Posts Tagged ‘Justice’
Mercy’s Light
As Advent approaches and it gets darker in the northern hemisphere, the daylight in South Africa, where I live, stretches longer and longer. I haul out my Advent candles, which in the summer heat often end up slumped over by Christmas Day, and place them on the table. I need the light. South Africa is…
Read MoreA Prayer for A School Shooting
Again. Again. Again. Again. How long? How long. How long By what we have done And what we have failed to do, We have our children’s blood on our hands. Hear our cry, God of Justice. Heal our wounds, Prince of Peace. Help our brokenness, Spirit of Truth. We cannot live like this.Which is why…
Read MoreA Cry of Lament
How long, O Lord? How are we to bear this pain Over and over and over Blood cries out from the ground Again and again and again Met once more with Empty words and violent fists Hearts of stone which fail to see To weep, to lament, to repent How long, O Lord We are…
Read MoreLord Have Mercy
Lord have mercy. It all feels so hopeless as we talk and talk and posture and debate and namecall and swipe and dehumanize for our own gain and nothing changes. No end in sight as children keep dying and families keep weeping and wailing and grieving… Lord have mercy on us all. Where are our…
Read MoreWho is Our Neighbor?
I was hurrying, for no reason, really, except that that’s what grown-ups do. My four-year-old and I were taking another pandemic-necessitated walk around the block, passing houses, gardens, and cars we’d already seen dozens of times. Maybe hundreds. Judging by my son’s exclamations and endless stops to examine things, though, it may as well have…
Read MoreThe Fire for Justice: Your Turn
This Week on Mothering Spirit Stina’s essay shares the experience of reading Micah as a mother while the world burns. Rakhi’s prayer asks for mercy, hope, and light in the darkness. Resources to keep reflecting Rakhi’s shop Rakstar Designs offers a print of Micah 6:8 to support the Equal Justice Initiative founded by Bryan Stevenson. For more of Stina’s…
Read MoreReading Micah While the World Burns
This past summer some women from church decided to gather on Wednesday evenings to read Scripture. We rotated hosting responsibilities and, after the initial chit-chat and snack table perusal, settled into backyard lawn chairs to read a chapter aloud from the book of Micah. Yes, that Micah. The Biblical minor prophet, the “do justly, love…
Read MoreGrace and Generations: Your Turn
This Week on Mothering Spirit Kirby’s essay explored the impact of generational trauma on motherhood. Rakhi’s words beckoned us to pray for the grace to love deeper and wider, reaching out to all who need God’s justice and mercy. Resources to keep reflecting Native: Identity, Belonging, and Rediscovering God by Kaitlin Curtice, a Christian writer and…
Read MoreSet Our Hearts On Fire
God Who is Love, When we are weary and empty and find it difficult to love Gently remind us we need not rely on our own power, that we cannot love the way we are called to love on our own strength. Renew us from our exhaustion. Fill us with Your Holy Spirit to overflow,…
Read MoreHome and Hope: Your Turn
This Week on Mothering Spirit Sarah’s essay challenged us to reexamine our understanding of home. Kimberly’s prayer (in both English and Spanish) invited us to find God right where we are, within the simple joys of family life. Resources to keep reflecting A prayer for migrants and refugees. For more essays from Sarah Bahiraei, read El-Roi at the…
Read MoreCarrying Our Homes
She bounds down the concrete steps in her almost-two-year-old glory: wearing a backward t-shirt with the tag jutting out below her chin and a bright pink tutu over her pants. Her ponytail has migrated to the side of her head, sprouting like a horizontal palm tree. Thanks to the unsolicited comment from a neighbor tinkering…
Read More