The Gospel of Jesus Christ calls us to walk in solidarity with our brown and black sisters and brothers in the work of Undoing Racism. To this end, as many of you have now heard, we are asked to pray on the way to action as a congregation. On June 28th we will gather after worship for a Community Meeting to discuss our initial feelings and thoughts. If the Spirit so leads, we may even make some decisions on the 28th about some short term steps we might take as a community to make a difference: further study and discussion, linking arms with a local organization or organizations, placing a Black Lives Matter sign on the front lawn of the church, or other ideas you bring.
One thing is certain: we cannot stay silent as a Church, even though some or many of us may feel ill-equipped to know what to do or how to do it.
As part of our preparation for this Community Meeting on June 28th, I am committing to you several resources each week. To see last week’s resources and my accompanying note, "Showing Up for Racial Justice: Resources & Community Meeting".
This week I invite us to consider the following:
- (15 minutes) The “Every Congregation Challenge” from our own Metropolitan New York Synod’s Anti-Racism Task Force: What might Redeemer do to meet this challenge?
- (15 minutes) A powerful letter, "Black Rage In An Anti-black World Is A Spiritual Virtue", that turns the notion of rage upside down and inside out, penned by a young African American Christian writer and speaker.
- And a list of “75 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice”. Though this one might seem dauntingly long, it has many approachable, creative ideas worth checking out.
Finally, please consider praying as you check out these resources (a prayer can be as simple as “God, please help” or “God, please show us the way”) both before and afterwards. May God in Christ through the power of Holy Spirit guide and strengthen and embolden us for this journey for Racial Justice.