What Can I Do?
“By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 17 But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:16-18).
We are citizens of this nation in which we live, but we are also citizens of the kingdom of God. As Christians, our primary identity is that we are disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ who calls us to love not just in word or talk, but in deed and truth. How do we do that right now when there is so much strife and division in our communities and cities?
To our fellow citizens and our brothers and sisters in Christ who are people of color, we know that things are not right and that a great injustice has been done with the brutal death of George Floyd. We also know that he is one of many who have suffered injustice because of racism not only in the distant past, but in recent days as well. To our brothers and sisters of color: we see you – you matter – we are listening. What can we do to help?
Many people of good will are struggling with what to do and how to respond. Many are saying, “What can I do that will make any difference?” Remember that little is much in the hands of Jesus. He demonstrated this when He multiplied the five loaves of bread and two fish to feed thousands of people (Matthew 14:13-21). The Lord is more than able to accomplish great and mighty things through the meager supplies that we have at hand. These may seem little in our own eyes, but little is much in the hands of Jesus. It comes down to each one of us crossing that divide, taking that risk, trusting that the Lord will provide. It comes down to each one of us loving one another in deed and in truth. This is what Jesus has done for us. It is what Jesus now calls us to do for one another. Luther’s explanation of the Ten Commandments found in the familiar Small Catechism reminds us that there are sins of commission and sins of omission. God calls us not only to stop doing the evil, but also to start doing the good. What is the good that we can do – the good that God calls us to do?
It is a terrible thing to see the destruction of property and people’s livelihoods in cities around the nation. But it is far more disturbing to see the destruction of human life. Things can be replaced; people cannot. The underlying causes of the strife and division that we are witnessing must be addressed, not just by local, state, and national leaders, but by each one of us. We can begin to do so only when we acknowledge the terrible truth that lurking within us all is the root of racism, bigotry, prejudice – what Scripture calls sin, which is a twisting and perversion of God’s design and purpose for life. Each one of us is called by God to confront the ugly reality of this in our own lives first. Then and only then, are we able to help remove the speck from our neighbor’s eye (Matthew 7:1-5). And who is my neighbor? In his parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37), Jesus clearly taught us that our neighbor is anyone who needs our help. That is important for us to remember always, but especially now.
Our own church body, the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (https://www.lcms.org), is one of the least racially diverse religious groups in the nation (https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/07/27/the-most-and-least-racially-diverse-u-s-religious-groups), something which saddens and unsettles me greatly. I encourage you to read a statement from the LCMS Black Clergy Caucus (https://www.theunbrokencord.com/writings/black-clergy-caucus-statement-on-george-floyd) that sheds light on this matter as it puts the death of George Floyd into a larger, faith-based context. Our society is once more at a critical crossroads as we continue to struggle with our nation’s original sin of racism. We are once more confronted with a decision: how will we live together? Will skin color and fear of those who do not look like us drive us apart or bring us together? The choice is up to each one of us. The way ahead does not need to look like the way behind us. The future does not have to resemble the past. We must certainly learn from the past, but we certainly should not be captive to it. If ever there were a joining Jesus on his mission moment, it is now. My prayer for all of us is that we would remember who we are and Whose we are. We belong to our Servant King, Jesus Christ, who knelt down to wash the feet of his disciples (John 13:1ff.) on the night when He was betrayed, setting an example for us. Our Servant King suffered and died to set us free. Let us now use that gift of freedom in ways that will honor the Lord and bless our neighbor.
What can I do? I cannot answer that question for you. Each one of us must search his or her own heart and prayerfully discern what God is calling each of us to do in our particular station in life. Whatever that may be, let us bear in mind this word from the prophet Micah: “He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with the Lord your God” (Micah 6:8).