Am I my brother’s guardian?

'Am I my brother's guardian?', asked Cain (Genesis 4:9)

Yes, yes you were.

And so am I (and so are you). For the men and women around me, those dearly made in the image of the One Triune God who created us. With a particularly compassionate guarding of those most vulnerable amoung us.

As we grieve our own sins and the sins of others.... Lord, have mercy.

'Then he (God) said, "What have you done? Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground" (Genesis 4:10)

Our sins against our fellow image bearers on the grounds of ethnicity, country, gender and more, cry out against us from the concrete streets, and our dreadfully concrete hearts.

As we grieve our own sins and the sins of others.... Lord, have mercy.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and mind and strength... and the second is like it: love your neighbour as you love yourself. If judged on the basis of love, will any of us stand?

As we grieve our own sins and the sins of others.... Lord, have mercy.

Praise the despised Son who poured out his love from a cross. Praise the powerful Spirit who pours God's love into our hearts. Praise the Father who offers forgiveness of our words and actions, and most of all, our motives and hearts.

As we grieve our own sins and the sins of others.... Lord, have mercy. Please move us in love, to carry your character in loving those around us.

Lord, have mercy.

Ryan

Campus Director, Howard College

For further related thoughts: https://ryanvda.wordpress.com/2020/06/17/george-floyd-racism-and-black-lives-matter-loving-our-image-bearing-neighbours/