Day 1 Post – May 27, 2022
The long journey toward justice and peace
Adopted in 1994, the ELCA social message “Community Violence” urges us to become more
involved in countering the reality and fear of violence in our communities and our neighbors’
communities, pursuing justice and seeking peace no matter how long the journey or complex
the challenge.
The message states: “Before God, we all are in captivity to sin, and in need of God’s mercy.
Some have committed acts of violence. Others have been sinned against through acts of violence.
Still others are overwhelmed by fears of violence. In proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ’s
forgiveness, healing, and new life, the church addresses the ultimate root of violence. Through
his death, Christ broke down the dividing walls of hostility, fear, and violence between people,
reconciling us to God and one another (Ephesians 2:13-17). God’s reign of peace has come in
Jesus Christ, and will be complete in a ‘new heaven and new earth’ where death and pain ‘will
be no more’ (Revelation 21:1,4).”
This post is part of the ELCA’s “60-Day Journey Toward Justice in a Culture of Gun Violence.”