The last time we were together we thought that the most pressing concern was a global pandemic that has crippled our economy, severely restricted our freedoms, taken thousands of lives, and plunged us into mask-wearing, social-distancing mania. Boy, were we wrong! I guess it's been the cops all along! Hiding under the guise of the shield of the black and blue has been hundreds of years of "institutionalized" and "systemic" racism that our "not-so-great country after all" has been built upon. This movement is not new, though it's forms and demands are as widely diverse as the people involved. The classic Gone with the Wind is now gone with the winds of our time and Quaker announced that the 130 year-old Aunt Jemima syrup will no longer be called Aunt Jemima and will no longer picture a black woman as the face of the product. And we all know now that Land O' Lakes butter will never look the same. Is that what the protests, riots, and looting are about? How far will it go?
It seems that nothing is untouchable. Anything that is alleged to have a shady past, no matter how far one has to stretch to make the connections, is up for grabs. Disney has to warn us that some of their older films "may contain outdated cultural depictions." How long before these films are scrubbed of these alleged depictions? Or our history books, institutions, landmarks, schools, etc.? The Supreme Court recently decided that LGBTQ rights were protected under the Civil Rights Act of 1964. We may want to erase the past, but, apparently, the law can predict the future. It's amazing to think that anyone, even Supreme Court justices, could have seen this coming! Our youngest son (age 6), who is mostly oblivious to what is happening around us, recently told us that he's going to name his firstborn son Cracker. Maybe that will help.
This is not to say that racism doesn't exist (it does) or that it's not particularly heinous and repulsive in the eyes of God (it is). But we have to know what we're aiming for and how we're going to get there. The destination is chosen first and then the route. Change is not going to come because we put a different label on a box of butter or bottle of syrup. It's not going to happen by defunding the police or by putting others in power (which is what this is all about). Change is only going to happen when we all recognize our shady pasts (and presents) and turn from the darkness to the Light. Reconciliation happens vertically first, between God and sinner, then horizontally, between sinner and sinner. We can't have the latter if we bypass the former. It's too bad that all the focus has been placed on racial injustice, but that has always been a sign of our dark age. We think this is something we can do on our own.
Remember our passage from last month? In case you forgot, God our Savior "desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself up as a ransom for all" (1 Tim. 2:3-5). There you have it. God's heart is for all kinds of people. Red, yellow, black, and white. Rich, poor, and middle-class. Privileged and under privileged. Oppressed and repressed; oppressors and repressors. If your heart does not reflect God's heart, then you have not come to the knowledge of the truth, no matter your color or class. Turn to the (God)man Christ Jesus, the only one who can repair your standing with God and with your fellow man. He is the only way to peace between God and man, and between mankind (Eph. 2:14-18). Join us at 10:00 as we strive to honor the Lord and one another in ways that reflect his heart for the world.
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