Witness for Justice Archives - United Church of Christ

In Midst of Anti-Immigrant Discourse,  People of Faith Must Offer a Prophetic Welcome

Dave Sarkies — Thu, 01 Feb 2024 18:00:00 +0000

In the midst of the 2024 presidential election, anti-immigrant rhetoric is on the rise. A large percentage of voters are now naming immigration as the most important issue in this election in light of the influx of migrants at the…

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The Purpose of Education

Dave Sarkies — Thu, 25 Jan 2024 18:00:00 +0000

What is the purpose of education? For many, it is economic advancement. We pursue education to get better employment opportunities, which (theoretically) lead to better earnings and a better quality of life. But education serves a greater function in society…

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In Praise of (Some) Organized Religion

Dave Sarkies — Wed, 17 Jan 2024 20:59:19 +0000

A new report on spirituality in the United States was recently released by the Pew Research Center. It was greeted with the usual round of news stories about how “Americans have been abandoning organized religion in droves” while a growing…

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Hope in the Bleak Midwinter

Dave Sarkies — Thu, 11 Jan 2024 18:00:00 +0000

I love the end-of-year holiday season. Starting with Thanksgiving and running through Christmas, it’s a time of anticipation, family, fun, and food for me. Growing up in central Maine, it was usually snowy and just cold enough to remind you…

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The Sacredness of Rest

Dave Sarkies — Thu, 04 Jan 2024 18:00:00 +0000

Rest is not optional. Resting one’s whole self is necessary. Closing your eyes and being still is not an elusive privilege. “Rest is as natural as breathing and waking up.”(Hersey, page 82). Rest does not always come easy for those…

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Care For Your Neighbor and Live

Dave Sarkies — Thu, 28 Dec 2023 18:00:00 +0000

The term “Good Samaritan” long ago expanded from a character title in Luke’s parable to a colloquialism that encompasses all people who provide care for strangers in need. News stories about Good Samaritans going to extreme measures to save another…

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Injustice is Heavy: Let There be Light

Dave Sarkies — Thu, 21 Dec 2023 18:00:00 +0000

A quick glance at the news and I almost shut down completely. There are so many social problems, acts of violence, and injustices that I cannot even begin to list them, let alone analyze them or find a meaningful response…

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Jesus in the Rubble

Dave Sarkies — Thu, 14 Dec 2023 18:00:00 +0000

You may have seen the photo. A baby Jesus figure, lying amidst the rubble, a piece of black and white checked fabric draped over his body. This is the nativity scene displayed by the Lutheran Church in Bethlehem. The scene…

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Zero Hunger

Dave Sarkies — Thu, 07 Dec 2023 18:00:00 +0000

Throughout the holiday season—from Thanksgiving, through Advent and Christmas, to the New Year—I find myself reflecting on a few consistent themes. Gratitude and giving are tops among them. In the busyness of the season, with so many seasonal distractions and…

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Slowing Down for Justice

Dave Sarkies — Thu, 30 Nov 2023 18:00:00 +0000

While I was pregnant with our second child, our local church held an Advent Fair where we all made Advent wreaths out of cardstock, paper greens, and small candles. We took ours home and I reverently placed it on our…

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It Is Right and Just

Dave Sarkies — Mon, 27 Nov 2023 15:15:00 +0000

Recently, I have been disturbed by the growing erasure of Thanksgiving as a legitimate holiday deserving of its moment to shine. Too many have now embraced a jump from Halloween to Christmas on November 1. In October, Target already looked…

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Bodily Autonomy Matters!

Dave Sarkies — Thu, 16 Nov 2023 18:00:00 +0000

Last week, Ohio sent a decisive message to the legislators of that state and the rest of the country: bodily autonomy matters! Among other things, Issue 1 on the state ballot this year establishes “an individual right to one’s own…

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TRANScending into Liberation

Dave Sarkies — Thu, 09 Nov 2023 19:00:00 +0000

“When I say trans, I also mean escape. I mean choice. I mean autonomy. I mean wanting something greater than what you told me. Wanting more possibilities than the one you forced on me.” – Travis Alabanza. The liberation of…

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Praying to the Saint of Tragedy

Dave Sarkies — Thu, 02 Nov 2023 17:00:00 +0000

I don’t know if there is an official saint of tragedy. I missed the day in Sunday school when they taught us about all the saints of the church. From what I can tell, there seems to be bits of…

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Ceasefire

Dave Sarkies — Thu, 26 Oct 2023 17:00:00 +0000

He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;he burns the shields with fire. Psalm 46:9 (NRSV) As I stare at this blank screen, a well of emotions wants to pour out.…

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People over Profits

Dave Sarkies — Mon, 23 Oct 2023 16:05:13 +0000

Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. He told those who were selling…

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Do Not Be Conformed to this Age or #DecolonizeIsNotAMetaphor

Dave Sarkies — Thu, 12 Oct 2023 17:00:00 +0000

“We revolt simply because, for many reasons, we can no longer breathe.” – Franz Fanon In an academic article published in 2012, Eve Tuck and K. Wayne Yang call scholars and activists to account for the way they use the…

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Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread

Dave Sarkies — Thu, 05 Oct 2023 17:00:00 +0000

I recently read a social media meme that stated: Imagine a faith so empty that you think offering prayer in schools is following Jesus, but offering free lunch to children in need is not. Mere hours ahead of a critical midnight…

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Human Trafficking: An Affront to God

Dave Sarkies — Thu, 28 Sep 2023 17:00:00 +0000

Slavery in its various forms is an age-old institution, as old ashumancivilization itself, and it appears that the world will continue to pursue ways to keep this scourge alive and profitable. Talking about human trafficking is certainly not a happy…

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“Large” Policy

Dave Sarkies — Thu, 21 Sep 2023 17:00:00 +0000

One hundred and twenty-five years ago, the United States was in the throes of a most vibrant debate over the issue of expansion. Should the US seek to exert its power and sovereignty over lands beyond the 48 contiguous states?…

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Profits Over Responsibility

Dave Sarkies — Thu, 14 Sep 2023 17:00:00 +0000

The climate crisis has been identified as the most pressing global issue of our time. Global warming and the rising temperatures it brings are contributing to the Arctic melting, rising sea levels, natural disasters as well as food and water…

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I Want to Believe… that Economic Justice is Out There

Dave Sarkies — Thu, 07 Sep 2023 17:00:00 +0000

Listen! The wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. – James 5:4 (New Revised Standard Version)…

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Rooted and Grounded in Love

Dave Sarkies — Thu, 31 Aug 2023 17:00:00 +0000

Mission in Latin America and the Caribbean can be interpreted as a clash between narratives. On the one hand, people can access the news delivered by mass media, which can give us the impression of knowing what is happening on…

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Growing into a Tree

Dave Sarkies — Thu, 24 Aug 2023 17:00:00 +0000

Matthew Chapter 13:31 “He told them another parable: The kindom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. 32 Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it…

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Five Years after Greta Thunberg Began Her Strike

Dave Sarkies — Thu, 17 Aug 2023 17:00:00 +0000

She started by herself. She started alone. She started with an action that many politically “astute” adults would readily dismiss as naïve and ineffectual. But on August 20, 2018, a 15-year-old named Greta Thunberg refused to attend the first day…

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The Gospel of Harm Reduction

Dave Sarkies — Thu, 10 Aug 2023 18:00:00 +0000

Since the “Faithful Advocacy for Intersectional and Transformational Healing in Harm Reduction” resolution was passed at Synod, I have been reflecting on models for this ministry of ours. I am moved profoundly by the model of ministry that people who…

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We’re Called to Stand Up Against Anti-Immigrant Politics

Dave Sarkies — Thu, 03 Aug 2023 17:00:00 +0000

It is clear that far-right political actors see increased migration as an occasion to stoke racism and fear in order to mobilize voters with a nationalist agenda. However, both parties seem to place blame of the increased reality of forced…

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Shame-busting with Jesus

Dave Sarkies — Thu, 27 Jul 2023 18:00:00 +0000

“I’m leaving my shame here and taking away healing.” These were the words of a participant in a recent ecumenical and interfaith Our Whole Lives/Sexuality and Our Faith Training. After decades of this holy work at the intersection of faith…

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Settler Colonial Policies Still Seek the Eradication of Native People

Chris Gabriel — Tue, 25 Jul 2023 14:47:35 +0000

In the throes of climate change and after generations of extractive and unsustainable water use in the Southwest United States, there is huge water crisis. States and different interest groups are trying to secure what they need, but last month,…

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Practicing Love Together

Dave Sarkies — Thu, 13 Jul 2023 17:00:00 +0000

Last November I had the joy of worshipping with University UCC in Seattle for Ubuntu Sunday. Ubuntu is an African concept of the interconnectedness of community most often translated with the phrase: “I am because We are.” On this Sunday,…

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A Call for the Church to Disability Justice

Dave Sarkies — Thu, 06 Jul 2023 17:00:00 +0000

Thirty-three years ago on July 26, 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law. This historic civil rights law protects the rights of people with disabilities and helps break down barriers to increase inclusion and accessibility. Disability…

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Drag Performance as Worship and Praise

Dave Sarkies — Thu, 29 Jun 2023 17:00:00 +0000

When I was pastoring a small-membership, open and affirming UCC church in Worcester, MA, I approached the congregation with the idea of having a drag performance in our sanctuary during Pride week as a form of outreach, as a fundraiser,…

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What’s Best for the Children?

Dave Sarkies — Thu, 22 Jun 2023 17:00:00 +0000

On June 15, the Supreme Court ruled in a 7-2 decision that the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) of 1978 is constitutional, despite challenges to it from three non-Native families and three states. The Washington Post characterizes the ICWA as…

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A Common Thread

Dave Sarkies — Thu, 15 Jun 2023 17:00:00 +0000

It was incredibly difficult to decide what topic to focus on when writing this piece. June is Pride Month, Gun Violence Awareness Month, and Torture Awareness Month. On June 19th we celebrate Juneteenth, June 20th is World Refugee Day, and…

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The Road to Activism

Dave Sarkies — Thu, 08 Jun 2023 17:00:00 +0000

I confess that throughout my life as an evolving queer organizer, I haven’t always been deeply aware of the intersectional components of systemic oppression. It’s easier to walk behind the footprint of another than to make new ones. Perhaps, that…

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Tug of War

Chris Gabriel — Fri, 02 Jun 2023 18:09:49 +0000

Over the past month, our nation has been anxiously watching the “debt ceiling” tug of war play out on Capitol Hill. The debt ceiling, or limit, is the maximum amount of federal debt the government can incur at any given…

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We Need Each Other

Dave Sarkies — Thu, 25 May 2023 17:00:00 +0000

I’ve spent my life learning from people who challenged me to listen intently and perfect my critical thinking skills, read books, and study documentaries about my people—African Americans and the history of Africans prior to their enslavement. My mentors pushed…

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How Does This Happen in 2023?

Dave Sarkies — Thu, 18 May 2023 17:00:00 +0000

In a shocking display of blatant racism, the Tennessee Congress recently voted to remove two Black elected officials, Justin Pearson and Justin Jones, from their positions in the Tennessee House of Representatives for using a bullhorn to protest gun violence on…

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The Spirit of Truth

Dave Sarkies — Thu, 11 May 2023 17:00:00 +0000

There are times where my soul starts churning. A discomfort, a tumultuous sensation that rises from my gut desiring to be released as a cry of righteous indignation. It happens in moments when I am confronted with profound injustice, this…

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Resurrection Comes

Dave Sarkies — Thu, 04 May 2023 17:00:00 +0000

During this post-Resurrection season of the Christian Faith, it is helpful to remember there were two sets of witnesses recorded at the empty tomb. One set of witnesses were the women, of course, who make their way in that darkness…

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Reproductive Rights ARE Human Rights

Dave Sarkies — Thu, 27 Apr 2023 17:00:00 +0000

Siblings in Christ, Seekers of Justice, We wish it were not true, but these are not unprecedented times; the right to bodily autonomy is a continual struggle and we’re seeing those rights being chipped away, sometimes bit by bit and…

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Resisting the Single Story in the Church

Dave Sarkies — Thu, 20 Apr 2023 17:00:00 +0000

My Holy Week musings about change and transformation included thoughts about the change of season—from winter to spring—and encompassed familiar themes of lilies and new life emerging after the winter. Except, I was in South America, where the season was…

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Stand

Dave Sarkies — Thu, 13 Apr 2023 17:00:00 +0000

“Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.” (Ephesians 6:13) “Did you see Justin Jones?” A…

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Celebrating the Unsung Heroes and Breaking Down Boxes

Dave Sarkies — Thu, 06 Apr 2023 17:00:00 +0000

I want to buy a big bouquet of flowers for every person who has scheduled a hard-to-schedule meeting. And name a boulevard for each person who keeps track of the action items and next steps on a big project. I…

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Cause for Alarm

Dave Sarkies — Thu, 30 Mar 2023 17:00:00 +0000

In my social media feed, there’s a funny video of an emu overreacting to a loud noise by running haphazardly around the pasture with panicked energy, its legs churning, its neck swinging in high alert. A voiceover for the emu…

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Closing the Global Gender Digital Divide

Dave Sarkies — Thu, 23 Mar 2023 17:00:00 +0000

The 67th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) was held in New York City between March 6 and 17, 2023. The agreed conclusions adopted by Member States constitute the first comprehensive global blueprint for the…

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The Sacred Web of Abundance

Dave Sarkies — Thu, 16 Mar 2023 17:00:00 +0000

The day after spreading their child’s ashes in Welaunee, also known as the South River Forest outside of Atlanta, the family of Manuel Paez Terán, “Tortuguita,” held a press conference to share the independent autopsy report. The independent autopsy found…

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New College

Dave Sarkies — Thu, 09 Mar 2023 18:00:00 +0000

In 1959, the UCC helped found and fund New College of Florida in Sarasota with this mandate: “The college shall be open to all students qualified for its academic program. Race, creed, national origin, or cultural status shall not be…

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“Bullets and Tanks Won’t Solve It”

Dave Sarkies — Thu, 02 Mar 2023 18:00:00 +0000

Last week, one year had passed since the Russian invasion of Ukraine took place. The war is now in its second year and there do not seem to be any promising diplomatic efforts underway to end the fighting. In the…

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Five Stages to Climate Hope

Dave Sarkies — Thu, 23 Feb 2023 18:00:00 +0000

More than you might know, you may be the kind of spiritual expert needed in the face of the climate crisis. If you have ever had the experience of moving from despair to hope, you likely have invaluable insights that…

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