Be Careful Then How You Live

Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil. Ephesians 5:15

A State of Emergency was declared again this week in Ferguson, Missouri, following demonstrations marking the first anniversary of the death of Michael Brown.  My heart breaks at this news because it shows that racial tensions are still high and everybody seems to be waiting for a reason to react violently.  I freely admit that I do not know what has happened in Missouri over the last year in order to address this tenuous situation, but it doesn’t seem to be enough if this amount of rage is still present. 

A black colleague of mine is currently in Ferguson as a pastoral presence.  She and other clergy members from many denominations gathered to bear witness in this broken community.  She posted a picture on Facebook of a white police officer with his hand on his gun during this gathering, asking why this had to be.  While I was saddened by the reality of the situation, I also know that the police office was simply following his training, and any officer, regardless of skin color, should have responded in the same way.  While I can understand feeling suspicious and upset about the way the police officer was responding, I cannot say what he was doing was wrong.  And that breaks my heart as well. 

All of this highlights the innate distrust and fear that has developed between those in systematic positions of authority and those who feel that they have no power at all.  Ignoring the brokenness of these systems does not work, and changing the system while it is still functioning is extremely challenging.  It’s like trying to fix a clock while it is still running – too many moving parts and it only takes one out of sync for the entire system to collapse.  And yet that is not a good enough excuse to avoid the difficult work of changing an unjust system in order to eradicate institutional racism.

The above quote from Ephesians is from our Sunday lectionary this week.  I hesitated to include it due to the last phrase because I don’t usually think of things as being “evil.” But I do think there are forces in this world that try to engender evil and then use that evil in insidious ways to convince faithful people to act in unwise ways.  I don’t believe the police officer having his hand on his gun was evil. Interpreting his action as aggressive, I think, is the being of evil slinking its way into our consciousness and drawing a potentially disastrous conclusion.  My hope for all in such a situation is to be filled with wisdom rather than distrust, faith rather than fear, as a way to begin to change this broken, distraught system. 

I ask your prayers for the people of Ferguson – and throughout the world - those who feel disenfranchised and those in positions of authority charged with keeping everyone safe. 
Gracious God, we pray for peace in our communities this day. We commit to you all who work for peace and an end to tensions, and those who work to uphold law and justice. We pray for an end to fear, for comfort and support to those who suffer. For calm in our streets and cities, that people may go about their lives in safety and peace. In your mercy, hear our prayers, now and always. Amen. [From Church of England]

In Christ,

Rev. Valerie+

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