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(RNS) The ride to the church seemed too short to give me time to unleash all those tears. I had to preach. What would I say?

How do you preach what you feel when you’re one of only a few black people in the church?

What do you say to a mostly white congregation after the shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown? What do you say after prayers and litanies are offered to remind us that we are called to promote justice and peace?

What’s the best way for white Americans to act in solidarity with black Americans protesting the killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson?

I don’t claim any fresh insights on this question. Janee Woods has some good ones.

In the 19th century, the U.S. adopted a "social peacekeeper" model of policing. Then the Civil War left behind a surplus of firearms.