Greetings,
It wasn’t until late Saturday night I began to hear about the horrible events that took place in Charlottesville. I was a little more “unplugged” from the outside world than usual. I looked at my twitter feed that night and began to discern some of the events of the day by people’s reactions on Twitter.
The first thing I noticed was the large number of people who were denouncing White Supremacy, White Nationalism, Nazis, and other evil hate filled groups. I couldn’t understand why all of a sudden so many of my friends were declaring what seemed to be so obvious, “White Supremacy is evil!”
As I began to look at different news websites, I saw the disturbing images and then read of the heartbreaking acts of violence that took place in Charlottesville that day. I began to realize why so many people were declaring what seemed to be such common sense, “Hate is Evil!”
It reminds me of how I felt in the midst of my Mom’s struggle with pancreatic cancer years ago that rapidly spread and caused so much pain and destruction in her body. There were times when I would just declare the obvious, “Cancer Stinks! (or some version of that)”
There are days like Saturday when the realities of sin and hatred in our world come rushing to the surface we just need to cry out and state what should be obvious just to make sure everyone knows where we stand.
Here are a few of those statements from me:
- There is only one who is supreme and that is Jesus Christ who sits at the right hand of God the Father. For any human, individually or corporately, to view themselves as supreme or even desire for themselves to be supreme over another person for any reason is sin. The manifestation of this sin through our actions, relationships, words, and sometimes even our silence, is toxic to ourselves those around us.
- True love for Jesus manifests itself through our love for others and leaves no room in our lives for hate. (Even hate towards those who are hateful)
- It is essential that we as followers of Jesus continually examine our hearts, our relationships, and the systems we are a part of and repent of all forms of hatred, animosity, or beliefs of supremacy we find. Listen closely to the Holy Spirit and be vigilant. Hate can often mask itself in feelings or beliefs of others we feel are right and justified.
- We must also be ready to stand up for justice whenever we find ourselves in a position to do so. We are in such a position far more often than we allow ourselves to recognize.
I was reminded once again Saturday night of the depth and hate and racism that exists all around us. I’m now reminded that there are so many of my African-american brothers and sisters who do not have the luxury of being reminded because they are made aware in blatant and subtle ways every day. It is my prayer that I will better reflect the Kingdom of God in my heart, life, and relationships and worship only God as supreme!
Grace and Peace,
Andy