What God Has Done

“I won’t die—no, I will live and declare what God has done.” – Psalm 118:17 (CEB)

Oh, how the Easter season of 2021 has made Psalm 118:17 unavoidably potent! We’ve officially endured over a year in a world halted by one deadly global pandemic that heightened the awareness and effects of other deadly pandemics many of us are privileged enough to flout:

Ableism, racism, and sexism;

Xenophobia, transphobia, and homophobia;

Food, housing, and economic insecurities;

Healthcare, education, and technology inaccessibility;

Refugee, earth, and incarceration injustices.

Too many deadly pandemics that have freely existed for centuries under the guises of law and order, patriotism, and even Christianity. So normalized, they’ve been, that to disrupt or speak out against them feels like oppression. Meanwhile, to cling to these familiar and death-dealing systems is to do violence to “what God has done.”

Too many of our siblings across time and space died way too early due to 100% preventable injuries and injustices. There are uncountable names, hashtags, thoughts, and prayers flung about for clout that it’s hard to keep up with the people media highlights or the millions of others whose stories we never get to learn.

We who read these words are still living and can aim to embody this Easter message and mission: death need not have the final word! While we still have breath in our bodies, let’s strive to be living examples of “what God has done.”

After we’re gone, may the choices we make today persist beyond our deaths as a declaration of “what God has done.”

Prayer
What you have done is beautiful and sacred. In our living and declarations, may we boldly treat each one of your creations as such. Amen.

About the Author
The Rev. Phiwa Langeni is the Ambassador for Innovation & Engagement of the United Church of Christ. They are also the Founder of Salus Center, the only LGBTQ resource and community center in Lansing, MI.