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| Dr. Grace Al-Zoughbi Arteen |
“The ‘good news’ of Jesus’ birth is a direct challenge to the status quo, declaring that the true King has come to bring peace on Earth, not through conquest or domination, but through humility, service and sacrificial love,” writes Arteen, an assistant professor at Arab Baptist Theological Seminary in Beirut, Lebanon. “This story resonates deeply with those who continue to live under unjust systems. Jesus’ birth signals the beginning of a new world order — one where the last will be first, where the marginalized are lifted up, and where the kingdoms of this world are turned upside down by the kingdom of God.”
Arteen’s piece is the Christmas Eve entry in “Boundless: An Anti-Colonial Advent Devotional,” which was released Nov. 11 by Unbound: An Interactive Journal of Christian Social Justice.
The free devotional, with a focus on liberation, features writers including Sarah Augustine, the author of “The Land Is Not Empty: Following Jesus in Dismantling the Doctrine of Discovery,” the Rev. Jermaine Ross-Allam, director of the Center for the Repair of Historic Harms, the Rev. Claudia Aguilar Rubalcava, director of engagement for More Light Presbyterians, and Dr. William Yoo, author of “What Kind of Christianity: A History of Slavery and Anti-Black Racism in the Presbyterian Church.”
“The writers of the devotional come from spaces where dominating powers have stolen land, culture and people,” said the Rev. Lee Catoe, editor of Unbound. “The Advent and Christmas stories are surrounded by the colonizing entity of the Roman Empire that impacted the lives of all of the characters: Mary, Joseph, Jesus, the shepherds, etc. The writers of Boundless take those stories and apply them to their context, whether that be in India, the U.S., Palestine, Latin America and beyond. … The powers of the colonizers are still very much present.”
The devotional is intended to motivate people to do more than just read. “This devotional calls us to dismantle those (aforementioned) powers and work toward anti-colonial models of liberation that our Scriptures and traditions have always supported (and) in fact are central to our faith,” Catoe said.
Although regular readers of Unbound will find plenty to love about the devotional, it’s intended for a broad audience.
“I think everyone should read it, no matter if you are deep in your deconstruction of colonization or you are just beginning,” Catoe said. “It is my hope this starts conversations in faith spaces about our role in both repenting of the church’s major part in colonizing the world and working to dismantle it. No matter where we sit on the ideological spectrum, this devotional will start conversations.”
The devotional includes many enthusiastic contributors with compelling reasons for taking part in the project.
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| The Rev. Lee Catoe (Photo by Rich Copley) |
“Last year, I wrote a Lenten devotional for Unbound titled ‘Weeping with Those Who Weep.’ It was an opportunity to connect the teachings of Jesus with the experiences of our Indigenous peoples in North America, while also raising awareness within the majority culture,” Wildman said. “When Unbound invited me to write a devotional for Advent, I saw it as another chance to continue this important work. I’m often struck by how the colonial experience of our Indigenous people casts a revealing light on how we interpret the Scriptures.”
Another contributor with personal perspective on the region is the Rev. Dr. Niveen Ibrahim Sarras of St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in Neenah, Wisconsin. She was born and raised in Bethlehem, Palestine.
“I wanted to publish this article in ‘Boundless: An Anti-Colonial Advent Devotional’ to share a theological perspective on John’s prologue that resonates deeply with my own experiences of Israeli settler colonialism,” she said. “Through this reflection, I connect the incarnation of Christ — born into a context of Roman imperial oppression — with the ongoing struggles of Indigenous peoples, particularly Palestinians, who endure land dispossession, segregation and marginalization.”
Unbound is one of the Compassion, Peace & Justice ministries of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
Darla Carter, Communications Strategist, Interim Unified Agency (Click here to read original PNS story)
Let us join in prayer for:
- Lindy Ebbs, Administrator, Constituency Relationships, Relationship & Development Operations, Administrative Services Group, (A Corp)
- Jeffrey Eddings, Associate, Coaching & Spiritual Formation, 1001 New Worshiping Communities, Interim Unified Agency
Let us pray:
We thank you, Lord, for working in our lives. May you use us as servants/leaders to help grow your church. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
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