Praying for Peace and Justice on July 19, 2026
Let us pray.
While all of us crave for peace and justice, I find that fear comes in the way to not make this a reality. One case in particular has haunted me over the last two weeks. Let us put ourselves into the shoes, body, mind and spirit of those who find themselves in this fearful situation, like in the case of two people shown on TV. By publicizing this scene, fear has spread among a certain people.
Please close your eyes. Let your ears and eyes follow me. Imagine you are a 10-12 year old black girl seated in the compartment of the metro on her way home. What would it be like to be the only one, surrounded by only white men each of them dressed in some kind of uniform, wearing a white mask starting from the neck to the nose? You are staring into space and maybe wondering what is going to happen, nobody makes eye contact or talks.
In another compartment a 35-40 old year brown skinned man, scrounged in his seat. His compartment is filled with the same men. Nobody is saying a word to each other. No other person is around.
Imagine the mounting fear affecting the young girl or the man. Their brain is affecting the nervous system, flooding their bodies with stress hormones. She is perceiving a threat, yet praying furiously for her life. I won’t go into the details of the trauma felt by either one, followed by cognitive and psychological effects. Were they praying, were they calling upon the Holy One, were they wondering when their stop would come or the stop for the others to depart? God must have been with them. I am told that those men are known as “patriots” and they support the wishes of their leader. Take a pause.
Let us join those 2 people who while no longer in their seats, maybe like me or others have been playing the scenario of the previous week in their minds. It is our turn to hold them including the “patriots” in the Light. I would like to imagine that God must have been with all parties, awakening their spirits, giving the “patriots” the courage to change their mission. Somebody said, if we have faith we can move mountains. I like to believe this. To paraphrase: David Lloyd in his recent sermon repeatedly reminded us that God is with us and for us as we and those before us faced unendurable situations in the building of this country. God was with them in their suffering and when they rejoiced. We have got to believe and practice the elements of peace and justice and not let fear take over our lives or the lives of others. I am grateful to those in our community who are presently supporting those who live in fear. Amen.