How Shall We Respond

How shall we respond to all that is going on? Yet another death of a black man at the hands of a white police officer - another round of protests, now extending into its third week - more calls for justice and police reform - protests giving way (yet again) to rioting, looting, and destruction of property - push back against the protests and riots - judging and condemning (by both sides) - defending and supporting police officers - calls for law and order - more polarization of the nation.

How shall we respond to all of this - especially when we have been here before - too many times. When we thought (deluded ourselves) that we had moved beyond some of this?

How shall we respond to all that is going on so that, this time, things can be different?

More importantly, how shall we respond as followers of Jesus?

To respond as the followers of Jesus means our response is one shaped by the teachings of Jesus, rooted in the character of God.

Responding as the followers of Jesus calls us ...

• to value what God values: people - all people - each person - without exception - particularly the powerless and marginalized.
• to use power the way God uses power: in life-giving, life-enriching ways - to lift up and build up - to pursue wholeness and maturity - to serve. In short, to be a servant. 
• to speak truth to power and privilege even when they do not have ears to hear. 
• to speak on behalf of those who have no voice: "rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, lead for the widow," that is, to "do justice" (Isaiah 1:17).
• to embrace the non-violent ways Jesus taught.
• to refuse to polarize or give up on anyone: to seek to engage the other - to hear and be heard - to seek reconciliation and mutual good.
• to pursue peace rooted in justice (power used to serve, empowering the powerless). 

As I observe the responses of both sides, it seems many (most?) responses are shaped by political positions and cultural values. It seems most are driven by anger and fear. The result is polarization. Law and order versus protest. Unquestioning support of police versus police reform. Black Lives Matter versus All Lives Matter. Respect the flag versus kneeling in protest (yes, that issue has resurfaced again). Unrecognized smugness versus unbridled anger. Establishment versus anti-establishment. Left versus Right. Democrats versus Republican. Trump versus anit-Trump. The result is we talk past one another, not hearing each another. The result is we defend our position and attack the other's. The result is the settled disposition that "I am right" and you must be wrong. The result is nothing changes. The result is the cycle is destined to repeat itself yet again.

Responding as the followers of Jesus calls us beyond political positions and deeply rooted cultural values. It calls us beyond personal preferences to God's preferences. It calls us beyond the demand for our way to the pursuit of God's ways. Responding as the followers of Jesus calls us to move beyond reacting to thinking, beyond repeating the same old rhetoric to asking different questions, beyond thinking as we always have to seeking deeper understanding that leads to different answers. It calls for hard work and intentional effort. It calls us to step into the discomfort of the unfamiliar in order to gain insight into another person's reality. Responding as the followers of Jesus calls us to be more than we have been in the past. It calls for emotional-relational-spiritual maturity.

Responding as the followers of Jesus calls us to love as Jesus loved.

Obviously, we cannot do this on our own. But we can do this - we can respond as the followers of Jesus, loving as Jesus loved - through the power the Spirit gives. Our inability to do this in our own strength opens the door to the Spirit's power.

"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9).

How shall we respond to all of this so that things can be different this time?