Collective Stories and Advent

In this season of Advent, in the second Christmas swallowed by a season of persisting #pandemic, I come to a place of sadness, and anticipatory redemption of what has been lost. But, mostly, if I’m honest, a sadness. There’s a “not knowing” of what grief will pass through and what will remain lodged in stories in this body where I move about in my day.

For many years, my 14 year old daughter has depicted the nativity scene, from her vantage point. Advent starts here, for our family. When she was only nine years old, she painted the nativity scene on the wall of our dining room. You can see this years’ drawing (it’s on Instagram and is the cover art for this podcast episode)—all the people in the scene have their eyes closed, but the animals and the angels have their eyes open. Baby Jesus is portrayed as tired, maybe even a little frustrated, baby that’s sleep is being interrupted by the crowd.

Jesus, born into a culture, of an other-ed group, under the tyranny of empire, answered the call of those other-ed groups.

Ernest Gray states, “He champions their cause. He’s been doing it for all time.”

For Julie, the angels are Adam Toledo, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd. In her world, Jesus is born, this year, this Advent, and the angels are from this season, as well. May this speak to our hearts - that Jesus is still champion of oppressed peoples, marginalized groups, still entering spaces, disrupting empire, not joining it. May Jesus re-enter, re-birth, hope, open space for grief, and allow us to find our way back to him.

Feliz Navidad

Danielle S. Castillejo