faithful God, keep our lives unfolding in the direction of freedom:
for me, for others, for us, for all.
In partnership with you, Immanuel, God-with-us, we pray.  Amen.

Artwork: “Our Bodies, Our Decisions” by Kristina Brown.
Used with permission CC BY-NC-ND
Find more at Justseeds Artists’ Cooperative