On Sunday, March 21, Hope Hell’s Kitchen gathered for our weekly virtual worship service. We opened our service as we do each week, with a land acknowledgment seeking to honor the Lenape community. We followed that with another moment of recognition, this time for the eight Image Bearers who were murdered in Atlanta last week. We said their names out loud and reflected in silence.
Soon Chung Park
Hyun Jung Grant
Sun Cha Kim
Yong Ae Yue
Delaina Ashley Yaun
Paul Andre Michels
Xiaojie Tan
Daoyou Feng
Then, after our opening worship songs, our sister Eunice Shin-Lai read Psalm 109:21-31 and led us in a powerful prayer of lament, anger, and anguish.
“…we cry out to you, how long, O Lord? How long will people of power continue to exploit, assault and dehumanize those who are powerless? How much more do people have to suffer because of the way they look or because of the color of their skin or because of their gender? How long will victims be silenced or have to wait for true and complete justice? How much longer will the guilty not be held fully responsible for their sins? God, we question and wrestle with why you allow your Image Bearers to strip other Image Bearers of their inherent dignity and worth. Why is there so much heart-wrenching pain and suffering that occurs because of man's sinfulness? Why do we prioritize humanizing evildoers over their victims? Why do we fail to name hate and racism while we are quick to offer up rationalizations for unspeakable acts of violence?”
Will you join us in this prayer as anti-Asian racism and attacks continue in our country and in our city?
We also invite you to co-sign the Asian American Christian Collaborative’s statement condemning the attacks in Atlanta. If you’re a friend of the Asian American community, regardless of your leadership or ministerial status, please consider adding your name to this statement.