Next week, our community will experience the start of the trial for the men who stand accused of murdering or playing a role in the murder of Ahmaud Arbery. There is a sense of tension as the trial begins with jury selection on Monday. It will be an emotional time for many. Wounds that haven’t fully healed will be opened once again. Lines of comparison will be drawn, rightly or wrongly, to other national events. Apprehension about potential violence is real as well, depending on how the trial proceeds and the extent to which outside influences drive a response.
We have been blessed so far that this community has stood together, peacefully, to seek justice in this case. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t want justice. Early on, it seemed that justice might be out of reach. Once the community became aware of the particulars of the crime, through the heartbreaking video that was shared widely, “we” have stood as one in that cause, and the justice system responded. The group issuing the call, from the business and political community, as well as the faith community, has been diverse in every sense of the word. The system is now tasked with determining justice, which will not necessarily meet everyone’s expectations. In theory, Justice is blind, however, we are not. Most of us begin this process with preconceived notions of what the outcome should be.
The other thing we have agreed upon from the start is the need for peaceful engagement. There have been various protests and gatherings over the last eighteen months, and they have all been peaceful. We have not seen passions lead to violence and destruction – and none of us want that. All our locals have been of one mind in this regard. That hope and prayer continues. In fact, that diverse group of local leaders who spoke up last year has recently created a series of videos in the hopes of fostering that reality and reminding our neighbors of it. They also send a message to those who come here from other locales. You may see my face in one or more of those videos. Again, the voices represent a broad, unified group within our diverse community. I will link the videos that are being shared (so far) below.
This will be a time for continued prayer for our community as well. Our prayers for Ahmaud Arbery should continue, even as we also pray for Gregory and Travis McMichael and Roddie Bryan. We must pray for the Arbery family, and also for the McMichael and Bryan families. We must pray for those who will serve as jurors, and for the attorneys and the presiding judge. We must pray for those who will gather to protest and to stand in solidarity, praying for peace and community building, not violence or destruction. We must pray for law enforcement officials, who will work to keep the peace and public safety during what may be a tense process. And, we must be prayerful about the powerful forces at play whenever we deal with matters of race. Our history of conflict and strife is long, and long overdue for healing in this regard.
As always, if you have concerns or thoughts for your clergy, as we navigate this case in our community, please reach out and call us. We will be out in the community as much as possible during this time to serve as peacemakers and build relationships. We can all be peacemakers through prayer, at the very least, as those who follow the one who taught us so clearly, “Blessed are the peacemakers.”
Tom+
Lord God, whose Son Jesus Christ is the desire of the nations and the one through whom unity and righteousness will abound on earth, teach your people the ways of peace, that all the different peoples of this earth may come to know that their most profound identity is founded not on race, nation, class, or wealth but in the common humanity we all share, the crown of your creation and the rich treasure that binds us all together, through the Incarnation of Jesus Christ our Lord.