Sunday, May 31, 2020

This service was record as civil unrest began to escalate in Minneapolis. It has since spread into St. Paul and the surrounding suburbs. In light of the events of the last few days, perhaps I would have recorded something else, but we have chosen not to change the original message.

While I recognize why the violence has erupted; I do not condone it. Neither do I condone a society that differentiates people and that elevates one group of people over another. We cannot condemn the rioting without also condemning the systematic ways of inequality.

A man was murdered in Minneapolis. We must stop looking for reasons to justify injustice. We should all be outraged. We should all want justice. We should all be in mourning.

There are those who are legitimately protesting and crying out to be heard. Let us listen to those voices and join our hearts with theirs. Let us not allow hatred to rule our reactions.

I will never know what this feels like for people of color. I do not get to choose how others feel or how others react. But I do get to choose how I act. Each of us can allow the Love of God to soften our hearts. And we as a culture ought to strive for equity and justice for all members of our society.

Pastor Rusty Brace
Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Oakdale, Minn.