Who's gonna tell it?

In New Haven, there have been eleven murders since the beginning of the year. The police have made no arrests. Not one. The silence surrounding these deaths called to mind an Old Testament story.

Moses has died and Joshua is now the leader of the people of Israel. He has the task of taking them into Canaan, the land of promise. It is a fearsome assignment, for the land was to be taken by force, there would no doubt be resistance. Despite the challenges, Joshua and the people forge ahead, taking the Lord at His word, that He would make a way for them. And He does so in miraculous fashion, creating a dry path through the Jordan River so that they can cross over. He enables them to tear down the walls of Jericho through the power of their collective roar. With these demonstrations of God's power and human nature being what it is, it is not wholly surprising that Israel took for granted the small city of Ai. Having defeated the people of Jericho, the few in Ai would pose little trouble. No need to "shock and awe", just a few troops would do. When Ai turned the tables and sent Israel's would-be conquerors running for their lives, Joshua was beside himself. Now that they had been defeated and embarrassed by so small a foe, what would happen to them when the big boys in the 'hood heard about it? The Lord's response: Israel, there is sin in the camp; this is why you have been defeated.

I know I run the risk of over spiritualizing the story, but I would say to all of the brothers and sisters in the 'hood who are being victimized by those among us who have no problem gunning people down, there is sin in the camp, and it must be dealt with. Pastors, we must create enough community within our congregations that it will flow out into our neighborhoods. If those in possession of the truth about the perpetrators of wanton violence do not feel safe then we must work to make them safe, for if they are not safe, we are not safe. Especially if folks are getting shot at 8:30 on a Monday evening.

Don't get it twisted. Somebody's got to snitch.