A Time of Turmoil
In this day of unbelievable turmoil, I have been waiting. I feel that I have been forced into an uncomfortable period of silence because I don’t know what to say. It’s not that there is nothing to say, but rather the question is: how do I say it? How do I speak a word to situations that seem so inexplainable?
These last weeks have delivered the proverbial one-two punch. First, a pandemic that claims hundreds of thousands of lives worldwide, and then, the horrific death of George Floyd. Each cries out for an explanation. That seems to be what I long for the most. An explanation. A word that will attempt to fill the void caused by two huge areas of pain and helplessness.
CoronaVirus
They are issues that evoke very different explanations and responses to be sure. Covid seems much more clear and specific in our response:
- Wash your hands
- Stay at home
- Maintain a safe social distance
- Wear a mask
Actions that are not always unanimously accepted and followed, yet certainly clear and precise.
The Murder of George Floyd
But what is our explanation and response to the murder of George Floyd?
To me the explanation is much simpler than the needed response. The explanation can be stated in two words: SYSTEMIC RACISM. This explanation has many expressions of inequality including distribution of wealth, employment, education, criminal justice, housing and healthcare to mention just a few. But this post is not a treatise on the realities of systemic racism and its many expressions in our society. It is rather one person’s need to respond to its reality.
As much as we feel as though we have made great progress in our attempts to address the issue of racism in our country, events of the past weeks demonstrate that it is still deeply entrenched in our society. So the question remains: WHAT CAN WE DO? Or more specifically what can I do?
A Threefold Test
It has been many years since I stood in a pulpit and tried to address issues such as racism from a faith perspective, and I hate to get all biblical on you, but I cannot ignore what for me is the concise mandate that scripture presents regarding God’s desire for us in addressing this and all other aspects of living. This has always been my go-to passage:
(He) has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
Micah 6:8 (New International Version)
And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
I like the way Eugene Peterson paraphrases this verse in The Message:
But he’s already made it plain how to live, what to do,
Micah 6:8 (The Message)
what God is looking for in men and women.
It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor,
be compassionate and loyal in your love,
And don’t take yourself too seriously—
take God seriously.
To me this is the three-fold expression of what God (Spirit, Higher Power, Universal Presence, Divine Mother) asks of each of us in all things:
- to act justly
- to love mercy
- to walk humbly
In my seventy-two years I have never seen someone murdered in real time. George Floyd was a first for me. And in that violent act of hatred I see the exact opposite of what God is asking of us. There was NO justice as one officer became judge, jury and executioner. There was NO mercy expressed as in nine minutes George Floyd was robbed of breath and life. There was NO humility as the one who took an oath to protect and serve chose to exercise only power and control over another soul while three other officers participated or looked on.
For me, who I attempt to BE, all that I SAY and all that I DO, this becomes a useful and practical three-fold test:
- IS IT JUST?
- IS IT MERCIFUL?
- IS IT HUMBLE?
Is this the last or definitive word for me? No, because it lacks specificity. It’s not the end, but hopefully a helpful start!
