Blessed are the poor in spirit,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
    for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
    for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
    for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
    for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
    for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
    for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5:3-10 (NIV)

I’ve heard from a number of folks mourning the loss of Renee Nicole Good, the young woman in Minneapolis who was shot by an ICE agent

Sadly, you can see the video of this slaying on most major news outlets. This young woman was in her vehicle and protesting the actions of ICE agents in her city. If you worship a God of peace, love and understanding, then today is a hard day. I’m not going to whitewash it for you, either.

The man who shot her was not a police officer. He was not using good judgment, in my opinion. But far more damning than any of that, what he refused to do was to take her life into account. Her life was meaningless to him. And for me, as a person of faith, that’s the saddest part of this story. There were many other actions to take in this situation. None of them involved shooting her.

I would not have taken all the actions she took, but that doesn’t mean her life should be forfeit.

Renee Nicole Good had a right to protest and a right to live, just as we do. As members of our church take actions of their own, I urge you to be careful around people who do not respect the value or sanctity of human life.

I’m not interested in politics around this killing. I’m interested in ending such careless violence.

This feels like an inflection point for people of faith. It’s time to tell your leaders what you expect from them, and it’s time to expect better. We don’t all have to agree, but we must find better agreement in how we’ll conduct ourselves going forward. In my opinion, this kind of killing is unacceptable.

If you’d like to contribute to a fund to support Nicole’s wife and son, you may do so here.

Rest in peace, Nicole. I’m sorry.

-Rev. Charley Eastman