A friend on Facebook commented about how she was starting to feel hopeless that we in the good ‘ole U.S.A. will ever be able to do what Micah said God requires of us — to live and act with justice, kindness, and humility.
I told her I can understand that. It is easy to lose hope when we see the imagery of violence and conflict around the country, and particularly in my beloved Minneapolis, a place so important to me in my life. I told her the peace and hope I find is in my clergy siblings who I see out there protesting and bearing witness to the violence they see. It’s all the people in the street saying this is not right. It is in clergy protesting and bearing witness, asking to be let into these detention centers to care spiritually for those inside but being rejected. Those actions give me hope. People praying for our country, praying for peace, people protesting for peace, that there are people fighting against this, gives me hope. Preachers preaching against violence and the horror of violence. People like my friend give me hope. I find hope also in people crying out to God in lament, the way the ancient Israelites did when they were sent into exile. It is in all these things where I find hope.
A Reformed Pastor 