This Advent through Epiphany, The Will to Dream invites churches, families, and faith communities to imagine a world shaped by God’s justice, compassion, and love. Inspired by theologian Walter Brueggemann’s vision of prophetic imagination, these resources help communities resist empire and embody advocacy rooted in hope.
What is Prophetic Imagination?
Brueggemann describes prophetic imagination as “the capacity to envision and articulate an alternative reality to the dominant social order—especially one shaped by injustice, oppression, and empire.”
This holy work begins with critique—naming the injustice and numbness of the ruling powers—and moves toward energizing a new consciousness grounded in God’s justice, compassion, and covenantal love.
Advocacy for All: A Free Bulletin Insert
The Will to Dream resources offer everything a church may need, from liturgy to sermon prep to curriculum and more! Still, we wanted to provide another resource for leaders to encourage participants to show up in small yet mighty ways in their communities by practicing prophetic imagination through advocacy.
That’s why we created Advocacy for All: a free bulletin insert for the four weeks of Advent, Christmas, the Sunday after Christmas, and Epiphany.
Each week centers on a social justice theme connected to the season’s focus. Following Brueggemann’s rhythm of critique, lament, and energizing action, these inserts guide your congregation through reflection and real-world engagement.
These small steps of advocacy are accessible for everyone—whether your community includes seasoned advocates or those just beginning to explore justice as a spiritual discipline.
If you have purchased The Will to Dream Practices for Families, you’ll notice some overlap in these advocacy practices, helping all generations dream and act together toward a more loving world.
Why Advocacy Belongs in Advent Worship
We acknowledge that some of you may have congregants who approach advocacy with hesitation or fear. That’s understandable! The powers of empire thrive on keeping people divided and afraid. But as Pastor Zach Lambert of Restore Austin reminds us, “This is not about partisan politics…this isn’t about right versus left. This is about right versus wrong.”
Advocacy in worship invites us to live into God’s story of courage and compassion. It reminds us that faith is not passive, it’s participatory. Practicing advocacy during Advent helps communities embody the hope, peace, joy, and love we proclaim each week.
Using Advocacy for All With Your Congregation
Review the weekly advocacy actions ahead of time to determine whether individuals will participate independently or collectively as a church.
For example, the Christmas action involves donating socks. You could encourage congregants to collect socks individually, or you could organize a churchwide drive—anything from a collection box in the narthex to a moment in worship when people bring new socks forward to place in or around the manger.
To access Advocacy for All, enter your email below to receive the downloadable inserts.
Print and cut the pages in half, then distribute them however works best for your setting—inside bulletins, in a narthex stack, or handed out before worship.
We can’t wait to see the ways your community is inspired to participate in advocacy this Advent and Christmas season.
Continuing the Journey: From Advent to Lent
Want to continue this practice? We’ve got you covered. Continue imagining and creating a better world with our Lent resources, The Work of Imagination.
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