Jump Start # 1761

1 Thessalonians 3:12 “and may the Lord cause you to increase and abound in love for one another, and for all people, just as we also do for you” 

  My wife and I went to the movies Saturday. We saw, “Hidden Figures.” There are some words that didn’t need to be said to make it a great movie. Two powerful themes, getting those early astronauts up into space and dealing with prejudice and racism. Super smart black women were coming up with mathematical calculations that the white male engineers couldn’t figure out. That’s enough without giving away too much of the movie. I remembered those early astronauts. They were heroes. I knew their names and followed their explorations. The movie showed a side of racism that I heard about but never saw growing up in Indianapolis. My high school, had serious racial tension and trouble. Fights happened all the time. It wasn’t easy going there. It was known that there were certain hallways that you did not walk down by yourself. Yet, it still wasn’t as bad as some experienced and as the movie illustrated.

Last summer, I was preaching somewhere in the South. I had some time one afternoon and went to a local antique store. Tons of rusty junk. But tucked away on a shelf, near the back of the store was two narrow metal signs that said, “Colored Only.” I must have stood in that one spot for five minutes just looking at those signs. I thought about how uppity someone must have been to hang those signs on a wall. That person must of thought, “we are putting these people where they belong.” I then thought about who that sign was directed toward, “colored” people. I wonder how many saw that sign and their hearts just melted. They didn’t have a choice in their skin color. They were just living their lives as best as they could, but the heavy hand of some kept them oppressed. I went back to that spot a couple of times before I finally left the store. I kept thinking that I ought to buy those signs and then destroy them. I didn’t. Today, I would.

Prejudice, racism and hatred are learned. These are first learned in the home. Listening to the obnoxious words of a father or grandfather taints and colors how one sees others. Prejudice, racism and hatred come from not knowing what to do with people who are different than you are. Their skin is different. Their language is different. They come from a different land. They are not like us. Fear fuels prejudice, racism and hatred.

Our verse today, one of many, that reminds us that we are to love all people. For God so loved the world is not to be interpreted as white America. That narrow and erroneous viewpoint twists the Scriptures and breeds more prejudice, racism and hatred. Love for another and for all people. That’s what God wants. This love will lead me to help all people. This love will compel me to share the Gospel with all people. God isn’t considered with the color of your outside, as He is the color of your inside. The soul has no color. God is truly color blind when it comes to who His “favorites” are.

It seems that prejudice, racism and hatred have grown worse and not better in recent times. It seems the tense moments that I remembered back in Arlington high school, have been resurrected in our country. As a society, we tend to do worse rather than better. We tend to do the easy rather than the right. But it’s different among Christians. It must be different among God’s people. Prejudice, racism and hatred should never be allowed in our hearts nor heard from our lips. Never. All the good that comes from our pulpits, can be lost by some narrow minded, off the cuff comment that someone makes in a Bible class. It can be lost by the roll of the eyes that someone does to another. It can be lost by some holding their nose in the air and walking away from someone who is different.

Everyone  of us are different in our own ways. What we do, we consider normal. But it’s not. It’s just the way we are. There are some who will not watch their favorite team play without wearing their lucky shirt. They think that stinky ole’ shirt is the reason the team is winning. And, by the way, don’t try to convince that person that what he is doing is not normal. It is to him. Have you ever noticed some of the things folks eat? Putting peanut butter on a pickle? Not only do they think that’s normal, they want you to try a bite. No way! I don’t do it much anymore, but I used to use mustard as a dip for potato chips. I thought it was good. Everyone else in my family thought a rock fell from the sky and hit me in the head. I wear crazy, bold and bright colored socks. Most times they don’t match what I am wearing. A friend in Arizona suggested, “There are professional people that you can talk to about that.” We laughed. I told him that they couldn’t help me. Different in where we sit in the church building. Different in our habits. Different in the way we dress. Different in the way we say words. We all do what we feel is right and makes us comfortable. Prejudice, racism and hatred can’t stand different. My point is, we are all different. I grew up having red hair. I mean RED HAIR. Teased all the time about it. Hated my hair color. Wanted to be like the others. That’s what prejudice, racism and hatred will do to a person. It will make them feel less about themselves and wish that they could be different. It’s one thing to change your socks. But you can’t change your skin color, or your height, or the size of your nose, or how big your feet are, or who your parents were. As one grows older and as one grows in faith, he realizes that those things do not matter. What really counts is you and Jesus. Are you walking with the Lord daily? That’s what matters. A poor pumpkin bumkin, who barely graduated from high school, can impress the Lord more than the movers and shakers in Washington who never give the Lord a thought.

So you are different? Look at that group we call the apostles. What a mix-match they were. Had Jesus not called them, a few of them would have nothing to do with the rest of them. But the Lord pulled them together. The Lord loved them and showed them how to love one another. They were taught. They were a team. It worked. That same concept is how it must work in a congregation today. We must see how the Lord loves all of us. We must learn. We must follow. We see that we need each other and we are a team. We come together as one. One mind. One voice. One heart. One people. God’s people. Young and old. College and never went to college. Black and white. Native and foreigner. Black haired and red headed. Short and tall. Skinny and fat. Good  looking and plain looking. Rich and poor. Large family and only child. All together. All different. All one in Jesus. All the same in Jesus. Same needs. Same Savior. Same Heaven.

To kill prejudice, racism, and hatred, God’s people must include those who are being excluded. Don’t be standing around laughing at things that are not funny. Don’t participate in prejudice, racism and hatred. Invite those who others wouldn’t. Sit with those who others wouldn’t. Reach out to those who others wouldn’t. Kill prejudice, racism and hatred by loving all people.

Quick Quote is a new daily one sentence quote that our congregation is sending out. You can find these on our APP, website, Facebook page. The quote for today, so fitting for this Jump Start, “The thoughtless are seldom wordless.” That’s how we know of prejudice, racism and hatred—it is expressed.

Love one another…can you do that? Even today?

Roger