News & Events

Trinity Ottoson-Smith, age 8, is the second young child to fall victim to senseless gun violence in Minneapolis. She lost her fight after 12 days Thursday evening.  Her father Raishawn Smith, “God got her now.” wrote on his social media. May her light shine on in eternity.  Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 19:14) That her suffering in this life would cease. So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish. (Matthew 18:14)

This Memorial Day weekend families will gather, participate in parades, visit cemeteries and memorials, using this time of honoring men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military, rightfully so. The Civil War may have ended in the spring of 1865, but there is another war that needs immediate attention, the War against Guns and Street Violence.  Unfortunately, Trinity’s parents and loved ones will gather to plan the funeral service to honor her young life cut short way too soon. 

With tender hearts, we offer this scripture and prayer:

For the Lord will not reject forever. Although he causes grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love. (Lamentations 3:31-32)

Dear Mothering Father God, we bring every grieving parent, relative, and friend of Trinity’s into your throne of grace, that they might receive mercy. Lord, they are going through a lot of pain and heart ache as a result of her death. It is not an easy thing for a parent to bury their child. God of compassion comforts them. Fill them with a deep sense of peace and grace. Move the community around them to help and support them to gain justice. Help them to continue being faithful to you even through the pain. Surround them with your love and fill the void left in their hearts with hope. Asking, oh God, that each day they will grow stronger, your light shine in their moments of darkness, and that the joyful memories of Trinity sustain them.

In the spirit and powerful name of Jesus, we believe and pray. Amen.

Rev. Babette Chatman

University Pastor

When Mary (Bridget) came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. 34 (Jesus) said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus began to weep.38 Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. 39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.”  John 11:32-39

 

Most of us didn’t know you, and yet we all wept at your senseless death. Your words now echo in eternity “I can’t breathe”. Your name added to the list of victims of the system of Policing.

Mr. Floyd, I go back often to the image and sound of your voice calling out for your “Momma”. Helplessly begging for relief from under the pressure of former officer Chauvin’s knee on your neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds. Your humanity ignored and violated by persons covenant to protect and serve, they failed you. They failed us all. But you were not alone in your suffering, your community was there pleading on your behalf. 

And every “Momma” responded to the cries of your voice, as did every father, sister, brother, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew, friend and activist. 

George, God wept at your death, and I trust that Mothering God was there, when you took your last breath. She did not leave nor forsake you. And your cries, your death inspired and unleashed a movement of protest uprising around the WORLD!

Malcolm X said “That’s not a chip on my shoulder, but your foot on my neck.”, today 365 days after your death, Chauvin’s knee on your neck, visible to the world, the Community has a chip on it’s shoulder. 

A chip that says Policing must be reformed. 

A chip that says you can’t destroy George Floyd’s character to justify his death. 

A chip resulted in the bill for George Floyd Justice in Policing act.

I believe Jesus was disturbed at the violence of your public lynching.

I believe, when you called, God sent angels to minister to you. And I believe, we are all called to “take away the stone.”

The stone of systemic Racism

The stone of the Empire

The stone of Hererosexism

The stone of Ableism

The stone of Classism

The stone of Ageism

The stone of Cissexism

The stone of Gun violence 

Take away the stone of violence within our communities, now!

Mr George Floyd, today we are all invited to self-reflect,  sit in reflective silence, to gather in community  to “Rise and Remember” and tomorrow with chips on our shoulders, get to moving The Stone.

Ase and Amen!

 

Rev. Babette Chatman

 

Psalm 34:18: “The LORD is near to the brokenhearted, and saves the crushed in spirit.” 

Very young Aniya Allen of Minneapolis now rests in eternity. This sweet six year-old was in the car with her mother when gun violence broke out around them. Her earthly light has been snuffed out much too soon, and a community grieves her death and the persistent evil of gun violence in our culture. Precious in the sight of the Lord, may perpetual light shine on dear Aniya Allen.  

James Keller stated, “A candle loses nothing by lighting another.” I have this image of Aniya being a candle whose flames will draw deeper attention to the impact all this violence is having on OUR children. Trinity Ottoson-Smith (age 8) and Ladavionne Garrett Jr. (age 10) also victims of gun violence in Minneapolis; and abroad, 40 Palestinian children killed, 54 injured. Who are we, that this evil has gone unchecked? And OUR children pay the price.  Edmund Burke said “The only thing necessary for triumph of evil is for good men/people to do nothing”

May we take advantage of Aniya’s flame and light our candles for change, for justice, and for peace. “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5). I don’t have the words; I can’t make sense of it. My heart, our hearts ache for her family. We must honor her, we must weep and wail in solidarity with her family. 

With tender hearts, we offer this scripture and prayer:

“But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, ‘Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs.’” (Mark 10:14)

Loving Mothering Father God of compassion, we bring every grieving parent, grandparent, sibling, family member and friend before your throne of Grace, so that they might receive comfort. They are overwhelmed with sorrow, emotional pain, and confusion right now. The heartache of Aniya’s parents having to plan the funeral of their 6 year-old child; the parents of Trinity and Ladavionne sitting holding vigil at their bedsides as they fight for their lives from bullet wounds; the parents of Palestinian children that will no longer see tomorrow; the parents of children we will never know lamenting the death of your beloved little ones on account of this world’s violence. Our hearts are breaking: we cry, Christ have mercy; make the violence stop; bring peace to your people. And we beseech you, hold all your children in your eternal embrace, the flame of their lives forever burning bright in your presence. Amen. 

Pastor Babette Chatman

Pastor Justin Lind-Ayres

University Pastors

The scene from India has been described in apocalyptic terms. Indeed, the images of funeral pyres burning in city streets and the long lines of COVID-patient filled ambulances desperate for bedspace in over-crowded hospitals are surreal. Yet, these images depict the reality of our siblings in India suffering the horrid effects of a double-mutant COVID-19 variant. Real people, real suffering, real lives lost, real heartbreak. As people scramble in India and around the world to assist in this crisis, we can feel helpless thousands of miles away. Yet, there are some things we can do. Check-in on your India-American neighbors, colleagues, classmates, and friends who may have family or friends in India and offer them emotional support or a listening ear. If able, give funds to a reputable social service agency on the ground in India. (If you are looking for one, Lutheran World Relief is serving in India and other countries in dire need https://lwr.org/.) And finally, join us in Campus Ministry in prayer. 

 

Let us pray:

God of all nations and Divine Designer of our interconnected human family:

As images erupt on our screens from around the globe,

we weep for our siblings suffering from COVID-19. 

So many to pray for in these hours, 

but in this particular moment we hold out before you 

your beloved who home themselves in India. 

The devastation brought on by this disease is nearly unfathomable. 

We dare to pray: get to work, O God of Easter; 

confront the maw of death with your resurrection promise. 

Bring comfort, bring restoration, bring life again.

Stir up advocates, healers, government officials, and global partners 

to assist in this time of great need.

Sustain those with relational ties to India who suffer from afar as they

watch and wait to hear about people and places they hold dear.

This we pray as we join in the suffering and pray for the healing of our global village. 

Amen.   

 

Pastor Justin Lind-Ayres

Nick Schifrin of NPR reports:

Two months ago, the Myanmar military staged a coup and overthrew the civilian government and has since met resulting protests with violence. The conflict is now entering a new stage as militias associated with the country’s ethnic minorities join the protests, with Karen refugees facing new air attacks by the military. Thousands have already fled into neighboring Thailand. 

The Karen Organization of Minnesota is deeply concerned about the violent actions of the military in Burma that undermines efforts towards a democracy and continues to violate human rights.  For the Karen people, this coup has ushered in chaos, violence, and forced relocation.  In the month preceding the coup, attacks on Karen villages by the Burmese military increased significantly. In some areas of Karen State within Burma, such as in Brigades 1, 3 and 5, there has been ongoing fighting since then. As a result, thousands have had to flee and hide in the jungle.  So far, over 5,000 people have been displaced by these violent attacks.

 

In the spirit of unity, justice and change, we offer a prayer for the community supporting the Karen people in Myanmar and all people who suffer in chaos, violence and forced relocation as result of the Myanmar Civil War and advocacy for Human Rights. 

May the souls of all beings move from suffering to liberation, from hate to love, injury of violence to pardon, from despair to hope.

In this time of great darkness, may the strength and support of this Augsburg community shine light and bring joy to your sadness.

And as people of faith grant that we seek to become informed and enlightened so that we are sensitive to the pains of our neighbors and respond with care; offering comfort, consoling and advocating for liberation and justice for the people of Myanmar.

Amen

Pastor Babette Chatman

 

A Reflection by Brandon Williams ’19

Brandon Williams is an Augsburg University alumni (Class of 2019) with a degree in Political Science in the Pre-Law track. He served as President of the Augsburg Day Student Government and was an active member of his school community.

Brandon interned with the Minnesota Department of Commerce and legally assisted a private criminal defense attorney, gaining valuable insight into local government and the criminal justice system. Brandon has also been asked to present at major university functions, testify before U.S. Representative and Senate committees, and speak at the State Capitol. 

Since September 2019, he has been in the position of Criminal Justice and Safe Communities Intern at the Minneapolis Foundation for the Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul Area.

Here is Brandon’s recent reflection shared with his permission:

Look, I am tiredddddddd. 

Not tired in the sense that I will get to turn away and process everything. Not tired in the sense that I can’t handle the constant feelings of hopelessness and frustration in this city, state and country. Not tired in the sense that I have to be a soldier in a battle for morals when it seems like the most “powerful” soldiers are fighting against it (I know it ain’t true but these are governmental entities). I’m not tired because I want this all to go away. I’m also not tired because I’m committed to work that forces our black people to support others, even when we haven’t had the chance to process our own grief and frustration.

I’m tired because I saw a news article and followed the story yesterday and hoped that – for any reason – that this wasn’t over no b*******. Yes, I did. And yet again, during a trial of similar circumstances, I find myself trying to have hope for a system that is literally killing us. I am tired of how common it is for my people to be treated like animals and then having it covered by news outlets and tv shows to demonstrate the realities we face and portray what is obvious. I know I’m not the only one that’s unsatisfied because most of these attempts are washed down and general.

My mother, along with my seven younger siblings, live close to this area and I hate that I have to go through a panic attack when things like this come up. The worst part is that I know there are people like me who have to be strong enough to not display that panic attack in an attempt to be an agent of peace, sanity and togetherness during these times. However, DO NOT mistake our modesty and grief for cowardness or an inability to show emotions because we show up and force change as well. I hope everyone finds some time for self care, whether that be through caring for others or taking time to process what is happening in your community.

BUT MANNNNN, I AM TIRED. but I continue to move forward for that cute little prince and to promote justice for that King and many others who won’t be here to influence the next generations about all that they have learned in life  

May God protect us all, and for those who don’t feel that is enough, may we protect each other

Brandon Williams ’19

 

Matthew 9:20-22

²⁰ And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment, (KJV)

²¹ for she said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be made well.” ²² Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And instantly the woman was made well. ( NRSV)

Medical research has a long, troubled racial history. One example is the Tuskegee study, which involved doctors letting black men die from syphilis.

The goal of the United States Public Health Service was to “observe the natural history of untreated syphilis” in black populations, but the subjects were completely unaware and were instead told they were receiving treatment for bad blood when in fact, they received no treatment at all.

Ada McVean B.Sc. writes in her article on the subject “During that time Social Darwinism was rising, predicated on the survival of the fittest, and “scientific racism” (a pseudoscientific practice of using science to reinforce racial biases) was common. Many white people already thought themselves superior to blacks and science and medicine was all too happy to reinforce this hierarchy. Scientific racism was used to justify the African slave trade. Scientists argued that African men were uniquely fit for enslavement due to their physical strength and simple minds. They argued that slaves possessed primitive nervous systems, so did not experience pain as white people did… In order to track the disease’s full progression, researchers provided no effective care as the men died, went blind or insane or experienced other severe health problems due to their untreated syphilis.”

Another example is the case of Henrietta Lacks. She was a poor African-American woman whose cancer cells scientists and drug companies used for decades without her permission. But the list of abuses is long.

It is this history that causes Black Indigenous People Of Color (BIPOC) to distrust the US government and their hesitance to take the Covid-19 vaccine.

 

In Matthew’s gospel there was a woman who also suffered many years under doctors who could do nothing for her disease. This woman was amazing, she was courageous. She didn’t give up or in. She operated out of her hope, and put her faith in a man named Jesus. Just as we have been instructed to practice social distance, wear masks, and constantly wash your hands as a means to avoid contacting the Covid-19 virus. Because of the nature of her disease, she was required, according to Hebrew law, to be isolated from society, not come around others. There are similarities. But she had the courage to go take her healing. She knew within herself that it was there for the taking. Just like our healing, protection and protection for our loved ones is there for the taking. The COVID-19 vaccine has met strict safety standards, followed all the usual steps to ensure that the vaccines are safe, pure and effective.

Beloved, the vaccine provided to all is free and safe and available for all.

I pray that anyone who has reservations or hesitancy about taking the vaccine will have some of that same strength and hope to put their faith and confidence that the government has learned from their mistakes. And that healing is a touch away!

 

Pastor Babette Chatman

 

 

Isaiah 43:16-19 (NRSV)

16 Thus says the Lord,
    who makes a way in the sea,
    a path in the mighty waters,
17 who brings out chariot and horse,
    army and warrior;
they lie down, they cannot rise,
    they are extinguished, quenched like a wick:
18 Do not remember the former things,
    or consider the things of old.
19 I am about to do a new thing;
    now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
    and rivers in the desert.

It seems that right now, in America, there isn’t much we can agree on. One place we can all find common ground is the upset the pandemic has caused in our lives, no matter what we believe about it. 

Social scientists say that in times of great upheaval, interventions and behavior changes are more likely to stick. In other words, whatever “new” emerges from the disruption created by COVID-19 may have staying power. 

“New” isn’t easy. “New” disrupts us and upends the comfortable and familiar. Instead of plunging ahead, our first instinct is to dawdle, actively or passively resist, and feel nostalgia for what is passing away. As the pandemic wore on, we no longer had the luxury to resist. The circumstances of our lives were changed. 

A global pandemic forced you and me out of our usual habits. Staying home, we accidentally nurtured God’s creation. Before the Great Pause, it was hard just to imagine a clear, pollution-free sky. We nurtured one another, we took time to check in on our friends and family, and showed love and concern for neighbors we may not have met or would not have reached out to otherwise. 

We were—and still are, despite the end being in sight—at a moment that calls to mind John’s vision of “a new heaven and a new earth” in Revelation and of God proclaiming, in Isaiah 43 “I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?”

If what social science says is true, these new habits of caring for creation, and caring for one another may be more likely to stick. As vaccines become more available, and we are free from the constraints of this virus, let us not fall back into the former things, let us go forward, embracing the new thing that God is doing. 

Prayer: God of all things, old and new, help us to perceive the new thing you are about to do. Give us strength and courage in these times of great upheaval, guide us toward the actions that help make the new things stick. New ways of being a part of your creation and your community. Let our patterns of living reflect the love you have for the world and for all of us. May these actions help us and our neighbors forget the former ways of racism, violence, hatred and division. Let us go forth in the new ways you make in the post-pandemic wilderness. All this we ask in the precious, holy name of Jesus. Amen.

Jenn Luong

Pastoral Intern