(Un)Mute Yourself, Day 26
Luke 2:2 | This was the first contact tracing and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria.
We close out this Advent season of 2020 with the Rev. Priscilla Paris-Austin, pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church (ELCA) in the South Lake Union neighborhood of Seattle, a congregation that takes seriously their calling to be a Sanctuary that is Open and Affirming of all persons of every gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, ability, age, and status. Their commitment to being actively antiracist has encouraged them to be the fiscal sponsor for the emerging #66th Synod Reparations Fund, of which Priscilla (aka Nakia) is a member of the founding board. She is passionate about Youth Ministry, serving on leadership teams for the ELCA Youth Gathering and the ELCA Youth Ministry Network. Her calling to allyship has her serving as a member of the Strategic Team for Authentic Diversity (STAD) for the NW WA Synod and other boards for diversity and inclusion, both in the church and for her children’s school. She lives in eternal thankfulness for the partnership of her spouse of 23+ years and the gift of parenting 3 amazing humans who love God and the arts.
I’ve been pondering the Christmas story in the middle of a pandemic as my family moves to a new home. It’s chaos and delight, challenge, and privilege.
I pastor a congregation that has not met in our building since the middle of March, for the sake of the poverty ministries that are housed in our building. It’s awkward and annoying, but honestly, not really that hard. Staying home has been one of the simplest things I have done for love of neighbor in my life.
So I’m wondering who I am in the Christmas story. I’m wondering what if it happened today. This Christmas Eve as we remember the inbreaking of God to our world to be with us, to be one of us, to be one with us, let’s ponder with Mary and unmute with the people of the field.
