of the colors of hope
peace by piece
Social movements start with our own bodies. Our disabled bodies, queer bodies, black and brown bodies, and, and, and… The ways we engage with others are so much about the body.
“Without inner change there can be no outer change. Without outer change no change matters.”
– Rev. angel Kyodo Williams (she/they), Founder, Transformative Change
Our bodies are sacred sites/sights to be celebrated and sites/sights for individual and collective justice work. And every body is fearfully and wonderfully made.
Fearfully and wonderfully made
The phrase “fearfully and wonderfully made” is most often associated with a Psalm in the bible that expresses awe and gratitude for the the beautiful, complex creation of the human body. The beauty and divinity of every body transcends backgrounds and beliefs. Every body has inherent worth and value.
In 2012, Rev. Melissa Guthrie founded Salvage Garden and created “sensory worship.” Salvage Garden strives to reclaim the value of every body. Sensory worship centers disability, inviting us to “worship beyond words.” More than a decade later, Salvage Garden’s sensory worship — and other branches of service — continue to affirm all ages and abilities and a range of beliefs. One of several affirmations from Salvage Garden, “different is not less.”
Fearfully and wonderfully made of the colors of hope
In 2022, Melissa published Colors of Hope: A Devotional Journal from LGBTQ+ Christians with Chalice Press. Inspired by the original Pride flag, Colors of Hope explores themes of sexuality, life, healing, sunlight, nature, art and magic, harmony and serenity, and spirit.
The book is a call to action, with invitations to wonder, resist, embody, create, hope, stretch, and share. A resource for personal growth and collective change. “Hope” is defined as an act of resistance. “To hope is to imagine and shape a new reality… a more just and inclusive world.”
The intersections and interconnectedness
This site and the Colors of Hope Net(work) weave together innovative practices and writings that celebrate the diversity of our human family and the inherent worth of every body, especially marginalized bodies.
“Hoping in color” is embodying our beliefs. We are called to transform narratives of injustice and write the next chapters of liberation. To paint the world with beauty and love.
“Who you are — your beautiful rainbow self of intertwining identities — you are a human bridge, fearfully and wonderfully made of the colors of hope… LGBTQ+ you, ally you, curious, questioning you. Discerning you. Faithful you. All of you. All of you, all of us.”
– Marian Edmonds-Allen (she/they)
