A Psalm for George Floyd

God the Almighty longs for justice
and confronts the sin of white supremacy.
God gathers the souls of the murdered,
their blood cries out from the ground.
God hears the cries of the oppressed,
and comes to their aid.
Jesus kneels with the protestors,
he stands in solidarity with the downtrodden,
he cradles the broken bodies of the persecuted.
The Holy Spirit broods over the bent world,
blowing the winds of change,
propelling the rushing winds of hope.

The Lord of hosts is with the abused,
the God of angel armies is their refuge and strength,
a very present help in times of trouble.
Come behold the works of the Lord:
God makes racism cease to the ends of the earth.
Those held back by discrimination,
those held down by racial profiling,
those held in jail by systemic forces,
they are freed from the chains that bind them.
God removes the knee from the throat
of those who cannot breathe.
The voice of the Lord cries out,
“Let my people go.”

Carol Penner (Carol is a pastor and Assistant Professor of Theological Studies at Conrad Grebel University College, Waterloo, ON)