A Conversation About Race

Hey, some family out. I want to do something a little bit different today in light of some of the just tragic and heartbreaking and horrific events of the past few weeks.

I know that there's many of our body, our family here that are in pain and I know that a lot of people wondering how to respond more like this will be the body of Christ as we wanted to take some time to just talk about that, explore that first big knowledge that this really is a unique time. Of course we've had racial tensions in the past that's been a part of our society, but I think this without the stream of deaths of these of unarmed citizens quickly. Citizens of color model are buried. People agree on Taylor George Floyd the other names, especially the horrific images that we sold with George Floyd about of a policeman with his knee on his neck for what eight minutes and 46 seconds and many are devastating the images are are are terrible and then we know that there's been responses to that violence in response to violence and it just feels like there's a lot of chaos and know that the particular for our brothers and sisters of color that some the hurting right now and we know that for them.

This, in their their their consciousness it connects to a long history of injustices that people of color have experience in our country going all the back of the to the slavery in the Jim Crow era's newest Christians we are called to a couple of essential things as disciples of Christ. The first is we are to claim the dignity and the equality of all peoples. That's always been a distinctive feature of the Christian message and and honestly. Shame on us where we have not championed it in the times of the places of the opportunities that we should have for 2000 years, Christians have proclaimed the revolutionary message that all men and all women of all ethnicities of whatever age of all nationalities. At whatever stage of development are all made in the image of God. We got a common creator God.

We've got a common problem of sin. We got a common hope that is the death and the resurrection of Jesus.

The second essential thing for disciples of Jesus is that when one part of the body suffers, we all suffer Christ calls us to bear each other's burdens to feel each other's pain. The week with those who weep over the last few weeks as a congregation we try to take time to repeated times to pray together to grade together to lament together but I that I know I know that some of you have felt like some of the conversations that you wanted to have the conversations you felt like needed to be had, were happening here at your church and I grieve. I grieve that you that you felt that way and I wanted you to know that you really are. You are loved. Here you are appreciated. Here we are family together and that that we are all committed to carrying each other's burdens, for the sake of Christ for the glory of Jesus because of of of love for each other and a phrase, it is become controversial today that really should just be plainly obvious for Christians black lives matter of course, black lives matter as because her blood brothers and sisters made in the image of God.

Black lives matter because Jesus died for black lives black lives are a beautiful part of God's creation. Making up an essential and beautiful part of his body and and we would be much poorer as a body of Christ without the presence of our members of color. Let me echo a friend of mine pastor Jimmy Scroggins that it in Florida and saying that that the black lives matter. That's an important thing for us to say right now. Clearly, because we are seeing in our country, the evidence of specific injustices that many of our our our our brothers and sisters and friends of color been telling us about for years. I was not respond by by the same.

Oh well. All lives matter of course all lives matter, but that's kind of missing the point.

And I got her to describe this way.

Say you're at a restaurant with a group of friends and the waiter brings your food and await your way to get food everybody at your table except for your friend Bob and so you say hey Bob is secluded someone your table is back and says all of us deserve food like will that's true, but that you're missing the point. Bob sitting there right now without food and so we understand that this is a time to say that we want our brothers and sisters of color to go same sense of ownership and ease and safety that that that that we feel black lives matter. By the way, I realize that that that the movements and the website has been hijacked by some political operatives, whose worldview and policy prescriptions would be deeply at odds with my own but that doesn't mean the sentiment behind that statement is untrue.

I do not align myself with the black lives matter organization and I got think same bald things like like defund the polices is really unhelpful and deeply disrespectful to to many of our our public servants who bravely put themselves in harm's way every day to protect us but I know that we need to take a deep look at our police systems or structures and asked where we are missing the mark and I say that because because black lives matter.

We know that honoring Christ in this moment means listening to those who hurt lamenting with them bearing their burdens pursuing justice means laboring for the protection of others as fiercely as we would for us or for our own children racially reconciled church requires more than just sentiment it requires the humility to to listen to one another. The empathy that see things from from another's perspective the charity to give their motives the same benefit of the doubt that we would want them to get to us to some a church that's what we want to do today will enlist is listening to somebody is the first step of loving. Let me just take a second to frame this in one other way really really quickly. Okay where the gospel above all people and that means that it affects even the way we approach questions of justice and injustice.

It matters us who we believe the gospel, but we also do it without a sense that other people are sinners and we are not one of the stories of Jesus told was of a Pharisee who went into the temple to pray and he stood up in front of everybody and he is a Lord I want to thank you that I'm not like the points of this tax collector. Simple tax, welcome back. Thank you. And I'm not like that guy and and a lot of times we talk about injustice. We can have that tone about us. I think you not like those people hears me with a problem. I recognize that Jesus had to die for my sin and that I made on the same human sinfulness that some people around me and so we we have this conversation with out judgment will is a more grace to drive us. We also recognize that Mina gospel above all people, means that we as a church are called to proclaim the message of Christ. Where were neither cold nor competent as a church to get in and try to say this is exactly the way to fix this particular situation would have Christians in our church that can have different I'm disagreed with him disagreements about what the best strategies are what the best solutions are this we don't want to participate or promoted narrative that says if you don't agree with my solutions in your part of the problem. We recognize that that Christians can they can agree on the problem, but they can conscientiously disagree about what the best solutions arts like we said here before the dividing line.

This discussion is not between conservative and liberal is between people who recognizes a problem and grieve it and then those who don't. How we've often said that you know if it Jesus could choose to disciples Simon the zealot.

Matthew the tax collector, which tells you that they were on opposite sides of one of the most pressing political issues of the day. Well, that means that we can have people in our church. You approach certain political questions differently and still find profound unity in Christ, we can agree on the essential issues and allow each of the charity and how we think the best way for this to work out on so that's what it means for us to be a gospel of all people are nothing but a shaping discussion we have today. So having said that, let me introduce you to what I consider to be very good friends and and leaders. I am privileged to serve with our first here to my left ear, is Jenetta only had. Jenetta directs our communication here at the summit church Internet how long exactly been on staff. I have been on staff for a year and a couple of months here a couple months and in so a lot of the stuff you see that summit communicates with that's going to come at the hands of Jenetta who the keyboard Jeanette I guess you might say to my right here is Brian Moritz went issue last weekend eyes been a frequent preacher here and loved leader here at some church. Although, until recently not unstaffed the summit church but God saw fit to bring him and his wife Corey and their three boys to be part of a church family and so you still get his feet wet. But where we are the way to jump in the of all the times the worksite is as you guys. I said this at the beginning that were kind of been there's obviously been other racial tension points in our society to this one just feels it feels like there's something unique about it.

Do you agree with that. 132 yeah I think it's unique journey for several reasons. One, you you made mention of it. You got a model artery that happens just horrific Rihanna, Taylor, horrific.

You also have that incident in Central Park with what we felt like was a woman who happened to be white webinar using our ethnicity against us. And appealing to a structure that she assumed rightly would be sensitive to her perspective and then you have your Florida and I'll only be careful to say of course not.

Most police officers are bad or or I would even say many and I'm sympathetic to their jobs.

A lot of times they have a split second to make a decision. But what was different about this is you have an individual facedown on the pavement, handcuffed behind her back and isn't even as I watch white police officers just come chime in on YouTube. They've all said the same thing. The rule is once persons handcuffed fights over then you have three other cops were kind of standing guard is a crowd is gathering pleading for this man's life. He's pleading for his life and for eight minutes and 46 seconds a white man, hands in his pocket knee on his neck, that image will be forever emblazoned across my mind.

My kids minds and collectively. I think across all of our minds. Finally, I would say along with that is the time now here we been pent up in the house quarantine globally. Frustrations are mounting and I think this is just kind of the trigger that initiated what I hope to be as tipping point and you see it all across the streets across the world.

Death can I do anything to that. Yeah I agree well what happened is it new song that was singing a bank. The African-American community knows the song we know the choreography to this dance right but like Brian was saying when you put a pandemic and then you have this compounded trauma. I really want to only use that were trauma because one I want you know even the black people listening to know that that trauma you feel is a real thing and I think it brings up three different types of traumas they got historical trauma. I was talking with a friend earlier in heat, he kinda likened it to a mother who's lost three generations of children under slavery and Jim Crow and even now during this what were seeing so just have this trauma of we know where we came from and then you have the trauma of our own experience. You know that scar tissue starts itch when you see someone bringing up a situation where you remember I remember when that happened to me. I remember being beside my dad when he you know was talking to that one guy. I remember when my cousin. I remember when is so that brings up the our own individual traumas and then just the trauma of seeing.

Seeing that eight minutes and 46 seconds seeing reading the story of embryonic Taylor that that for the community is quite hungry, mod you know when my husband got up the next day and went for a jog, mod. I'm George Floyd Associates that all that trauma came in it. The scar tissue itched and we felt our bodies screaming. Is this us. In my next and so that's not new, but you put that with a pandemic and put us in the house and not let us worship and Atlas go to work, distract ourselves.

That was a big straw that broke the camels back helps understand the sort of how people process what emotions are so high masses. This you know because I know that it's initially talk about that you talk about that with a historical whoever described is this into the long tail you know they kinda but you you people that would saying that they rightfully so. They knew I wasn't there 200 years ago through the years.

I would not responsible innocence for the sins but helpless process that a little bit because we understand that there is a sense in which this interest in mentally. It seems to connect about. But then Eunice my essay will how does that affect me because I wasn't even born of the time. How can you help us process and yeah so I think part of the disconnect JV between the African-American community in a white siblings is her sociologist say that really resonated with me white brothers and sisters tend to see each other as a collection of individuals. I'm not attaching any moral value to that, by the way African-Americans we tend to see each other as a collective or communal whole.

So when something happens to one of us even though we may not share DNA or even close geographical proximity. We feel that deeply which is why if it happened in Minneapolis when we go to church the next Sunday or two could be in New York could be in south-central something in us is going please say something please say something because we feel that differently so I think part of it is the way our white brothers and sisters naturally see the world is not necessarily connected or communal, and I would finally say JV so just because you would say I haven't done anything. Part of me would say that's part of the problem that we have to take proactive aggressive leaks in the other direction when uncle Bob puts his feet under your Thanksgiving table and say, tells a racially insensitive joke. I think we got create biblically awkward moments and you know what I'm saying will you cut that off at the past.

Yeah, look at it like you know I've may not be guilty of of what happened in the past, and obviously I am reborn. But I recognize that whatever blessings and privileges God has given me. I'm walking in freedom and those but as a Christ follower ought to be leveraging that so that other people get the same rights, benefits and privileges that I do to where we have a society where there is no longer even a hint of racial inequity when it comes to justice. I completely agree this is kind of our Christian heritage is to put other people better than ourselves, and we we just have to realize that we are a product of of what has been in the past. Now I have my own personal worldview I been saved for a number of years and so I bill my worldview based on what Christ is done in me, but I'm also an American muscle black woman and so I'm a product of my mother and my mother's mother and the mother's that came before her and the legacy that they have left for me is something that I can't ignore you know I am a product of my family's history I think we all in America are so while I would. I was that you were born. Then you don't have any stake or anything to repent of. But if America has built something purposefully and is passive.

He has created a race for has done something to say. Three. Smith compromises is how much a black person is if it we've if we've instituted those laws where there is a law or just the cultural norm.

If that was purposeful than what we have to dismantle also has to be purposeful.

I will look me this great jump right even further the beautiful a lot of times in these things happen. Yeah, I think a lot of us are going to gut reaction is mostly for the fax you know we we don't know, and we certainly have seen illustrations where you know there's been a rush to judgment, but I just feel like I thought you have a different reaction when you hear that, just wait for the fax you not saying it's healthy to rush to judgment or cluster due process of window are you was process that that's a great question. JV Dr. Tim, you are flexing regularly from you and sees a professor by the diversity of teaching communication sees popularized something called communication. Which to simplify says there's five levels of communication.

The most superficial levels cliché and it's good morning good morning how are you we would communicate what we really haven't indicated next to levels are where most guys hang out.

That's what I call SportsCenter talk level II is fracturing what you know who won the game's greatest of all time. Michael Jordan, of course, right Level 3's opinion that sharing what you think levels for level V of the deepest levels of communication that really are valuable in helping me to gauge how me and my wife are doing our friendships are doing, how are dealing with issues of reconciliation, forcing motives shows sharing what I feel and level V is transparency, sharing who you are. So when these things happen. Racial event you need to know because again after Americans or communal people. We immediately go level for were grieving together. This is how we feel and for white brothers and sisters are hang out lawyer land. Level II is not a recipe for unity or empathy, or one is it took me about five years of marriage to figure out where my wife comes a mere level for and I hang out lawyer land like that's never worked well I'll explain about rights and so I want to express oneness with my wife.

I'm not saying there's no place for facts right, but fax as a first resort. While it may work in a court it doesn't work in the theater of human relationships like so let me first drop down will to level IV and feel before we resurface later on and get to the fact that he even slants me that whole thing with that, Mary, Martha, Tim, Janice Philip requires a little help. Yeah, John 11 is just this. It's a heavy emotional passage. You know they sent word to Jesus your Lazarus is on Beth door Jesus actually decides to do something different. He shows up late. They come to him level for an angry angry and their sin. Had you been here and it's interesting the shortest verse in the Bible Jesus is response. John 1135. It's not him, debating, or bantering back and forth or correcting their theology simply says that Jesus wept, how it I would encourage us to remember that while we can have discussions about this. This whole thing is not a discussion and I think a lot of a lot of times will come with artifacts in our power bullet points, but for a lot of people. That's just Tuesday. We want that we want to come with a discussion but even to kind of take it out of you know, racial reconciliation, less you talk about foster care so foster care is not a discussion if someone slipped experience. So if a foster child goes through a BNC and someone comes to them as I want to hear your experience about being a foster child and I say well when I was five.

This happened what went well, I got points here and then doesn't match up with the points I have is not very empathetic is because foster care is not a discussion is that child's last year and so bringing it back to Rick racial reconciliation be charitable. A lot of times when I have a lot of friends who don't necessarily understand they want to understand and a lot of times if I had to bring something up there is that scar tissue. Again, I have to re-rehash. Maybe, and for other friends who are like I just don't understand the chart may say this or the stats say this and I'm I'm telling them.

My husband experiences and all that chart is not there, you can't. You can't cite that right in order to decide that you had to go see a day only at all you know to cite that so just a day only your husband my halting at all, and others okay right just like what about research that's enough to just that. I just want to qualified the different types of research. Yes, that yeah fax is great but in the end of the day right. I've just experienced something that I can't put on the chart for yeah I heard I heard that I can wear this but I think some it is only said you know when we were not against you process. The process is justice and we want to go through that. But understand that historically, due process hasn't worked for people of color the same with work for the white people who could depend on certain systems almost infallibly.

It hasn't been that and I think looking historically, it is mainly throwing that out but it means that we did understand that the saying goes way for you process your time and wait for due process that has really felt was in the past and that the creator think a level of guy I would think. Understanding how we we do that which we should third question and Jeanette also with you on this one of the protests that are there.

How should we think about those protests when the protest become unhelpful so I love studying about the civil rights movement that African-American just the freedom movement of the 60s and 50s and 60s, when I love about it is that the church was there and it was at the forefront of it and it was organized and they had leaders and I have plans and they executed them. You know everything like within a sit here and they would practice how to you know not to be violent. They would practice nonviolence they would they would actually have times when they would rip each other up and say we can do. If I do this in an and so what I love about the protest that were seeing right now is that one I'm seeing a lot more people in on I'm seeing a lot more of my brothers and sisters and on my children got to go to a peaceful protest last weekend that all they can make about was how hot it was and they won't they won't completely understand until you know, 10, 15 years from now is that I was there in that historical moment, but as a as a black woman I've become so so frustrated in these conversations. These discussions that I so want my anger to lead to people's repentance and I want to say that it is okay to be anger at I've held in I've held intention, be angry and do not sin I want I want more people to get angrier actually how I want I want to shake people say get mad with me as I'm holding intention. I am angry and I want people to look at my anger say oh okay she met you know like my kids. I want my anger to lead to your repentance go clean up your room. I'm sick of it, but when I'm holding intention is the fact that following the character of God.

His kindness led to repentance and I'm not saying that we put away our anger and that we just be nice and saying goodbye on everything will fit fix itself is that's not true, but the anger of man cannot bring about the righteousness of God.

And so when we get angry and we sin that that takes us back and I want to I want to say.

If you're angry, be angry.

We needed and we need more people to be angry but when the anger is made to bring about change in the way that it can't. I think that's when the protests become something that is not as helpful as wanted me yet but I understand that I want to say I understand and if I don't have the hope of Jesus I would be angry and I my angry I would send you know I'm I would close on said it goes without saying, you know, the looting and the rioting. I think that's what she's referring to as far as unrighteous anger that should now we all get that deal specifically from an African-American perspective. As you know, I grew up in Atlanta their Mayor Keisha Lance bottoms not she had some very strong words. You know she's talking about the looters and the writers ask American woman says hey Hester businesses here are owned by African-American soak wire we pairing up our own community that my pastor pastors in England and you know he was there during the ride to King riots.

He told me it it took them 20 years to recover the damage done to their own community but also get the frustration like when you have been suppressing you don't like you have a voice. It's almost like tantrum where do you see me now. I'm not justifying it but I get it right. Yeah I so guess enough people say you know special semi that's that's why process a Leica. I've been be told to repent and I don't as far as I can tell I'm not an oral centers but I am not a racist and not having a racist things and I deplore what happened to these people, but I thought I'm being told to repent.

What you what is the message for that person that were trying to give to them. Yeah, I would.

I would love love the saved way understand. Soon it's it's not the static thing like the gravitational pull to sin is downward right and so if we want to see a correction we have to be as aggressive in the opposite direction, if not more. If were going to see some progress. What were looking at something that needs to be corrected into your point. I don't think defunding the police is the problem because if you replace it with another fallen structure were back to square one right. I think what repentance looks like is that needs to change.

It's not thriving in functioning. So how can we enhance over for someone were using different terms I think of it like him.

If this is correct if I am walking on the road and there is a beaten up Jewish man laying on the side and I say I didn't do that.

That doesn't corded Jesus parable doesn't relieve me of the responsibility.

I don't need to repent for him being beaten up there but I would need to repent for my propensity to just be walking on transitive attorney truck I and so I think there's an engagement that we can all have in this which was me. The next question why we say this is a gospel issue, ears and eyes people say what is a distraction from the gospel. What's how you respond to that. I would encourage us to be all of Ephesians to Christians I think.

Ephesians 2 through the seminal text on what were talking about. If you been around the church for a while. You may have heard many messages on verses one through 10 and your Paul opens up by Samuel reverses this is who you were. Prior to Christ. We were by nature children. The rest of us Christians text back in the 90s I caught naughty by nature I don't know if they'll still get that, but that's what we were prior to Christ and in verse four but God, being rich in mercy, and then several times by grace you have been faith in, and we love that you then verse 11 right where he goes. Therefore, now he's connecting what he's just said to what he's about to say you Gentiles in the flesh, and you don't need to spend the day in seminary to figure out he is now connecting our vertical reconciliation to God in Christ with now are horizontal reconciliation, not just in general but ethnically speaking. So those are saying this is not in order to be saved. Be nice to a person ethnically different, but one of the indicator lights that have been authentically reconciled vertically is that I am not apathetic towards people who are who are ethnically different.

It reminds me of when you know Jesus is asked was the greatest law and was the greatest line on the commandments, and you know to love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength did next tell you anyway. The second one. It's just like it. The second one is just like it to love your neighbor as yourself, and I even think we say that as living energies out you know and is kindness blanket statement that has no nuanced and detailed merit to it like how do I love Brian asked myself why got to figure out was going on in Brian's life to love him as myself and I also have to look in my own life. Like how do I love me like when I still love and that that gets into a lot of details and and if we don't do that as the church there a lot of people who won't even trust us with their soul's rent that if I if I can trust you with my body and my militant then I don't know if I can trust you with my soul run request that we'll have some the whole lot of time what I wanted to ask a couple more important questions about the future covered you talked before about the three quadrants of solution that could you just addresses for minutes. Yeah, you know, I want to be careful.

Sometimes our haste toward solutions we can bypass lament and if we don't learn to really sit and connect well with each other as we talked about no that leads to a cheap reconciliation and so genuine and authentic reconciliation involves listening and hearing things.

Even hard things once we move past that you know I look at the Bible and I see that the way God really deals with the problem of sin. One of the ways is three institutions he's created the family government and the church. I think all three of these have to be working in harmony with each other if were going to see generational progress. The first is the is the family and you know some hundred 27. Young children are like arrows, not boomerangs. There Rosina will release them off into the future and that's right.

And you know Corey and I view ourselves as the tenured professors in our home and we better teach and disciple our kids. I think discipleship needs to be holistic so not just give them a robust materiality doctrine of salvation when teaching about prayer life and spirit not of quiet times.

They also have to give them a robust anthropology reduction of humanity and how do you see other people who are ethnically different than you. My challenge is an African-American man is how do I raise my three boys with wisdom without instilling bitterness or cynicism towards white people in them so that we we have the talk I have three teenage boys about driving and what to do when you get pulled over and look I need your hands clear and I know you may be angry but don't express that no sudden movements without getting permission first because I need you to come home safely. But I that's a tight rope because I don't want them as you white people as the enemy. Ephesians 6 as we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but on the other side. We also need our white brothers and sisters to create those awkward moments as we talked about earlier cut that off at the pass second institution is government and you know I know in our church people vote a million different ways and that's great because you and I both know the kingdom of heaven does not nestle neatly in one political party you listen to Jesus's sermons and at times it goes.

You leave your sermons going as he wanted MSNBC and at other times you feel like he's binging on Fox News. I actually think that's what the kingdom of heaven person looks like, and so we give each other freedom in Romans 14 way as we go to the voting booth to pray and follow the spirit and vote your conscience, but we also have to understand that the problem of sin is both personal and structural.

So how do we protect these issues.

The word of God does not give us the option to à la carte RC social issues are justice issues.

So show me anyone who's passionate about life inside the womb, which I am.

I think abortion is soon and those who are listening, maybe some have had abortions, God's grace is sufficient.

So hear me say I believe that sin but show me anyone who's more passionate life in the womb and then apathetic about it outside my room. I'll show you someone whose probe births not really pro-life so we gotta be holistic. As we look there. The third institution is the church so because of Dr. King.

You know I can them I can drink out of any water fountain that I like and I can sleep in a hotel room that I like these are wonderful privileges but the shortcomings of the civil rights movement and government that will government can change laws cannot change hearts mastery institution of the church comes in and in the old testament Jesus. God says here's one more promise in the new covenant is on the change you want to rip out your heart of stone and give your heart of flesh. In other words, God's prescription for transformation isn't to just do with our hands or our behaviors because God understands our hands are an extension of our hearts. And I want to change that with the last thing I'll say about the church in our Islamic side to be here is I've given my life to see the multiethnic church become the normal in our society to see the power of George Floyd worshiping next to Darren show that sitting in a small group with while proximity breeds empathy work close with one another when were doing life with people who don't look like acolytes think like vote like us.

Now the generalizations and the stereotypes fall, we now see each other, meant that buffs off some of the abrasions.

Yeah, I think those three institutions are moving in lockstep now will make some breakfast, yet I do say some before I come to you for the last question here. One of things that we set around here. Is this really ought not be a part politically conservative or politically liberal issue that ought to be that people care about and you we may have discussions about the best way that deal with that in educational problem is, but we can say were united in lunacy rights and privileges extended equally to all. And so that's great Jeanette United. I think the way of admitting just get you to chime in here is just asking in our church. How can we move this from being kind of event by event. You know what are things you think of that would take this beyond his national spotlight into an ongoing ongoing gospel community. I think this is a discipleship issue as much as it is a gospel issue and we always say the gospel is in the diving board is the whole pool and so we can't wait for an event to tell the church how we should respond. The church and and I'm talking about the individual people within it are discipleship I discipleship ship present as mature in a way that one we know that we are to love God with our our heart, soul, mind and strength and we know that we are to love our neighbor as ourselves. And so when these things come there not a surprise to us. Were not in a gathering statement were not is not a new hashtag is not any statement is not is not even new theology. It's okay. I'm going to walk out my faith in and what I've been learning in the word and what I've been learning in the church meeting all these individual image bearers and I would just say that we need to have the same view as Isaiah sometimes when he said I I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among the people of unclean lips, and in knowing that you know God will end as we confess that together. God will take that: put in our lives. He will forgive us if we if we come together and confess together and walk together and be sanctified together and be discipled together. If we bear each other's burdens bear this sin together we bear this world together. I think as slowest sanctification as we all know there is no done to sanctification. I think this that's that same posture we should take with this we are being sanctified as a church here in America and we shouldn't jump to solutions anymore than we should jump to your three ways to get psyched about real quick. This is a sanctifying issue and we got a walk together and we've gotta acknowledge him in all our passing. He will make our path straight. This just think about it as best sanctification is the long haul right six and the things it all happens through violent jerks, but they happen through a prolonged, pole, and I think this can catalyze the discussion, but I one of our our previous pastors who actual with one of her church planter Wellington Chris Riese say that the four stages in this ignorance.

I'm sure there's a problem what's her body and honoring it was a lot awareness stage II intentionality stage III and gospel community stage for his people. The problem is I think I want to get stage II which is awareness that automatically qualifies gospel communities is not true intentionality means that there is taking time to have conversations like this without the we model there are things that I would imagine that when I think about the conversation later. It's like much unsaved Dr. like that or I make you know what about this question, but I think that kind of listening and intentionality in it. We've often said here the church that you know it's like Dr. King used to say that the most segregated hour in America was June 11 12 on Sunday. Not at all correct or one up him but there might be one other even more aggregated our nets by the six overnight around the dinner table and that we were not after. Here is a multicultural event on the weekend want to live multicultural lives and ethics intentionality. It takes humility to listen you nothing. So I said earlier, being quick to listen, slow to speak and so I hope that we've at least given her picture that and I thought the best way but will you and I thought the best way to end this was your idea was that we as a family, take communion together. What better symbol of our unity in the body of Christ, not just the three of us. By the way that everybody together and I know that you like what we pass out the you get the little cups there usually pass it out for us.

We do this we took communion previously is that we realize that idealist when you have in the fruit of the vine and the and the bread maybe have that your house will be to give you a couple minutes to go grab those if you don't have something you just get the closest equivalent, you can't because of the point is not the actual element itself, what it points to. So I want to put a two-minute timer up there and you can go get that while you getting that I want to put up a few resources because people been asking you like a lot to get more this conversation, where can I I start this so that two-minute timer is going and what is kind of talk you through a few of these book that we used years ago that she had come in and do some stuff the church. It was one of the I think one of the biggest moments where we really, I took some some big steps forward.

It was George Yancey is an African-American sociologist Martin Texas.

He will call beyond racial gridlock, it's been real helpful grid for us. One blood by John Perkins, John Perkins is one of the grandfathers, a hero of the civil rights movement, and he's actually pretty sure church and you are a marvelous book called one blood that's been very helpful in processing and both historically and in the present one that I recommend right here by our own Brian Moritz loves they are vibrant. The risk is good. Have you but is is white culture wrong color buys written several books and on on on these kind of things that I think that one particulars good foundational one and so you might read that went from overweight people to get the rest of the stuff you recommend a couple books on history to me that helps us understand little bit about the weather situation came from so yeah so II think the best thing on the civil rights movement, which should be great to read. Given our current mill you is Taylor branch's three-part series won the Pulitzer Prize on the civil rights okay.

You also recommended to me one that I is my most recent rate for the want of other sons by Isabel Wilkerson and us for the great migration of the Jim Crow era and I just really helps you understand kind of the historical contacts that shape some of the present present narrative. So anyway, I versions of things it may be able to get you started, but hopefully you got your your bread equivalents and your cup equivalent Ron modulates yeah and so as we prepare to come to the table and to take communion together wherever you may be I've been meditating on first Corinthians chapter 11 and first convinced Chapter 11 is a multicultural church that Paul is writing to.

And we know that because as Paul is just walking them through communion and the sacramental nature of it. Policy Negra problem with you because here's a church of the haves and have-nots in the haves or preventing the have-nots from coming to the table. I think communion was just time for me to just look at it individually, of just what's happening in my life. Paul actually says in first convinced Chapter 11 know we also need to look at it communally, I think, as Paul writes for Sprint's Lebanese also stink you what Jesus says in Matthew chapter 5 uses hey if you are in the middle of worship and you remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift at the altar, and go first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. So I think is just appropriate as we are just looking at the world and nation that that's divided that we look at this, not just personally but also communally and just spend a moment. As Paul says let let a person examine themselves to look not only at your own personal heart but also your relationships and if I got any relationships that are out of whack. We can confess those things to God first in 19 says if we confess he is faithful and just to cleanse us from all unrighteousness and encourage you to make it right. Some of you are sitting here, you would say I'm not a follower of Jesus Christ. I would say to you. The bad news is we would ask you to hold off from taking yellow. The good news is you can have a relationship with God today through his son Jesus Christ that we confess with our mouths believe in our hearts as Romans 10 says we shall be saved.

So right now let's just do some business with God asking him to examine our hearts and in a few moments will to partake of the elements together on the night in which Jesus was betrayed little upper room. JDs Artie made mention of a pretty diverse group that Simon the zealot on one side and Levi, the tax collector. On the other side, yet he calls them together and they were expecting to observe the Passover Jesus throws a curveball.

He now institutes the second taking read the Bible says that he took it blessed broke it and gave it to sing. Taking this is my body, but a solid. Likewise, the Bible says that he took cup this cup is symbolic of his blood spilled for us that one biblical writer says without the shedding of blood. Depending on the mission forgiveness of sins that are subject to biases actually sing a hymn, they went to worship. So now we in this service by going into worship together as one body huddled in various places scattered throughout the Triangle. Let's worship together