I am a priest, a seminary professor, an evangelist, a speaker. I am all those things and I am a DREAMer, a child that entered the United States without inspection and that has grown up and adopted this country as her own. There are over 800,000 DREAMers in this country all with different dreams and aspirations . . . all beloved children of God. All of us living in fear and anxiety that we will lose the only home we have known. Living with this anxiety, how do I, a DREAMer proclaim the dream of the beloved community? I do it by standing side by side with all dreamers, undocumented and documented. I stand with them as we fight for a just society. I do it by using my platform to proudly and boldly proclaim God’s love for ALL people. I do it by using the words of theologian Justo Gonzales, to remind people about the beauty of the Reign of God; “the Reign of God—the day of the Great Fiesta, is when all creation’s colors will form a harmonious rainbow. When all the peoples will join in the joyful banquet; when all tongues of the universe will be united in one choir of praise.”

I pray this advent you will dream alongside a DREAMer. Dream of the diverse ways that you, an integral part of God’s beloved community will proclaim God’s love to ALL you will encounter.

—