“Then the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and about his teaching. Jesus answered, ‘I have spoken openly to the world; I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all the Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret. Why do you ask me? Ask those who heard what I said to them; they know what I said.’ When he had said this, one of the police standing nearby struck Jesus on the face, saying, ‘Is that how you answer the high priest?’ Jesus answered, ‘If I have spoken wrongly, testify to the wrong. But if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike me?'”
John 18:19-23
PRAY
The world is being turned right side up which is what Jesus came to do. People across the globe are protesting for the right of black people to be seen as human beings who reflect the image of God. The question is how do we keep it going; how do we make this a Church priority; that the church joins Jesus in this confrontation of the powers that deny rights to which everyone is entitled? But, before we ask the church, we must ask ourselves, is this what we want for God’s sun-kissed people? Is this a priority for us? If it is, we must pray, pray that we have the strength to challenge the church to make it a priority and pray for ourselves for the strength to commit to the fight, to the struggle, for the long-haul. This is not a sprint; it is a marathon.
FAST
Then we fast; fast from negativity because advocating for equal rights is tiring and there are those who call themselves people of faith who deny Jesus by their actions. There are those who will tell us to “go slow” or that there has been enough change, after all, we’ve had a black man in the White House. Isn’t that enough? Well, no. We also fast from arguments because those whose minds are made up; those who want to maintain the status quo; who want to maintain what is considered normal; we will just have to leave them to God. We must also fast from prejudice because it is easy to prejudge those who might not agree with us.
ACT
Finally, we act. But act how? As we’ve seen, millions have taken to the streets calling for change in policing. Others are behind the scenes, meeting with governmental officials and legislators. Still others are creating programs where the police and the community can learn together. And then there are those who preach; who take the fight to their pulpits and risk everything to bring about God’s kingdom here, right now for those who have been marginalized, for those who have lamented, “How long, Lord; how long?” There are those who are marshalling resources so every one who can vote, will vote. If you’re going to follow Jesus, you must be political because is about the decision making process that allocates resources to people and since those resources are all part of God’s creation, those who follow Jesus must be involved in the decision making process of getting what is God’s to God’s people. Scripture says, “Faith without works is dead” (James 2:14-18). If we follow Jesus, our faith will be an active faith; one that shows the world that a better life can be had by all. This is a Kairos moment. It is full of chaos and opportunity. God creates out of chaos. Do not let this opportunity pass by. We cannot afford to let it pass by. If we do, the church, I’m afraid, will become an irrelevant social club. Keep the faith and keep it active.
