"I am the way, the truth, the life."                John 14:6

Dear People of St. David's,

I pray that you are well and are continuing to pray for our sisters and brothers at Emmanuel AME Church in Charleston last week. The horrific, racially driven murder rocked so many of our hearts. I heard many of you struggled with the idea that someone welcomed into a Bible study could turn on these Christian souls; take nine lives; and shake the faith and break the hearts of those following Jesus as we are trying to follow Jesus.

I don't need to inform you that we have a racism problem in our country and in the world - Ferguson, Baltimore, Charleston, Rwanda. But it's not only racism. It's a long list of "isms" that oppress whole groups of people and keep all of us from becoming the people God has made us to be and taking away the hope that empowers us to live fully.

This is not God's dream. This is not God's intention for the life of the world. This is not God's hope for your life and mine. Every one of us is a unique, beloved child of God. We are all different, but every one of us deserves to live a life where we are respected and valued just because God made us. Every one of us is responsible for living our lives and treating others as the beloved children we are.

We who have been called to follow Jesus have been called to a different way of life that reflects God's love for us. When Jesus says, "I am the way, the truth, the life", he is calling us to live differently. He is calling us to live in His ways, His truth, His way of life that always gives life. So, when the parishioners of Emmanuel AME Church publicly forgive the man who killed their family and friends, they are living in Jesus way of life and letting love overcome hatred; living into God's dreams, God's purposes.

I hope we would act in the same way should, God forbid, something do horrific happen at St. David's. I think we would but responding in Jesus' ways is only part of our calling. The other part is proactive, treating all with respect and dignity; doing all we can to respond to people in need who are loved by God as we are; and working in our own ways, privately and publicly to change the world in God's image. The God who loves you and me, just as we are, calls us to love and respect all others just as they are. Go forth as the unique, different, beloved people that we are and live differently.