The prophet Amos cried out (in 5:24) the desire of God for righteousness to be the ocean we swim in, a sea of support and sustaining, a place of healing and recovery.
But this is America 2018, and in America justice is far off.
In this America of 2018, we have Jemel Roberson. A father, brother, son. Working extra hours to pay for Christmas for his son. A church member and talented musician. The friend of many people.
He was doing his job as a security guard, holding a suspect in the ground, when the police shot him in spite of his uniform and the cries of the crowd that he was the good guy.
He was shot and killed by the police, and the police are uniting to claim he was resisting instructions. “He deserved to die.”
He was shot and killed because our police are trained to see black men as threats and thugs and killers.
He was shot and killed because we agree with the dehumanizing of black Americans and the devaluing of black lives and the dismissal of black pain and black terror.
Memento mori, I guess. We don’t think it will happen to us, and I get that.
But it happens to our brothers and sisters, over and over.
At some point, shouldn’t we act?