Moving Forward - 13 February 2025

THURSDAY, February 13, Absalom Jones

Isaiah 60:15 Whereas you have been forsaken and hated, with no one passing through, I will make you majestic forever, a joy from age to age.

A friend once asked me if I could imagine a life without the threat and weight of racism. I was both saddened and shocked to find that I could not, yet happy and perplexed that my sister-friend, a full generation my junior, could and did so on a regular basis. It had to do with differing life experiences, to be sure, but I also believe she practices a more joyful and faithful process of using her holy imagination to see what God dreams for the world.

I think many Christians who partner with God to change the world for the better, like Absalom Jones whom we honor today, do the same. Maybe they can imagine living in the reality described in the liberating poetry of Isaiah 60:1-17. For me, reading and meditating on this passage makes the possibility of living in a constant state of equality and human dignity seem more real. Immersing myself in these words, I can imagine what lived freedom in the Beloved Community might feel like, and I become empowered by the Holy Spirit to act on it.

MOVING FORWARD: Can you imagine what a world of equality and love for all would look like? What small action toward this reality can you take today?

PRAY for the Lusitanian Church (Extra Provincial)

Ps [83] or 146, 147 * 85, 86 | Isaiah 60:1-17 | 2 Timothy 2:14-26 | Mark 10:17-31

(Source: Forward Day by Day Movement)