December 6 - Garlands Instead of Ashes
…who are alone, let this prayer come as comfort. To the ashamed, the traumatized, let this prayer sing with gladness. To the ones who feel disposable, let this prayer be a garland of honor and dignity. To the ones who are waiting, let this prayer become our abolition practice. Amen. Artwork: “Plunge” by Yohana Junker (discover more at: https://www.yohanajunker.com/)…
December 15
…God’s light shining through us. From a theological standpoint, we can hold together the present and future of liberation in which communal/community/communion and celebration in the present serve as precursors to a future when the mending of all that has been disrupted is complete, because everyone is essential, present and welcomed at the table, just as they are and are…
A Pastoral Letter of Support for Our Haitian Siblings in Springfield
September 18, 2024 Dear Friends in Christ, I write from my heart to yours calling you to join me in support of the Haitian community in Springfield, Ohio, which is part of the Southern Ohio Northern Kentucky Association (SONKA) of the Heartland Conference. These beloveds of God have experienced prejudice and threats of violence as a result of lies that…
December 21 - After the Deportation
…steadfast connection. For those who are rejected, make us loving welcome. For those who are cast away, make us embracing protection. God-for-us, God-with-us, expand our “us.” Give us the creativity and long-term commitment to refuse to let separation have the final word, until all of “us” are free. Amen. Artwork: “End Deportation” by Yohana Junker (discover more at: https://www.yohanajunker.com/)…
November 27 - Keeping Awake
…Emanuel, God-with-us, we long for your presence. This Advent, while we are waiting and preparing, show us how you draw near even now in glimpses of a new day dawning, in dreams of freedom emerging. Through our practices of hope, keep us awake and moving toward justice. Amen. Artwork: “In This Body” by Yohana Junker (discover more at: https://www.yohanajunker.com/)…
December 1 - Leader-full Liberation
…even as we hold on to the hope-filled imagination of new branches, new freedom-fighters always emerging. While we are waiting, empower us to take up our role in the unfolding story of redeeming love and righteous freedom, so that your kindom may come in this time and this place. Amen. Artwork: “Liberate” by Yohana Junker (discover more at: https://www.yohanajunker.com/)…
December 14 - New Prophets Rising
…into the way of peace? Prayer God of tender mercy, we are waiting. Come. New-day Maker, Dawn-Breaker, we are preparing. Come. With-Us-in-the-Darkness, Abiding One, we are longing. Come. Bringer of Peace, Maker of Ways-Out-of-No-Way, we are hoping. Come. Come, and be born in our hearts and our actions. Amen. Artwork: “Raise Up” by Yohana Junker (discover more at: https://www.yohanajunker.com/)…
Following Jesus - the Revolutionary Storyteller - beyond Book Bans
…logics of dominance and oppression that live in us. Perhaps he knew that stories can move, compel and inspire us to imagine beyond empire. Perhaps he recognized the way stories invite transformation by expanding the experiences that shape us. From good Samaritans and prodigal sons to persistent widows and dishonest managers, Jesus told stories as sacred encounters with new ways…
December 22 - Creating Accountability
“Abolition involves dismantling institutions that reproduce and mask harm, but it also demands the more radical work to imagine and to build up practices, vocabularies, and communities that facilitate [freedom]. The work to build up community responses to end…violence; the mobilizations to challenge the indefinite caging of our communities; our collective and daily labor inside and outside of prisons…