Through the ancient prophet Isaiah, God speaks to a people in exile: You are precious, you are honored, I love you. Through contemporary Anabaptist prophets of art and poetry (see credits below!), we too hear God’s voice reminding us that we are precious, honored, and loved. We name clearly the bodies that are particularly targeted with assault and violence in our country and world: trans bodies, Black bodies, Indigenous bodies, and other bodies of color, femme bodies, homeless bodies, migrant bodies, and more. And we honor that assault and violence takes many forms -- that a great many of us bear wounds in our bodies, spirits, minds, and dignity -- wounds that are real in individuals and communities. We also know that harm harms everyone, very much including those who perpetrate harm. We all need the embrace of Divine Love for the cessation of systems of harm and the flourishing of life. God speaks to each one: “You are precious, you are honored, I love you.” May we live as though it’s so. Sermon begins at minute marker 1:08 Isaiah 43.1-4 Resources: Poem: Debra Gingerich, "Passing through Waters, or Visit to Switzerland," Drawing Near: A Devotional Journey with Art, Poetry & Reflection, ed. Eileen R. Kinch and John D. Roth (Herald Press, 2025), 39.Dona Park website, with more art and info: https://donapark.com/ “Defund the Police? An abolition curriculum” by Mennonite Church USA, featuring the artwork of Dona Park.Refugee Artisan InitiativeImage: detail from Dona Park, “When You Pass Through the Waters,” Drawing Near: A Devotional Journey with Art, Poetry & Reflection, ed. Eileen R. Kinch and John D. Roth (Herald Press, 2025), 38.
