Race, Cross, and the Christian

Series: Bloodlines

Speaker: Steve Jeffrey

Date: 30th August 2015

00:00:00 --> 00:00:08 the day since Martin Luther King Jr. stood in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC
00:00:08 --> 00:00:13 and delivered what is regarded as one of the top five speeches of the 20th century at least in the
00:00:13 --> 00:00:20 English speaking world it is the I have a dream speech many people have heard just at least a
00:00:20 --> 00:00:24 smidgen of it which is probably the bit that I'm going to quote now there's a speech that went on
00:00:24 --> 00:00:31 for about 17 minutes but in that speech he said I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up
00:00:31 --> 00:00:38 and live out the true meaning of its creed that we hold these truths to be self-evident that all men
00:00:38 --> 00:00:45 are created equal I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves
00:00:45 --> 00:00:51 and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood
00:00:51 --> 00:00:57 I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi a state sweltering with a heat of
00:00:57 --> 00:01:04 injustice sweltering with a heat of oppression will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice
00:01:04 --> 00:01:11 I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be
00:01:11 --> 00:01:18 judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character I have a dream it's a dream that
00:01:18 --> 00:01:26 he unfortunately didn't see come to reality at one minute past six in the evening on April the 4th 1968
00:01:26 --> 00:01:34 a shot rang out as King stood outside room 306 on the second floor balcony of the Lorraine motel
00:01:34 --> 00:01:41 in Memphis Tennessee the bullet struck him in the side of the face he died an hour and four minutes
00:01:41 --> 00:01:49 later at seven five minutes past seven p.m. according to one of his biographers a taylor branch
00:01:49 --> 00:01:58 king's autopsy revealed that though he was only 49 years old sorry 39 years old he had the heart of a
00:01:58 --> 00:02:06 60 year old which branch attributed to the stress of 13 years leading the civil rights movement in the
00:02:06 --> 00:02:16 united states the fight for freedom and justice and equality for african americans cost martin luther king
00:02:16 --> 00:02:27 his health and his life he articulated and symbolized a great dream of racial harmony and social justice
00:02:27 --> 00:02:36 and it's a dream as we've been seeing in the last four weeks it's a dream that aligns with god's purposes
00:02:36 --> 00:02:45 for this world it's a dream that i believe uh must start with christians and must start with the
00:02:45 --> 00:02:53 church the local church and it and it ought to start here at st paul's the biblical vision that we've been
00:02:53 --> 00:03:00 engaging with um in this fifth week now is much bigger than how black and white people relate to one
00:03:00 --> 00:03:08 another in the united states and i'm pretty sure king knew that one of the ways um to understand the
00:03:08 --> 00:03:17 issue and understand god's purposes in the issue um is to look at the end and to see how god's been
00:03:17 --> 00:03:23 driving in that direction and that's what we're doing today we're arriving at the end in the book of
00:03:23 --> 00:03:33 revelation to see where god is taking history and so if this is where god's taking history that means
00:03:33 --> 00:03:38 this is what history is about it means it's what st paul's is about it's what chatswood is about it's
00:03:38 --> 00:03:44 about what australia is about it's about what the nations are all about and so you can learn your reason
00:03:44 --> 00:03:52 for being by looking at the goal of god in history where's he taking it all
00:03:52 --> 00:03:58 now we're going to go there in a moment we're going to go to the end of all things but let me
00:03:58 --> 00:04:04 just recap the trajectory we've been heading over the last four weeks and how each bit comes together
00:04:04 --> 00:04:10 to get to that ultimate end we saw in the first week genesis chapter one that god created adam and eve
00:04:10 --> 00:04:18 in his image and what flowed from there was that every person born of adam and eve which is every
00:04:18 --> 00:04:27 person uh also carries the image of god which has massive implications of how you treat another
00:04:27 --> 00:04:35 individual um there is solidarity in our image even though we are all individually unique
00:04:35 --> 00:04:42 but as there is solidarity in image so we saw in the second week solidarity in sin
00:04:42 --> 00:04:51 as adam sinned in rejecting god what we saw from that is that all of humanity is tainted by sin
00:04:51 --> 00:05:00 as a result our natural bias is towards sin it's part of our nature and one of the big consequences
00:05:00 --> 00:05:10 of that is genesis chapter 11 where god judges all people where he scatters them and confuses their
00:05:10 --> 00:05:14 language so that they will not work together again in order to storm the heavens and depose god
00:05:14 --> 00:05:25 but god doesn't just act in judgment he also has the plan to reverse it all and genesis chapter 12
00:05:25 --> 00:05:31 is the turning point in the bible it's the hinge where god starts his plan of redemption
00:05:31 --> 00:05:40 um it is his beginning and he begins with a promise to an insignificant bloke called abraham
00:05:40 --> 00:05:49 and he says to abraham that all peoples on earth will be blessed through him and we saw in the third week
00:05:49 --> 00:05:58 how this plan is worked out through all of history and finds its culmination in the death and resurrection of jesus
00:05:58 --> 00:06:02 and this is how galatians 3 puts it
00:06:02 --> 00:06:10 you are all sons of god through faith in christ jesus for all of you who are baptized into christ have clothed yourselves with christ
00:06:10 --> 00:06:18 there is neither jew nor greek slave nor free male nor female for you're all one in christ jesus
00:06:18 --> 00:06:28 if you belong to christ then you are abraham's seed so if you put your trust in jesus it means
00:06:28 --> 00:06:35 that you are an inheritor of the promise that god made to abraham back in genesis chapter 12
00:06:35 --> 00:06:42 and as a result of that reconciling work where god pulls people to himself through jesus
00:06:42 --> 00:06:54 jesus calls his disciples to go and share this message of reconciliation to the world that they too may be partakers of it
00:06:54 --> 00:07:01 but he tells them to wait for the holy spirit to come who will pull them together and empower them as his people
00:07:01 --> 00:07:05 and the holy spirit comes on the day of pentecost it was just read out to us just then
00:07:05 --> 00:07:16 and in the coming of the holy spirit what you see there is a symbolic reversal of the tower of babel
00:07:16 --> 00:07:25 as god comes and dwells with his people by his spirit and gathers his people to himself
00:07:25 --> 00:07:32 people are gathered and even on that day in the day of pentecost language is not a barrier
00:07:32 --> 00:07:40 as all these people of diverse languages hear god's plan of redemption through jesus christ
00:07:40 --> 00:07:44 the one who shed his blood to unite all bloodlines
00:07:44 --> 00:07:51 jesus is the one who brings unity and harmony from all the division and diversity
00:07:51 --> 00:08:00 and you see it there at the end of chapter two of acts where this new community is formed and born
00:08:00 --> 00:08:06 and people together in unity and harmony of all their differences together in unity and harmony
00:08:06 --> 00:08:09 sharing with one another and caring for one another
00:08:09 --> 00:08:19 what is symbolic in acts chapter two is reality in revelation
00:08:19 --> 00:08:28 in chapter five verse nine of revelation we get a picture of chapter five of the heavenly realms
00:08:28 --> 00:08:35 and in verse nine john tells us why jesus is worthy to open the book of the end of history
00:08:35 --> 00:08:42 so that things unfold according to the plan of god jesus is worthy because of how his death
00:08:42 --> 00:08:49 relates to all races and tribes and peoples and languages of the world it says you are worthy to take
00:08:49 --> 00:08:55 the scroll and to opens its seals because you were slain and with your blood you purchase men
00:08:55 --> 00:09:02 for god from every tribe and language and people and nation you have made them to be a kingdom and
00:09:02 --> 00:09:12 priests to serve our god and they will reign on the earth and so the reason that jesus has the right to
00:09:12 --> 00:09:20 open the book of history is that by his death he has ransomed people for god that is for the glory of god
00:09:20 --> 00:09:27 and the worship of god and the worship of god from every tribe and language and people and nation
00:09:27 --> 00:09:30 that was god's design
00:09:30 --> 00:09:38 in the death of jesus to ransom some from every kind of race and language and make them one kingdom
00:09:38 --> 00:09:40 one kingdom
00:09:40 --> 00:09:49 they would have one king that is they would all live with jesus as their supreme treasure and lord
00:09:49 --> 00:09:55 jesus is the one who would unite them
00:09:55 --> 00:10:04 and they would be priests that is they would be full-time worshipers jesus died to ransom
00:10:04 --> 00:10:13 subjects for the king and worshipers for the king from all languages and races and nations and peoples
00:10:13 --> 00:10:21 and so the consummation of god's plan for human history includes the reversal of all the judgmental
00:10:21 --> 00:10:25 aspects of genesis 3 to 11
00:10:25 --> 00:10:28 the curse is removed
00:10:28 --> 00:10:36 they return to enjoy fellowship with god the scattered ones once separated from god and separated from each
00:10:36 --> 00:10:40 other and now brought together under the reign of jesus
00:10:40 --> 00:10:44 and finding god's blessing
00:10:44 --> 00:10:47 as he promised to abraham
00:10:47 --> 00:10:51 and we see the vision fulfilled in verses 11
00:10:51 --> 00:10:55 sorry 13 to 14 of revelation 5
00:10:55 --> 00:10:58 then i heard every creature in heaven
00:10:58 --> 00:10:59 and on earth
00:10:59 --> 00:11:00 and under the earth
00:11:00 --> 00:11:01 and on the sea
00:11:01 --> 00:11:02 and all that is in them
00:11:02 --> 00:11:03 singing
00:11:03 --> 00:11:05 to him who sits on the throne
00:11:05 --> 00:11:07 and to the lamb
00:11:07 --> 00:11:08 be praise and honor
00:11:08 --> 00:11:10 and glory and power
00:11:10 --> 00:11:11 forever and ever
00:11:11 --> 00:11:13 and the four living creatures said
00:11:13 --> 00:11:13 amen
00:11:13 --> 00:11:15 and the elders fell down
00:11:15 --> 00:11:16 and worshipped
00:11:16 --> 00:11:19 see the
00:11:19 --> 00:11:21 picture of the end of all things
00:11:21 --> 00:11:23 it is all things
00:11:23 --> 00:11:25 worshipping the king
00:11:25 --> 00:11:27 that's the trajectory
00:11:27 --> 00:11:29 of human history
00:11:29 --> 00:11:33 that's the trajectory of all created things
00:11:33 --> 00:11:34 it's what
00:11:35 --> 00:11:36 we were created for
00:11:36 --> 00:11:38 it's what this world was created for
00:11:38 --> 00:11:40 it's what history is about
00:11:40 --> 00:11:41 it's what the nations are about
00:11:41 --> 00:11:43 it's what the races are all about
00:11:43 --> 00:11:45 it's what the languages are all about
00:11:45 --> 00:11:46 it's what St Paul's is all about
00:11:46 --> 00:11:48 it's what my life is meant to be all about
00:11:48 --> 00:11:49 it's what your life
00:11:49 --> 00:11:51 is meant to be all about
00:11:51 --> 00:11:55 that is the end of all thing
00:11:55 --> 00:12:00 all things gathering around the throne praising their king.
00:12:03 --> 00:12:10 And so it is inconceivable that we should believe that this is the goal of God in history
00:12:10 --> 00:12:14 and the aim of the death of his son
00:12:14 --> 00:12:20 and not care about racial harmony in this city and in this church.
00:12:20 --> 00:12:33 It is critical that we today visualize the body of Christ and the people of God correctly.
00:12:34 --> 00:12:42 Christians who gather around the throne of God are going to rub shoulders with people of all races.
00:12:42 --> 00:12:52 God's intention for his people is to be multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, multi-lingual, multi-generational
00:12:52 --> 00:12:56 but all united in their fellowship and their worship of God.
00:13:01 --> 00:13:07 How easy it is for us to think that God is just like me.
00:13:07 --> 00:13:14 Just type in Google at some point and come up with images of Jesus
00:13:14 --> 00:13:20 and have a look at how often we make Jesus in our image.
00:13:21 --> 00:13:22 There's a black Jesus.
00:13:23 --> 00:13:26 There's a white Jesus who...
00:13:26 --> 00:13:27 I mean, Jesus was white, wasn't he?
00:13:29 --> 00:13:33 I mean, when you see all the pictures of Jesus, he's got these beautiful blonde curly hair.
00:13:33 --> 00:13:35 He's got blue eyes.
00:13:35 --> 00:13:38 He looks more handsome than me, for sure.
00:13:39 --> 00:13:41 And then there's Asian Jesus.
00:13:41 --> 00:13:42 And I looked at Asian Jesus.
00:13:42 --> 00:13:43 Well, Jesus wasn't Asian.
00:13:44 --> 00:13:45 I mean, he was white, wasn't he?
00:13:46 --> 00:13:47 And then there's cool Jesus.
00:13:48 --> 00:13:49 There's hip Jesus.
00:13:49 --> 00:13:50 There's all sorts of different Jesus.
00:13:51 --> 00:13:54 We think God is just like us.
00:13:54 --> 00:14:01 And yet the picture revelation is that the whole diversity of God's people
00:14:01 --> 00:14:04 is going to be more astounding than we realized.
00:14:05 --> 00:14:09 And I'm pretty confident that Anglican worship won't be necessarily front and center.
00:14:11 --> 00:14:13 Pretty confident of that too.
00:14:13 --> 00:14:23 My contention here is that we need to work towards that ideal if that is our future together.
00:14:24 --> 00:14:29 It's unfortunate, however, that our worldly associations and identities...
00:14:29 --> 00:14:35 It's unfortunate when we allow those things to determine the composition of our churches.
00:14:37 --> 00:14:40 Here's a quote from American theologian Michael Horton.
00:14:41 --> 00:14:41 He said,
00:14:41 --> 00:15:03 South African theologians have pointed out that this principle in mission work laid the groundwork for apartheid.
00:15:03 --> 00:15:10 Now that racial segregation is less explicitly deployed as a church growth strategy,
00:15:10 --> 00:15:16 we carve up Christ's body into socioeconomic and generational segments.
00:15:17 --> 00:15:25 Some churches use demographic marketing to appeal to different music styles with country western or rock or jazz services.
00:15:25 --> 00:15:37 I read recently of a growing movement of cowboy churches where preachers deliver brief talks from their horses to other riders in their saddles
00:15:37 --> 00:15:40 and they all depart with the song Happy Trails.
00:15:40 --> 00:15:46 It's what's called the homogenous unit principle.
00:15:48 --> 00:15:51 People like to be with people who are like them.
00:15:52 --> 00:15:58 It's a principle that's propagated by the church growth movement in the 1990s.
00:15:59 --> 00:16:05 It has led to churches planting or churches being planted to target specific demographics,
00:16:05 --> 00:16:09 particular segregations of people,
00:16:09 --> 00:16:16 and for churches putting up congregations for individual purposes.
00:16:17 --> 00:16:25 We segregate people based on traditional service or a family service or an Australian-born Chinese service or a youth service.
00:16:27 --> 00:16:33 It is the standard practice of church life on the North Shore of Sydney.
00:16:33 --> 00:16:40 It's the standard practice for church life in Sydney Diocese, the Anglican Church of Sydney Diocese.
00:16:41 --> 00:16:43 It's how we operate.
00:16:43 --> 00:16:45 It's how most of my ministry life has been.
00:16:47 --> 00:16:51 It was St. Paul's up until a few years ago.
00:16:51 --> 00:16:52 We'll get to that in a little while.
00:16:52 --> 00:16:59 But this is not the picture that you see in Revelation chapter 5.
00:16:59 --> 00:17:04 Now, I understand that not all churches will be multicultural.
00:17:05 --> 00:17:08 It's hard to have a multicultural church if you're living in a monocultural context.
00:17:09 --> 00:17:13 But that's not the context of St. Paul's.
00:17:13 --> 00:17:25 And so we have to labor hard to see God's ultimate intention lived out now as much as possible in this church.
00:17:26 --> 00:17:31 God's intention for us is to be multi-ethnic, multicultural, multilingual, multi-generational,
00:17:32 --> 00:17:35 but united in our fellowship and our worship of God.
00:17:35 --> 00:17:44 And that intention will cost us corporately and it will cost us individually.
00:17:46 --> 00:17:49 It will cost us because, as I read recently,
00:17:49 --> 00:17:54 evangelical Christians have a strong in-group identity
00:17:54 --> 00:17:59 that gives us a sense of distinctiveness from the rest of the world.
00:17:59 --> 00:18:02 That is, we like to see how we are different from everyone else.
00:18:02 --> 00:18:10 The negative of this is this in-group mentality has led ultimately, I think implicitly,
00:18:11 --> 00:18:14 to the degradation of other people not as part of that group.
00:18:14 --> 00:18:15 We are the elite.
00:18:16 --> 00:18:17 Everyone else is not.
00:18:19 --> 00:18:24 And while the evangelical church historically has led the charge
00:18:24 --> 00:18:29 in pursuing racial justice on a society level,
00:18:29 --> 00:18:36 it appears that it does not trickle down into interpersonal behavior on a local church level.
00:18:38 --> 00:18:42 We fight the battle out there in Canberra,
00:18:42 --> 00:18:44 but not here in the local church level.
00:18:47 --> 00:18:50 And again, I think it's an implicit racism rather than explicit.
00:18:50 --> 00:18:54 An extensive research project in the United States
00:18:54 --> 00:18:59 discovered that mainline Protestant churches, that's what we are,
00:18:59 --> 00:19:02 were less welcoming to racial minorities
00:19:02 --> 00:19:08 due to the implicit belief that they wouldn't fit into their congregations.
00:19:09 --> 00:19:11 And one reason for that
00:19:11 --> 00:19:15 is that mainline Protestant churches, like St. Paul's,
00:19:15 --> 00:19:21 use liturgies, music, and readings historically rooted in European culture,
00:19:21 --> 00:19:24 which is incredibly wordy.
00:19:26 --> 00:19:29 And so because of our way of doing church, which is culturally formed,
00:19:30 --> 00:19:35 it's less likely to appeal to people who are not part of that culture.
00:19:35 --> 00:19:42 In fact, studies have found that expressive contemporary worship styles
00:19:42 --> 00:19:46 are most effective for transcending racial boundaries.
00:19:48 --> 00:19:51 And this possibly may be, at least potentially,
00:19:52 --> 00:19:54 one question we should be asking ourselves,
00:19:54 --> 00:19:56 of Sydney Anglian churches,
00:19:56 --> 00:20:00 why we struggle to build multicultural churches,
00:20:01 --> 00:20:02 even though we really want to.
00:20:02 --> 00:20:05 We really struggle with it.
00:20:08 --> 00:20:10 Now, one of the changes we made here at St. Paul's
00:20:10 --> 00:20:13 in our corporate worship
00:20:13 --> 00:20:17 is to move away from the homogenous unit principle,
00:20:18 --> 00:20:21 which divides us based on age and stage of life
00:20:21 --> 00:20:23 or ethnicity or tradition or whatever it is.
00:20:24 --> 00:20:26 We've started doing that since 2011.
00:20:27 --> 00:20:30 We did not advertise our services based on personal preference.
00:20:30 --> 00:20:33 Our services are advertised based on language only.
00:20:35 --> 00:20:37 It's the only church I know of the North Shore doing that.
00:20:38 --> 00:20:39 Language only.
00:20:39 --> 00:20:42 It's the only distinction that I can see in the Bible.
00:20:43 --> 00:20:46 The only thing that should cause difference between us.
00:20:47 --> 00:20:51 Now, that change has cost us dearly since 2011,
00:20:51 --> 00:20:52 as I expected it would,
00:20:53 --> 00:20:54 but I'm committed to it.
00:20:54 --> 00:20:57 And I'm really pleased as I look around,
00:20:57 --> 00:21:00 particularly at our English congregations today,
00:21:01 --> 00:21:05 and I see a much higher level of ethnic diversity
00:21:05 --> 00:21:07 than what we had four years ago.
00:21:09 --> 00:21:11 Because God's intention for this church
00:21:11 --> 00:21:13 is for his people to be multi-ethnic,
00:21:14 --> 00:21:17 multicultural, multilingual, multi-generational.
00:21:17 --> 00:21:19 The reason I say that is because that's exactly
00:21:19 --> 00:21:20 what Chatswood is,
00:21:20 --> 00:21:21 and that is our mission field.
00:21:21 --> 00:21:23 That's our place.
00:21:23 --> 00:21:24 That's our context.
00:21:24 --> 00:21:25 That's where we exist.
00:21:26 --> 00:21:28 And that's why we have a mission statement of our church
00:21:28 --> 00:21:31 that says that we exist to know Jesus,
00:21:31 --> 00:21:32 to treasure Jesus,
00:21:32 --> 00:21:34 to represent Jesus for God's glory
00:21:34 --> 00:21:36 and the joy of all people.
00:21:39 --> 00:21:41 And we have core values like treasuring Jesus together.
00:21:42 --> 00:21:44 It states that we're committed to things
00:21:44 --> 00:21:46 like welcoming people from every background.
00:21:47 --> 00:21:49 We are committed to openness towards new people
00:21:49 --> 00:21:50 and the avoidance of clickiness.
00:21:50 --> 00:21:53 We are open to purging our lives of sin
00:21:53 --> 00:21:54 that causes division
00:21:54 --> 00:21:57 and pursuing increasing visible, authentic,
00:21:58 --> 00:21:59 and practical ways of loving each other.
00:22:01 --> 00:22:03 My point is that we must treasure Jesus
00:22:03 --> 00:22:06 above every other association that we have in life.
00:22:07 --> 00:22:09 The gospel is what this world needs.
00:22:09 --> 00:22:12 The gospel achieves unity
00:22:12 --> 00:22:14 where unity is not possible.
00:22:14 --> 00:22:15 The gospel is the power of God
00:22:15 --> 00:22:18 that breaks down the dividing wall of hostility
00:22:18 --> 00:22:20 between Israelis and Palestinians
00:22:20 --> 00:22:21 and Russians and Poles
00:22:21 --> 00:22:24 and Jews and Nazis
00:22:24 --> 00:22:26 and white and blacks
00:22:26 --> 00:22:26 and male and female
00:22:26 --> 00:22:29 and the Asian and Cantonese and Mandarin.
00:22:31 --> 00:22:33 The gospel is a power that breaks down all those walls.
00:22:35 --> 00:22:39 It breaks through every wall that this world puts up.
00:22:39 --> 00:22:42 And so that means that in the gospel,
00:22:42 --> 00:22:47 the church has a resource like no other resource
00:22:47 --> 00:22:51 for spanning cultural and generational divides.
00:22:51 --> 00:22:54 No institution, including the United Nations,
00:22:54 --> 00:22:58 no organization, no entity or group on the planet
00:22:58 --> 00:23:03 has more power to turn cultural and generational tension
00:23:03 --> 00:23:05 into cultural and generational harmony.
00:23:05 --> 00:23:12 Jesus himself is building his church
00:23:12 --> 00:23:14 and Jesus himself, therefore,
00:23:14 --> 00:23:18 is the great meeting place for his people.
00:23:20 --> 00:23:24 And particularly people who would naturally be at odds with one another.
00:23:24 --> 00:23:29 The end of ethnic pride
00:23:29 --> 00:23:32 and the pursuit of racial harmony
00:23:32 --> 00:23:36 cost God the death of his son for us.
00:23:37 --> 00:23:38 It's a high price.
00:23:39 --> 00:23:41 It cost Martin Luther his health,
00:23:42 --> 00:23:44 Martin Luther King Jr.,
00:23:44 --> 00:23:47 cost him his health and his life.
00:23:47 --> 00:23:49 And we've got to expect
00:23:49 --> 00:23:51 that for us to pursue this,
00:23:51 --> 00:23:54 it will cost us dearly as well.
00:23:55 --> 00:23:57 When our Redeemer
00:23:57 --> 00:23:59 and our great Reconciler
00:23:59 --> 00:24:00 and his gospel
00:24:00 --> 00:24:04 are what we hold as first importance,
00:24:05 --> 00:24:07 then we are empowered
00:24:07 --> 00:24:11 to listen to those who have different perspectives,
00:24:11 --> 00:24:14 to evaluate fairly and change as we need,
00:24:15 --> 00:24:18 and to be proactive in reaching across lines
00:24:18 --> 00:24:21 that traditionally cause divisions amongst us.
00:24:23 --> 00:24:28 The cross causes us to take Jesus-like initiative
00:24:28 --> 00:24:33 to foster relationships with people who are not in our group.
00:24:35 --> 00:24:37 And when Jesus is our greatest treasure,
00:24:37 --> 00:24:38 and we say that he is here at St. Paul's,
00:24:39 --> 00:24:41 we see that our lifelong preferences
00:24:41 --> 00:24:44 are not our ultimate hope.
00:24:44 --> 00:24:48 It means that we can actually become eager
00:24:48 --> 00:24:49 to have them changed
00:24:49 --> 00:24:52 if it means that there are less barriers
00:24:52 --> 00:24:55 to others embracing Jesus
00:24:55 --> 00:24:57 and living out the gospel.
00:24:58 --> 00:24:59 When Jesus is of first importance,
00:24:59 --> 00:25:02 we see that the power for real change
00:25:02 --> 00:25:04 and real church building
00:25:04 --> 00:25:05 is in fact Jesus.
00:25:06 --> 00:25:07 It's not in our tradition.
00:25:07 --> 00:25:10 It is in spirit-strengthened message
00:25:10 --> 00:25:11 of Christ crucified
00:25:11 --> 00:25:13 and risen for sinners.
00:25:15 --> 00:25:18 You see, when the cross is our salvation
00:25:18 --> 00:25:21 and our daily strength,
00:25:21 --> 00:25:24 we're eager to crucify our pride
00:25:24 --> 00:25:27 and our love for self
00:25:27 --> 00:25:29 and for our type
00:25:29 --> 00:25:31 and our comfort
00:25:31 --> 00:25:33 and our way
00:25:33 --> 00:25:36 and take the extra steps
00:25:36 --> 00:25:38 to reach across generations
00:25:38 --> 00:25:39 and cultures
00:25:39 --> 00:25:40 with kindness,
00:25:41 --> 00:25:42 with grace
00:25:42 --> 00:25:44 and always with a listening ear.
00:25:49 --> 00:25:51 I think that little bit
00:25:51 --> 00:25:53 is so important for us to grasp.
00:25:56 --> 00:25:58 You see, unlike Martin Luther King,
00:25:58 --> 00:26:02 I have been part of the dominant group
00:26:02 --> 00:26:03 all of my life.
00:26:06 --> 00:26:07 I'm, in fact,
00:26:07 --> 00:26:08 part of the group
00:26:08 --> 00:26:09 that's the oppressor,
00:26:09 --> 00:26:10 not the oppressed.
00:26:12 --> 00:26:14 I've never felt
00:26:14 --> 00:26:18 the sting of racial vilification,
00:26:19 --> 00:26:19 ever.
00:26:23 --> 00:26:24 And what that's meant for me
00:26:24 --> 00:26:25 is most of my life
00:26:25 --> 00:26:27 as I never felt it
00:26:27 --> 00:26:28 and I've never seen
00:26:28 --> 00:26:29 the need
00:26:29 --> 00:26:29 or the urgency
00:26:29 --> 00:26:32 of this issue of racism.
00:26:35 --> 00:26:36 I've always assumed
00:26:36 --> 00:26:38 that while I might be
00:26:38 --> 00:26:39 a little bit racist,
00:26:40 --> 00:26:41 it's only a little bit racist.
00:26:42 --> 00:26:43 I'm not a white supremacist after all.
00:26:43 --> 00:26:45 I don't have, you know,
00:26:46 --> 00:26:47 skinhead or anything.
00:26:47 --> 00:26:49 I'm not one of those guys.
00:26:51 --> 00:26:53 And so my racism
00:26:53 --> 00:26:55 is excusable.
00:26:57 --> 00:27:01 It's taken a while for me
00:27:01 --> 00:27:02 to listen
00:27:02 --> 00:27:05 and to try and understand
00:27:05 --> 00:27:06 what it would be
00:27:06 --> 00:27:08 to be oppressed.
00:27:11 --> 00:27:12 And to help me,
00:27:13 --> 00:27:14 I read a letter
00:27:14 --> 00:27:16 that Martin Luther King wrote.
00:27:18 --> 00:27:19 He wrote this letter
00:27:19 --> 00:27:20 to some white clergy
00:27:20 --> 00:27:21 that,
00:27:22 --> 00:27:24 and I think it might help us
00:27:24 --> 00:27:24 to see,
00:27:25 --> 00:27:26 to have the shoe
00:27:26 --> 00:27:27 on the other foot,
00:27:27 --> 00:27:28 what it feels like,
00:27:29 --> 00:27:29 the sting
00:27:29 --> 00:27:31 of racial vilification.
00:27:32 --> 00:27:34 In April 1963,
00:27:34 --> 00:27:35 King was arrested
00:27:35 --> 00:27:37 in Birmingham, Alabama
00:27:37 --> 00:27:40 for a non-violent protest
00:27:40 --> 00:27:41 against racism.
00:27:41 --> 00:27:43 And the local newspaper
00:27:43 --> 00:27:45 published a letter
00:27:45 --> 00:27:45 from,
00:27:45 --> 00:27:47 excuse me,
00:27:48 --> 00:27:48 a letter
00:27:48 --> 00:27:49 from eight
00:27:49 --> 00:27:50 white
00:27:50 --> 00:27:53 Christian and Jewish
00:27:53 --> 00:27:53 clergymen
00:27:53 --> 00:27:54 of Alabama
00:27:54 --> 00:27:56 criticizing King
00:27:56 --> 00:27:57 for his demonstration.
00:27:58 --> 00:27:59 And the white
00:27:59 --> 00:27:59 clergyman
00:27:59 --> 00:28:01 had all said
00:28:01 --> 00:28:02 he should be
00:28:02 --> 00:28:02 more patient,
00:28:03 --> 00:28:03 he should wait,
00:28:04 --> 00:28:05 he shouldn't demonstrate.
00:28:06 --> 00:28:07 And in response,
00:28:07 --> 00:28:07 King
00:28:07 --> 00:28:08 wrote
00:28:08 --> 00:28:10 what has become
00:28:10 --> 00:28:11 known as
00:28:11 --> 00:28:11 the letter
00:28:11 --> 00:28:12 from Birmingham
00:28:12 --> 00:28:12 Jail.
00:28:13 --> 00:28:14 And he wrote
00:28:14 --> 00:28:15 this.
00:28:18 --> 00:28:19 Perhaps it is easy
00:28:19 --> 00:28:20 for those
00:28:20 --> 00:28:20 who have never felt
00:28:20 --> 00:28:21 the stinging darts
00:28:21 --> 00:28:22 of segregation
00:28:22 --> 00:28:23 to say,
00:28:23 --> 00:28:24 wait.
00:28:26 --> 00:28:27 But when you have
00:28:27 --> 00:28:28 seen vicious mobs
00:28:28 --> 00:28:28 lynch your mothers
00:28:28 --> 00:28:30 and fathers at will
00:28:30 --> 00:28:31 and drown your sisters
00:28:31 --> 00:28:32 and brothers at whim,
00:28:33 --> 00:28:34 and when you've seen
00:28:34 --> 00:28:35 hate-filled policemen
00:28:35 --> 00:28:36 curse,
00:28:36 --> 00:28:37 kick,
00:28:37 --> 00:28:38 and even kill
00:28:38 --> 00:28:39 your black
00:28:39 --> 00:28:40 brothers and sisters,
00:28:41 --> 00:28:42 and when you see
00:28:42 --> 00:28:43 the vast majority
00:28:43 --> 00:28:45 of your 20 million
00:28:45 --> 00:28:46 Negro brothers
00:28:46 --> 00:28:48 smothering
00:28:48 --> 00:28:49 in an airtight
00:28:49 --> 00:28:50 cage of poverty
00:28:50 --> 00:28:51 in the midst
00:28:51 --> 00:28:52 of an affluent
00:28:52 --> 00:28:53 society,
00:28:54 --> 00:28:54 and when you
00:28:54 --> 00:28:55 suddenly find
00:28:55 --> 00:28:56 your tongue
00:28:56 --> 00:28:56 twisted
00:28:56 --> 00:28:58 and your speech
00:28:58 --> 00:28:59 stammering,
00:29:00 --> 00:29:00 as you seek
00:29:00 --> 00:29:01 to explain
00:29:01 --> 00:29:02 to your six-year-old
00:29:02 --> 00:29:02 daughter
00:29:02 --> 00:29:04 why she can't
00:29:04 --> 00:29:04 go to that
00:29:04 --> 00:29:05 public amusement
00:29:05 --> 00:29:06 park which has
00:29:06 --> 00:29:07 just been advertised
00:29:07 --> 00:29:08 on television,
00:29:09 --> 00:29:10 and see tears
00:29:10 --> 00:29:11 welling up in her
00:29:11 --> 00:29:12 eyes when she
00:29:12 --> 00:29:12 told that
00:29:12 --> 00:29:13 Funtown
00:29:13 --> 00:29:14 is closed
00:29:14 --> 00:29:15 to coloured
00:29:15 --> 00:29:15 children,
00:29:16 --> 00:29:18 and see ominous
00:29:18 --> 00:29:19 clouds of
00:29:19 --> 00:29:20 inferiority
00:29:20 --> 00:29:21 beginning to
00:29:21 --> 00:29:22 form in her
00:29:22 --> 00:29:23 little mental
00:29:23 --> 00:29:24 sky,
00:29:24 --> 00:29:25 and see her
00:29:25 --> 00:29:26 beginning to
00:29:26 --> 00:29:27 distort her
00:29:27 --> 00:29:28 personality
00:29:28 --> 00:29:29 by developing
00:29:29 --> 00:29:30 an unconscious
00:29:30 --> 00:29:31 bitterness
00:29:31 --> 00:29:32 towards white
00:29:32 --> 00:29:32 people,
00:29:32 --> 00:29:32 people,
00:29:33 --> 00:29:34 and when you
00:29:34 --> 00:29:34 have to
00:29:34 --> 00:29:35 concoct an
00:29:35 --> 00:29:35 answer for
00:29:35 --> 00:29:37 your five-year-old
00:29:37 --> 00:29:37 son who is
00:29:37 --> 00:29:38 asking,
00:29:39 --> 00:29:39 Daddy,
00:29:39 --> 00:29:40 why do white
00:29:40 --> 00:29:41 people always
00:29:41 --> 00:29:42 treat coloured
00:29:42 --> 00:29:42 people so
00:29:42 --> 00:29:43 mean?
00:29:44 --> 00:29:45 And when you
00:29:45 --> 00:29:46 take a cross-country
00:29:46 --> 00:29:47 drive and find it
00:29:47 --> 00:29:48 necessary to sleep
00:29:48 --> 00:29:49 night after night
00:29:49 --> 00:29:50 in the uncomfortable
00:29:50 --> 00:29:51 corners of your
00:29:51 --> 00:29:52 automobile because
00:29:52 --> 00:29:54 no motel will
00:29:54 --> 00:29:55 accept you,
00:29:56 --> 00:29:56 and when you are
00:29:56 --> 00:29:58 humiliated day in
00:29:58 --> 00:29:58 and day out by
00:29:58 --> 00:30:00 nagging signs which
00:30:00 --> 00:30:01 read white and
00:30:01 --> 00:30:02 coloured,
00:30:03 --> 00:30:03 and when your
00:30:03 --> 00:30:04 first name becomes
00:30:04 --> 00:30:05 nigger,
00:30:06 --> 00:30:07 your middle name
00:30:07 --> 00:30:08 becomes boy no
00:30:08 --> 00:30:08 matter how old
00:30:08 --> 00:30:09 you are,
00:30:09 --> 00:30:10 and your last
00:30:10 --> 00:30:11 name becomes
00:30:11 --> 00:30:11 John,
00:30:11 --> 00:30:12 and your wife
00:30:12 --> 00:30:13 and mother are
00:30:13 --> 00:30:14 never given the
00:30:14 --> 00:30:15 respected titles
00:30:15 --> 00:30:16 of missus,
00:30:17 --> 00:30:17 and when you are
00:30:17 --> 00:30:18 harried all day
00:30:18 --> 00:30:19 and haunted by
00:30:19 --> 00:30:20 night by the
00:30:20 --> 00:30:20 fact that you're
00:30:20 --> 00:30:21 a negro,
00:30:21 --> 00:30:23 living constantly
00:30:23 --> 00:30:24 at tiptoe stance,
00:30:24 --> 00:30:25 never quite knowing
00:30:25 --> 00:30:26 what to expect
00:30:26 --> 00:30:26 next,
00:30:26 --> 00:30:27 and are plagued
00:30:27 --> 00:30:28 with inner fears
00:30:28 --> 00:30:29 and outer
00:30:29 --> 00:30:30 resentments,
00:30:30 --> 00:30:30 and when you are
00:30:30 --> 00:30:32 forever fighting a
00:30:32 --> 00:30:33 degenerating sense
00:30:33 --> 00:30:34 of nobodiness,
00:30:35 --> 00:30:35 then you will
00:30:35 --> 00:30:36 understand why we
00:30:36 --> 00:30:37 find it difficult
00:30:37 --> 00:30:38 to wait.
00:30:39 --> 00:30:39 There comes a
00:30:39 --> 00:30:41 time when the
00:30:41 --> 00:30:41 cup of endurance
00:30:41 --> 00:30:42 runs over,
00:30:43 --> 00:30:44 and men are no
00:30:44 --> 00:30:45 longer willing to
00:30:45 --> 00:30:48 be plunged into
00:30:48 --> 00:30:49 the abyss of
00:30:49 --> 00:30:50 despair.
00:30:51 --> 00:30:51 I hope,
00:30:52 --> 00:30:52 sirs,
00:30:52 --> 00:30:53 that you can
00:30:53 --> 00:30:54 understand our
00:30:54 --> 00:30:55 legitimate and
00:30:55 --> 00:30:56 unavoidable
00:30:56 --> 00:30:57 impatience.
00:30:57 --> 00:31:01 if you're
00:31:01 --> 00:31:02 white,
00:31:02 --> 00:31:03 let that
00:31:03 --> 00:31:03 sit.
00:31:07 --> 00:31:08 Just let it
00:31:08 --> 00:31:08 sit.
00:31:16 --> 00:31:17 The first time I
00:31:17 --> 00:31:18 read that,
00:31:18 --> 00:31:19 I just burst
00:31:19 --> 00:31:20 into tears,
00:31:20 --> 00:31:21 and I
00:31:21 --> 00:31:22 realized
00:31:22 --> 00:31:23 that
00:31:23 --> 00:31:25 my racism
00:31:25 --> 00:31:26 mattered.
00:31:26 --> 00:31:30 it mattered
00:31:30 --> 00:31:30 deeply.
00:31:36 --> 00:31:36 Now,
00:31:36 --> 00:31:37 as far as I
00:31:37 --> 00:31:38 can tell,
00:31:39 --> 00:31:40 we don't have
00:31:40 --> 00:31:41 that level of
00:31:41 --> 00:31:42 blatant
00:31:42 --> 00:31:43 segregation here
00:31:43 --> 00:31:43 at St.
00:31:43 --> 00:31:44 Paul's.
00:31:48 --> 00:31:49 What I've
00:31:49 --> 00:31:49 become more
00:31:49 --> 00:31:50 aware of is
00:31:50 --> 00:31:51 the implicit
00:31:51 --> 00:31:52 racial biases
00:31:52 --> 00:31:53 that we
00:31:53 --> 00:31:53 have.
00:31:53 --> 00:31:56 these are
00:31:56 --> 00:31:57 the stereotypes
00:31:57 --> 00:31:58 and attitudes
00:31:58 --> 00:31:59 that affect
00:31:59 --> 00:31:59 how we
00:31:59 --> 00:32:00 unconsciously
00:32:00 --> 00:32:02 think about
00:32:02 --> 00:32:02 and act
00:32:02 --> 00:32:03 towards someone
00:32:03 --> 00:32:03 who is
00:32:03 --> 00:32:04 different from
00:32:04 --> 00:32:04 us.
00:32:05 --> 00:32:06 These will
00:32:06 --> 00:32:07 lead us to
00:32:07 --> 00:32:07 treat someone
00:32:07 --> 00:32:08 differently
00:32:08 --> 00:32:09 without us
00:32:09 --> 00:32:10 even realizing
00:32:10 --> 00:32:11 that that's
00:32:11 --> 00:32:11 what we're
00:32:11 --> 00:32:11 doing.
00:32:13 --> 00:32:13 And so
00:32:13 --> 00:32:13 while very
00:32:13 --> 00:32:14 few of us
00:32:14 --> 00:32:15 would say
00:32:15 --> 00:32:15 that we
00:32:15 --> 00:32:16 are racist,
00:32:18 --> 00:32:19 discriminatory
00:32:19 --> 00:32:20 behavior persists
00:32:20 --> 00:32:22 almost everywhere.
00:32:23 --> 00:32:26 more often
00:32:26 --> 00:32:26 than not,
00:32:26 --> 00:32:27 I can't
00:32:27 --> 00:32:27 see it in
00:32:27 --> 00:32:28 myself.
00:32:29 --> 00:32:29 I need
00:32:29 --> 00:32:30 others to
00:32:30 --> 00:32:30 help me
00:32:30 --> 00:32:31 see it.
00:32:33 --> 00:32:34 And when
00:32:34 --> 00:32:35 the cross
00:32:35 --> 00:32:36 is our
00:32:36 --> 00:32:37 daily salvation
00:32:37 --> 00:32:38 and our
00:32:38 --> 00:32:39 daily strength,
00:32:39 --> 00:32:40 we are
00:32:40 --> 00:32:41 eager to
00:32:41 --> 00:32:42 crucify our
00:32:42 --> 00:32:43 pride and
00:32:43 --> 00:32:44 our love for
00:32:44 --> 00:32:45 self and
00:32:45 --> 00:32:45 our own
00:32:45 --> 00:32:46 type and
00:32:46 --> 00:32:46 our own
00:32:46 --> 00:32:47 comfort and
00:32:47 --> 00:32:47 our own
00:32:47 --> 00:32:48 way and
00:32:48 --> 00:32:49 take those
00:32:49 --> 00:32:50 extra steps
00:32:50 --> 00:32:51 to reach
00:32:51 --> 00:32:52 across
00:32:52 --> 00:32:53 generations
00:32:53 --> 00:32:54 and cultures
00:32:54 --> 00:32:55 with kindness
00:32:55 --> 00:32:55 and grace
00:32:55 --> 00:32:57 and with a
00:32:57 --> 00:32:57 listening ear,
00:32:58 --> 00:32:59 I need to
00:32:59 --> 00:33:00 hear from
00:33:00 --> 00:33:01 you how
00:33:01 --> 00:33:02 it feels.
00:33:05 --> 00:33:06 Because I
00:33:06 --> 00:33:07 don't feel
00:33:07 --> 00:33:07 it.
00:33:12 --> 00:33:12 Martin
00:33:12 --> 00:33:13 Luther King's
00:33:13 --> 00:33:14 dream was a
00:33:14 --> 00:33:14 beautiful one,
00:33:15 --> 00:33:16 but it was a
00:33:16 --> 00:33:17 partial one.
00:33:17 --> 00:33:19 God has
00:33:19 --> 00:33:20 the ultimate
00:33:20 --> 00:33:20 dream and
00:33:20 --> 00:33:21 the ultimate
00:33:21 --> 00:33:21 purpose for
00:33:21 --> 00:33:22 all nations
00:33:22 --> 00:33:22 and all
00:33:22 --> 00:33:23 languages and
00:33:23 --> 00:33:23 races,
00:33:24 --> 00:33:25 that is to
00:33:25 --> 00:33:27 unite together
00:33:27 --> 00:33:28 to display the
00:33:28 --> 00:33:28 majesty of
00:33:28 --> 00:33:29 Christ.
00:33:30 --> 00:33:31 And that's
00:33:31 --> 00:33:31 our passion.
00:33:32 --> 00:33:33 And I would
00:33:33 --> 00:33:33 call you to
00:33:33 --> 00:33:34 dream your
00:33:34 --> 00:33:35 own personal
00:33:35 --> 00:33:36 dream,
00:33:37 --> 00:33:37 your corporate
00:33:37 --> 00:33:38 dream for this
00:33:38 --> 00:33:39 church and a
00:33:39 --> 00:33:40 city-wide dream
00:33:40 --> 00:33:41 and finally,
00:33:42 --> 00:33:42 ultimately,
00:33:42 --> 00:33:42 a kingdom
00:33:42 --> 00:33:43 dream,
00:33:43 --> 00:33:44 and to pray
00:33:44 --> 00:33:45 and to act
00:33:45 --> 00:33:46 by God's
00:33:46 --> 00:33:47 grace to make
00:33:47 --> 00:33:47 it a reality.
00:33:49 --> 00:33:50 The cross
00:33:50 --> 00:33:51 of Christ
00:33:51 --> 00:33:52 creates a
00:33:52 --> 00:33:56 cross-cultural
00:33:56 --> 00:33:59 and cross-generational
00:33:59 --> 00:33:59 community.
00:34:01 --> 00:34:01 And at
00:34:01 --> 00:34:02 St. Paul's,
00:34:03 --> 00:34:04 we call that
00:34:04 --> 00:34:04 treasuring Jesus
00:34:04 --> 00:34:05 together.
00:34:06 --> 00:34:06 Amen.