A letter from the Rev. Neal Halvorson-Taylor:

May 30, 2020

Dear Folks,
 
Since George Floyd’s murder, I have been in contact with Tor, a friend who lives in Minneapolis not far from the site where Floyd was killed and of the protests. Tor has described the shock and sadness and anger palpable there. He sees the fires and smoke and the burned out buildings. And the scared faces. He’s outraged.   
 
Not long before the Roman government crucified him for causing social unrest, Jesus said, “My soul is troubled.” 
 
Our souls are troubled. The social unrest ignited by Floyd’s death and the police brutality that caused it scares us. When we look at Minnesota or Kentucky and the killing of Breonna Taylor or Florida and the murder of Ahmaud Arbery can we see the smoldering systems that perpetuate the violence against black and brown bodies? Can we see how white supremacy and the pernicious acts of racism undergird the structures of our American life?
 
At the core of Christianity is the cross, Rome’s instrument of terror used to keep its oppressive systems in place. Jesus was a poor, non-violent Palestinian Jew living in occupied territory. The Roman systems kept people like Jesus trapped. When he started building the reign of God, the government and religious authorities did what most authorities do, they suppressed the movement by executing its leader. The cross is where Jesus dies. The street, the apartment, the sidewalk, the prison, the battlefield, that’s where Jesus dies a thousand deaths. In Minneapolis, he died with George Floyd. 
 
Dare we ask, what does resurrection look like?

Be well,

Neal