A Sermon On Racism

Last month I heard my first sermon ever on racism.  It was related to the events in Charlottesville which happened back in August,

before Harvey,

before Irma,

before the NFL controversy.

Before the news cycle moved on as it always does.

But I can't stop thinking about something I should say, so I'll say it now.

I grew up in downtown Indianapolis in the early 1960's.  My family owned and lived in a duplex in a working class neighborhood.  I went to my neighborhood school that was only a couple of blocks from my home.  Most of the kids in my elementary school classes were white, but there were several African American students too.

But in the late 1960's my family did what lots of families of that time did.  We moved to the suburbs.    It was just a part of the middle class dream to have a place in the suburbs.  Nonetheless, we were part of white flight.  The new school I attended was 99% white.  The new church I attended was 100% white.

Phil and I moved to Dunlap right after college.  Very early on I remember seeing several events that were very racist, things I had never seen up close before.  There was a KKK rally and other times members of the KKK even took up money at the red light in the middle of town. (It was common practice by several community groups to take up money for their causes at the red light.)  I remember smirking about these things and thinking they were kind of amusing because it was so weird.  I couldn't believe these things were happening, but it didn't really bother me or make me think I should do anything about it.

Now I look back and think, "How could I do that?  Why didn't I think, 'I can't live in a town where people let this happen.'?"

I could think that way because no one I knew personally was thinking any other way. I lived in a culture that believed in being separate from those who are different from us. When I arrived in Dunlap there was nothing in my background that would have made me sensitive to the racism I encountered.

I'm very glad that things have changed in Dunlap over the years, although there is still much that needs to change in this area.  I'm also glad that my children and grandchildren are growing up to give much more thought to the subject of race and their relationships with those who are different from them.

So, given my background, it's not very surprising that I just heard my first sermon on racism.  But it is quite unsettling.

The sermon my pastor preached last month was based on Matthew 15:21-28 , a passage that can be somewhat disturbing.  

21 Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.”

23 Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.”

24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”

25 The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said.

26 He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”

27 “Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”

28 Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.

Prior to meeting this Canaanite woman Jesus had just fed the five thousand with five loaves and two fish.  Five thousand Jews.  Jesus tells her he can do nothing for her because he has come to serve one particular group of people, a chosen group.  He tells her he can't give her what she's asking for because she's a dog, a Gentile.  As much as I want to soften this in my mind because it is Jesus talking, I can't get over how offensive these words are.

Now this woman is asking for the crumbs, the leftovers, of which there are plenty.  The fact that there were twelve baskets left over from the miraculous feeding speaks of the abundance available in God.  Jesus is amazed by her faith and heals her daughter.

But the next thing he does is quite interesting.  

Jesus goes into a region that is mostly Gentile and preaches and teaches.  The people are hungry and exhausted, and Jesus decides to feed them.  Once again there is a small amount of food to distribute, but this time four thousand are fed.  Seven baskets are left over.  Seven, a number of completion.  So now Jesus commits himself to the spreading of the Gospel to all people, even Gentiles.

Jesus had an encounter with a real person who changed his perspective on what he was supposed to do, who he was supposed to serve.  Even though the plan all along was to include the Gentiles, Jesus opens the door for this maybe sooner than he expected.

I struggled to write this piece for a long time.  I kept thinking, "What's the point?  What do I want someone to get out of reading this?"  And finally I think I know.

It's not some earth-shaking discovery.  It's something we all know.

It's all about relationships.

A ministry that I follow and support has a saying:  "There is no significant change without significant relationship."

It's true, even for Jesus.  His thinking and actions didn't change until he met someone who spoke to him and engaged him in conversation, someone who needed His help.

So we have to speak up and challenge people's thinking about race and any other labels we use to separate "us" from "them."  And we have to seek out and intentionally develop relationships with those who are different from us.  We have much to learn from them.

I'm preaching to myself right now.  Ideas are forming in my mind about what I need to do next.

What about you?