Words of Encouragement for The Congregation after Charlottesville Protests

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to preach at church. I had been in a short series on Psalm 31 and 32 and yesterday's text was Psalm 32. The previous day was the chaos and  racial violence that was Charlottesville, a town that is not very far from where I live. 

I woke up Saturday morning to the news headlines of the previous night's torched march through the UVA campus. I immediately felt immense fear, anger, and anxiety only to be followed by that day's violent protests. I knew I'd be modifying my sermon, but couldn't figure out how to say what needed to be said about the Charlottesville incident and drive home the main focus of the text: confession. By God's grace I linked some points in the sermon to the events, but before I began preaching, I spent a few minutes giving an encouragement and exhortation to the congregation about the previous day. ( We have 3 services, so I said most - if not all- of this in each of the morning services.) 

A Reflection

Yesterday was devastating needless to say. Waking up to the news of the protests of white supremacists and watching the fighting and violence yesterday in Charlottesville was deflating to say the least. It was purely demonic. I realize that we share a variety of perspectives, but we should all agree that the events which occurred in Charlottesville yesterday are not condoned by our Lord. White supremacy is not condoned by God.

I wish I would have preached on Psalm 31 this week, because I know I certainly need it now. Perhaps there are those of you here who may feel the same. I need to be reminded that as the people of God, our times - times such as these, filled with such chaos and vitriol - are in the hands of God. I need to know that God hears me in my distress now.   

If you want to know how I really feel about it, you can talk to me outside of this. I’ve got so many words, but it doesn’t matter what I say about the particulars right here and now. It does matter what we do as God’s people in light of these events. It matters how each of us respond to this as individuals and as a body shaped by the good news of the gospel. Our words matter in our condemnation of racism, white supremacy, and any forms of supremacy other than the supremacy of Christ.  It matters how we love, listen to, and lament with one another and bear one another’s burdens. It matters how we confess our apathy, ignorance or the vengeance and anger in our own hearts.  It matters how we see God, the brokenness of this world, and His Son in moments like this. 

I don't want to tell you that that if we "just preach the gospel" then everything will be fine. Certainly that is true, but what does that look like specifically for you to live in a way, shaped by the gospel, that responds to these events in the spheres of influence where you are placed? How does the gospel shape your loving, listening to, and lament with those who are different than you?

We know that in Christ - through Him, God has torn down the dividing wall of hostility between ourselves and Him and  between one another.  Ephesians tells us that He has reconciled image bearers to Himself from every nation, tribe, tongue, and people group, making one new man. In light of this - one of the great implications that Paul encourages Christians with; one of the great "therefore's that follow this already achieved reality is that as God’s people, those who walk in the light, we are to separate ourselves from the unfruitful works of darkness (Eph 5:11); but that is not enough. It is not enough to be passive and silent in these moments, we are called to do more than that - we are called to expose works of darkness as well. Racism and white supremacy are works of darkness. They are spiritual wickedness. This darkness includes the ethnocentric wickedness on display yesterday and in many forms in this world.

Followers of Jesus and children of the light, Expose them. Bring the light and truth of the gospel to the darkness that blinds many and oppresses others.

A Prayer of Lament

I modified this prayer from the words of Rev. Prince Winters , Psalm 31, and Psalm 120

My hope is in you, God. Deliver me from all my fears. O God, come quickly to help us. O Lord, come quickly to save us. In our distress, incline your ears to our cries. Too long it seems that our dwelling place has been in a world among those who hate peace. You are the God of hope and Peace.

Jesus, would you give us peace to guard our hearts and minds. Lord, we are for peace - even though the brokenness of this world is for war - against you and against one another.

In the name of the one who came that we might have life and have life more abundantly.

July 2nd and July 4th

The national holiday known as Independence Day is just around the corner. It’s always celebrated on July 4th with fireworks, flags, and cookouts, but as great of a holiday as the fourth is, I’d prefer celebrating on the second. 

Independence Day commemorates the signing of the Declaration of Independence by several of this nation’s earliest and most influential men. The document, written by Thomas Jefferson declaring the United States’ independence from Great Britain, includes one of the most resounding statements in Western civilization, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” What isn't often highlighted about the Declaration of Independence is that is was actually voted on by the Continental Congress on July 2nd, 1776 even through the nation’s independence is celebrated on July 4th. But this isn't why I prefer July 2nd over July 4th. 

While these men shouted at the British for independence across the Atlantic Ocean, they failed to hear the cries for freedom being shouted at them from across the Mississippi.

July 2nd, 1776

While on July 2nd, 1776 a group of men sought to remove themselves from oppression; to liberate themselves from a kind of bondage; and to establish themselves as free and independent persons, many of them were active participants in a more severe oppression; they were obstacles to a greater liberation; and they were takers of freedoms that should have been experienced by all. When they signed this declaration, backing the statement that “all men are created equal” their intention wasn't to communicate the equality of all men, but only some men. In their acknowledging the self-evident truths of the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for all, they remained willfully blind to fact that these rights were only being acknowledged for some. While these men shouted at the British for independence across the Atlantic Ocean, they failed to hear the cries for freedom being shouted at them from across the Mississippi. Although the principles that guided these men to establish this government gave them freedom for themselves and others who looked and thought like them, these same principles would be Providentially used to give these same rights and freedoms to those who were well outside of their racially limited and sinfully distorted scope. Therefore the independence of the United States is to be celebrated by all peoples who benefit from the government’s acknowledgment of these rights, but in the past, for an extended period of time that was defined by much pain and suffering, not all could celebrate this so-called independence in the same way.

Frederick Douglass, on the 76th anniversary of the nation’s independence stated this, which could also be spoken from the mouths of countless others who had been bought and brought to this nation’s shores without the acknowledgement of their self-evident, unalienable rights and their humanity. Douglass states 

“I am not included within the pale of this glorious anniversary! Your high independence only reveals the immeasurable distance between us. The blessings in which you, this day, rejoice, are not enjoyed in common.-The rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity and independence, bequeathed by your fathers, is shared by you, not by me. The sunlight that brought light and healing to you, has brought stripes and death to me. This Fourth July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn. To drag a man in fetters into the grand illuminated temple of liberty, and call upon him to join you in joyous anthems, were inhuman mockery and sacrilegious irony.”

— Frederick Douglass

Douglass made this statement just 165 years ago, a stone’s throw from the present, historically speaking. Since then, much of America, particularly African-Americans have been playing catch-up concerning the experience of independence that the founders spoke of in the declaration. On the contrary, the experience of independence, when finally felt for many of these Americans-who were slaves and regarded as nothing more than property- was one of independence, not from the oppressive British rule, but from the oppressive fist of those who basked in the sunlight of national independence while using that same sunlight of freedom to burn and destroy the bodies of black people. This is why I prefer to celebrate on July 2nd over July 4th.

July 2nd, 1964

Make no mistake, I’m going to take the day off. I’m going to enjoy a burger and probably hold my son on my shoulders as he excitedly watches fireworks. Many people died so that we could finally experience independence and freedom to this degree - and not just soldiers and servants of this country, but black mothers’ and fathers’, men and women who broke themselves to push us one inch closer to freedom. 

President Lyndon B. Johnson signing the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Martin Luther King is just to his right looking on. 

Many of these black men and women were present during another July 2nd, when these rights that were initially acknowledged and written into the fabric of this country, were extended to those who this nation so often failed to affirm. On July 2nd, 1964 the Civil Rights Act was established being signed into law by then President Lyndon B. Johnson. In perhaps the most famous photo of the moment, Martin Luther King Jr. is seen standing Just behind President Johnson as he signed the bill into legislation. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a major step in this nation extending equal rights to people of color through outlawing discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, or sex; encouraging the desegregation of public schools; and applying equal voting procedures to all races,a move that would pave the way for the Voting Rights Act just one year later. 

In a televised address just before signing the Civil Rights Act, Johnson quoted the same famous words that Jefferson penned in the Declaration of Independence, “We believe that all men are created equal…”, but on this July 2nd in 1964, Johnson continued this statement saying, 

“Yet many are denied equal treatment. We believe that all men have certain unalienable rights. Yet many do not enjoy those rights. We believe that all men are entitled to the blessings of liberty. Yet millions are being deprived of those blessings— not because of their own failures, but because of the color their skin.”

— Lyndon B. Johnson

On July 2, 1776 black people were enslaved, neglected, and had been stripped of their God-given unalienable rights by a young, independent, and racist nation. On July 2, 1964, black people, while continuing on in the fight against the very same racism and discrimination they had always faced, were finally heard, acknowledged, and fought for. Its only been 53 years since that time, which is not very long in the fight for equality, but since that time some progress has been made while even greater progress continues to be pursued. July 1776 gives us reason to celebrate democracy, but July 1964 gives us reason to celebrate our democracy.  

From slavery, to reconstruction, to segregation and discrimination, to economic liberation, African-Americans can rejoice now in the freedoms of this nation than ever before. July 2, 1776 gave us no apparent reason for celebration, but July 2, 1964 gave us hope; it gave us recognition that America had never previously extended towards African-Americans. 

A Better “July”

The Civil Rights Act of July 2nd, 1964 reflected the intentions of this kingdom more than the intentions of this nation’s founders. It embraced and enforced the God-originating truth that all men are created equal.

Through both of these significant dates, God has been both sovereignly over and in the midst of the sufferings of black people. He’s been in our songs and our stories, our conversions, and in our conversations. He has extended a greater freedom to us in the gospel than this nation ever has, and He has extended this freedom to us freely at a great cost to Himself - sending His Son, Jesus to bear the punishment for our sin and to bear the punishment for the institutional, systemic, discriminatory, and racially charged sins committed against us. He has welcomed us through the cross into His eternally independent, all-powerful, multi-ethnic Kingdom where true peace, joy, and freedom is found. The Civil Rights Act of July 2nd, 1964 reflected the intentions of this kingdom more than the intentions of this nation’s founders. It embraced and enforced the God-originating truth that all men are created equal. It points to the better “July” when peoples will not be physically enslaved or economically discriminated against. It raises up the equality of all people that is greatest displayed in God’s gracious giving of salvation to all kinds of peoples - welcoming them, unifying them, transforming them, and accepting them. This is why I prefer to commemorate the July of 1964 more than the July of 1776. 

A Black Man's Frustration and Fear: Racism and The Charlottesville Protest

Charlottesville is about an hour away from me. I've visited several times, attended a few college basketball and football games, and I've even preached in a few churches in the area. So when I saw the recent pictures of a "protest" held around a statue of Robert E. Lee led by white nationalists, it was infuriating, but also scary. This was in my backyard. Dozens of men and women, both young and old, carrying torches of fire, crying out for white supremacy, and shouting nationalist statements. One look at the pictures of the protest would have immediately identified it as a kind of KKK rally, but there were no hoods among this crowd; there were no white robes or red crosses; no rifles or horses. Instead, the burning torches of fire carried by these protestors lit up their unashamed white faces in the night for everyone to see. History reminds us that this is no new phenomenon, as the seemingly immortal photographs of yesterday captured the faces of those who stood by at lynchings and participated in violent opposition to the Civil Rights sit-ins and marches. In an attempt to suppress the present discussion on race and racism, many people, Christians and non-believers neglect the racial issues of today by claiming that it isn't as bad as those previous periods in history, and therefore events such as this are largely ignored. To which I would say that some progress has indeed been made, but in light of the recent images taken last Saturday in Charlottesville and in addition to the images and videos taken of black bodies being slain by police officers, the anger displayed at Trump campaign rallies, and the presence of white nationalists in Washington DC just days after the election, this all points to the fact that racism's presence, even in its most explicit forms is still very much among us. White nationalism and white supremacy is not being resurrected, its being exposed. Want proof? Threaten to move a statue. 

Frustration

The protest was frustrating not only because of where it was - being so close to home, but because of why it was happening. The issue of whether or not confederate statues should be torn down or permitted to stay is another article for another day. I personally think that if confederate history is to be told in monuments and statues, more statues should be built that tell the entire story and point to the gruesomeness of slavery for which these lionized men fought. The narrative needs to be changed. I drive by several of my city's own confederate statues regularly; one is even across the street from my church and depending on the day, having to literally look up to these figures draws a sense of ire from within, especially before I worship a God who opposed many of their convictions. What's more is that there are people all around who would seek to defend these figures and their legacies as if they have no bearing on my life and the lives and families of many others. The fact that dozens of people who I potentially pass in the supermarket, wave to in my neighborhood, and allow my child to interact with at the park, would be willing to light torches, stand unmasked, and cry out for white supremacy is vexing. The fact that confederate figures and white supremacy are so boldly supported and defended is vexing. Each day that the narrative of white supremacy is promoted and proclaimed is another day where the narrative of the oppressed is silenced. 

Fear

 Even more frustrating is the fear that comes from knowing that many of these people who protested on Saturday will cross paths and even interact with black people and other minorities in the coming days. Some of them may have attended church with African-Americans the very next morning. Others may be co-workers, teachers of black students or students of black teachers. Unfortunately, it's possible that most of these protestorsbelieve that they don't have a racist bone in their body, that they simply want to "preserve their heritage" as they stand with burning torches and chants of white supremacy. The irony is that while the indifference and hatred is so explicit, it's still somewhat veiled; and this is what is so scary. They are unafraid to show their faces, but they will blend in with the majority of society the minute their torches die down - in our cities, our churches, our offices, and our government. These protestors will most likely continue their lives unaffected by the implications of their racism, and will ultimately never be confronted by minorities or more importantly anyone who looks like them. 

Exposing the Darkness

This is why Christians, black and white, must continue to directly confront racist ideologies and incidents such as this one. Minorities will continue to be enraged and disheartened at the sight of this protest and will continue to discuss and confront the sin of racism often to the silencing of the majority. But to my white brothers and sisters, here is an opportunity to confront the sinfulness of racism in one of its most glaring forms and speak to those who would otherwise never be confronted. Paul says in Ephesians 5:11, "Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them."  When it comes to this issue of race in our society, it is not enough to refrain from taking part in it. It is not enough to simply not be racist. As God's people, we must expose this unfruitful work of darkness that is racism and confront it boldly and unashamedly as children of light.  To my brothers and sisters, if you seek to be empathetic towards people with different skin and different experiences than yours, then like these protestors, I encourage you to show your faces as well. But unlike them, show your faces in your standing for equality and speaking against racial injustice. Instead of the burning torches of white supremacy, let the blazing light of the truth of God's word, the truth of the Imago Dei, and the truth of His racism-conquering sacrifice shine brighter and expel the darkness of racism and racial superiority. 

The pictures captured of this Saturday night protest in Charlottesville vividly show us that the pervasive power of sin never confines itself to certain time periods. It is always rearing its head in both the hearts and systems of fallen people. To this, God has chosen a people from every race, tribe, language, and nation to be imitators of Him, to be children of the light (Eph 5:1, 7-13) driving out the darkness of sin through exposing its repulsiveness in the sight of God. While moments such as these invoke fear and frustration, God has both called and equipped His people to confront the sin of racism by speaking prophetically to it, proclaiming the justice of God, the equality of those made in His image, and the sacrifice He paid to crush all sin, including racism.