Our gospel tells of a man who is corrupted by a legion of demons. Jesus shows up, does his thing, the legion is gone. Then the townsfolk show up and they don't respond as we might expect. We're reminded in this text that the demons did not just affect the individual, they shaped the entire community. Systemic racism is a legion of demons, flowing in, with, and all around God's people who find our ways to justify the unjust treatment of black, brown, and indigenous people. The legion of racism will even destroy life before it is ultimately silenced. We commemorate the Emanuel Nine this weekend, recognize Juneteenth, and ponder again Christ's love breaking us open even as we reject his love for us. #forgiveness #EmanuelNine #systemicracism