As many of you already know, there was a tragic incident this past Saturday. Neo-Nazi's and other hate groups gathered and protested in Charlottesville,VA. There was a violent clash that culminated in a person driving a car through pedestrians murdering one and injuring more. It was horrific and homegrown terrorism. The hatred was racial. The hatred was vehement. The hatred ended in death.
That was Saturday.
Then on Sunday we had our church picnic. I am blessed to be the pastor of a very diverse congregation. I have not sat down and tallied it, however off the top of my head I will say this - we have Hondurans, El Salvadorians, Sierra Leonians, Liberians, Nigerians, Colombians, Puerto Ricans, White Americans, African Americans, etc...in our congregation. [And forgive me if I forgot a couple nationalities and you read this! :)] Having said that, we are not some huge congregation. It is not sporadic diversity. We all sit together and worship God together every Sunday morning. And this past Sunday was our church picnic. It was hosted by a couple themselves that are diverse - a white man and a Salvadorian woman. They have a beautiful home and they were gracious enough to host the church family.
I sat on the edge of their pool this past Sunday and looked in the pool. White kids. Black kids. Immigrant children as well. All together. All having fun. No problems whatsoever.
Later that evening I went to the grocery store. [Before I go further I will say that our congregation's diversity represents the city's diversity in which I live] In the grocery store I was one of a few white patrons and the rest were of a different skin color than myself. I did not feel out of place. I did not feel threatened. The checkout lady that served me was black. The people in the line around me were black as well. We smiled at each other and we made small talk.
Then I got back into the car and listened to the news. Hatred. Anger. Division. That is all that I heard. Then I checked my Facebook feed. Hatred and division; emotive outbursts from people that I know personally and have always found pleasant in real life interaction. And then it hit me like a ton of bricks. I asked myself a question, "who is profiting off of all this hate? Who is profiting that so many are encouraging and inviting us to hate one another?" And make no mistake - there is money to be made off of our anger. All the internet click bait causes advertising revenue. Every hate group wants more sympathizers that will make them more money. 24 hour news cycles demand viewership. Politicians need us to be motivated to vote and think in lock-step. Hate sells. Anger motivates us to action. But...to what kind of action does it motivate?
There is a lot of money to be made and earthly power to be kept through the motivating power of hate. There is very little money made and very little earthly power created through love.
And beloved, make no mistake - racism and tribalism is not new. Even as Jesus walked the earth 2000 years ago He combated racism and tribalism. The Jews did not talk to the Samaritans. They were, "half breeds." The Samaritans reciprocated. The Greeks hated the Jews and the Jews hated the Greeks. The Apostle's themselves were not immune. One of the most comically sad verses in the Bible is when Peter figures out that Jesus wants to save not just the Jews but the Gentiles as well. He is simply dumbfounded in Acts along with other Jewish followers when the Holy Spirit is given to the Gentiles in Cornelius' house. This is vv 44-45 of Acts 10, "While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles..." It is that little word, "even" that always gets me. "Even them...God wants to save even them!"
And here is the answer, "yeah people...even them." Let us simply get this straight - we are all equally sinful and equally in need of a Savior. Let us all remember that. Human beings are naturally sinful. Human beings are naturally tribal. But remember my Christian brothers and sisters - our nature is what God gives us the Holy Spirit to overcome.
My concern is not that I can add that much to this discussion about race in America. I am not going to solve the problem with a little blog. However, I do have a goal. Please beloved friends - do not allow those who want to pull the strings of hate pull you into it as well; because if we are not careful, the hate we saw in Charlottesville, endlessly reported, will make us look at the people in the pool a little differently. It may make us look at the people in the grocery store differently. We are all susceptible. Please simply remember wise words from Dr. Martin Luther King, "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." Or if you will not listen to Him, listen to the Apostle Paul in Romans 12, "Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." To the contrary, "if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." Or if the Apostle is not authoritative enough, listen to the Christ Himself in John 15:12-13, ""This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends."
Please remember - we are all created in God's image. We all have lost part of that image in that we have sinned. We are all in the need of a Savior; and that Savior is Jesus, the Christ. He gave up His life for His enemies. And if you are unfamiliar, you and I were those enemies. He died for you before you loved Him. He died for me while I did not love Him. He rose again to defeat our final adversary - death itself. And for all who trust in Him, He intercedes on our behalf. Please remember that the next time the media tries to get you to hate.
Your friend,
Chris
That was Saturday.
Then on Sunday we had our church picnic. I am blessed to be the pastor of a very diverse congregation. I have not sat down and tallied it, however off the top of my head I will say this - we have Hondurans, El Salvadorians, Sierra Leonians, Liberians, Nigerians, Colombians, Puerto Ricans, White Americans, African Americans, etc...in our congregation. [And forgive me if I forgot a couple nationalities and you read this! :)] Having said that, we are not some huge congregation. It is not sporadic diversity. We all sit together and worship God together every Sunday morning. And this past Sunday was our church picnic. It was hosted by a couple themselves that are diverse - a white man and a Salvadorian woman. They have a beautiful home and they were gracious enough to host the church family.
I sat on the edge of their pool this past Sunday and looked in the pool. White kids. Black kids. Immigrant children as well. All together. All having fun. No problems whatsoever.
Later that evening I went to the grocery store. [Before I go further I will say that our congregation's diversity represents the city's diversity in which I live] In the grocery store I was one of a few white patrons and the rest were of a different skin color than myself. I did not feel out of place. I did not feel threatened. The checkout lady that served me was black. The people in the line around me were black as well. We smiled at each other and we made small talk.
Then I got back into the car and listened to the news. Hatred. Anger. Division. That is all that I heard. Then I checked my Facebook feed. Hatred and division; emotive outbursts from people that I know personally and have always found pleasant in real life interaction. And then it hit me like a ton of bricks. I asked myself a question, "who is profiting off of all this hate? Who is profiting that so many are encouraging and inviting us to hate one another?" And make no mistake - there is money to be made off of our anger. All the internet click bait causes advertising revenue. Every hate group wants more sympathizers that will make them more money. 24 hour news cycles demand viewership. Politicians need us to be motivated to vote and think in lock-step. Hate sells. Anger motivates us to action. But...to what kind of action does it motivate?
There is a lot of money to be made and earthly power to be kept through the motivating power of hate. There is very little money made and very little earthly power created through love.
And beloved, make no mistake - racism and tribalism is not new. Even as Jesus walked the earth 2000 years ago He combated racism and tribalism. The Jews did not talk to the Samaritans. They were, "half breeds." The Samaritans reciprocated. The Greeks hated the Jews and the Jews hated the Greeks. The Apostle's themselves were not immune. One of the most comically sad verses in the Bible is when Peter figures out that Jesus wants to save not just the Jews but the Gentiles as well. He is simply dumbfounded in Acts along with other Jewish followers when the Holy Spirit is given to the Gentiles in Cornelius' house. This is vv 44-45 of Acts 10, "While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles..." It is that little word, "even" that always gets me. "Even them...God wants to save even them!"
And here is the answer, "yeah people...even them." Let us simply get this straight - we are all equally sinful and equally in need of a Savior. Let us all remember that. Human beings are naturally sinful. Human beings are naturally tribal. But remember my Christian brothers and sisters - our nature is what God gives us the Holy Spirit to overcome.
My concern is not that I can add that much to this discussion about race in America. I am not going to solve the problem with a little blog. However, I do have a goal. Please beloved friends - do not allow those who want to pull the strings of hate pull you into it as well; because if we are not careful, the hate we saw in Charlottesville, endlessly reported, will make us look at the people in the pool a little differently. It may make us look at the people in the grocery store differently. We are all susceptible. Please simply remember wise words from Dr. Martin Luther King, "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." Or if you will not listen to Him, listen to the Apostle Paul in Romans 12, "Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." To the contrary, "if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." Or if the Apostle is not authoritative enough, listen to the Christ Himself in John 15:12-13, ""This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends."
Please remember - we are all created in God's image. We all have lost part of that image in that we have sinned. We are all in the need of a Savior; and that Savior is Jesus, the Christ. He gave up His life for His enemies. And if you are unfamiliar, you and I were those enemies. He died for you before you loved Him. He died for me while I did not love Him. He rose again to defeat our final adversary - death itself. And for all who trust in Him, He intercedes on our behalf. Please remember that the next time the media tries to get you to hate.
Your friend,
Chris
