Friday, I took the opportunity to celebrate Juneteenth offered by Thomson Reuters. It's not a holiday celebrated around me, so I took some time to reflect on how it impacts me, and what I learn from it. I blogged on my personal blog, and shared how it breaks my heart, how I see that I need to speak to the problem, and live differently. I had to confess a very incomplete sense of what it is like for others, others of color, others of all sorts of differences, actually, to grow up in and live daily in this country.
I get a wide variety of traffic on my blog, but that day I had nearly no traffic at all. It was oddly surreal, as if the silence belied an unseen peril. I suppose that's the real danger with all that has gone on recently, the silence that follows. We don't know what to do with it, how to live differently, how to address the deep issues effectively. There is this struggle to overcome hopelessness and futility, but it's all part of the illusion. How can we, as disciples of Jesus, the Savior of the world, be without hope?
Something I called out in my blog entry from Friday was the demonic aspect of the racial divisions in this country. There is a heritage of this demonic evil pervasive in people claiming Jesus as their Savior. If you are interested in what I mean by that, you can check out the entry at Wordpress. I want to move passed what said there to an application from Hebrews 13.
In Hebrews 13, the writer switches his style from this meticulous classical argument structure to a staccato list of things to do. It's kind of abrupt, but that's probably why the chapter break was chosen to be where it is. But right out of the chute, he lists the following cohortatives:
Let love of the brethren continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it. Remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are ill-treated, since you yourselves also are in the body. (Hebrews 13:1-3 NASB)
It's pretty simple, right? Love our fellow disciples, show hospitality for strangers, and identify with prisoners. But think about it, isn't this exactly what's been missing? Actually, that's generalizing where specifics demonstrate that these qualities are happening across the globe: People are demonstrating cross-racial love for each other, often in terms of welcoming racially diverse people into their communities, and the identifying with the oppressed has erupted in other countries, as well as here in the US.
These three things, love, hospitality, and remembering, do not solve the problem for an entire nation. But, they do for us, as people, as disciples, as collections of disciples, and communities of disciples. These three things are a great place to start for us. If, like me, you are part of those who didn't grow up as a person of color, then this is a great way to bridge the divide and reach out to others, different, yet so like us. If you are a person of color, this might be a great way to experience healing and acceptance. All three require vulnerability and trust, two things that are so difficult to choose when the pain and shame is deep.
We miss opportunities to entertain those celestial messengers of our King when we choose to be vulnerable and trust others. We deny our own bodily identity with the oppressed when we refuse to be vulnerable and trust our Father in Heaven. We rebel against our Savior and King when we choose not to love our fellow disciples, regardless of race, or other differences. What excuse is valid to rebel against our Creator? What could possibly excuse our refusal to be vulnerable and our distrust of our King?
So, let us seek ways to show our love for our fellow disciples. Let us welcome others, regardless of race, creed, or "orientation" into our lives. Let us identify with those oppressed as ones oppressed with them, because, in a sense, when they are, we truly are as well. And not to identify with the oppressed to deny our Savior and His path laid out for us by His life.
Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Copyright by The Lockman Foundation
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