Dear friends,
My heart has been in Minnesota this past week, and I know from speaking with many of you that I’m not alone. I have dozens of friends and colleagues in the Twin Cities. One is the Rev. Travis Norvell, the pastor of Judson Memorial Baptist Church in South Minneapolis. After having read Rev. Norvell’s essays and books for years, I worshipped at his church during Spring Break last year, and accepted an invitation to dinner at his family’s home. Pastor Travis has always expressed a commitment to a deeply local ministry. Indeed, he declines to drive a car, preferring to ride a bike and take public transportation so he can better know his neighbors. He has been joining with hundreds – thousands of his neighbors – to bear witness to the actions of ICE as they detain, deploy tear gas, and in many cases disappear many of these neighbors. Renee Good was one of his neighbors.
Rev. Norvell writes, “Faith communities know what to do, we are built on the premise of helping one another and our neighbors get through good and bad times. We know that we find deeper meaning and purpose by giving our time and hearts and souls in service to others. And no government entity can stop that. No governmental order can rescind the fact that we are forgiven, loved, and freed. This doesn’t make us bulletproof, but it gives us access to power that made Herod shake and kept him up at night.” On Sunday he preached to a stricken congregation that he could not promise protection, but he could promise God’s presence.
I implore us all, as we continue to face heartbreaking and unfathomable news, to stay grounded in the gospel of Jesus Christ, to stay rooted in the commandment to love and serve our neighbors, and to keep tending our souls in the midst of it all.
In Christ,
Pastor Katherine
P.S. A friend recommends For Such a Time as This: An Emergency Devotional by Hannah Reichl. She says she usually doesn’t like devotionals, but this one is fantastic. Perhaps a meaningful way to help tend your soul.
