December 4
Many people express their distrust in Abolition because of all the uncertainty it holds. They come to the big, bold dreams of a world where we take care of each other, free of coercion and criminalization, with a lot of questions. How do we get from here to there? What happens when…? How would we do this part and…
December 2
Stand up. Raise up your heads. Your redemption is drawing near. Really? At this tattered front edge of Advent 2024, it may be hard to sense the proximity of redemption. It feels more like the rudder of the boat has come off and we are lost at sea. But part of the problem may be that we don’t understand…
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 9
…and witnessed their rejoicing, because not only God remembered them, but we did too. Maybe our journey toward Love-made-Flesh this year is about re-membering the glory of God’s beloved ones, dreaming and making real a world where all people are re-membered – restored to membership – in our communities and treated as agents of their own flourishing. Prayer Inhale: I…
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/)…
December 24
What does the Incarnation mean for our bodies – especially bodies considered outside of society’s norms? The bodies we are told in myriad ways to fear. The bodies that are labeled an epidemic. The bodies that internalize their own oppression and live in the mire of shame. The bodies lacking resources and community to thrive. These bodies ache with…
December 23
…those most impacted by systems and structures of oppression and empowering those who speak from different life experiences from us. Let us listen for and proclaim God’s abundance, acceptance and healing. When we put aside pride and lean into a new imagination with an open heart, we build collective resilience that points towards the hope that is coming. A love…
December 9
…are sometimes cost-prohibitive. Adoption, fertility treatments, and other methods are financially challenging for many and lack of access is a justice issue. Elizabeth was old. Conceiving as an older woman has its fair share of complications and stigma. Ageism in our societies interferes with the flourishing of women who conceive and parent at an older age. Our commitment to reproductive…