A decolonial reading of this text, therefore, challenges us to recover and reclaim the forgotten lives in the text and the context. A recovery of these forgotten lives is by ‘hearing to speech’ their voices, which is an affirmation of their existence in society.
On April 5, 2023 (I say the wrong date in the video) I was invited by Corazón Arizona to open up the floor and pray for the House of Representatives. We were guests of Representative Lorena Austin and I was honored to be with them and participate. 🙏🏾 Click here to read a transcript of this prayer which was an adaptation from words by Mandie McGlynn.
On this sixth Sunday of Eastertide, Pastor Erin guides us through John 17:1-11. Jesus is departing his disciples giving them the task of continuing his work of liberation and continuing his politics of a non-violent way of resistance to oppression and corrupt government.
A Recap of my trip to the Faith In Action Faith Forum February 2022 in Washington, D.C.
I also had the opportunity to share a reflection at the Corazón AZ Rise + Vote Town Hall meeting and a few people asked me for a copy. The audio is a recording of that event!
I still feel the tension of the life and work of Dr. King because he was assassinated for saying things that I’m going to say to you today. I still feel the tension of rage, courage, confusion, uncertainty, And the responsibility of Truth-telling, which sometimes feels like shouting in the fire. I still feel the tension of the reality that we are the continuation of a story Dr. King couldn’t finish telling…
In this sermon, we begin the first Sunday of Advent, and I guide us through the work of Wilda C. Gafney, Fleming Rutledge, and the parable of the doorkeeper in Mark 13:34-37.
“Truthsgiving, coined by Indigenous activist Christine Nobiss is meant to dismantle common misunderstandings about Thanksgiving with...well, the truth. Some say Thanksgiving is celebrated at the expense of Native peoples, and while America celebrates a day of thanks with feasts and football, many Native Americans continue to live with disparities and economic hardships…”
We're on week 7 of our journey through the work of Oscar Romero and the way he preached the Good News of Jesus among the poor and oppressed of El Salvador. In this episode, we reflect on Romero's homily from April 9, 1978 and are guided through Luke 24:13-35 as we discuss the importance of pushing back on the line of tolerance for White Supremacy.
We're on week 4 of our journey through the work of Oscar Romero and the way he preached the Good News of Jesus among the poor and oppressed of El Salvador. In this episode, we reflect on Romero's homily from February 24, 1980, and are guided through Isaiah 43:14-21. God has always been in the business of liberation and tearing down systems of oppression. Can you see what God is up to today? Can you see the story He is telling? Will you join Him in the work of liberation?
What Oscar Romero had hoped for the Salvadorian people is that those in power would see and understand that, like the earth, we are one people and belong to one another. And like Jesus, have empathy for our country’s most vulnerable (the poor). Romero wanted his listeners to see that as God’s good creation we are responsible for our neighbors. So, to bring harm to someone else is actually bringing harm to ourselves.
Jesus, Howard Thurman, and MLK all lived in contradiction to the world they were living in. We must also do so if we want to create spaces of peace for communal flourishing. BUT…it starts with a seed in a greenhouse. I could think of no better way to gift the world with who I am than by sharing this message I gave last Sunday called The Greenhouse Contradiction. It strongly represents who I am as a pastor and the community we are growing @kaleophx.
What is the language of a decolonized faith? How do I marry my faith with my desire to see social and political change? Where is Jesus in relationship to the oppressed and marginalized?
I had the opportunity to share a reflection at the Corazón AZ Rise + Vote Town Hall meeting and a few people asked me for a copy. Below is a transcript!
The spirit makes the unbearable things of this world bearable because the spirit knows that what is unbearable will not always be. The Spirit invites us to join it and a shaking of foundation to make the world what it was always supposed to be from the beginning with the Creator with Jesus and with the spirit.
Their friend, hero, Lord and Savior was unjustly murdered. He was the one that said He was going to save them from the Roman Empire. But what they saw with their eyes was not him overturning the Roman Empire but they saw the Roman Empire over turned Him. BUT…
Their friend, hero, Lord and Savior was unjustly murdered. He was the one that said He was going to save them from the Roman Empire. But what they saw with their eyes was not him overturning the Roman Empire but they saw the Roman Empire over turned Him. BUT…
Jesus was a subversive, political leader. He took on the humanity of us all and showed us what it means to live a life subversive to the empire.
As they walked through the Red Sea, I imagine that all of Israel marched together just like they do in the protests of today. They marched on dry ground surrounded by walls of impossibility, yet God made a way for them to cross over to the other side. And they are led by a prophet called Miriam as she sings and dances she embodies a place of liberation as the river swallows up their oppressors - the horse and rider. Miriam begins to give Israel prophetic imagination to exist and to live as something different.
I believe John Brown was an embodied witness of Jesus because he looked at the scriptures and saw liberation and a God of love. And then embodied in practice what he believed the spirit of God wanted for the people of his time…FREEDOM. Now, not everybody agrees with his method of violence, and you don’t have to agree with it…
Ever since the summer of 2020 I have been on an evolving journey. I have awakened to the realities of the Black female experience in America – what it is and has always been since the birth of this country. Because I cannot unsee what I have seen or unknow what I have come to understand, it has lead me to into a journey of diving into my family lineage and history. I feel the weight of what the Black story has been and the responsibility of what the story can be in the future.
On the weekend of MLK Day, my husband and I had the privilege of having dinner with one of our city’s matriarchs, Linda Morris, and this sermon was inspired by her. Click here for a recording from that gathering and a transcript of my message notes.
At the beginning of the fall semester, “Millions of people watched a disagreement between pairs of students at Arizona State University that was captured on video, with the clip showing two white male students getting asked to leave a multicultural space. Groups of ASU students have advocated for multicultural spaces on campus for several years to provide an area for students of color, underrepresented minorities, LGBTQ students and others to meet and discuss issues.” In this episode, Erin Dooley and Ericka Vaughn Byrne sit down to talk through their reaction to the ASU Multi-cultural Space video.
The coming of the birth of Jesus was indeed a threat to political power, authority, and rule. But to those experiencing oppression, the coming of Jesus was a gift of hope and liberation.
After the heavy week of Julius Jones, Kyle Rittenhouse, and ASU Multi-cultural center, I spoke at Kaleo Phx on Sunday, November 21, 2021. This is a recording from that gathering and below is a transcript of my message notes.
Participating in a shared experience gives us the opportunity to partake together in joy, in belonging, and in community.
In order for something to be reconciled, you have to give a full account of what was done. Everything must be accounted for. So for us to truly see racial reconciliation, we must give an account of every racial injustice that has happened in our country. Which is messy...difficult...hard...but it must be done if we are to build multi-ethnic communities of healing. A flourishing church. A highly incarnational church.
I've been doing therapy for a year as of July 18th, 2020. Wow. I can't believe it's been a year.
To not acknowledge the history of something, is to perpetuate the existence of something. This is why Critical Race Theory is important. I spoke at Kaleo Phx on Sunday, June 6, 2021 and this is a recording from that gathering. Click to see is a transcript of my message notes.
I never would have thought 5 years ago that I would be a pastor and the topics in my sermon would be these. The work that we're doing at Kaleo Phoenix, I truly believe, is a move of the Spirit and I'm blessed to be a part of it. I spoke at Kaleo Phx on Sunday, May 16, 2021 and this is a recording from that gathering along with a transcript of my message/notes.
How would Jesus address the injustices shown towards Daunte Wright, Caron Nazario, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery? How would Jesus create space to comfort the communities hurting from the loss of life? How would Jesus address the dangers of White Supremacy? How would Jesus create space for racial reconciliation? I spoke at Kaleo Phx on Sunday, April 18, 2021, doing my best to address these things in humility and love. This is a recording from that gathering. Below is a transcript of my message/notes.
WARNING: In this sermon, I challenge the idea of penal substitutionary atonement and present a non-violent way to view the crucifixion. In traditional seminary experiences, students are often taught the different ways cultures and denominations view the crucifixion, but that's not something everyone is familiar with. So before you listen to this, just know this may rearrange the furniture in in your head and spiritual belief system. If you would like more resources as you explore this idea, please check out the links at the bottom of this sermon!