6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
If this is prophecy, may it be fulfilled soon . . .
On Monday George Floyd was killed. That’s when the demonstrations started. And then the riots. In major cities all over the country. Because yet another unarmed Black person was killed for the crime of being Black while living in the US. We keep hearing of more and more of them. The list is way too long. For way too long the oppressed in our nation have been advised to be patient, to take it slow, to be happy with baby steps, to be assured change will come. They are told that the wheels of justice are slow, but they grind exceedingly fine. But nothing really changes when people just wait. And people keep dying. So - riots. MLK said that “a riot is the language of the unheard.”
There have been silent vigils and peaceful protests. There have been oceans of words written and spoken. And riots. And fires. And looting. And it’s beginning to feel like the 1960s again. I remember the race riots, as they were called. I remember the contradictory teachings of MLK and Malcolm X (before his trip to Mecca).
The people hunger and thirst for righteousness. They yearn for a nation that understands that justice is not about courts and verdicts, but about right behavior. Not just toward one group or another, but just, right behavior toward all persons, everyone who inhabits this land. For the Native people and the immigrant people: the Euro and LatinX and African American and Asian people.
Yesterday on Facebook someone posted, “What is your favorite protest song?” *sigh*. Songs ain’t gonna cut it this time. They really didn’t the last time, but we pretended they made a difference. And maybe they did. Maybe they were just subversive enough that people were convinced by their words. Protest songs are like hymns - we learn our theology from them. Did I favor unions before I learned “Joe Hill”? Did I care about the environment before I learned John Prime’s “Paradise”? I don’t know. I was becoming socially and politically aware at the time those songs were gaining ground, so . . . dunno.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness . . . I would hope that is all of us. I would hope that we know we can’t just sit back and watch and worry and moan and complain until change happens. We can’t wait for someone else to take the lead and do the things that need to be done. We have to be the instruments of change.
God of justice, may we serve you by right living. May the example of our lives and our love lead others to follow you, as we do. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment