My bride thinks me obsessed with death as she wanders in and out of my multitasking, with the computer on the day's Americans For The Arts Advocacy Summit, my cellphone scanning its Agenda Book for the slides being presented, and our TV broadcasts the day's testimony from the trial of George Floyd's public executioner.
And while it sickens me to watch three men kneel on a civilian until his lungs can no longer exchange oxygen for carbon monoxide, and then for three minutes longer (even making the arriving medic reach for a carotid pulse around Chauvin's knee still driving into George's neck with such force his foot is off the ground.
My niece lives a few blocks away, and while she wasn't witness to the murder she's been watching closely ever since to see justice done; I pray she's satisfied by the outcome, though I can't expect satisfaction from the immediate and extended Floyd family for whom one court decision could never overturn 400 years of oppression and inequity.
This is probably redundant but I feel the need to preface this. If someone embraces values that imbue decency and kindness I don’t care what got them there; religion, fortune cookies, whatever, even if I enjoy poking fun.
Anyway, I glossed over your comment about George not being Jesus at first because of course he isn’t. Then I went back to it after I finished the post and thought, why not? Metaphorically speaking those poor witnesses on the sidewalk, left powerless, helpless and hopeless, watching uniformed and armed men participate in and commit an execution surely had their legs broken. If you were looking for a modern day parable, this is it.
Your right, we need witnesses beyond those who were there or to adopt the lingo, people to bear witness. Politically, spiritually, morally the truth is a precious commodity these days. There’s some people that can be brought around. As for those who refuse, we just have to make enough noise to drown them out.
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
My bride thinks me obsessed with death as she wanders in and out of my multitasking, with the computer on the day's Americans For The Arts Advocacy Summit, my cellphone scanning its Agenda Book for the slides being presented, and our TV broadcasts the day's testimony from the trial of George Floyd's public executioner.
And while it sickens me to watch three men kneel on a civilian until his lungs can no longer exchange oxygen for carbon monoxide, and then for three minutes longer (even making the arriving medic reach for a carotid pulse around Chauvin's knee still driving into George's neck with such force his foot is off the ground.
Because attention must be paid...
I feel the same way. This needs witnesses beyond the neighbors who saw it in real time.
My niece lives a few blocks away, and while she wasn't witness to the murder she's been watching closely ever since to see justice done; I pray she's satisfied by the outcome, though I can't expect satisfaction from the immediate and extended Floyd family for whom one court decision could never overturn 400 years of oppression and inequity.
This is probably redundant but I feel the need to preface this. If someone embraces values that imbue decency and kindness I don’t care what got them there; religion, fortune cookies, whatever, even if I enjoy poking fun.
Anyway, I glossed over your comment about George not being Jesus at first because of course he isn’t. Then I went back to it after I finished the post and thought, why not? Metaphorically speaking those poor witnesses on the sidewalk, left powerless, helpless and hopeless, watching uniformed and armed men participate in and commit an execution surely had their legs broken. If you were looking for a modern day parable, this is it.
Your right, we need witnesses beyond those who were there or to adopt the lingo, people to bear witness. Politically, spiritually, morally the truth is a precious commodity these days. There’s some people that can be brought around. As for those who refuse, we just have to make enough noise to drown them out.
The Sheep and the Goats
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”