Atatiana Jefferson, a Black woman, was unjustly and brutally killed by a white police officer in Fort Worth early Sunday morning, October 13 2019. Her death occurred shortly after the conviction of another white police officer in the murder of Botham Jean in Dallas on September 6, 2018. And a few days after that, Joshua Brown was killed, also in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.

It is not possible for me to write a litany for every tragedy that has occurred, every unjust and unconscionable killing, every shooting, every violent outbreak. Instead I’ve tried to offer helpful prayers that can be returned to in the event of yet another fatal event. Such as this, this, this, this, and this, this, and this.

However, today this prayer spills out of me, and I offer it to all who might find it helpful in some small way.

God, we have lost another precious human being
To senseless violence and unjust brutality.
Her* name is Atatiana Jefferson
And she was, and is, beloved my many.

Oh God we cry out for an end to these seemingly endless and unnatural deaths,
For an end to brutal policing and corrupt institutions,
For an end violence against black and brown people,
For an end to white supremacy and oppression.

We ask for love to come and cover this multitude of sins.
We ask for supernatural peace to overtake this chaos.
We ask for human life to be regarded as sacred by all people,
Regardless of origin,
Regardless of race or ethnicity,
Regardless of privilege,
Regardless of any external signifier,
Regardless of circumstance.

We know that the best resister of empire
Is Christ himself;
And the best lover of humanity
Is Christ himself;
So we willingly undergo the ego transformation
Required to follow Christ’s path
And live in his way
Of radical unconditional love and powerful humility.

We honor all beings as divine creations
Reflecting the image of their creator;
And we lament and grieve the mistreatment and loss
Of any precious person.
We lament and grieve the state of injustice in which we live,
And our complicity with evil power structures.

We pray for Atatiana’s* family and friends,
And for all those who now feel unsafe to exist in this world.
We pray for the justice of heaven to prevail on this earth,
And for healing of every hurt and restoration of every broken thing.

Amen

*God forbid we every have to use this prayer again for any other person. But if we do, the pronouns and names may be changed.

As I have been getting an education on race, and as injustices and harm continue to happen, and as our society's inherent racism continues to be revealed; I feel compelled to write about race. I write as a white person primarily to white people. I write as a pastor, sometimes preacher, friend, and as an ally of People of Color. If you need a place to start your education, I recommend Austin Channing-Brown's _I'm Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness_.

God, we can get an education in injustice,
If we are open to receiving it.
Soften our hearts, oh God,
That we may be willing to learn.

We acknowledge that the structures that make up our society have advantaged whiteness,
And disadvantaged People of Color.
We acknowledge that our Black and Brown siblings suffer in the same institutions and circumstances
In which whiteness finds comfort.
We acknowledge that privilege has suffering as its underbelly,
And oppression as its hidden cost.

We know that the time has come for our collective blindness to be revoked,
For the comfort of whiteness to lose priority,
For the weight of institutional injustice to be lifted,
For us to confront our pride,
For humility to become our prized virtue,
For listening to characterize our conversations.

Thank you for sending us the Christ
To show us a vision of a New Society
     A New City
     A New Era
     A New Government
     A New Law:
Where humanity is seen and valued;
Where privilege is a thing to be shared;
Where deference and gentleness are our best conventions;
Where institutions care for the disadvantaged;
Where race is not only tolerated, but embraced and admired;
Where diversity is beauty;
Where we are able to look beyond basic equality,
     toward Abundant Life and thriving for all (1).

And we are thankful, Oh God, for that institution begun by Christ -
The Church, the Body of Christ on Earth -
In which we re-imagine human relationships in light of Christ’s priorities;
And for this life you give us, which is love’s proving ground.

Amen

1) John 10:10