July 25, 2026

The Feast of St. James the Apostle

My siblings in Christ:

We are grieving, heartbroken, angered by the shooting death of Corey Ruiz this week. His death is mourned by all of us, but especially his family and friends. For many of us, his death reminds us of other such incidents, like the killing of Tony Robinson. The videos are horrifying. The questions raised by this incident are all too familiar. Why was deadly force used? Why are African Americans victims of police violence in disproportionate numbers to the percentage of their population in Madison? Why did officers fail to de-escalate? What can we do to prevent such incidents in the future? 

Answers to some of these questions may come from the investigations currently underway but the deeper issues around racism and state violence will persist. As faithful Christians we are called to lament the suffering and injustice that occur and to commit ourselves as a congregation and as individuals to build a more just and equitable future. At Grace, our Racial Justice Committee (formerly “Creating More Just Community”) has been working since its founding in 2015 to educate and advocate around issues of racial justice and equity. We have sponsored speakers, led programs on understanding racism, and through our participation in MOSES, have advocated for reform of the criminal justice system. We have also supported vulnerable populations through our food pantry, our hosting of the men’s homeless shelter for nearly 40 years, and now through our partnership with Catalyst for Change.

 All of this is commendable but it is not enough. Even as we grieve and continue to process the events of the last week, engaging in a clear-eyed assessment about what those events reveal about our community, we must redouble our efforts to construct a society in which all its members can thrive and flourish. 

We may be grieving, angry, and dispirited; our hope for a better future crushed under the weight of all the evils in the world. Yet God continues to work in the world; the Risen Christ proof of God’s power. And as St. Paul writes in the Epistle reading for Sunday: 

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:39-40).

Grace’s Racial Justice Committee meets on the second Tuesday of each month at 5:00 pm via zoom. We welcome new members. Catalyst for Change will be giving us an update on their work after the 10:00 service on Sunday July 26. The statement issued by MOSES is available here.