Renee Good was shot in Minneapolis, MN, on January 7, 2026, by an ICE officer. In response, on January 9, Abide in Love organized a prayer vigil, held at First United Methodist Church of Rolla. I offered the prayer below.
Gracious and loving God,
We come together this evening to mourn, to remember lives lost due to hatred, due to fear, and due to a yearning for power. We particularly grieve Renee Nicole Good, whose life was tragically cut short through the actions of an ICE agent. We grieve all those who have died in this past year of creeping authoritarianism. We grieve those who were targeted because of their skin color, their language, their ethnicity, or their national origin. We grieve those who have died because of their commitment to democracy and freedom and the fair treatment of all people, and so were targeted as enemies of those who seek to establish a regime built on violence instead. We mourn the loss of the norms and mutual respect that are fundamental to living together.
We pray this day that everyone would be able to see your image in each person they meet. Jesus Christ, we remember your admonition that just as we do to the least of your siblings, so too we do to you. Grant that we would live in a world where our leaders, our law enforcement agencies, and everyone in a position of authority would value each human life just as you do.
We grieve together this evening, but not as those who have no hope. We know that you are with us here, holding us together in the palm of your hand and binding us together by the power of your Holy Spirit. We know that one day, all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well. Yet in our despair, we cry out, “How long! How long, O Lord?” We ask that you would grant us patience, and that you would comfort us as we await the renewal of all things, the reconciliation of all people. Strengthen us as we resist those who do harm in your name, those who sow hatred disguised as love, and those who destroy freedom while claiming to defend it. And above all, bind us together into your beloved community so that we can lean on one another and sustain each other for the long journey.
Amen.