Racism Is Not Welcome In Our Home
I believe Jesus hates racism, and so do I. Sadly, over recent years I have heard but not listened, seen but not understood, the impact of racism and that it is on our own doorstep. I have to admit that I have been ignorant and oblivious whilst even my closest friends have been hurting - and for this I personally want to say sorry.
There is so much for me to learn, and so much for us to learn as a church family so that we can be a part of the solution and not the problem.
This week has been a time of difficult conversations as a family, with our own children. It isn't easy trying to get your children to understand something that we as parents barely understand and have been blind to ourselves for so many years - but we can't and won't avoid these difficult conversations.
Here is what I do know….
We are all created by God
The human story begins in Genesis 1, where God “created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (v. 27). Therefore every person is created intentionally by God in his own divine image. Thus, every person is sacred and equally valuable. Every form of racism, by definition, is to be rejected.
Genesis 1:27 (NIV)
So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
We are all descended from the same parents
Every human being is descended from Adam and Eve (Genesis 1:28). Eve is described as the mother of all the living, regardless of the colour of your skin.
Genesis 3:20 (NIV)
20 Adam named his wife Eve, because she would become the mother of all the living.
We are one in Christ
You don’t have to look for long in your Bible to see how people brought change. In Galatians Paul was dealing with many of the issues we are talking about today and had the courage to speak up about racial and social discrimination for Christians
Galatians 3:26-28 (NIV)
So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 27 for all of you who were baptised into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Everyone is equally welcome to salvation in Christ
God loves all sinners and wants all to come to faith in his Son:
Romans 5:8
God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us
2 Peter 3:9
Our Lord “is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance”
As Home Church Family we want things to change and are starting with the following;
1. We Are Taking A Position
We are on a journey, we are not there yet, BUT one thing we can do today is take a position on racism and prejudice. As a church we have taken a position on the sex trafficking of children by partnering with and supporting LOVE146 and we are now taking a clear position on racism.
We can and we are making our position on racism clear. It is wrong. We are now seeing what many of us never saw before because our eyes have been opened - silence is not an option.
Jesus took a position on something He felt strongly about in Matthew 21- the house of God being turned into a money market.
Matthew 21:12-13 (NIV)
Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. 13 “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’
Let’s be clear: Racism is not welcome in our HOME
2. We Are Seeking Guidance
We are seeking guidance and doing it quickly.
Commentator and speaker Paul Scanlon highlights to us that action without listening doesn’t work;
When we believe that God is on our side and we have a God ordained supremacy it generationally encodes our DNA. When slavery, genocide and land theft are done in Gods name it embeds itself deep down in our implicit biases and belief systems as supremacy. Policy change, different politicians, better recruiting and training of cops doesn’t touch this stuff. We need a fundamental reprogramming and that begins with at least some holy curiosity about what it’s like to be black.
The Bible is clear that we MUST listen and learn from wise advisors.
Proverbs 11:14 (NIV)
For lack of guidance a nation falls, but victory is won through many advisers.
Nelson Mandela was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, political leader, and philanthropist who served as President of South Africa. He gave us hope when he said these simple yet powerful words…
“No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love.”
—Nelson Mandela
Let’s be clear: We will listen and learn about how to tackle racism in our HOME
3. We Are Doing Something
We have a voice and so we will speak up as a church family to help educate and eradicate prejudice and racism everywhere. The system has given many of us privilege, so let’s use it!
Pursuing partnerships with organisations that are working to end racism, developing an advisory team in Home Church to help guide our leadership team, facilitating discussions to listen and learn are just a few of the initiatives we are giving our time to.
Action on this social justice issue will be woven into the fabric of who we are as a church, like many of the other injustices we feel strongly about.
For many of us we consider ourselves as Good Samaritans, when perhaps we have acted more like the priest or levite. Reading Luke 10 through eyes of humility, we can see what’s happening more clearly…
Luke 10:25-37 (NIV)
25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”
27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’[a]; and, ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’”
28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”
29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbour?”
30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii[c] and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’
36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
Let’s be clear: We are committed to doing something about racism inside and outside our HOME
Let’s Take This Journey Together
This is going to be a journey. If today you are part of our Home Church family, I believe you are here for a reason. Part of that reason is for ’such a time as this’ - to model unity in our church, to our local community and perhaps a watching world.
Continue to pray for us as we navigate this and many other complex issues for the greater good of humanity and to the glory of God. Pray for each other. Pray for our hurting world to turn to Jesus.
Let’s take this journey of change together.
James 5:16 (NIV)
16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
God bless you,
Andrew
