AAPI Alive! Eastertide Devotional
A new devotional is released online daily. Click on the image above to read/listen/see today’s offering.
The Perspectacles, “A Good Repair” are shared under the theme of Reconcilation, and will release on May 3.
Everyone has a point of view. Where they differ is where arguments can begin, hardening first in our own minds and then finding outward expression - sometimes through silence and a slow relational freeze. Less confrontational, we tell ourselves. It can seem easier to avoid the discomfort of talking about difficult things. And so we stew in our opinions and leak barbed comments in unguarded moments. The rift is buried, but not really. What about you? What cultural habits keep you from reaching across brokenness and division?
God makes all things new and that includes us. Maybe we haven't seen healthy conflict resolution or we feel we don't even have the words to know how to open that kind of dialogue. Okay. So let's learn and practice. Jesus didn't shrink back. He stepped right into the split between God and us with an eye toward reconciliation. He had the hard conversations. He said what needed to be said. He listened. He forgave. What if we did the same? What might shift and heal around us? We are not alone when we seek repair. God seeks it right alongside us.
The words of Rev. Peter Huang, on behalf of The Gathering, a ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles:
“Thank you for joining us on this 50-day journey beginning on Easter Sunday and ending on Pentecost Sunday as we celebrate the Resurrection and this season of new life, through the beauty and strength of our AAPI voices. We hope that these offerings of prose and poetry, photographs, spoken word, visual art, vocals, and musical performance connect you to a celebration of the risen Christ and of one another.
During this pandemic, the AAPI community has suffered a surge of hate and violence because of what we look like each day in the mirror. Fear and anxiety have risen and for many of us, historical and personal trauma have brought us to tears and to our knees. Through this devotional, we desire to enter into the Resurrection that brings us healing and celebrates who God created us to be – a diverse, vibrant, thriving community.
We invite you to make space in your day to receive these offerings of insight, joy, and beauty. May they bring healing and hope to you.
We also invite you to experience this journey with others, whether with loved ones or with your faith community. May the sharing of stories amplify all the beauty and hope we discover.”