8 Minutes & 46 Seconds

Hey SPV Fam,
If ever there was a day that encapsulated the sense of “the already & the not yet” for me, it’s today, June 4th, 2020.
On one hand, I love June 4th because it’s my daughter Lexi’s and son-in-law McClain’s anniversary. Their wedding day will forever be one of my most favorite days. For me, that day was a small taste of heaven, filled with so much love, joy, beauty, good food, warmth, and laughter. 

But today is also a very heavy day because if you didn’t know, today is George Floyd’s funeral.
It’s a sad day because a family is burying a man as a result of senseless and unnecessary violence. His death is very real and personal to so many, and to us as a nation as a whole- signaling how much work we still have left to do and the “not yet” of the kingdom.

In my anger and frustration, I’ve had to repreatedly remind myself of the words of the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 6:
“For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.”

I’m concerned that the church will get swept up in the same mechanisms of hatred, anger, retribution, and violence that the world is so accustomed to.
I’m equally concerned that certain factions of the church, namely the white western evangelical church, will in their / our comfort, grow cold to the cries of injustice, and merely “wait it out” rather than lament, repent and do the necessary hard work to ensure the changes that are so desperately needed in our nation, on behalf of our precious black brothers and sisters (And all minorities and persons of color for that matter). 

There’s A LOT of work to be done and if you’re like me, it feels a little overwhelming to the point of sometimes just feeling paralyzed, not knowing what to do. So, until we figure some of that out, I want to invite you to join me to find 8 minutes and 46 seconds sometime in the next day to stop everything you’re doing, and observe a moment of silence and/or a time of prayer specifically for the racial injustice, inequalities and inequities in our nation. But please allow some of that time to be silent, to actually feel the stillness and emptiness of the moment, even to the point of discomfort.
Of course, listen to the Holy Spirit, should he choose to speak. And if you choose to pray, pray for that the kingdom would come, cry out for justice, repent for your/our complicity and complacency in such matter. 

Can you do that?
Will you do that?
Can you spare 8 minutes & 46 seconds? The same amount of time unnecessary and unjust force was used against George Floyd as his life and breath left his body?
Can we use that time as the church to center ourselves in the hopes it will change us, and propel us to bring about the necessary change to prevent future injustice and senseless violence? 

Lord, “but let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream” (Amos 5.24) and may the rule and reign of your kingdom, with all of its peace and goodness come on earth, in this hour of our need, as it is in heaven. Amen. 

Much love,
Pastor Chris