On Tuesday our nation breathed a collective sigh of relief as the jurors in the Derek Chavin case confirmed what we suspected: that the death of George Floyd, a black man, at the hands of Chauvin, a white former cop, was indeed as egregious and as illegal as we thought it was.

There were cheers and signs of elation as thousands of blacks and others applauded this all too rare affirmation of justice in a case, that in years past and in all too many courtrooms, would not have yielded the same verdict.

Theologian Theodore Parker famously said that the great moral arc of the universe bends towards justice, reminding us that the road toward a more equitable, just, therefore peaceful society, is a very long one.

That the George Floyd case now means justice in particular will yield justice in general, is a conclusion none of us are reaching. What we are seeing is that our efforts, by speaking up, by speaking out, by standing up to unjust and inequitable laws and treatment, can yield fruit.

It also means the reckoning must continue.

Mr. Floyd’s death affirmed to privileged white men like me that the time is long past when I can look the other way or pretend we white men don’t see the systemic racism that benefits us. We must work to change systems. We must yield our privilege. We must, as Jesus commanded us, love our neighbors.

It was George Floyd's murder that inspired our congregation to take the issue of racial equity more seriously, to read books, to sponsor movies, to hold regular discussions - and I hope you will continue to join us in the work - because none of us changes our mimds on important things very quickly.

So let this week's verdict be a cause for celebration, a cause for inspiration, and something we can look to as progress in a society where so much remains broken, indeed, we cannot breathe fully or easily until we alll can breathe fully and easily.

As our Prayer Book invites us to do, Let us pray.