Hello my friends,
I have to be honest, it was a challenge for me to write today. I even thought about changing the picture with my big smile to something else even though I had no clue what to change it to. I have been grieving, frustrated and in sorrow with all that is going on in our world. Nevertheless, I remain hopeful. I believe that chaos never has and never will have the last say. In Genesis we are introduced to a God who speaks order to what was formless, empty and dark. It was in this backdrop that he spoke and created something beautiful. I believe that His word and Holy Spirit still have transforming power. In the midst of what seems out of order, a new community will rise up with a passion for justice and a renewed purpose to share in the full gospel of Jesus Christ.
Many of you watched the video of the murder of George Floyd. A human being, handcuffed and pinned in the street by a person in power (officer) who maintained his position with his knee strategically positioned on his neck for more than seven (7) minutes. We watched and heard George struggle to breath. We listened as he moaned in anguish. We heard his requests for water and his cry out to his recently deceased mother. We heard the appeal of those standing by trying to reason with George at one moment and others pleading with the officer to stop. We heard people cry out to the officer who was standing by to intervene and do something and we watched the results of this officer’s inaction during a very difficult moment.
This idea came to me that in a sense, “we were all there.” Please stay with me here. Let’s look at this scene again through the lense of ourselves. Some of us may have been silent bystanders when injustice has happened around us. Some of us may feel like we have been shouting and screaming for it to stop and wanting to intervene but feeling helpless. Some of us may have been the other officers who were not in the angle of the initial released video, but are behind the scenes (behind the cruiser) and supporting a system of injustice. Some may be the ones in power misusing the authority that we have and not walking in fidelity to what our position means. Lastly, for some, you may feel like George: living under a system that has cuffed you and has its knee on your neck. Wherever you find yourself in this scene, please know that God invites you to join a growing number of people determined to do something to effect lasting change.
So, the question is where do we go from here? My appeal to you is to consider that scene and determine where you want to be from this point on. There may be a gap between your desire and where you currently are, but I believe God is ready to empower us to be his witnesses of justice and peace.
Yesterday, our Associate Pastor Brendan Dry talked to us about the gaps between the just world God desires and the world that we currently live in. He discussed the gap between the community that we could be and the people that we actually are. He shared that to bridge this gap it requires a strength and power that is from on high. Fortunately, God provides us with his Holy Spirit to bring the gap between who we are and who he is calling us to be. If you missed the message, please check it out and share it when you have a chance.
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