If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.  Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this place. 2 Chronicles 7:14-15

For hundreds of years, there have been cries to heaven for justice

From people of color

who have been mistreated

who have been treated as inferior

who have been murdered at the hands of those in power

who have been the victims of unjust laws

who have been stolen from over and over again

who have been told over and over again to be happy with the crumbs of society

who have been told that when a few of us thrive, we should be happy with that

who have been told that we are responsible for our own oppression

whose voices and stories have been silenced

I believe the God of Heaven hears and responds to the voices of the oppressed and marginalized.

He comes to their aid.

Our aid.

But I also believe that He not only wants to free the oppressed but also those who have benefited from our oppression.

God loves the oppressed and the oppressor.

I believe that the time has come for his Mighty hand of healing.

I believe that now is the time for racial reconciliation–for all races, not just blacks and whites.

I believe now is the time for justice.

But first, we must assume the posture of humility.  For God opposes the proud, but gives lavish, unending grace to the humble.

Humility begins with recognizing that you are deficient in some way, and there is someone who has what you need.

Simply said, humility is an attitude that says, “ I need help.  Please help me.”  It requires a willingness to patiently listen and wait.  It requires a heart that says, I will receive your help, even if it comes in a form that I don’t like.

As you listen, quietly to the voices of the marginalized.  As you listen to our pain.  As you finally hear what we have been saying, for hundreds of years, you will begin to feel some very real feelings.

Confusion. Disbelief. Guilt. Shame. Anger. Deep Sadness.

As you wrestle through these feelings, resist the urge to:

blame others

make excuses for the problems

explain away the problem

detract from the problem (ex. black on black crime)

minimize the problem

ignore the problem

or jump into “fix it” mode.

Instead, join us in lamenting the evil that has plagued the American culture.  Lament the ways in which injustice was woven into the very fabric of our nation.   Join the God of the Universe as He laments for the ways that humans have hurt other humans.

Feel the burden of previously ignoring or silencing the voices of people of color.  Feel the shame of using people of color as tokens to help you accomplish your agenda or to entertain you.  Feel the weight pressing you down for the ways you have benefited from the oppression of others. Feel the weight of your personal racial biases.    Let the weight of your own ancestor’s racism press you to the ground.  It’s a heavy, heavy burden to carry.  You’ve been carrying this burden your entire life, and you probably had no idea.  

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.  The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.  James 5:16

The key to racial reconciliation is in being truthful about our past and our current sins.

We must agree with God regarding our own personal sin, the sin of our ancestors, and this nation’s sin.  Once we agree, we can accept Jesus’s invitation to remove the heavy burdens that we carry.

Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you.  Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.  Matthew 11:28-30 

You are carrying a burden that our loving Father wants to release you of.  The American Church has carried a burden that our Lord wants to release us from so that we can truly be all that we have been called to be–the Light of the World.

So now what?

Sit with Jesus, in the quiet, and ask Him to reveal the burdens of sin related to racism that you carry.  As you educate yourself, and you feel the burden, the shame, and the weight of the sins of our forefathers, sit with Jesus.  Write down every single evil that He is revealing to you and confess each one.  Make no excuses.  Take full ownership of them.

Jesus died for each and every sin.  He suffered greatly for these sins.  He took the punishment that you, your ancestors and my ancestors deserve for these sins.  He carried this heavy, heavy load so that we can live in freedom.  His broken body brought us healing.

Thank Jesus for taking each and every sin away, replacing every evil deed with His Holy and righteous acts.  Through his supernatural work, He can go into our personal past, and our collective past and RIGHT every wrong.

Only God can bring REST to our souls.

Only He can enable us to radically love one another.

Only He can empower us to uproot the evil systems that keep some people thriving at the expense of others.

We cannot fight this fight carrying the burden of guilt, shame, or unforgiveness.

You were chosen for this!!!

You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.  Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy but now you have received mercy.  1 Peter 2:9-10

Jesus, re-establish shalom in the world.  Uproot and overthrow this kingdom of darkness.  Begin in each of our hearts.  Amen.