“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”
-Matthew 5:5
15th Day After Christmas
January 9, 2021
God's Grace
I felt her proximity. I turned. She smiled. “You are beautiful. American?” “Yes, thank you!” She said, “I love your hair. May I touch it? May we take a photo?” I happily complied. We posed and snapped away as she stroked my long cornrows. As I sat in the airport in China, I engaged in a sobering chat with this Chinese English teacher. She referred to herself as a “minority;” Uighur. “Come visit me in America,” I ventured. She whispered.” “I would never be able to leave China. I am a Muslim. They would never allow it.” Indelicately, another traveler intruded, asking, “Could a Uighur hold a political position in China?” “I am not allowed to speak of such things,” she said, and swiftly bid us farewell.
Her fear of reprisal hung in the air. I grimaced. I read now of the arrests and implied genocide of the Uighurs. They are among the least of these that our Lord calls us to pray and seek justice for. These women remain nameless to me but not faceless. I remember their smiles and desire for connection, and I pray. I take solace in HER promise and believe HER grace will extend to these Uighur women, if not in this life, the next.
Prayer
My God, Mother, please offer your mercy and divine Grace to the disinherited of this earth.
Amen.
Sister Celeste M. Bryant-McMiller
Married Couples Ministry
Washington Interfaith Network
Advent 2020
Join us in a time of reflection, anticipation, and contemplation during the season of Advent 2020.
Each day a new reflection with a scripture and prayer will be posted on the Metropolitan AME Church website and social media to encourage you to hear the words of those reflecting, anticipating, and contemplating with you in community as we thank God for what God has done, notice what God is actively doing and anticipate what God will do next.
Read along with us each day or download the book to read and write along with us offline. Chart and journal for yourself what God has done, what God is doing, and what God is illuminating for you in this season.