Isaac S. Villegas
Communion tears
In my 15 years as a pastor, I’ve seen a lot of watery eyes at the table.
At Tijuana shelter Casa del Migrante, every meal is holy
I take the morning shift to give the longer-term volunteers a few hours of rest.
When Mennonites were settlers
John Eicher’s history exposes European Mennonite complicity in Native dispossession.
The labor that pays my salary
Survival under capitalism makes demands on our flesh—and some of us have to pay more than others.
Emptying the tombs of the city jail
“There’s a group of people outside,” I said through the intercom, “and they’ve raised money for your bail.”
Considering the trees on Ash Wednesday
Each tree in my neighborhood is the tree of life.
Immigration law and the politics of disgust
How Pharaoh treated the Hebrews and how the US has treated my people
Mary’s song reveals her politics of mercy
I think Jesus learned his prophetic ministry from his mother.
Reenvisioning safety at a Black Youth Project 100 rally
Who keeps us safe? the crowd cried out. We keep us safe!
The best judges of my theology are the littlest ones
The questions that plunge me into a cloud of unknowing most often come from my Sunday school students.
A pastor’s pandemic diary
I hope our little flock survives. But the church is nonessential to God’s redemption of the world.
Lamenting with my Jewish neighbors on Tisha B’Av
The Book of Lamentations resonates with the stories of oppressed immigrants and refugees.
God of life, Epiphany 6A (Deuteronomy 30:15-20; Matthew 5:21-37; Psalm 119:1-8)
How can we live together as God’s people, people who flow with God’s eternal life?
February 23, Transfiguration A (Matthew 17:1–9)
God’s presence transfigures here, now, in the familiar.
February 16, Epiphany 6A (Matthew 5:21–37, Deuteronomy 30:15–20)
Idolatry is the desire to manipulate God.
My Muslim friend Ali and my Christian commitment to his life of faith
How American hostility toward Muslims has shaped my pastoral vocation
What if we treated all of creation—plants and stars, soil and rivers—as our kin?
Biblical scholar Mari Joerstad and indigenous activist Nick Estes challenge our human-centered worldview.
Children’s books for tough conversations
We asked 11 writers to tell us about a book that opens up space for adults and children to discuss important questions.