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We Cannot Remain Silent: Caring for our churches in the face of George Floyd’s death

We Cannot Remain Silent: Caring for our churches in the face of George Floyd’s death

by Sean and Dana Cordell

 

It’s Sunday morning after church and as I (Sean) walked the streets of downtown Raleigh, my heart hurts once again. Shattered windows, looted businesses, graffiti riddled sidewalks and buildings. There’s such pain behind everyone of these outbursts. I’m drawn back to earlier in the week as I virtually walked the streets of Minneapolis through the videos of a pastor friend as he documented burning buildings, the absence of police presence, and a city terrorized by riots. It’s a city I called home for two years so it’s not as distant as the miles might indicate. But behind the rising smoke in Minneapolis was a small church’s commitment to speak, a church’s commitment to love. They set up a prayer tent outside a looted Target, with bottles of water and offered hope and prayer for the pain of those around them. 

As I woke up, more cities were experiencing a similar pain from the death of George Floyd and the countless people whose lives his story represents. It seems everyone is talking or posting about this. But the question for us today is will the church join the conversation? Will we actually lead out with gospel proclamation and Christ-like love? 

Brothers and sisters, as leaders in our homes or the church, we cannot remain silent- with our words or our actions.

As SBC leaders wonderfully wrote in their “Statement on the death of George Floyd,” “...as a matter of Christian obedience and devotion, followers of Christ cannot remain silent when our brothers and sisters, friends and/or people we seek to win for Christ are mistreated, abused, or killed unncessarily.”

We cannot remain silent because all people are made in the image of God. Therefore we all have dignity, worth, purpose, and significance because of our maker- the one whose image we bear. His glory is at stake. When humanity not only fails to love but callously and calculatedly chooses to oppress, abuse, or even worse kill another person, grief, outrage and pleas for justice must fill our prayers, posts, and actions. 

As leaders, how do we care for our people in the wake of George Floyd’s death? Here are a few gifts we need to give our people as we shepherd them through the heartache of our present circumstances. 

Give them God

When the people of Israel find themselves broken down under oppression, wearied by their race-based enslavement, and almost hopeless that things would ever change, we read these words, “Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God. And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. God saw the people of Israel- and God knew” (Exodus 2:23-25).

The God we give people is a God who listens, who cares, who doesn’t forget his promises, who knows our pain and who is deeply present in our suffering. Before we give people anything else, give them God. Give them a Savior who is not afraid of emotion but was filled with it as he faced imminent death (Matthew 26:37-38). Give your people a big God who weeps over death on the one hand yet sovereignly and gloriously raises dead men to life on the other (John 11). We need the security that only our resurrected Christ can bring. 

Give them yourself

Give them your presence.  As a counselor friend once said, “Pain is prickly.” People process it differently. Some rage, others withdraw.  Some rationalize, others feel. Be present and invite people to share their thoughts, their pains, and their confusion, even if it’s prickly. 

Give them your ears. In our desire to comfort the downcast, there can be a pressure to know every nuance or emotion people are feeling. As leaders, we are to be faithful to love, not perfect to understand. We don't have to provide answers for every pain. Job’s friends provided much comfort when they sat quietly- the problem came when they tried to have answers for it all. Much healing comes through allowing people to process the raw emotion in a safe place. Our churches must be this kind of people.

Give them your journey. Before we call our people to lament or act, we genuinely must lament and be stirred by Christ to act.  No one is served by faking it. Be still before the Lord. Ask him to fill you with His Spirit and to cause love to abound more and more. Pray for George Floyd’s family and friends, your minority friends or family, and for minorities in your congregation. Ask God to uproot sin in us and make us an extension of his comforting arm to the hurting. 

Give them your prayers

Lament together. God has designed our own personal suffering to open windows of compassion into the pains and emotions of the brokenness of others all around us. Lamenting is an invitation to take our tears to the Lord both personally and corporately. We held a virtual prayer gathering before our service Sunday where I invited those who attended to pray about their loss or the loss that other brothers and sisters were feeling. The prayers were raw, honest, vulnerable, courageous, Godward, Scripture-filled, and tear-filled. One woman commented, “I just needed to cry with others about this. Thank you.” We need to process our tears to the Lord and as leaders we need to make space to do that with others. It’s a gift the grieving need. 

One caution here is that lament doesn’t follow a script. For some, a brief time of prayer helps them “get it out” but for many, where George Floyd’s death represents years of oppression and race based injustice, lament must linger. So, don’t judge “quick healers”, but also don’t despise the “lingering lamenters”. 

Give them Promises. While laments over loss and cries for justice are necessary so are promises of God’s mighty grace. We must pray God’s promises before one another.  This is not to diminish the pain or to run from the uncomfortable lament, but to bring resurrection hope into the picture of our pain. Take promises like Psalm 34:18, “The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”, and text them, pray them, and speak them. 

Give them your voice

Speak his name. First, we must say the name, George Floyd, because he doesn’t simply represent a cause to defend, but a man, made in the image of God, whose life was unjustifiably cut short. 

Speaking not avoiding the tension. We must not only speak his name but we must speak about the tragedy. We don’t keep peace by avoiding serious issues. We keep peace by being peaceful, respectful, loving, and gentle when we discuss serious issues. As Romans 14 says, we must lead our churches to refuse to despise, judge or quarrel with a brother or sister with differing opinions. Instead we must demonstrate welcoming one another for the sake of Christ. 

Speak the gospel. While listening is vital to healing, so are words of truth and grace.  Give your church and those in the community the gospel as our only hope against the darkness. Remind your people that the church, the unified and diverse Bride of Christ, is the luring light of hope to an unbelieving and darkened world.  

Fellow leaders, wherever God has given you influence, Speak! Pray! Listen! Act in love! Give them Christ! But whatever you do, don’t remain silent. 

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The Light to the Nations and COVID-19

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The following originally appeared as a blog post written by TCT Member Pastor Wes Van Fleet, as a message for the members of Kaleo Church in El Cajon, CA on March 18, 2020.

The following originally appeared as a blog post written by TCT Member Pastor Wes Van Fleet, as a message for the members of Kaleo Church in El Cajon, CA on March 18, 2020.

If you are like me, there have been a million narratives coming at you, a billion different thoughts bouncing around your head, and a trillion questions about what all these changes to everyday life mean for you. I personally have a tendency to fear the worst and want to protect my family from any potential threats to them. But I also have a tendency to look to God in these fears and let His voice become louder than all the other ones. As one of your pastors, the question I keep asking God in prayer is, "What would you want from your church during this time of fear and confusion?" As I have prayed and searched the Scriptures, I believe I have found a possible answer and a challenge to us all.

God is unchanging (Heb. 5:8), but our experience of him does change. What I mean is that throughout history, God often shows up in unexpected ways. At the Red Sea when the people of God were being trapped between the sea and a hostile Egyptian Army, God split the sea and saved his people. On the cross, the Son of God died and all his followers scattered in fear, only to be surprised by his glorious resurrection three days later. Throughout church history, our Triune God has used plagues to bring people to himself. He has used the death of martyrs to expand the gospel to the nations. We have a God who is not trying to figure out how to adjust to the COVID-19 outbreak, but is intimately involved with his people in this whole process.

In Isaiah 58, God is confronting his people for observing his Sabbath rest and fasting with the wrong intentions (58:1-4). True Sabbath rest and fasting is meant to be a means of worshipping God by resting from producing, while also seeking justice and love for neighbor (58:5-14). In fact, with the looming darkness of COVID-19 and the surrounding rainclouds above us, look at the brevity of Isaiah 58:10: "if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday."

The people of God have always been saved to be sent. Read that again: the people of God have always been saved to be sent. Throughout Isaiah, God calls his people back to covenant faithfulness, which is often paired to be a Light to the Nations (42:6; 49:6; 52:10; 60:3). And this call to be a Light to the Nations continued into the New Testament (John 8:12; Acts 13:47; 26:23), and continues with us today.

The people of God have always been saved to be sent.

So, how do we become a Light to the Nations when confined to our houses? How do we become a light to our neighbors and unbelieving friends when a simple sneeze or touch could potentially spread the virus? There have been an array of opinions on this. Some believe we need to ignore all of this and "just obey God." I'm not sure that it is true or helpful. If we were being called not to gather as churches because of our faith, it may be a different story. But we are being called to not gather so we can help slow down and stop the pandemic. Others believe we must hideout and not face the public whatsoever. I also am not sure that this is true or helpful. There are creative ways to Sabbath, fast, and be a Light to the Nations. What appeared to be the darkest day in human history (Matt. 27:45) was actually the Light of Nations himself being lifted up to bring rest and satisfaction to all who would believe (John 12:32). Will we use this dark time to point to our Glorious King and Savior?

What appeared to be the darkest day in human history was actually the Light of Nations himself being lifted up to bring rest and satisfaction to all who would believe.

Herein lies my challenge to you, Church. I have comprised a list of things you can be doing if you are working from home or spending more time at home than usual:

1. Pray. How many times have you thought to yourself, "If I had more time and less distractions, I would pray more?" Right now we are in a confusing time but we have unlimited access to the throne of God (Rom. 5:1-2; Heb. 4:15-16).

2. Pray for Revival. I have been overwhelmed with the hope and longing that God would mobilize us by the power of His Holy Spirit to seek ways to love our needy neighbors. In a dark time like this, the church can be a Light to the Nations in a way that causes unbelievers to ask questions (1 Peter 3:15). Wouldn't it be a shame to look back on this time and see that we drowned out our fears with Netflix instead of being a Light to the Nations?

3. Check-in. Use this time to download Zoom, Marco Polo, or Facetime to connect with brothers and sisters in the church. Read together, pray together, cry and laugh together.

4. Share Wisdom. If you are a homeschool mom, there are more than likely some parents in the church and some neighbors who are freaking out right now as they have become a homeschooling parent. Share resources and help in any way possible.

5. Serve Neighbors. If you are aware of a neighbor that needs something but you are afraid of human contact, use Amazon to ship them something they need or something that can cheer them up.

6. Worship. If you are a parent and have never really had the time to lead your kids in family worship, start a new rhythm. Ten minutes in the morning or at lunch. One Psalm, one song, and a time of prayer.

7. Make a Schedule. Create a daily schedule of rhythms that can accomplish needed tasks, make time for worship, and provide some kind of online community. Free time can often lead to sloth and lust and we must be active to not fall into these.

8. Spend Time. We have been spending time, in person, with our neighbors. We are safe about this and I know this isn't for everyone. Our neighbors have made us cookies, and we have gone to the store and got needed items for our neighbors. If this is doable, do it.

9. Marvel. Right now it is raining like crazy. Get on some old clothes and go walk in the rain (umbrella is optional). Go dig up worms, get dirty, and be a kid again. Marvel at God's creation.

10. Download RightNow Media. This is an incredible resource for which our church has a certain number of licenses. This will help with Bible Studies, provide sermons, etc. Contact the church office for more info.

Church, what if God is using this time of worldwide change to draw a host of people to himself? What if this is a time for our neighbors to know that we are not a people of fear but a people of hope? This is an incredible and exciting time to be alive. We have a message that can give hope and eternal life to those who are afraid and dead in their sins. Let's not waste this time, beloved.

Pastor Wes

Photo by Allen Cai on Unsplash

Additional Resources

A Mighty Fortress is Our God: A Reflection on Imminent Danger

The following originally appeared as a blog post written by TCT Member Pastor Coty Pinckney of Desiring God Community Church in Charlotte, NC on March 21, 2020.

The following originally appeared as a blog post written by TCT Member Pastor Coty Pinckney of Desiring God Community Church in Charlotte, NC on March 21, 2020.

“A mighty fortress is our God – a bulwark never failing.”

Martin Luther wrote those words (in German) as well as the tune we use around 1528. This was a time of great danger. It seemed as if the leaders of the Reformation could be killed at any moment – and what would happen to the cause then?

Luther’s partner, Philip Melanchthon, was particularly worried. Luther responded in a letter dated June 27, 1530:

With all my heart I hate those cares by which you state that you are consumed. They rule your heart . . . by reason of the greatness of your unbelief…. If our cause is false, let us recant. But if it is true, why should we make Him a liar who has given us such great promises and who commands us to be confident and undismayed?…

What good do you expect to accomplish by these vain worries of yours? What can the devil do more than slay us? Yes, what? …

I pray for you very earnestly, and I am deeply pained that you keep sucking up cares like a leech and thus rendering my prayers vain. Christ knows whether it comes from stupidity or the Spirit but I for my part am not very much troubled about our cause…. God who is able to raise the dead is also able to uphold his cause when it is falling or to raise it up again when it has fallen…. If we are not worthy instruments to accomplish his purpose, he will find others. If we are not strengthened by his promises, where in all the world are the people to whom these promises apply? But more of this at another time. After all, my writing this is like pouring water in to the sea.

We in the US do not face death for the Gospel. But life often does seem out of control – particularly today, with so much uncertainty about the spread of COVID-19, and the economic effects of the steps taken to limit its spread. It can seem as if random chance is harming those around us and taking aim at us – or even worse, as if Satan himself is advancing his cause and will overwhelm God’s people.

Psalm 46 is written for times like 1530 – and for times like 2020.

We don’t know when this psalm was first written and recited. Some have speculated that it was written after the Assyrian king Sennacharib besieged Jerusalem – and God slaughtered 185,000 Assyrian soldiers in their sleep. Whatever Whether the historical occasion, the Kingdom seemed to be in grave danger from a powerful military force – so powerful that there seemed to be no hope – and God delivered His people.

We’ll consider verses 1-7 together under two headings, and then verses 8-11 under a third.

Is Everything Falling Apart?

In 1530, Melanchthon worried that everything was falling apart. Today, the coronavirus leads to similar feelings.

The psalmist pictures those feelings. In verse 2 he speaks of “the earth giving way,” and “the mountains being moved into the sea.” Indeed, the waters of the sea roar and foam, and the mountains themselves are fearful, for they “tremble at its swelling.”

To understand these expressions, it’s helpful to remind ourselves of the creation account in Genesis 1. Before God works, darkness is over the face of the deep waters. There is nothing but water. On the third day, God gathers the waters into one place, the sea, and commands dry land to appear.

So note: in Psalm 46 God’s work is being reversed! The mountains – the dry land that looks most powerful, most secure – are moved back into the sea. God ordered creation; now disorder seems to reign.

That’s what’s happening with the natural order. What about the political order?

Verse 6 tells us, “The nations rage, the kingdoms totter.” In Hebrew, the word translated “totter” is the same word translated “moved” in verse 2. The physical order is being moved and shaken, and thus is falling apart; just so with the political order.

When things seem to fall apart, when all that we’ve thought firms, secure, rock-solid begins to shake and totter, when it seems as if no one is in control, that danger is all around, we are tempted to fear. Thus the psalmist exhorts us in verse 2, “We will not fear.”

He then grounds that exhortation in the character and promises of God.

God Secures His People

In the creation account, God imposed order on the chaotic world. In Psalm 46, God shows His people that while all may appear to be returning to chaos, He still rules. He still governs. And He secures His people

Verses 1-7 tell us of three ways that God secured His people at that time – ways that He continues to secure His people today:

First: God is with us!

This is the primary message of the entire psalm.

  • He is our refuge – that is, He shields us from danger.

  • He is our strength, empowering us in weakness.

  • He is not only a help, but a present help, right beside us, in our presence; He never leaves us nor forsakes us.

To underline this point, verse 11 repeats verse 7:

The Lord of hosts is with us, the God of Jacob is our fortress.

With Him we are secure. No enemy can scale His walls. No danger can assault this fortress.

Verses 4 and following expand on this image:

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns. (Psalm 46:4-5)

Picture a flourishing, vibrant city, surrounded by unassailable walls, with a river flowing through its midst so that there is a continual supply of water. God’s people are the city. God is both the walls surrounding the city and the Protector dwelling in its midst. He helps the city immediately – at the earliest time, at the crack of dawn.

So the first way that God secures His people: He is with us. He is always with us.

The second way that God secures His people: He stabilizes us.

Remember, verse 2 speaks of the mountains being moved into the sea, and verse 6 (literally) of the kingdoms being moved. But verse 5 tells us that since God is in the midst of the city, “she shall not be moved.”

Even if both the created order and the political order are falling apart – even if a new virus threatens our entire world – God stabilizes and secures His people. They do not slip, do not fall, do not stumble.

The third way that God secures His people: He controls the dangerous forces

Verse 6 is my favorite:

The nations rage, the kingdoms totter, he utters his voice, the earth melts (Psalm 46:6)

In the midst of chaos and political upheaval, in the midst of war and intrigue and betrayal and scheming, in the midst of disease and disorder and disarray, God speaks! And all falls before Him.

  • He doesn’t organize His people into an army to fight the enemy, though He could;

  • He doesn’t send lightning and wind and hail to destroy them, though He could.

Rather – just like during creation week – He speaks – and His will is done. His words all by themselves are mighty and powerful.

So you see: Though all around you may seem out of control, may seem to be falling apart, God is in control. He is never out of control. He only has to speak – and that chaos, that opposition, is over and done with. Thus, when we see chaos continuing, when God’s enemies thrive – this is happening only by His permission, in order to accomplish His good and wise purposes.

He is almighty, He is in control of all. As Luther wrote:

The prince of darkness grim,
We tremble not for him.
His rage we can endure,
For, lo, his doom is sure:
One little word shall fell him. (emphasis added)

With those three ways that God secures His people fresh in our minds, let’s return to the picture of God’s people as a city. The New Testament authors pick up on this idea. In Hebrews 11, the author tells us Abraham followed God’s call, not knowing where he was would lead, for “he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.” (Hebrews 11:10) Like Abraham, all followers of Jesus while in this world are strangers, exiles, refugees, seeking a homeland – and God has indeed prepared for us a city.

Revelation 21 then pictures this city that God has prepared:

I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.  And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.  He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:2-4)

So Psalm 46 tells us that today God’s people are His city, surrounded by His fortress. He is in their midst. Though powerful forces are arrayed against this city, attacking it, trying to undermine it, God is an impenetrable fortress, and we are secure.

Hebrews and Revelation then picture the future, the new heavens and new earth. God’s people are still a city – but now, God has spoken His word, He has felled the prince of darkness grim, and His enemies are no more. He is with us in the present, and He will be with us for eternity. But in eternity, in the new city, we no longer need His protection. The old order has passed away. He has wiped every tear from our eyes.

So when it seems as if everything is falling apart – from viruses, from wars, from natural disasters – know: God secures His people today, and in eternity He will rid creation of all that is opposed to Him and to His people.

“So Relax! I Am Exalting My Name!”

Come, behold the works of the LORD, how he has brought desolations on the earth. He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the chariots with fire. “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. (Psalm 46:8-11)

We’ll highlight three commands in this final stanza:

First: Look!

The people must come and behold God’s works. He utters His voice – and even the earth melts. So any enemy has no chance whatsoever. Look at His might. Look at His power. Look at how He has acted in the past.

That was encouraging in the psalmist’s day.

But today, when we look, we see God at work doing something much greater than a defeating a huge enemy army.

In Luke 10, Jesus sends the 72 out to proclaim the Gospel. Going in the power of Jesus, the see Him at work – even demons obey them! They return, excited about the authority they exercised.

Jesus responds:

Behold (Look!) I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:19-20).

Furthermore, Jesus says:

Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it (Luke 10:23-24).

We in our day are privileged to see what the people of God have longed to see for millennia: God using people like you and me to reach all the nations with the Gospel. We see peoples who have walked in darkness for thousands of years seeing the great light; we see a plentiful harvest – and so pray for more workers.

So look! Behold! Look at the great victories that God is forging by His Word! Pay attention! His Kingdom must come – and it is coming. The evidence is all around us. And all the seeming chaos in this world is working to bring that end about.

So that’s the first command: Look!

The second command: Recognize!

“Know that I am God” in verse 10 is translated in the NET, “Recognize that I am God.”

That is: “Draw the conclusion from what you see! Recognize who I am and what I am doing. Recognize my sovereign power. I am indeed almighty. I am indeed working for your good. Look – and then recognize Me in all that happens.”

The final command: Relax!

We read in verse 10, “Be still, and know that I am God.”

Question: Is God speaking to the warring parties, saying: “Stop your fighting!” That’s what some translators think. But others – particularly the British translator and commentator Alec Motyer – think God is speaking these words to His people: “Be still – don’t be worried – relax – know that I am God.”

I think that’s more consistent with the rest of the psalm. God says, “I am with you. I love you. I am your fortress. I control all these forces arrayed against you. All may appear to be falling apart, but one word of mine will order the chaos and defeat the enemy. For I am doing a great work. My name must be hallowed. I must be exalted among the nations. I must be exalted in all the earth. I must bring those from every tribe, tongue, and nation to myself. And everything that happens is working to that end according to My plan. That is where all is heading, even though you can’t see it. So relax! Trust Me! I am for you! And I am glorifying My Name.”

Conclusion

What concerns you today? The virus? The economy? Your own health? The death of a loved one? The seeming chaos around us, and thus all aspects of the future?

However dark all may appear in your life, it cannot appear darker than the night our Lord was betrayed by a close friend, brought before a show trial, abused, whipped, mocked, and then nailed to a cross where He died.

For the disciples, that was the moment when all their hopes were dashed, when they were the most confused.

Yet: God utters His voice: And Christ conquers death.

  • He rises from the dead!

  • He sits at the right hand of the Father!

  • He reigns in power!

  • He will return with great glory!

Look! God was in control even at the crucifixion. And so: Recognize: He is in control in your darkest hour.

So be among His protected, secure people!

Trust that at that crucifixion Jesus paid the penalty for your sins!

Turn to Him and be saved!

Then: relax. Trust Him. God secures His people. He will be exalted in the earth. It is certain. That day will come – despite viruses, despite Satan, despite our own weakness.

Relax – and know that He is God.

Additional Resources

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Saturating the World with Eternal Joy

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Serious Joy in our Suffering

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Serious Joy in Global Missions

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Serious Joy for Associate Pastors

Serious Joy in our Preaching

Serious Joy in our Disciple-Making

Serious Joy in our Biblical Theology

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Hyper-Calvinism & Christian Hedonism

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Treasuring Jesus with our Pastoral Team

Treasuring Jesus in Church Revitalization

Treasuring Jesus in our Ecclesiology

Treasuring Jesus in our Counseling

Treasuring Jesus with our Family

Treasuring Jesus for Church Planters