What’s My Response?

Wednesday night’s REfresh Bible Study was much needed.  I know.  I know. I say that about every one of them.  Just because I say it all the time does not mean that it’s not true.  If anything, my takeaways from these sessions should pique your curiosity.  They should draw you in and make you want to dive a little deeper into the topics at hand.  Now that we’ve settled that, let’s talk about the panel that presented last night.

Last week, a different panel convened to discuss racism and religion.  We got to hear from Black men in the church.  We heard their stories and listened to how they were dealing with the social injustices in America.  This week, we heard from four senior pastors of black churches.  We were privy to their thoughts about the appropriate response of the black church.

I knew the evening was going to be good when Pastor played a video to jump start the discussion.  Over the weekend, senior pastors from our area met up to talk about race.  Anywhere from 70-80 men and women of different races convened, amid a pandemic, to figure out how to change the tide of systemic oppression of Black people.  The video played was a snippet of one White pastor’s thoughts on how the church, God’s people, should respond. His words were powerful and a clear call to action.  He challenged Christians to take a stand for the Black community.

But what kind of stand is the Black church taking?  What should be our response?  The panelists were transparent and offered more than just stereotypical responses.   While we need prayer, we also need action.  I was delighted to learn that team has been formed that will address voter registration AND education in our community.  The education part is often overlooked in our drive to get people out in numbers.  We have to be aware of the policies that different candidates advocate for…and against.

The night was not all about activism.  Each pastor shared the emotional impact that 2020 has had on their lives.  They are pastoring in a worldwide pandemic.  While adjusting to concerns of personal safety, and the safety of their families, they have had to do ministry in an entirely new way.  The way that we “do church” has turned upside down, and they’ve been taken along for the ride.  Then George Floyd’s murder occurs and takes us all down through there.  Yes, they believe in God, but they are not God.  Our response to our pastors should be responses of compassion and care.  Not constant critiques of all that goes wrong.  They’re human too.

They closed out the night discussing our very real human responses.  Right now, in the month of June, in the year of our Lord 2020, I have a short fuse.  I just had to tell somebody the other day that I’m not in the mood for foolishness.  The things that I used to let slide don’t stand a chance.  I’m very aware of that, so I take steps to preserve my peace.  Each pastor described ways that they were dealing with their emotions.  One discussed limiting the intake of news coverage and giving yourself a chance to de-stress.  I have had to do that for myself because my blood gets to boiling if I watch too long.

Of course, we need prayer.  Of course, we need to study the Word.  Of course, we need to be kind to our fellow man.  But that’s not always easy.  The systemic oppression was not created overnight. The church, and Black America, have to be committed for the long haul. The words that we say have power.  The actions that we take have power as well.  What’s your response? #wepreach