Embrace and Exclusion

We are born with a deep longing

to belong—

to be accepted,

embraced,

and to find our place within community.

This longing is not a flaw but a sign of our humanity.

So when belonging is denied—

through rejection,

exile, or cancellation

—the pain runs deep.

The grief we carry is not a weakness,

but witness:

a testimony to the

sacred truth

that we were made for

communion.

In that ache,

we remember

what it means to be

human.

- Rev’d Jon Swales, 2025