Nicole’s e-Pistle

June 11, 2025

Greetings, Friends!

My social media feed is flooded with videos and images of the protests in LA. I am not a journalist, so I will not attempt to inform you of the events. I am not a politician, so I will not try to politicize what is happening. I am not a Californian (and have never seen the Pacific coast with my own eyes), so I can give you no eye-witness testimony. I am not an immigrant myself, nor am I descended from immigrants within two generations, so I will not pretend that any of this directly affects my day to day existence…

However… I am a human. I am a Child of God. I am a neighbor. I am a friend… and I have something to say. If you feel so moved, I invite you to say it with me.

Let us pray…

Creator God, you spoke into chaos and separated the waters, bringing about dry land. You created it. It belongs to you. Yet we fight over it, exploit it, steal it, barricade it, and strip it of its true value.

Loving God, you called us out as a people – not through our nationalities or ethnicities or racial identities – but through your love for us. We are supposed to be united in love with all who call you Lord. Yet we categorize ourselves in ways that separate us from the “other,” rather than celebrating the wonderous beauty of human diversity.

Wandering God, your Spirit moves throughout the earth. You are not bound by borders. You are not constrained by legalism. You welcome the stranger and provide a safe haven for all who are lost. Yet we build walls and fortify our borders, forgetting that we, too, were once strangers in a strange land.

Provider God, you feed the hungry, give water to the thirsty, and give shelter to all who are weary. Yet we hoard our wealth and privilege. We benefit from a system that takes from those who struggle to survive and gives to those who have more than enough for 100 lifetimes.

Forgive us, Father, for profaning the world you created. Teach us, Jesus, to channel our anger toward peaceful resistance to the powers that tempt us and coerce us to forget who we are in You. Fill the whole world, Holy Spirit, with a vision of Your will for all of humanity. Empty us of ourselves, so we may be filled with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Protect those who stand for justice and equality for all people. Guide those who have turned to violence back toward the way of peaceful resistance. Soften the hearts of oppressors everywhere who foolishly, selfishly, or malevolently harm others, and open the minds of those who support their actions, speaking Truth to them over the rhetoric.

We ask all these things in the name of your Son Jesus Christ, who flipped the tables of the money changers, stood up to corrupt leadership, and gave his last breath for the salvation of all. Amen.

Blessings and Deep Peace be with you today and always…