Praying for all. May the returned hostages find themselves enveloped in love as they begin the long journey of healing. May ALL of the hostages be released. May the short ceasefire pave the way for a more permanent end to the inexcusable and inhumane violence on Palestinians. May diplomacy and political engagement replace bombs and indiscriminate warfare. May peace soon reign. 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾 #GodIsLove #FierceLove #CeaseFireNow #LovePeriod #CeaseFire #NeverAgain #PublicTheology #PrayWithYourFeet #BringThemHome #Palestine #Israel
Say it with me: We cannot afford theologies that cause us to kill each other. We simply cannot afford it as a human race. It is time to fix broken theology. I’m taking about all religions, all faiths, all belief systems- we cannot afford theologies that make us turn to violence and make nothing of death. If you want to take action to heal the world, join me at the Freedom Rising Conference in NYC April 26th-28th. Let’s commune, let’s get educated. Let’s heal together. Info at https://www.freedomrisingconference.com Watch my full sermon from Sunday @middlechurch at the link in my bio ❤️🙏🏾 #ProgressiveChristianity #LovePeriod #Ubuntu #FierceLove #GodIsLove
Don’t let Christian Nationalists fool you—- Jesus was: * Brown * An Outsider * Marginalized * Jewish * Itinerant * Homeless * Not Empired Here we are again on Palm Sunday heading into an election year. Here we are again hearing Christian Nationalists call Trump a “Messiah.” This is plain blasphemy. Today we HAVE to remember that Jesus fought for the disenfranchised. He was not on the side of Empire. Period. The Christian Right is loud, but there are many Progressive Christians out here, my colleagues and friends, who are doing the work of correcting the narrative. Jesus is LOVE. God is LOVE. Our imperative from Jesus is to take care of one another. To call Trump a “messiah” is to turn against Jesus himself and to turn toward Empire. Throwback to my interview with @capehartj on @msnbc. Let’s reclaim our faith as a faith of LOVE, as Jesus intended. We CAN fight back in Jesus’ name. We must. For ALL people, not just Christians.❤️✊🏾 #PalmSunday #WWJD #HolyWeek #LovePeriod #GodIsLove #RevDrJacquiLewis #FierceLove
Shouting this from the mountaintops- GOD IS BIGGER THAN OUR BINARIES. I posted this a few years ago, but I think it’s so important to deconstruct the idea that God fits into tiny, human sized boxes and labels… How do you see God? Is God a “He” to you? A “She?” Is God Non-Binary? My God is a curvy black woman with dreadlocks and dark, cocoa-brown skin. She laughs from her belly and is unashamed to cry. She can rock a whole world to sleep, singing in her contralto voice. Her sighs breathe life into humanity. Her heartbreaks cause eruptions of justice and love. Of course, because God is a mystery, we don’t know everything about Her. So, out of our imaginations and our yearnings, our hopes and our fears, we make stuff up. At our best, we project goodness, power, kindness, and love onto God. At our worst, we create a God who is punitive, angry, judgmental, and harsh. We do this because we are those things, and we think they make us safe. What does your God look like? Comment below! Check out the link in my bio for an article I wrote about femininity and how we “imagine” God. ❤️✊🏾💋🌈 #LoveTransforms #GodIsLove #BoldNewLove #Freedom #LetLoveRule #Pride #Stonewall #FaithfullyLgbt #ProgressiveChristianity #ThisIsWhatAMinisterLooksLike #LoveIsLove #ReclaimingChristianity #ReframingChristianity #June #HappyPride #Joy #BlackLivesMatter #GodIsAWoman #50DaysOfPride #MiddleChurch #LoveIsLove
57 years ago my marriage would have been illegal. On this Loving Day, we celebrate the power of love that knows no bounds. John and my interracial marriage stands on the shoulders of the Loving decision, a landmark ruling by the Supreme Court on June 12, 1967, that affirmed our right to love freely and fully thanks to Mildred and Richard Loving’s bravery and conviction. Today, as rights that were long fought for are being threatened and stripped away across the country, we have to ask ourselves- what kind of world do we want? What world are we creating? Is it a world in which only white, cis people (and mainly men) are valued? Where whiteness and “blending in” are paramount? I reject that world. I reject it because there is so much beauty in the diversity with which God created us. I think it is SO fitting that #LovingDay occurs during Pride Month because, indeed, Love is Love is Love is Love is LOVE—unconditional, unapologetic, and unstoppable. Here’s to the beauty of our diverse love stories and the unbreakable bond that unites us all. ❤️ #LovingDay #LoveIsLove #UnbreakableBond #InterracialMarriage #GodIsLove #FaithfullyLGBT #FreeToLove #TodayInHistory @middlechurch @aclu_nationwide @uscraceequity #aclu
57 years ago my marriage would have been illegal. On this Loving Day, we celebrate the power of love that knows no bounds. John and my interracial marriage stands on the shoulders of the Loving decision, a landmark ruling by the Supreme Court on June 12, 1967, that affirmed our right to love freely and fully thanks to Mildred and Richard Loving’s bravery and conviction. Today, as rights that were long fought for are being threatened and stripped away across the country, we have to ask ourselves- what kind of world do we want? What world are we creating? Is it a world in which only white, cis people (and mainly men) are valued? Where whiteness and “blending in” are paramount? I reject that world. I reject it because there is so much beauty in the diversity with which God created us. I think it is SO fitting that #LovingDay occurs during Pride Month because, indeed, Love is Love is Love is Love is LOVE—unconditional, unapologetic, and unstoppable. Here’s to the beauty of our diverse love stories and the unbreakable bond that unites us all. ❤️ #LovingDay #LoveIsLove #UnbreakableBond #InterracialMarriage #GodIsLove #FaithfullyLGBT #FreeToLove #TodayInHistory @middlechurch @aclu_nationwide @uscraceequity #aclu
57 years ago my marriage would have been illegal. On this Loving Day, we celebrate the power of love that knows no bounds. John and my interracial marriage stands on the shoulders of the Loving decision, a landmark ruling by the Supreme Court on June 12, 1967, that affirmed our right to love freely and fully thanks to Mildred and Richard Loving’s bravery and conviction. Today, as rights that were long fought for are being threatened and stripped away across the country, we have to ask ourselves- what kind of world do we want? What world are we creating? Is it a world in which only white, cis people (and mainly men) are valued? Where whiteness and “blending in” are paramount? I reject that world. I reject it because there is so much beauty in the diversity with which God created us. I think it is SO fitting that #LovingDay occurs during Pride Month because, indeed, Love is Love is Love is Love is LOVE—unconditional, unapologetic, and unstoppable. Here’s to the beauty of our diverse love stories and the unbreakable bond that unites us all. ❤️ #LovingDay #LoveIsLove #UnbreakableBond #InterracialMarriage #GodIsLove #FaithfullyLGBT #FreeToLove #TodayInHistory @middlechurch @aclu_nationwide @uscraceequity #aclu
57 years ago my marriage would have been illegal. On this Loving Day, we celebrate the power of love that knows no bounds. John and my interracial marriage stands on the shoulders of the Loving decision, a landmark ruling by the Supreme Court on June 12, 1967, that affirmed our right to love freely and fully thanks to Mildred and Richard Loving’s bravery and conviction. Today, as rights that were long fought for are being threatened and stripped away across the country, we have to ask ourselves- what kind of world do we want? What world are we creating? Is it a world in which only white, cis people (and mainly men) are valued? Where whiteness and “blending in” are paramount? I reject that world. I reject it because there is so much beauty in the diversity with which God created us. I think it is SO fitting that #LovingDay occurs during Pride Month because, indeed, Love is Love is Love is Love is LOVE—unconditional, unapologetic, and unstoppable. Here’s to the beauty of our diverse love stories and the unbreakable bond that unites us all. ❤️ #LovingDay #LoveIsLove #UnbreakableBond #InterracialMarriage #GodIsLove #FaithfullyLGBT #FreeToLove #TodayInHistory @middlechurch @aclu_nationwide @uscraceequity #aclu
57 years ago my marriage would have been illegal. On this Loving Day, we celebrate the power of love that knows no bounds. John and my interracial marriage stands on the shoulders of the Loving decision, a landmark ruling by the Supreme Court on June 12, 1967, that affirmed our right to love freely and fully thanks to Mildred and Richard Loving’s bravery and conviction. Today, as rights that were long fought for are being threatened and stripped away across the country, we have to ask ourselves- what kind of world do we want? What world are we creating? Is it a world in which only white, cis people (and mainly men) are valued? Where whiteness and “blending in” are paramount? I reject that world. I reject it because there is so much beauty in the diversity with which God created us. I think it is SO fitting that #LovingDay occurs during Pride Month because, indeed, Love is Love is Love is Love is LOVE—unconditional, unapologetic, and unstoppable. Here’s to the beauty of our diverse love stories and the unbreakable bond that unites us all. ❤️ #LovingDay #LoveIsLove #UnbreakableBond #InterracialMarriage #GodIsLove #FaithfullyLGBT #FreeToLove #TodayInHistory @middlechurch @aclu_nationwide @uscraceequity #aclu
Ok about that debate. It was disappointing. Right now the only thing I know is this: democracy belongs to us- you and me, regular everyday people. And we need to step up and own it. Neither Biden nor Trump will “save us.” Join me Monday at 12:15pm EDT for an Instagram live with my friend @robertpjonesdc where we will dive into all things “America” in 2024. This is not the time to panic or listen to the loudest voice in the room. This is a time for deep reflection. Who are we, who have we been? Who do we WANT to be? And who is left out of that vision? We can vote for democracy. I love you all: BREATHE ❤️🇺🇸 #Democracy #VoteLove #Election2024 #Debate #RevDrJacquiLewis #ProgressiveChristianity #JustLove #PeaceForAll #JusticeForAll
Election primaries just took place in New York! 🗳️ As we transition from Pride Month into July, a time when we celebrate national unity and democracy, we find ourselves at a critical juncture in history. This is crunch time for freedom and justice for all. With the white nationalist movement on the rise, how will we move this year?
✨ Introducing The Just Love Story Bible: a groundbreaking, justice-oriented storybook Bible for children and families. ✨ The big message of the Bible is that God loves us and created us to love, to do justice, and to love kindness. In a bold and inspiring new storybook Bible, Dr. @revjacquilewis and Rev. Dr. @sdaleyharris invite children and families to open their imaginations, take hold of their belovedness, and understand that all people on earth deserve to have dignity, equality, and justice. In this story Bible, 52 Bible stories are paired with bold illustrations by @cherylrasthuesday, depicting gorgeous scenes and biblical characters in various shades of brown. The Just Love Story Bible is available for preorder today wherever books are sold! See our bio for more information. #BeamingBooks #JustLoveStoryBible #RevJacquiLewis #JacquiLewis #MiddleChurch #BibleForKids #ChristianChildrensBook #KidMin #FamMin #KidMinistry #FamilyMinistry #BibleStoriesForKids #TheBibleForKids #WomenWhoPreach #WomenTheologians
We ain’t got time to die yet church. We have so much to do, so much justice to make happen, so much love to give, and so much pain to heal. In @revjacquilewis’ sermon “Ain’t got time to die”. We learned what Johnson’s spiritual means for us during these dangerous times. Where plan 2025 exist. Where this a so called white nationalist church that uses God’s word to try dismantle love and harm our queer siblings. This time is critical. This is the fierce urgency of NOW, and we ain’t got time to die. “Lord I keep so busy praisin’ my Jesus Keep so busy praisin’ my Jesus Keep so busy praisin’ my Jesus Ain’t got time to die”
In a time of division, how do we create a sense of collective freedom? Manhattan’s @middlechurch recently held their annual conference, “Freedom Rising”, which focused on the 2024 elections, threats to democracy, and collective empowerment. “. . . This was a gathering of like-minded folks sharing a dream of all of us belonging and all of us saving this democracy, interfaith, intergenerational,” says @revjacquilewis, Senior Minister of Public Theology & Transformation at Middle Church. Join us for this conversation on freedom — from what, for what, for whom? Watch or listen to “Genesis Be & Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis: Building Collective Freedom with a Poet & Preacher” on the Laura Flanders & Friends YouTube channel and major podcast platforms.
Got a political hangover today after last night’s debate? Feeling a little queasy? You can channel your anxiety into a full blown spiral OR YOU CAN BE IN COMMUNITY WITH PEOPLE WHO ARE WORKING FOR A BETTER SOCIETY. You and I are the ones we’ve been waiting for, Beloved. The question is— how exactly are you currently involved? Every way of giving back MATTERS in this moment— be it time, talent, or treasure. Message us to learn how to be God’s hands and feet in the world or DONATE on this LAST weekend of our fiscal year. (middlechurch.org/donate or Link In Bio) One way to be in community this weekend is to worship with us on Sunday and march with us at the Queer Liberation March! Show folx what God’s fierce revolutionary love LOOKS LIKE! ✊🏾💜🙏🏽🫂
Some Americans are planning to abstain from voting in the presidential election. On this week’s show, co-host @revjacquilewis, Senior Minister of New York City’s @middlechurch, shares her thoughts on the no-vote strategy. “I’m not even remotely thinking not voting is a choice. I’m thinking up and down ballot, we vote for the world we want . . .”, she says. @mauricewfp, National Director of the @WorkingFamilies Party, has been on the road speaking to voters for most of the year. Find out what he’s hearing about no-votes and his response. Catch “Maurice Mitchell & the Working Families Party: Voting is a Chess Move” on public television and community radio, or on the Laura Flanders & Friends YouTube channel and podcast. 🔗 in @lauraflandersandfriends bio.
Is Freedom Debatable? There is a lot going on right now. Emotions and fears are high post debate as the reality of the 2024 election sinks in. Join me and my friend @robertpjones, author of “The Hidden Roots of White Supremacy” this Monday July 1 at 12:15 pm EDT for an Instagram Live. #FierceLove #Democracy #Freedom #4thOfJuly #ThisIsAmerica #ProgressiveFaith #RevDrJacquiLewis #RevolutionaryLove
Biden or Trump: does it matter? Many of us are put off by politics right now, disgusted even. I choose to believe that we need to elect someone that we can fight with and call to task- not someone who seeks only to destroy, exclude and shut out. We cannot afford to hand our democracy over to Trump. Biden undoubtedly has a lot to answer for, but we can call him to task with the tools of democracy. Today is only the primaries. There is a long road to November. But we cannot afford to be apathetic, loves. We CAN fight. What do you think? How are you feeling right now? Keep sending me your wonderful questions- this community feeds me and gives me hope. ❤️✊🏾 #Vote #ElectionYear #FierceLove #WWJD #JusticeFoeAll #FaithandPolitics #GodIsLove #VoteLove #FaithfullyLGBT #PeaceForAll #EndWar
Flashback Friday. Can’t you tell I felt cute? More than that I felt PRESENT and JOYFUL and LIGHT. These times seem so dark, and indeed they are. There is so much to live for. I’m embracing summer and light and love; I’m embracing reasons to dress up and to smile and to dance. In a world full of shadows, we have to embrace all of the light we can. Happy Friday. Happy Summer. Soak up the sun 🌞❤️ #fbf #flashbackfriday #blackgirlmagic #loveperiod #fiercelove #revdrjacquilewis #peaceforall
My offering to you: The Star Spangled Banner Deconstructed for Juneteenth. 🇺🇸❤️✊🏾 In 2020 I played with the lyrics and Shelley Doty recorded herself playing the Jimi Hendrix version. This Juneteenth let us remember that none of us are free until we are ALL free. This is my offering, my meditation for you- take 90 seconds to watch this video and reflect on our history and our present as a nation. We are in darkness but we CAN walk towards light together. How do I know? Because my people have survived for centuries and found joy. We CAN get free. “Oh say can’t you see what is plain to behold, Though we shout liberty there are too many in chains. We are shackled by greed and the fear we are small. Yet this truth must be told, there is one God who loves all. Won’t you give me your hand and together we’ll stand With radical love heal our souls and this land? Oh say can’t we end all this fighting and strife And walk toward the light that we ALL might be free” #Juneteenth #FreedomNow #ProgressiveFaith #Democracy #WWJD #CivilRights #BlackExcellence #ProgressiveFaith #FierceLove #OneLove #JimiHendrix #StarSpangledBanner #Patriotism #Meditation #Ubuntu
The “seeds” planted in us as we grow up affect us for the rest of our lives. They affect our children. Our children’s children. SO: What seeds do we want to plant in one another? Seeds of love? Or seeds of inferiority and fear? My dad was nurtured by seeds of love, but also by seeds of inferiority because of his blackness; he raised his children with both love and fear. Fear was a tool to protect us from a world that is often cold and cruel to BIPOC children. We are all doing the best we can with the tools we are given. My dad LOVED my siblings and I with all his heart. He loved us the best he could. Part of my life’s work is to separate the good from the bad and to help people choose to ONLY nurture with love. #Fathers #FathersDay #LovePeriod #GodIsLove #ProgressiveChristianity #ProgressiveFaith #onelove #EndHate #EqualityNow #FaithfullyLGBTQ #SelfLove
My heart is so full. I am speechless. More later, but all I can say for now is: Thank you for the 20 years that I have spent at @middlechurch. Thank you for growing me up, for growing my faith up, for teaching me to love more, for showing me that God’s love is infinite. And therefore there is infinite hope for all of us. We have so much more to do and I am so proud and humbled to live, love, learn, and lead in love with you. ♥️👋🏾 Yours truly, Jacqui #SeniorPastor #LovePeriod #GodIsLove #20Years #FierceLove #WWJD #LoveIsLove #FaithfullyLGBT @middlechurch
How willing are we to speak the truth? To risk our comfort. Thank you Amrit Kaur. ❤️✊🏾 Artists are indeed truth-tellers. And that is why I fervently believe that art is a divine calling that can change lives and heal the world. #GodIsLove #ArtHeals #FierceLove #LovePeriod #PeaceNow #ProgressiveChristianity @adriennemareebrown be someone’s justice. shine light. #repost @chaninicholas • “Beyond proud of our @thefawz and @andriawilsonmirza @babydaalproductions for making the GREATEST MOVIE EVER, The Queen of My Dreams. Lead actor, who was astounding in the role, @amritkaur won best lead actor at the Canadian Screen Awards over the weekend and gave this powerful acceptance speech. It takes all of us, everyday, in every way we can to recreate the world we want to live in. There’s so many more of us that want the end of all occupations, genocides, and apartheid. Every time one of us says so, it strengthens all of us. 🆓🍉”
20 Years at @middlechurch. Wow, how time has flown. Come celebrate with me at @joespub on Saturday, June 15th at 12:00pm. Charles Randolph Wright will be directing a spectacular afternoon of performances and Joes Pub will have a brunch menu. Tickets are $35 and proceeds will support our rebuild. Whether you are a Middle member or an online friend or follower- I’d love to see your face. Your belief in me powers the work that I do- YOU make me resilient. See you soon. Link in bio for tickets! Xo, Jacqui ❤️✊🏾💋 #FierceLove #LoveIsLove #JoesPub #RevDrJacquiLewis #LovePeriod #Celebration #WWJD #ProgressiveChristianity
