Out of the depths—and how you can help
June 5, 2020
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
“Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord! O Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleas for mercy!” (Psalm 130:1-2). The Psalmist has fitting words for the tumultuous circumstances of life. They are especially apt for driving our prayers forward and focusing our faith on Christ amid the heartaches we are facing right now.
That a global pandemic has become overwhelmed by the outcries against systemic racial injustice says something about the magnitude of our fallen world. As Synod President, Matthew Harrison, has noted, it is imperative that we call racism the sin that it is; likewise, he says, with destructive rioting and senseless violence. The Psalms are replete with cries for mercy in the face of injustice and unfairness, and they give us a voice to express our anguish: “Look to the right and see: there is none who takes notice of me; no refuge remains to me; no one cares for my soul. Attend to my cry, for I am brought very low! Deliver me from my persecutors, for they are too strong for me!” (Psalm 142:4, 6).
For anyone who has not truly experienced this racial inequality—myself included—it can be difficult to grasp the depth of oppression our black brothers and sisters in Christ have felt and endured. That’s why right now it’s imperative that we listen to the voice of the Lord with one ear and to the voices of those suffering with the other, while always keeping Christ at the center. The links in this letter that I share below are a starting point to listening to those voices. I’ve been listening to the voices of our black brothers and sisters across the Synod and invite you to do the same.
As we listen, we remember that our Lord knows what it is to suffer injustice. His blood was shed at the hands of utter injustice to pay for the sins of the world—yours and mine included. He also knows what it is to pray the Psalms while enduring such cruelty, (He prayed Psalm 22:1 while on the cross). Crucified, dead, and buried, Jesus knows full well the brutality and the horrors of what fallen people can and will do. But when He walked out of the tomb alive on Easter Sunday, He declared sin, evil, and injustice do not get the final say.
In the end, cruelty will be vanquished, injustice will be undone, sin will be eradicated, death will be destroyed, and righteousness will prevail for all time. Until then, He has called us to live in His love and forgiveness, share His love and forgiveness, and act in His love and forgiveness.
Specific ways you can help: Pray, listen, act
We have been encouraged by the number of congregations who have reached out with the question, “How can we help?”
Rev. Dr. Roosevelt Gray, Jr., Director of LCMS Black Ministry, has asked the Church to focus on three things: pray, listen, and act. The Pacific Southwest District has graciously given us permission to share their message inspired by these three things: https://www.psd-lcms.org/post/it-s-time-for-something-that-only-god-can-do.
1. Pray
We pray for the grace and peace that surpasses all understanding. We pray for eyes to see the injustice and hurt in our own communities. We pray for the Spirit’s guidance in how we can stand in unity with our communities while compassionately proclaiming the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting through Christ Jesus. We pray for the Holy Spirit to bring reasonableness, collaboration, and kindness to the people of all our communities through the power of God’s Word. We pray for Jesus to be in our midst with hope, healing, justice, and restoration.
Please join us next Friday, June 12, at noon as we gather online to pray for all of these things, as well as for an end to the pandemic and the suffering that it brings. More details on Facebook here.
2. Listen
As disciples of Jesus Christ, we have been given the healing balm of the Gospel. Therefore, it becomes us to listen to all those who have been hurt by inequality and injustice in order to be ready to apply that same healing balm to their broken hearts. Below are some opportunities to listen:
The Black Clergy Caucus of the LCMS released a statement on the death of George Floyd. Click here to read it.
Rev. Dr. Gray and Rev. Dr. Steven Schave discussed confronting social injustice and loving our neighbors during a recent KFUO Coffee Hour. Click here to listen to the 30-minute segment.
Rev. B. Keith Haney published “The Nation’s Cry for Peace and Justice” this week. He is the Assistant to the President for Missions, Stewardship, and Human Care for Iowa District West. CPH published his book, One Nation Under God: Healing Racial Divides in America, in 2017.
Our own Pastor Dave Larson is a chaplain to the 3rd Precinct in Minneapolis. (The burdens a police chaplain bears are significant to begin with, but in this case, you can imagine the tremendous weight he is bearing in caring for these souls who have also been redeemed by the blood of Christ.) Click here to read his recent letter to his congregation.
The LCMS Commission on Theology and Church Relations (CTCR) published “Racism and the Church: Overcoming the Idolatry. Click here to read it.
3. Act
We serve as Jesus served—with compassion and to bring the Kingdom of forgiveness, life, and salvation into our communities. We act in love and peace, not out of violence or hatred, as we call and work for communities transformed by the Gospel. This means we come alongside our neighbors, offering whatever resources—time, material goods, financial help—we are able and for which there is a need.
More specifically, as you yearn to help the communities most affected by the recent riots, looting, and fires, we share the following local congregations and ministries with you. Follow their social media for updates on specific ways to help.
LINC Twin Cities (Facebook page)
Trinity First Lutheran Church & School, Minneapolis (Facebook page)
NOTE: Trinity First has a Love Our City—Phase 2 event tomorrow, Saturday, June 6. More details about that here.
Jehovah Lutheran Church, St. Paul (Facebook page)
St. Stephanus Lutheran Church, St. Paul (Facebook page)
Concordia University, St. Paul neighborhood volunteer opportunities (website)
The outpouring of help has been wonderful—to the point that the call for help with clean-up has slowed. The congregations and ministries that we have shared here are being wise in listening to what is truly needed by their communities. The call for essential goods (as nearby stores were closed and public transportation shut down) and financial support is still very active. This is a difficult time for many of us economically, but we encourage you to redirect any resources you can to support the ministries and people directly affected by the rioters.
This also a time of deep political divides and powerful visceral emotions. Without question, the blood of Jesus covers each of us. Yet, our sinful nature remains, and disagreements of one kind or another are inevitable. That is not permission to sin; it is a call to repentance and a change of sinful ways. Satan loves all of the discord and strife happening in our times and will use it to try to divide and conquer. But we stand upon the victory of our resurrected Lord Jesus Christ. And as the body of Christ, we are called to bear with one another and love one another, even as we love the Lord with all of our heart, soul, and mind.
God grant us all repentant hearts to carry forward in the faith, hope, and love of our Lord Jesus Christ. To that end, the Psalmist leads us forward once again: “If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared. I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope” (Psalm 130:3-5).
The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord look upon you with favor, and give you peace.
Your Brother and Pastor in Christ,
Rev. Dr. Lucas V. Woodford, President
Minnesota South District, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod