[Episcopal Church Office of Public Affairs] This is a tense and troubled moment, as we await the jury’s verdict in the trial of Derek Chauvin for the killing of George Floyd.

Please pray for the soul of George Floyd, for his family, and for everyone everywhere who has suffered because of the sin of racism and oppression. Pray for all the people of Minneapolis/St. Paul. Pray for this nation that we may find the ways of both justice and healing. Pray for us all.

Whatever comes with the verdict, there is no celebration. Nothing will bring George Floyd back to his family or his community back to us. The struggle continues.

If the verdict does not establish guilt, and even if it does, our pain persists and our grief goes on.

May we not be paralyzed by our pain, our fear, and our anger. May we learn, as the Bible teaches, to “love not in word and speech but in truth and in action,” truth and action that leads to justice and healing.

Let us pray,

O God, you have bound us together in a common life.  Help us, in the midst of our struggles for justice and truth, to confront one another without hatred or bitterness, and to work together with mutual forbearance and respect; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

God bless you.