“…we have a system of justice in this country”

In the three year lectionary, the Epistle lesson is Romans 13: 1-10 for this coming Sunday (6 September, Labor Day Weekend, 2020) and this is the classic text about the role of government: “For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.”

The you-tube video below is of Tennessee State Rep. John Deberry speaking recently to their legislature in General Assembly. This is an impassioned plea which speaks to the meaning of Romans 13 for both black and white people. Please note that Representative is from Memphis where Dr. King was assassinated. Mr. Deberry is also a witness to the civil rights history of the ’50s and ’60s and it’s meaning then and for today in the face of unprecedented racial violence in our cities incited by black and white people. It is over ten minutes long and worth every second!