By Pastor Frank Wulf
Echo Park United Methodist Church
La Plaza United Methodist Church

Haz clic aquí para leer esta reflexión espiritual en español.

1 Kings 19:15a, 18
Then the Lord said to Elijah… “I will leave seven thousand in Israel,
all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth
that has not kissed him.”

In my  last spiritual reflection, I wrote about our divine calling to get into ‘good trouble’… following the examples of the prophets Elijah and Martin Luther King, Jr.

However, after the events of the last two weeks, all of us should be acutely aware that ‘good trouble’ can easily get us into bad trouble. Renee Good and Alex Pretti were not killed for being the ‘worst-of-the-worst’ criminal aliens that ICE has been tasked with pursuing. They weren’t even the left-wing domestic terrorists that the White House has accused them of being. They were U.S. citizens with families, jobs, and strong community connections. Good was observing and documenting ICE actions in her city. Pretti was helping a woman protestor who had been knocked to the ground by ICE agents. They were citizens exercising their first amendment right to assemble and protest, and they probably never imagined that agents of their own government would murder them and then make every effort to assassinate their characters.

Of course, Good and Pretti were not the first people to be killed  by ICE, and they probably won’t be the last. Immigration agents are still snatching people off the street – sometimes little children. They are detaining people under unlawful and inhumane conditions. They are deploying smoke bombs, tear gas, and rubber bullets against protestors. There are even times when they resort to firing live ammunition. People are being seriously harmed – sometimes fatally – by the brutal tactics employed by ICE. Nobody is safe… not those who are living here without documents… not those who have been naturalized as citizens… not those whose skin color or accent is judged to be foreign… not those who protest in the streets… not those who watch, witness, and document. All are subject to violence by the state.

According to the book of 1 Kings, the prophet Elijah flees into the wilderness after being threatened with death by king Ahab’s wife, Jezebel. His flight takes him all the way to the mountain of God where Moses once received the divine law. And there, he falls exhausted into a deep sleep. He is wakened the next morning by God, who asks him a single simple question:

What are you doing here, Elijah?
(1 Kings 19:9)

There are frustration, rage, and fear in Elijah’s response:

I’ve been working my heart out for you, God. But the people of Israel have abandoned your covenant, destroyed the places of worship, and murdered your prophets. I’m the only one that’s left, and now they’re trying to kill me.
(1 Kings 19:10)

It’s not just that Elijah’s afraid of the violence that’s being threatened against him. He’s faced violence before. He worries that the work he’s done and the risks he’s taken will all be in vain once he has been eliminated from the struggle and his prophetic voice has been silenced. He’s frustrated and angry at being abandoned in his struggle for the heart and soul of the Israelite people. And he’s tired of being alone: “I’m the only one left… and now they’re out to get me!”

God doesn’t argue with Elijah… not that it would do any good. God simply listens and then gives Elijah something to do: “Anoint Hazael as king over Aram, Jehu as king over Israel, and Elisha as a prophet in your place.” (1 Kings 19:15-16) And then, God whispers these words:

I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.
(1 Kings 19:18)

As it turns out, Elijah isn’t alone. He’s never been alone. He’s just been so absorbed in himself and in what he’s doing that he hasn’t seen all the others who have been diligently working alongside him. God’s Spirit has faithfully been moving in and through the hearts of God’s people… calling, teaching, inspiring, empowering, uniting, sending. The work of announcing God’s reign and doing God’s will is not going to end with Elijah. It  will continue because it is a community effort. It always has been and always will be.

‘Good trouble’ is not safe. That’s why it should never be done alone. The notion that the world is protected and saved by lone rangers is a diabolical lie. The Spirit of God works in and through communities of people to announce good news to the poor, to offer freedom to those who are captive, to give sight to the blind, to liberate the oppressed, and to proclaim the year of God’s favor. It’s not that there’s no place for individual action; we must all make our own personal choices. It’s just that those choices, even when heroic, are made in the context of communities struggling faithfully together to make a better and more just world.  

The killings of Renee Good, Alex Pretti, and others serve as a threat to all who dare stand in the way of ICE. We are all being told in no uncertain terms that we too might be killed or seriously injured if we obstruct, resist, or otherwise protest what ICE is doing, even when our protests are peaceful and nonviolent. The message of both ICE and the presidential administration that supports it is clear: “Be afraid! Run away and hide! Keep your mouth shut! Don’t resist! Pretend that everything is normal! Or else!” They are hoping that our natural instinct for self-preservation will prevail over our commitment to the wellbeing of the community. And sometimes it does, as in the case of Elijah. Sometimes we do run away in fear. But in those moments, the Spirit of God whispers into the very depths of our souls, reminding us that we still have work to do and that we are, in fact, not alone! We are part of a faithful multitude engaged in a holy and righteous resistance against “evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves.” (United Methodist baptismal vows)

Just as the prophet Elijah found renewed faith and hope through the 7,000 who had not bent the knee to  Baal, so too we find faith and hope through the solidarity and determination of those in the streets of Minneapolis and around this nation who have risen up to say no to ICE’s violence and brutality, no to racist and hate-filled attacks on people and communities, no to efforts to create a culture of fear. We know that we are not alone and that we are united. So, we mourn those we have lost – Renee Good, Alex Pretti, Keith Porter, Silverio Villegas González, and so many more. We comfort and heal those who have been injured and traumatized. And through it all, we passionately support and protect one another, because we know that the nonviolent struggle for justice and love is difficult and dangerous. Still, we know that the moral arc of this universe leans toward justice, just as the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. once reminded us. Together we choose justice, knowing that together we are strong. We are not alone! Thanks be to God.

God of hope, as we face the challenges and dangers of taking part in ‘good trouble,’ remind us always that we belong to you, and that we belong to a faithful community that has not bent the knee to hatred and fear. Help us to see and to give thanks for those who are beside us in the sacred struggle for justice. And let us push on together remembering that the moral arc of this universe really does lean toward justice. May your reign come and your will be done on earth as in heaven. Amen.

May God bless you all!

Pastor Frank Wulf

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