December 20
…empathize with Palestinian pain, are convicted by our complicity in it, and ultimately choose solidarity with their liberation struggle. It comes down to whether we have tears to shed alongside them. Grief is important for transformation, same as water to a garden. Shame and denial are weeds that choke growth. Shouts of joy come with shining sunlight clearly, until all…
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 12 - Courage Beyond Fear
…with our fears and doubt so that they might be transformed into courage and action by your liberating love. Give us your power, your protection, your guidance and your strength as we go forth into this world that longs for your freedom to seek justice and bring love to birth. Amen. Artwork: “Courage” by Yohana Junker (discover more at: https://www.yohanajunker.com/)…
December 22
In this passage from Isaiah, we read, hear, or feel the text tell us that hope is still for God’s people even though God’s people are hurting one another. Exile does come, but so does the promise of restoration which we will learn requires partnership and just action with God. Our text for today, when liberated for all bodies,…
December 5
…Sometimes I want God to come to Earth to back me up, like Isaiah writes in the beginning of this passage: why don’t you tear open the heavens and get down here already! I don’t need the mountains to quake or nations to tremble, I just need God to tell everyone to change their oppressive policies and practices so life…
December 11
…Instagram: @CokeTani, Facebook: @Coke.Tani and at CokeTani.com. You can also meditate with the podcast version of our Monday Movement practices! Listen to the reflection on all major podcast apps in our “UCC Cast” feed- every Monday morning this Advent. Follow UCC Cast Artwork: “Esperanza” by Melanie Cervantes. Used with permission CC BY-NC-ND Find more at Justseeds Artists’ Cooperative…
December 16
What I am sitting with in my spirit and feeling in my bones this Advent is somewhere, everywhere, oppressed, enslaved, traumatized people are practicing freedom. Somewhere, everywhere, throughout all of time, amidst lives stolen and worlds crumbling, people and communities reflect “our intentional relationship to divine change in apocalyptic circumstances” (from Foreword by Alexis Pauline Gumbs in Practicing New…
December 8
…a request by making statements and providing space for the person we’re interacting with to respond. No matter what rhetorical strategy the angel employs in this story, Mary is responding to a question. In Luke’s birth narrative, the angel comes to Mary with a confusing message and an improbable possibility. God is with her and will honor her by giving…
December 24 - Enflesh
…brown, red, yellow, and white hues beautiful, beloved, and blessed. Abolition restores, redeems, heals, and recreates. Abolition is Love born of the will of God, made flesh among us. May it be so. Ashe. Amen. Prayer Inhale: In love, the Word becomes flesh. Exhale: Through me, the Word becomes abolition. Artwork: “Enflesh” by Yohana Junker (discover more at: https://www.yohanajunker.com/)…