growing in and around church, i learned quickly who jesus was supposed to be.

my personal greatest savior was a white, middle aged man who just so happened to live in the middle east and was executed for my sins.

i never felt close to this jesus, even when they hammered into us that to live eternally, we must call him into our hearts. i was not scared of this man. i did not know him.

now that i am older, i know jesus. i do not know him as light skin and blue eyes,

i know jesus as only i could.

my jesus is brown. my jesus is gay. my jesus is transgender. my jesus is poor, and homeless, and scared. my jesus is oppressed just for the way he looks. my jesus is a woman. my jesus is pregnant. my jesus is a 14 year old child bride. my jesus is a victim of female genital mutilation. my jesus has had an abortion. my jesus is a prostitute. my jesus is hiv positive. my jesus threw bricks at stonewall. my jesus is an old bulldyke, and her femme wife. my jesus died at vietnam for a war he never wanted to be part of. my jesus died in diamond mines. my jesus is a victim of sex trafficking. my jesus is used for child labour. my jesus is a black trans woman who fears for her life. my jesus didn’t have sex ed growing up. my jesus is has a drug addiction. my jesus is an alcoholic. my jesus doesn’t make enough to pay rent. my jesus doesn’t know where the next meal is coming from.

my jesus is everyone i know and no one i’ve ever met.

my jesus is everyone who has ever taught me how to be kind and gentle.

my jesus is everyone who has ever taught me to love.

my jesus is the oppressed, and the ones who use their voice to speak out against oppression.

my jesus doesn’t exist at all.

my jesus does not boast or brag. my jesus is humble.

that is my jesus.